Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX – Great 250 Round Case

Description

Hollow points have one classic failure mode, which is that the cavity plugs with clothing and the bullet behaves like a full metal jacket. The Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX was designed around that problem. A soft polymer tip sits in the cavity, so there is nothing for denim or fleece to pack into, and the bullet still opens on the far side of a winter coat.

• What the flex tip actually does
• Full specifications
• Why buy defensive ammunition by the case
• Honest notes before you buy
• Test it in your own gun
• The bottom line

What the flex tip actually does

The FTX bullet is a conventional jacketed hollow point with a flexible polymer insert filling the nose cavity. On impact the tip is driven rearward and acts like a wedge, forcing the jacket open from the inside. That is the whole mechanism, and it is why the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX expands consistently through barriers that defeat ordinary hollow points.

It also helps in short barrels. Hornady loads the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX with fast burning propellants selected to reach useful velocity from a three or four inch barrel rather than a full size gun, which is where most people actually carry. Slower powders look better on a test barrel and leave a lot of unburned powder and muzzle flash in a compact pistol.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Bullet weight: 115 grain
• Bullet: FTX flex tip expanding hollow point
• Muzzle velocity: 1135 from a 4 inch barrel fps
• Muzzle energy: 329 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published by Hornady for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: 90250, case of 250

1135 feet per second and 329 foot pounds from a four inch barrel is standard pressure 9mm, not a plus P load. That is deliberate. The Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX is built to be controllable and to shoot flat enough in a small gun, not to chase the highest number on the box. Recoil is mild and follow up shots come quickly.

Why buy defensive ammunition by the case

Because you should be shooting it. The single most common mistake in concealed carry is buying one box of premium defensive ammunition, loading the gun, and never firing another round of it. Carry ammunition and practice ammunition often print differently and cycle differently, and you will not know until you shoot. A case of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX lets you actually train with what you carry.

It also solves rotation. Ammunition that lives in a magazine or gets chambered repeatedly should be cycled out periodically, and bullets that have been rechambered many times can get set back in the case. With 250 rounds of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX on the shelf you can replace your carry load whenever you want rather than nursing one box for years.

Honest notes before you buy

The flex tip is not magic. It improves consistency through clothing and it does not turn a 9mm into a rifle. Shot placement is still what matters, which is exactly why buying enough ammunition to practice with is the point of a case rather than a box.

One honest note on cost. Defensive ammunition costs several times what range ammunition does, so a case of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX is not the cheapest way to put rounds downrange. Most shooters do the bulk of their practice with inexpensive ball and use premium ammunition for function testing and carry. Both approaches are reasonable, and having the case on hand means you can choose.

Test it in your own gun

No defensive load is validated until it has run in your pistol. Put at least a hundred rounds of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX through the gun you carry, from the magazines you carry, including the first round chambered from slide lock. Malfunctions almost always show up in the first hundred rounds if they are going to show up at all.

Check your point of impact too. A 115 grain load will usually print differently from the 124 or 147 grain practice ammunition most people shoot, and at fifteen yards that difference can be a few inches. Confirm where the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX hits from your gun with your sights before you rely on it.

The bottom line

For a carry gun you actually train with, the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX in case quantity is the practical way to buy the ammunition you trust. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115gr FTX is a sensible place to start.