Hornady Critical Defense Brass 9mm 115 Grain 25-Rounds FT…

Description

Product Overview

The Hornady Critical Defense Brass 9mm Luger 115 Grain FTX 25-Round box is a purpose-engineered ammunition load designed for personal and home defense. This product is specifically developed for the responsible citizen who prioritizes reliable performance in a defensive firearm, typically a compact or subcompact handgun. Its primary use is as a carry or home-defense round where consistent expansion and penetration through barriers like heavy clothing are critical. Hornady’s engineering focuses on delivering terminal performance that meets the FBI’s penetration guidelines while mitigating the over-penetration risks common in residential settings. For the shooter seeking a scientifically developed, duty-proven defensive load in the ubiquitous 9mm caliber, this 25-round offering provides a sufficient quantity for function testing and loading of multiple magazines.

Key Features

• FTX® (Flex Tip®) Bullet: The red polymer tip serves multiple functions. It prevents clogging of the hollow point cavity with materials like heavy clothing, ensuring reliable expansion. It also initiates uniform expansion upon impact and aids in bullet seating for consistent ballistic performance.
• Optimized 115-Grain Weight: The 115-grain projectile weight is a standard for 9mm, offering an excellent balance of velocity and controllability. This weight is particularly well-suited for shorter-barreled defensive handguns, helping to maintain effective velocity for proper bullet function.
• Critical Defense® Specific Propellant: Hornady formulates a clean-burning, low-flash propellant for this line. Reduced muzzle flash is crucial in low-light defensive situations to preserve the shooter’s night vision and avoid temporary blindness.
• Nickel-Plated Brass Cases: The cases resist corrosion, provide reliable feeding and extraction due to reduced friction, and allow for visual differentiation from training ammunition. This aids in keeping your defensive magazines loaded with the correct round.
• Consistent Manufacturing: Like all Hornady ammunition, Critical Defense loads are produced to tight tolerances. This consistency translates to uniform velocities, reliable point of impact, and dependable cycling in a wide variety of firearms.
• 25-Round Package: The box count allows the user to fully load a standard magazine (or two, depending on capacity) and have remaining rounds for verification of function and point of impact in their specific firearm—a critical step before trusting any ammunition for defense.

Performance & Applications

The design parameters of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm load dictate its ideal applications. Its performance is tailored for specific, real-world defensive scenarios.

Everyday Carry (EDC) in Compact Handguns: This load excels when used in modern micro-compact or compact 9mm pistols commonly used for concealed carry. The FTX bullet’s design is optimized to expand reliably at the lower velocities often generated by barrels shorter than 4 inches. The 115-grain offering provides manageable recoil for faster follow-up shots, while the low-flash powder ensures performance isn’t compromised in a defensive encounter that may occur during dawn, dusk, or at night.

Home Defense: For a handgun designated for home protection, predictable terminal ballistics are paramount. The Critical Defense round is engineered to penetrate to an adequate depth (typically 12-18 inches in calibrated ballistic gelatin) while expanding dramatically. The FTX tip helps ensure this performance is achieved even through common barriers like denim or heavy jackets, which a threat may be wearing. The reduced risk of over-penetration compared to full metal jacket rounds is a significant safety consideration for homes with multiple occupants.

Backup or Secondary Firearm Use: For individuals who carry a backup firearm (BUG), often a very small-frame revolver or pistol, ammunition reliability is non-negotiable. The combination of nickel-plated cases for smooth extraction and the clog-resistant bullet design makes this a logical choice for a firearm that may see less frequent maintenance but must perform flawlessly if needed.

About Hornady

Hornady Manufacturing has been a family-owned leader in the ammunition and reloading component industry since 1949. The company’s reputation is built on a foundation of empirical research, ballistic innovation, and rigorous quality control. Hornady’s engineers and ballisticians work from a modern, on-site research facility featuring one of the largest privately owned ballistic testing laboratories in the world. This commitment to Experience and Expertise is evident in product lines like Critical Defense, which are developed using standardized FBI protocols and transparent testing data. The company’s Authoritativeness is demonstrated by its adoption by numerous law enforcement agencies and its role as a trusted resource for ballistic science. Hornady’s long-standing Trustworthiness stems from its consistent manufacturing standards, its clear communication of product capabilities without hyperbole, and its unwavering focus on shooter safety and performance. When you choose Hornady, you are selecting a product born from decades of dedicated ballistic science.

Make Your Decision

Selecting defensive ammunition involves balancing terminal performance, reliability, and shootability. The Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115 Grain FTX load represents a focused solution for the civilian defender. Its value lies in its specialized bullet design that addresses common expansion obstacles, its tailored propellant for low-light use, and the manufacturing consistency expected from Hornady. Before relying on any ammunition for defensive purposes, it is imperative to purchase enough to thoroughly test its function, accuracy, and point of impact in your specific firearm. This 25-round box provides that practical opportunity. For a purpose-built, scientifically validated 9mm defense load from one of the most respected names in ballistics, the Hornady Critical Defense offering is a substantiated and reliable choice.

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions