What's the Best 9mm+P Duty Ammo? Windshield Test - Gold Dot vs HST vs Defender vs Critical Duty 

New topic I keep hearing over and over again that I want to address. People say that an average person would never need to shoot through auto glass at an attacker. Two things here, one; I did say "Duty Ammo" in the title and this ammo IS ammo that is contracted to many police agencies - so that should have been common sense but apparently it is not. Secondly; an average citizen could have to shoot through glass legitimately. Anytime I have ever seen footage of road rage incidents, nearly 100% of them end with a lead driver slamming on their brakes and running back towards the driver behind them. As an armed citizen seeing a man running at them with a weapon, are you going to yell "time out", unbuckle and get out, aim and fire? Probably not, you're welcome. One might hear my example and say "well angle the glass the other way then!" - Well, this video was mostly the testing of duty ammo, and law enforcement usually shoots inward, PLUS....you know, that glass is heavy and it's not standing by magic - I had to use the angling inward against my gel block shelf to even keep the glass standing. Have some common sense before you troll me people. And the viewers that have always been respectful and nice in the comments, I appreciate that. You can say anything you want, just do it respectfully and I won't have a problem with it. Even if you have something legitimate to comment about, starting a comment with "you're so dumb, who would you even _ _ _ _etc" is a good way to get blocked. It's not the content of the comment, it's the attitude.

What's cool is that projectile technology is so good that all of these rounds did what they were designed to do.

4" barrel Sam! The 5" barrel has become something of a unicorn in the LE world. Think G19 or P320 Carry. Final note, Good job on including the glass. Not a lot of people doing it. Thanks!

I have gotten a few comments about glass angle so I thought I would address it. First off, this is a windshield from a 1980's Ford Ranger, so the angle isn't much different than what it would be in the actual vehicle. Secondly, I am not going for deflection with weird flattening of the bullets as I would miss the gel block entirely, rather like what I had said about using a 5" pistol - I want to give the bullets the best chance to do well. This isn't a test necessarily about the best load/ammunition, rather it's a bullet/projectile test so I wanted to push the bullets at a very similar velocity of +/- 1,200 FPS to see what bullet design is superior.

The way you hit at 25 yards with ease is proof enough how taking those 75 yard shots is so beneficial! If you can consistently hit at 75, anything less will become easy! Happy Friday!

I’d still run the HST. I like the simple design. It performs very good in most applications.

Great test! Man, HSTs impress, no matter what. Wow.

Im a HST & Gold dot kinda guy.. regardless of caliber you can trust your life to those bullets

We used 124 grain Gold Dot +P when we switched to the Beretta 92. The armory guys did some tests at a local junkyard and picked this round. That was many years ago so things can change. We were told in training that the angle of the bullet's contact with the windshield makes a difference and bullet deflection could happen as well as lack of penetration. Thanks for another great video.

Shooting through windshield glass is, I believe, more applicable to LE requirements than to armed civilian's needs. The LE protocol was established by the FBI... which recently selected the Hornady 9 mm +P Luger 135-grain Critical Duty for their own agents. I do not recall seeing much in the way of 135-grain JHPs around. Very good testing, I'm impressed how you got it done when windshields are a very tough and challenging barrier to penetrate and not deflect the bullets. Very well done. I'm currently shopping for new 9mm carry ammo and this is, as always, very helpful.

I've been retired for almost 2 years now, but we used Hornady Critical Duty line of ammunition. We had 3 ois shootings with 9mm 135gr +P. I still carry the 135+P. And the 3 I remember were DRT. Respond accordingly and accurately, y'all!!!

The 124 Gold Dot and HST have been around a while. The Gold Dot 147 grain G2 and the Criticwl duty 135 grain +P are newer and engineered for better penetration through barriers such as auto glass and sheet metal. Trying to hit a target inside of a vehicle is not easy because the barrier mediums are not all that consistent. Angle of the wind shield may or may not have been a variable.

Great video! Testing all of those high end rounds and adding the windshield glass has to be your best test to date. Honestly they all worked great. I would have thought the Hornady Critical Duty would have penetrated the most through the windshield. I do believe there is a difference between Winchester Defender and Ranger T series. Both are bonded but the Defender doesn't produce the sharp talons. Please do the same test with 40 S&W. I know that's a lot to ask. Thank you for all of your work!

I'm a HST user, going back to the original Hydra-shok in the early 90s. Two real real world uses turned out my way so I keep using them.

Would love to have seen the Extreme defender +p in 68/90 to see how they did. Great test BTW, fun to watch!

Great video, I appreciate you taking the time and spending the money to do a thorough test!

Excellent real world tests. You have crystal clear goals, Well planned & executed videos & clear thinking. Pleas keep up the excellent work.

Great testing protocol, Sam! One of the best I have seen you do for us. Very comprehensive.

Awesome work and data thanks Sam all you do.

Great test & results. Thank you.

Really cool. Very strange that the GD performed that way. Keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of agencies that use HST use the 147 gr standard pressure. Another similar test through auto glass with the 147 HST (current iteration, 2 skives and visible red or blue primer sealant), 147 GD and retry the 124+p GD would be very interesting. Same with the HST and GD 10mm offerings. The Underwood Barnes rounds too,. Very interesting stuff.

Great work- I love the windshield.

All those rounds are great. Thanks for doing these tests. 👍👍

A much appreciated video! Thanks, Sam. Keep up the great work

Thanks for the review.

Awesome vid! Always enjoy your context. You have given me a lot more respect for a 38 special as my edc. I love your respect for revolvers

Great tests!

Great test! Lot of work involved, thanks! Glad that I have HST and Gold Dots in my carry guns. Can’t go wrong with any of them.

Fantastic vid! Those GDs were clocking very similar to some of the neutered 357 Sig we've seen. But honest 357 ammo and a 5" bbl is amazing. Don't know what your plans are for the rest of the glass but I'd like to see this same test with a 3" gun. And maybe either 357? How would the lighter but powerful 327 do? Great work!

Good comparison. Very interesting and informative. Appreciated! Thank you.

I would love to see the same test in 40 S&W.

Great test love the channel

You got a whole ass windshield for the test? Wow that's dedication to your viewers, thank you.

My EDC pistol is the Glock G48 with a 4” barrel with Federal HST 124 grain +P JHP. I feel very confident in its expansion for my PD ammo!!! Great video!! I’m a subscriber!!!

Great comparison.

Very impressive presentation 👍

Thank you. Very nice 25 and 75 yd shooting. I miss when my vision was that good.

Had a QC defect issue with 9 mm Winchester Defender BJHP +p 124 gr. One round of 20 had brass crushed back from possibly bullet insertion during mfg. Otherwise they worked well both in SAR9 and G3C. Great testing! Thx for the post!

Hands down! Hornady ZombieMax! I know, it's Almost impossible to get these days... But at the time, It was rated as the most accurate 9mm Ammo available. Accuracy is always, as Aunt Martha used to say, A Very good thing!

GS. Good and very interesting video. Always nice distance shooting. Thanks for sharing and take care.

Dude… Your reviews are awesome..! Thank You for sharing.! 🍻🇺🇸

Very cool, thanks. I live in the city so I can't do these kind of tests, much appreciated. My carry ammo is Hornady Critical Duty 135 grain (regular and plus, whatever is available).

I LOVE THIS GUY.. straight to the point, and informative🎉

Cool test 👍

Really cool test. I haven’t seen anybody else do a gel test like this through glass so props for the creativity. It was surprising to me that the gold dot seemed to be the least performing ammo both with and without the glass. Winchester defender impressed the hell out of me. I hadn’t ever considered it but it seemed to do the most damage, maybe even slightly more than the HST. Cool stuff!

Awesome video. Subscribed!

Nice video. Thanks for taking the time to test all these rounds. I've always been a huge fan of the PDX-1 Defender rounds and this really further solidifies why. I'd say all of them were respectable and I'd certainly trust the lives of those important to me and myself with them. However, I am partial to the rounds that tend to have larger expansion and create the most cavitation. This is why I generally prefer bonded rounds, overall. Like any responsible concealed carrier, I hope I never have to utilize them for their intended purpose, but it's definitely nice having peace of mind that the round will do exactly what it's designed to do!

Love the channel brother. For real, appreciate the energy it takes to make these things. *Bing banG*

You deserve so many more subscribers Sam.

Your reviews are God's work.For the same reason that when I'm in my boat I don't want to have to worry they my life jacket or fire extinguisher will function as advertised 😊

Really going above and beyond with the barrier testing. Barriers like auto glass also make a big difference when comparing sectional densities and larger calibers. Big heavy bullets deflect less, and are less dependent on perfect hollow point expansion for adequate terminal performance. More so if the glass is at a greater angle. This kind of testing could really separate the best performers and show caliber differences under difficult conditions.

Awesome thanks

Gold Dot 124 +p was my favorite till the price got jacked up. Now I carry XTP 124 +p.

Very cool lab video!!!

Hey man, nice job, nice video! Winchester??? Surprised me too. I really thought HST had everyone. Once again, great video! Awesome!

Nice work, I would like to have seen this test done with the 4” I think that’s what most duty weapons are and most civilians that aren’t carrying the 4”are carrying 3” to 3.7. Thanks for putting this together it was very useful information!😊

Great test! Would love this in .40 cal.

Cool video thanks.

Yet another awesome video! The problem with law enforcement agencies is that they're restricted to a tight budget. As such, they have no idea what they're missing in terms of effectiveness pertaining to non-expanding barrier-blind projectiles (i.e. Underwood Xtreme Defenders), ESPECIALLY in 357 Sig.

Ah yes, the Kryptonite test, pretty much what a windscreen is to ballistic tests. Great video.

Thanks

I didn't think Winchester would do as well as it did, they're always the underdog after the silvertip fiasco. Critical duty is always a compromise so the results i expected. I carry +p gold dots and sometimes HST, didn't expect that!

We carry Winchester rangers for our duty ammo at my agency. And so I started carrying the defender off duty to match with what I carry on duty. I've been really happy with the Winchester ranger/defender. Thanks for showing me this test. Now I know my agency made the right decision with our lives.

Excellent..!!

Good test. I like the critical defense they usually do good in a test like this.

Awesome test and video! My defensive mags are all topped off with either +p Gold Dots or +p HST’s. It’s mainly because old habits die hard. I don’t think it’s a high probability that I’ll have to shoot through glass like an officer may. Also, you’re a heck of a shot, man!

Traveled out to North Carolina to look at some property. Sitting in Hotel tonight watching your vids. Beautiful weather today close to 80 degees. Best regards

Very interesting tests! I think all that ammo performed satisfying. Maybe few shots of same brands through wind shield could give better perspective. I also wonder about critical ricochet angles for such ammo (difficult to test) from the windshield. Good shooting👋

My edc is a S&W m10-14 loaded with 158 lswhp from Buffalo Bore, +p of course. 158 at 1100 fps will get the job done.

Ready to see the same test with 40 caliber

You can’t hardly find the Winchester defender around here. I can order some from one of my favorite places. I’ve seen the Ranger T and one fail the heavy clothing test. I haven’t seen many test on the defenders.Sure would have liked to see the underwood +p extreme defenders hit the glass. I’ve watched them out perform most everything in other test. Great test!

I keep 147 grain Federal HST in my compact guns with a 4" barrel and in my standard gun with 4&1/2" barrels I keep the Winchester Defender 124 grain +p so I guess I picked the 2 best in this test for my loading choice!

Great video Sam Winchester Defender did better on one of my test also with two other major brand names on 147gr . It just does not look like a " Flower " that so many other people want to see

I'd still pick 124 hst because its cheap af and will do the job. I paid 139 for 250 rounds of it today. Can't beat that.

I appreciate and like your production . Here in Australia we cannot use our firearms as self defence weapons , only USP , NRA , IPSC & General target shooting on a specified pistol range and only shoot at a range and definitely not for hunting . But from a scientific point of view about going through glass into a flesh like medium . It helps you understand when watching a movie if the bullet would go through the glass into the victim and end them .

I wonder if the critical duty would have done better in the 135gr. But then again you could say the same for the rest in 147. Great video.

That's an excellent video and answers some questions many of us have. I know the local law enforcement agency where I live tests through auto windshields. They allow their officers to carry HST and Gold Dots. Secondly, the bullet weight can matter on these tests. A close friend is an instructor and LEO in a different municipality. They use 147 gr HST and have had, unfortunately, more than one officer-involved shooting where an individual attacked an officer with a knife or gun. Long story short, the 147gr HST is lethal through a windshield and through winter clothing. I hope you get a chance to repeat this test with the same bullets in 147 gr,. The Critical Duty doesn't exist in 147 gr though, only up to 135gr, as far as I know.

Another great video! The best “9mm” from a semi-auto is…… .357 Sig!!!!! (The KING!)

Fascinating test, Sam. Interesting how the windshield affected the Critical Duty. You touched on the subject of deflection by angled glass; that could be an interesting video. Angle the windshield as in a modern car, set a large target as far behind it as a driver would be in a car, see how far from point of aim those bullets land. I’m curious as to whether the heavy slow bullet of a .45 would outperform the 9mm or do worse. Would a .45-70 be best of all? 😉 I’m not likely to shoot a driver who is trying to kill me, but it would be interesting research. So would, otherwise identical, .357 125 gr. JSP vs JHP.

Nice change of pace with the windshield. Personally, I like that real world scenario test. Any spare car doors laying around your house ? Thanks for sharing and regards from Washifornia !

The vagaries of lead core JHP’s for potential barriers, the various solid copper bullets can be expected to excel for penetration and wounding effect.

Gr8 test n you should do the windshield test more or get as much as u can out of it n also some wall barriers just to switch things up!!

Impressive shooting at 25 yds and especially 75yds, especially how quickly you are popping the rounds of!!! The HST, Gold Dot and Defender did very similar, the Critical Duty was surprising to see how bad it did in the windshield test given the low expansion. Before making final decisions it is best to test multiple rounds to see if the windshield test for the bullet is consistent.

Wow that gold dot group at 25 yards shooting that fast...impressive!

GSRA got a windshield for this?!?! Impressive!

Hey Sam, just saw a great test with .380 Fiocchi Defense Dynamics...you should do those short and long barrel...and I remember they did great in your 9mm test for cheap ammo...maybe you could test .40 and .45 too seems like a good, perhaps propriety bullet design. Also, you can buy 500 rd mixed .40 most JHPs FOR CHEAP would be awesome if you just tested a bunch of different ones you can figure out through your Real World MDF testing please

Critical duty is like an expanding and “deforming” “slug” made to expand no matter what or also like “deform” if it can’t expand through car doors, and also penetrate to 18”, so they limited expansion to help penetration and also make the “deformation” through a car door similar in final diameter to actual expansion. And then that also helps the polymer insert I think it’s called ftx help it to always achieve expansion through heavy clothing since it’s doesn’t really need to expand all that much to be performing as intended Edit: wow after watching the video surprised to see that while Inwas correct on the “deformation” can’t believe the crit duty deformed to 0.675” through glass lmao. Gold dot got big too. Weird Hst is so big into the gel then the smallest through the glass. Still big enough though and better penetration I personally like HST. 115 gr critical defense is also better imo. And I like the .380 critical defense but out of a 3.25” or longer barrel. It doesn’t expand out of 2.75” barrel like the lcp etc

The Winchester uses a different bonding process they use a flux to weld it to the jacket look at the base of the Winchester round

You are THE ammo reviewer. I unaware of anyone else so comprehensive in their review of 9mm, 40, .38 and .357. This is off topic, but I have been sort of binging your videos because I am considering a new model 66 to replace an old one I regret selling many many years ago. Then your videos got me to thinking about the 686. Do you have any views as they relate to 6 shot versus 7 shot?

I have all of these and was trying to decide which one to use for home home defense setup. Looks like I really can't go wrong with any of them but I'm picking gold dot because it has the most energy.

My dedicated 'vehicle' handgun is loaded with Hornady 124gr +P XTPs.

Hope u try some hornady American gunner 124 gr +P XTP bullet , A nice budget round Wonder If the toughness of the xtp bullet would help its cause

That's a great presentation you did there. I'm not sure who you borrowed that windshield from, but they are not going to be happy when you bring it back. 😉

Next time see what the copper bullets do. Great test.

That round that escaped the gel and then went forward to hit the windshield looked pretty cool. All things considered, I think all the ammunition did well for its intended purpose. As you said, a windshield is a pretty tough target to deal with. Speaking of which, did you buy a fresh piece of glass for this? That's some dedication! From what I could see, that was a serviceable piece of glass. Of course the camera doesn't always show everything. As an end note, the power level of 1250fps from a 124gr bullet is about what I get from a 2" barrel J-Frame when shooting typical 357 Magnum loads. They are at about my control limit and over my comfort threshold from my M&P340. That's not going to change my carry though. With summer temps now getting up near 90ºF and humid, carrying something like that Shield is just not going to work for me. No one seems to notice the J-Frame in a front pants pocket. Great video as always.

I'm not mad at any of those choices.

Interesting results! I wonder how the 124 Federal Punch would do? Some folks think it's basically the same as the HST, but I find it penetrates deeper than the HST.

Respectfully, one shot each thru a windshield is not definitive testing in terms of penetration, IMO. 4” barrel might have shown different results. (Who knows?) Thanks for conducting the tests. Nice 75 yard shooting! I’m preferential to Speer and Federal (shoot Federal “red box” 124 grain FMJ at the range) and have made the switch from 124 grain 9mm+P Gold Dot Short Barrel to HST, based on yours and other testing. 11 inches after windshield and denim/gel is acceptable to me.

This is the best test I have seen with a windshield. Adding that gel is a great technique. Most of the LOE in my area are using 40. How much of a difference would that make.

This would be interesting to see in a 38 158 gr hollow points vs 158 gr semi jacketed soft points. I've often thought semi jacketed soft points were over looked in a bad way can't help to think they would excel at barriers. I don't even think premium ammo would be a have too be. mag tec and pmc pretty available lately. - just a thought