The Five Best Defensive Carry Ammos 

- Federal HST - Speer gold dot - Hornady critical defense.

It's not printed on the boxes, but critical defense is made for short barrel under 3" and critical duty is made for duty size guns. This is according to the Hornady reloading supply catalog.

This should be titled "My favorite box collection". It would have been nice to see the actual rounds.

147 grain HST. Dont even need to use +p. The standard round gets deeper penetration than +p in a lot of tests. One of the recommended rounds by Dr Gary Roberts who has performed ballistics test for several law enforcement agencies. BTW Massad Ayoob uses .45 gold dots. He's pretty smart too.

Underwood Extreme Defender in 65 grain is now by far the best ammo in either .380, 9mm or 357 sig. It's also great in .45 120 grain. It will go threw hard surfaces and still always preform like nothing was there, and stop at 18 inches. More damage than H.P. rounds without the need to expand to stop before over penetrating, That's the best round you can get right now. Low recoil because of low weight but high energy because high fps.

I'm going to suggest Hornady Critical Defense for short barrels, not short distance. And Critical Duty for longer barrels (That's specifically what Hornady says the difference is for). If you're a cop and you need to shoot through a car door or window, the Critical Duty is intended to do that job. The reason I prefer Hornady is the plastic filler in the tip. As I live in the north where people often wear multiple layers of denim or wool a traditional hollow point has been known to snag in them causing premature expansion or even spinning (a bullet that's sideways on impact won't expand well if at all). The Critical Duty 135gr +P 9mm has plenty of stopping power and is a very accurate round. Regardless of your choice, don't base it on cost and DO run a few boxes through your carry gun to make sure it eats it reliably EVERY time.

IMO pick a premium self defense HP from a major manufacturer and be done with it. The most important is that whatever you pick has to work in your gun. And the only want to know that is to run at least a couple boxes through your weapon.

I carry Federal but I prefer the HST rounds over the hydra shock. Ive found the penetration of the HST to be far superior to any round other than the extreme penatrator.

I use Hornady critical defense too.

The Federal Premium has a soft spot in my heart because looking through my parents ammo boxes I found some of that stuff they bought before they divorced. So it reminds me of my parents getting along and buying ammo together.

"They always get the job done" that always baffles me. Like how many people have you killled? Lol

DPX would be great if you could actually buy it. Corbon hasn't had any in stock, and nobody online has any either. It's been a solid year or more since I've seen any.

Thanks Yankee Marshal. That was very informative and helpful to me.

1. Underwood +P Xtreme Defender 90gr 9mm 2. Hornady +P Critical Duty 135gr 9mm 3. Hornady +P Critical Defense 135gr 9mm EDC - Walther PPQ M2 9mm 4". I picked the Underwood because of the barrier blind nature of the slug and the PWC that they create. Also, who am I to argue the finer points of fluid mechanics and fluid dynamics :0)

I am happy that you mentioned the ARX rounds. JHP rounds are optimized for a fairly narrow range of velocities. Once you go below you get little or no expansion. The reference barrel length for 380, 9mm, 40 cal and 357 are 4" and 5" for 45 ACP. A round that is great in G-19 may suck in a subcompact. Non expanding rounds like the Leigh bullet and ARX are ideal for short barrels.

Always used Hornady Critical Defense, or Speer Gold Dot. Mostly since im in NY and that’s about all my local shop carries.

I run Hornady Critical Duty 175gr .40S&W for my EDC pistol, a full size service pistol, the Astra A-100. I chose the Duty over the Defense because I drive professionally for a living, which means I'm a lot more likely to need my gun on the road than I am at home or in a store, and in the event that I don't have time to exit my vehicle to defend myself or my passengers, I need a round and caliber that I fully trust to penetrate barriers like a windshield or car door, and still have the lethality to put down a threat outside my vehicle. That's why someone like me runs such a configuration. Probably not the best for other applications, but pretty damn good for the application I'm most likely to need. Also makes for a good defensive round when camping out in the Cascade Mountains here in WA, as we have black bear and mountain lions, and I've seen both while camping. They usually don't come near camp, but if they do, it's nice to have some peace of mind on my hip. I'm also pretty poor, so I only have the one handgun, and it was about all I could afford. Really damn nice pistol, though, truly a forgotten weapon I wish Ian would do a video on... right after I buy up some more spare parts and mags, lol.

Yankee... one I think you need to order and give a try is Fort Scott Munitions. This is a fairly new company that is located in the town where I went to high school. It is solid copper spun so it has good barrier penetration and relies on tumbling to cause a lot of damage... and it is lead free which I know you like. They have fared well in tests and I personally carry this in my 9 mm and .380 carry guns after doing a 500 round test. Again, I think you should order some and give them a try.

My choices are: 1. HST 2. Gold Dot 3. Ranger-T I haven't felt the desire to explore solid copper for self defense. Too expensive for what it is. The rounds I listed are available in a variety of flavors with 50 round bulk LE packaging for $20-26 per 50 rounds (9mm).

DPX number 1, gold dot number 2, and then all the rest 3,4and 5 in no order...IMHO. As always well done Yankee Marshal!!! Thanks!!!!

Finally back to doing some fun videos

I carry either the HST or the Critical Defense, but the Underwood Extreme and Penetrator look interesting. I also carry the Underwood Gold Dots in my 10mm. One of the big advantages of the HST is cost at about $20 for 50 rounds. It allows me to practice more with my actual defensive round. I also need to look at the Corbon all copper bullet. Living in California, it is only a matter of time before they ban any bullet that is not fully copper.

I keep critical defense ammo in my subcompact pistol that I carry in the summer. But in my full size pistol, which I choose to carry in the winter, I'll use Critical Duty for greater penetration through thick winter clothing.

I love Remington Golden Sabers, especially in .45ACP.

Thanks YM I was not aware of the Cor Bon DPX, and I still have my eye on the Underwood and thanks for your opinion on them too!

All good choices. I like the DPX as well. That's what I use in my Glock 22. Federal HST is getting a lot of love these days as well.

*I just LOVE my 165gr HST's.*

Love the channel and have been subbed for a long time but I have to disagree with plastic ammo as a future self defense load. I have shot thousands of rounds of polymer ammo and it just doesn't have the same weight transfer as metal rounds, yes it has higher velocity than standard rounds but it takes velocity and weight to make wound channels. Polycase ammo is around 1500 fps, shoot it at steel and see what happens, not saying it sucks by any means it is a great way to practice that's why I have shot thousands of rounds lol.

Hey Yankee, I was wondering if you had any experience with or thoughts on the Wincestor PDX1?

Great options, YM. I'd give an honorable mention to Rem's Golden Sabers. I've always had consistent reliabilty & they're usually easy to find in stock in the major SD calibers.

Great info...Quick question tho, What's your preferred method/option for extra ammo? Speed strips or loaders & do ya use a holder or just toss them in a pocket?

I've been shooting ARX in my EDC, a Glock 43. One of the reasons I like it better than the Gold Dot or the Critical Defense is that it is a lot less recoil and it is easier to stay on target.

Who would ever want to see the bullet, thanks for NOT showing them... boxes and pretty colors are sooo much more exciting..

I just picked up a couple boxes of Ruger ARX today, looking forward to shooting them!

Federal HST is my top choice

Mac's video on the extreme defender sold me on them. Most consistent round shot through anything with effective expansion. I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention federal HST. They're in my top 3 with the Lehigh round being number 1 and critical duty being number 3.

You're right on about the Zombie Max loads. I bought a box of them because they were $16 and Critical Defenses were $18.

Currently use critical defense but want to switch to 124 gr HST

I love the Xtreme P but i wouldn’t categorize it as one of the best for most defensive situations. And I do carry it but as a secondary round for a very unlikely situation, because it is very effective in penetration

I love the little thumb dance that is in sync with your voice...

What do you think of the liberty ultradefence??? Just bought a box to try out I’m going to try a few things with them to see how they preform but if you have tried them I would like your thoughts. BTW, I’m new to your channel but have been binge watching what you have posted and can agree with most of what you say. At the very least these videos get me thinking, which is always a good thing.

TheYankeeMarshal What would you suggest for a carry round for a Ruger Lcp II or any small .380 auto. I find myself carrying my Lcp II sometimes, especially at work where I can't conceal a larger firearm. I am currently carrying Winchester Defend or Critical Defense

HSTs perform great in soft media, and I do have a couple boxes. But I find that they can be prone to non expansion if going through a harder barrier, like sheetrock, etc., making them like a fmj with too much penetration. I'm going with critical defense.... doesnt expand as much, but I find them consistent. And my boxes of older Corbons mushroom out great.

Totally agree. People preach HST, but they're a tad underpowered for some applications, like barrier penetration, and don't perform nearly as well as underwood or dpx

Speer Gold Dot here. In 9mm and 357. Nobody around here stocks Corbon. On another note, I watched Ian shoot clean through a level 3A vest with a 5.45 x 18 tiny assed Russian handgun. The round has the same ballistics as a 22LR. But it has a steel core. Remember the KTY ammo from a million years ago? same concept. A steel core is the trump card.

I've been carrying HST, recommended by a close friend of mine. My 3 EDC rotation guns eat it well, and I havnt had any issues with it. However...any modern day ammo will do just fine imo.

Barnes tac-xpd are a solid choice too. And I can find them locally for $17 box of 20. Also the Buffalo Barnes is actually what I'm using now. The 140g Barnes copper projectile In 40 sw.

Thanks for the review

If you look at a comprehensive test, like Luck Gunners and also the work done by TNOUTDOORS9, Federal HST and Winchester Ranger T seem to do very well. If he uses 357, there are some other choices he may wish to consider...I just don't get the hard barrier mindset. If he ever has to shoot someone and it goes through them and hits a bystander, he'll learn too late.

Love the channel but I can't agree or believe those would be your choices. No mention of HST or ranger t? Both of those are ahead of the rest by a good bit with gold dots not far behind...

I like critical duty, been using it for years but I am currently testing Xtreme penetrator 10mm, loving it so far.

Thanks Yank.. Your opinion is valued

I used to carry HST in everything, but after seeing how the .380 and 9mm performed in testing, I switched to the Hornady Critical Defense in those calibers. The .9mm tended to over-penetrate and the .380 was just bad overall. I still carry HST in my 1911.

I've only shot the Critical Defense and DPX in low light/dark conditions. I'd be curious about muzzle flash for all of these rounds in the dark. One of the reasons I keep Critical Defense in my home defense pistols is the low muzzle flash.

Own all 5 in varying calibers. Like most also commenting, I love the HST's also.

I just purchased the Arx personal Defence. It's hard to find 9mm amo and that was the only thing I could find. If these circumstances weren't a thing would you recommend the arx as an EDC. Do you believe the claims on the box?.

so with exception, what have you not carried for self-defense? I myself prefer s light, special in the wadcutter setup

where can you even find corbon dpx? i havent seen em around for a LOOOOONNNNGGG time...

I don't know if you'll see this, Yankee, I posted it on Patreon too, but I just wanted to say thanks for correcting the misspelling of my name in the credits.

What are your thoughts on the Liberty Munitions Civil Defense ammo? It's by far my preferred carry ammo of choice. I'd love to know what your thoughts are

Haven't even heard of this Cor Bon ( I know I know ~ what rock do I live under ? ) Thanks Yankee , gonna have to give it a day in court....

Actually, after a few years of carrying 24/7 for defense and after months of intense research and testing, I came to the same conclusions as you, except that I would flip your #1 and #2, especially for my small S&W M&P BG .380. I use the CorBon DPX for all my 9mm, but I also prefer the Lehigh Xtreme Penetrator for my LCR in 38sp and my .357 Chiappa because the XTP round compensates nicely for a short barrel. As for my full-size 357Mag, I like them with Buffalo Bore's Heavy 357 Outdoorsman 180gr (but, hey, I live in FL). My 2cts. Thanks!

The best in my opinion are the Liberty Civil Defense or R.I.P. rounds :) great video

very well done... Have you fired these 5 bullets into gel blocks during your testing as you speak about car doors and windshields .. ? Underwood is super hard cast and they do well through both hard and soft barriers ... Most of the time i carry Speer Gold Dot, i have fired them into everything , wood, cardboard many layers , house wall material , and old car and truck doors .. The other bullet i really like is made by Oregon Trail Bullets it's found in a line called TrueShot , i'm very impressed , those bullets wade through cinder blocks , metal , wood and i cannot say anything about gel blocks as i have not fired any into gel blocks as of yet...

Very very good choice. Also one of my favorites.

Does the .357 mag Lehigh provide the same amount of expansion of a hollow point (say a 125 gr. Hornady Critical Defense)?

Nice video. I'm sure any round with a "DP" in it would make the top of your list, LOL.

please do keep in mind the Federal HST is an upgraded and improved version of the hydra-shok. I've found it to be the best. you should give it a shot yankee. also winchester pdx1 are also right there with it. modern style of the old black talons

Is the Walmart sold .40 cal Federal 135gr hst worth it? It seems to be the only ammo that I can consistently find in California as I travel for work

Ok yankee!! I’m sure I’m not gonna get a reply nor a compliment on my edc gun but I have question and here it gos. I carry a shield 45 and I want to know what you think is the best all around carry load for self defense in this particular handgun?

What's the best Ar15 caliber self defense rounds? .223/556 .308?

Yankee due to budget restrictions I just bought a Taurus 605. I have had it at the range today and yesterday. I really didn't have too many issues with it specially for the price. I was curious about what you thought. I will say it carries well I think my next purchase will be a k frame

here I am still carrying the same old Remington 158 grain lswchp 38 special + p that my dad and granddad taught me to carry 30 years ago ... hey at least I got with the times a little , I do carry a LCR now instead of a all steel snubby

I used Cor-Bon with a cheap gun and bulged the barrel once. Hi-Power knock off.

Hornady Critical Duty is also great for hard barriers. It was designed to go through glass and cardoors because it was made for law enforcement.

I carry exclusively Underwood ammo. Recently I've been carrying extreme defender 90gr +p. I don't think ill be switching anytime soon.

1- Golden Sabers. BJHP 124 Grain.. The rest on my list dont even matter because Golden Sabers are the best bullet ever made 2- American Gunner 3- Federal Hydro Shock 4- Critical Defense/Zombie Max 5- Federal HST

Corbon 125+p for me, really like how it expands reliably in real human body. I’ll take Gold Dot or HST too if I can’t get my hands on Corbon

Do you have a recommendation for practice ammunition that has similar groupings as the Corbon DPX?

Hey yankee, what do you know about the new bills in the state of Virginia? I read that there was 10 bills trying to be passed as of February 2018.

I'm surprised you didn't mention Winchester pdx1 or their ranger t series. All the ballistic videos I've seen on those rounds were excellent. I have several boxes myself. I keep critical defense in my 40s and the almighty hst in my 45acps

I want one of those .357 Marlin lever carbines in the worst way. I’d love to know what the best ammo is, but not for self defense. More for, like, what’s the best .357 ammo in case I have to shoot through an engine block. Edit- 5:17 Exactly what I wanted to know! You nailed it! I should have let the video finish before I commented. Please forgive.

What do you think about the rounds Sig produces? They come in a very good price

@TheYankeeMarshall what do you think of Liberty Civil Defense ammo?

the youtube channel Shooting the bull has a long running series of ammo quests, which feature direct comparisons of different defencive rounds. The comparisons are done with subcompact pistols since his focus is on ccw defence ammo. He finished testing 380acp and did a ranking video and the winners were federal HST and then several brands that use hornady's xpt bullet (hornady custom duty, Fiochi extremas, and another I'm forgetting). The gold dot and corbon were middle of the pack at best.

Yankee: You recommend DPX for .45 ACP out of a Glock? Also, 10 mm as well?

Yesterday I wrapped up my personal testing of DPX vs Underwood Extreme Defender. DPX doesn’t come close to the Underwood Extreme Defender in wound channel cavitation. Also The Extreme Penetrator doesn’t perform as well as the Extreme Defender version. I will admit the DPX is for sure my second favorite. My third favorite is Winchester Ranger T Series. I test defensive ammo as a hobby for almost 8 years and have spent close to $15k doing so over 7 years between gel blocks pork ribs denim and ammo costs. I have never seen any ammo in any caliber come close to Extreme Defender +P. If anyone knows of a better defensive ammo please ping me and I’ll test it to see if it can dethrone Underwood Extreme Defender.

I shot hornady out of my 605 357 a few days ago it was fun little recoil i was thinking how would winchester 38 130 grain ammo fire from my snuby or remington 130 grain

my problem with the Ruger ARX rounds are that they are both low weight, low density, and (I think, could be wrong) relatively soft. this all makes for a round that may do very well in gel, but one that(like you've said in other videos) would seem like it would not be very good at all with penetration, especially things like bone.I personally like gold dots and corbon. I think just wish they made their hollow points/PowR'Ball with bonded bullets, and with nickel plated cases(not that nickel plated cases are a huge deal for me, but you would think at the prices corbon ammo goes for compared to say, HSTs, or gold dots, that they would at least have these two things.)yes, they have the DPX rounds(which I currently carry in my glock 23 until I get my g19), but due to the larger projectiles the velocities are significantly slower.if corbon would make these changes, I think their 125gr 9mm+p going 1250fps out of a g19 would be an ideal round(about 15 inches of penetration in gel tests.)their new MPR rifle ammo sounds awesome though, and as soon as they do another run of it in going to try it out for my new home/self defense round(69gr .223 at 3000fps out of a 16inch barrel, polymer tipped hollow point, very high BC.) though as you can imagine, it's very expensive(and hard to find.)

The 9mm underwood extreme defender by far out performs the DPX. The wound cavity at largest for the DPX is .72" which is huge. But the extreme defender by underwood creates a wound cavity twice as large in Diameter and almost twice the depth. The underwood in 9mm gets 1.6" wound cavity and min 17" deep. These numbers came from my extensive testing using FBI gel block properly calibrated and using 3 layers of denim and one rack of pork ribs. Below are my other results with other calibers. .45acp 120 gr +P Extreme Defender Overall Depth average 18.0" Wound channel Diameter 2.3" Average 2.3" wound channel Length 8.5" Average Velocity 1,420 Average ft lbs 537 .40s&w 115 gr Extreme Defender (no +P offered) Overall Depth average 17.7" Wound channel Diameter 1.8" Average 1.8" wound channel Length 9.1" Average Velocity 1,400 Average ft lbs 500 9mm 90 gr +P Extreme Defender Overall Depth average 17.0" Wound channel Diameter 1.6" Average 1.6" wound channel Length 7.7" Average Velocity 1,475 Average ft lbs 435 380acp 65 gr +P Extreme Defender Overall Depth average 15" Wound channel Diameter 1.5" Average 1.5" wound channel Length 7.1" Average Velocity 1,400 Average ft lbs 283 If you study and test ammo like I do as a hobby you will quickly realize these test results above are double the specs of any ammo offered on the market today. In fact when I first heard rumors of what this ammo was doing in tests I did not believe it, so I tested it myself and the specs came out even better. Don't take my word for it, test it for yourself. The DPX ammo in .45 at best opened up wound channel of .97" while underwood opened 2.3" on average. Ridiculous. Also the best velocities you'll see out of .45acp defensive ammo is usually no greater than 950 ft/sec. the underwood was averaging 1,422. You should see .357. Holy cow. BTW, the Corbon DPX is my second favorite defensive ammo.

Those 20 round boxes of defensive ammo are the biggest scam ever pulled on CCW people. If you order it you can always get 50 round boxes of the same kind for about the same price.

Thank you, Marshal.

what do you think of liberty civil defense. I carry concealed at work and have to worry about over pen

You need to try some Double Tap, and personally, I like Buffalo Bore too, but hey, I carry a 10mm, so what do I know. I agree with the Underwood though, their controlled chaos, and controlled fracturing ammo is awesome.

The Federal HST is an awesome round, just wish they made a .357 magnum version.

I like federal hydra shock or Fiocchi extreme for self-defense. Both work well in my Walther PPS M2 or my H&K P30SKS. But to be honest even hard ball ammo will put a world of hurt on somebody.

Only thing about Hornady is their brass is too short. If you're using once it's no problem, but if you like to practice with your carry ammo and then reload the casings for fun plinking, it could cause some issues.

So where does Remington Golden Sabers rank? That's what I have loaded in all my Mags and Revolvers. 9mm 124gr. +p, 357 125gr.

Composite ammo definitely is the future of ammo specially if you carry a micro style 380 I haven't seen any barrier tests with them but for the short barrel 380 JHP have a issue with expanding specially through the denim test but those composite fluted rounds are the most consistent with that 380 short

"This is the one I carry". Last video I saw you mention a carry weapon, it was a Chiappa. Changed your mind huh?