Speer Gold Dot Review (2026): Six Calibers Gel Tested, Every Gold Dot Shot Charted

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This Speer Gold Dot review comes down to depth. Through four layers of heavy clothing, the 9mm loads ran deep, the .45 ACP and .40 180 gr loads opened wide and put 29 of 30 shots in the FBI window, and the Short Barrel loads came close to their box speed from guns as short as 2 inches. I shot 22 Gold Dot strings in six calibers, 110 shots in all, and charted every one.

Two loads failed us. The .380 stopped short of 12 inches on every shot, and the .40 165 gr went past 26 inches without opening. Below you get Speer’s specs for every current load, G1 against G2, the rivals on the same test and live prices.

Last updated October 15, 2026

Table of Contents

Speer Gold Dot at a Glance

Speer Gold Dot is a bonded hollow point self-defense and duty line. In our heavy clothing gel test, nine of 22 Gold Dot strings kept all five shots between 12 and 18 inches, and the 9mm loads ran deep.

Item	Load	Speer velocity	Energy	Our gel result	Per round, October 15
23614GD	GDHP 9mm Luger 115 gr	1,210 fps, 4 in	374 ft-lb	16.44 in, 0.55 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	no card
23618GD	GDHP 9mm Luger 124 gr	1,150 fps, 4 in	364 ft-lb	18.14 in, 0.54 in wide, 2 of 5 in window, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	$1.49
23617GD	GDHP 9mm Luger +P 124 gr	1,220 fps, 4 in	410 ft-lb	16.78 in, 0.52 in wide, 4 of 5 in window, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	$1.60
23611GD	Short Barrel 9mm Luger +P 124 gr	1,150 fps, 3.5 in	364 ft-lb	18.20 in, 0.51 in wide, 2 of 5 in window, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	$1.54
23619GD	GDHP 9mm Luger 147 gr	985 fps, 4 in	317 ft-lb	16.06 in, 0.42 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	$1.75
24226	G2 9mm Luger 147 gr	1,020 fps, 4 in	340 ft-lb	not tested	$1.60
24260	Carry Gun 9mm Luger 135 gr	1,120 fps, 4 in	376 ft-lb	not tested	$1.60
23606GD	GDHP 380 Auto 90 gr	1,040 fps, 3.75 in	216 ft-lb	11.00 in, 0.49 in wide, 0 of 5 in window, Glock 42 3.25 in	$1.75
23962GD	GDHP 40 S&W 180 gr	1,025 fps, 4 in	420 ft-lb	14.50 in, 0.65 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, Glock 27 3.42 in	no card
23974GD	Short Barrel 40 S&W 180 gr	950 fps, 3.5 in	361 ft-lb	12.30 in, 0.64 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, Glock 27 3.42 in	$1.69
23970GD	GDHP 40 S&W 165 gr	1,150 fps, 4 in	484 ft-lb	27.14 in, 0.40 in wide, 0 of 5 in window, Glock 27 3.42 in	no card
23964GD	GDHP 45 Auto 185 gr	1,050 fps, 5 in	453 ft-lb	14.10 in, 0.72 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, Kahr CW45 3.64 in	no card
23966GD	GDHP 45 Auto 230 gr	890 fps, 5 in	404 ft-lb	12.86 in, 0.71 in wide, 4 of 5 in window, Kahr CW45 3.64 in	$1.85
23975GD	Short Barrel 45 Auto 230 gr	820 fps, 4 in	343 ft-lb	14.38 in, 0.70 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, Kahr CW45 3.64 in	$1.75
24256	G2 45 Auto +P 230 gr	950 fps, 5 in	461 ft-lb	not tested	$1.78
24258	Carry Gun 45 Auto +P 200 gr	1,080 fps, 5 in	518 ft-lb	not tested	$1.95
23921GD	Short Barrel 38 Special +P 135 gr	860 fps, 2 in vented	222 ft-lb	13.64 in, 0.44 in wide, 4 of 5 in window, Kimber K6s 2 in	$1.83
23917GD	Short Barrel 357 Magnum 135 gr	990 fps, 2 in vented	294 ft-lb	12.96 in, 0.55 in wide, 5 of 5 in window, Kimber K6s 2 in	$1.45
23920GD	GDHP 357 Magnum 125 gr	1,450 fps, 4 in vented	584 ft-lb	19.34 in, 0.54 in wide, 2 of 5 in window, Ruger GP100 4.2 in	no card
54000GD	GDHP 10mm Auto 200 gr	1,100 fps, 5 in	537 ft-lb	not tested	$2.00

Speer’s numbers come from each Speer product page, with the test barrel it lists. Our gel column is depth, average expansion and how many of five shots landed between 12 and 18 inches. The per round column is the live card price on October 15 divided by the box count.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

How Gold Dot Works: Uni-Cor Bonding and the Two-Stage Cavity

Gold Dot is a bonded bullet. Speer plates the copper jacket onto a pressure-formed lead core one molecule at a time, then forms the hollow point in two stages so the petals open along set lines.

Speer calls the plating process Uni-Cor and says it “virtually eliminates core-jacket separation”. The point is weight retention. A conventional cup-and-core hollow point can shed its jacket when it hits something hard, and a bare lead core loses shape and depth.

The cavity is the other half. Speer’s first forming stage cuts memory lines the petals follow, and the second finishes the cavity to the bullet’s weight and velocity with a smooth nose for feeding. Speer lists nickel-plated brass cases and CCI primers among Gold Dot’s features.

Speer’s own Gold Dot page puts it plainly: Gold Dot “was the first handgun ammunition loaded with true, bonded-core bullets”. That’s the heritage. Whether a given load opens through clothing from your gun is a separate question, and that’s what the gel is for.

G2, Carry Gun and Carbine use a different nose

Gold Dot G2, Gold Dot Carry Gun and Gold Dot Carbine drop the deep cavity. Speer describes a shallow dish filled with a high-performance elastomer that is forced into internal fissures on impact. Carry Gun is that G2 design tuned for compact pistols, and Carbine is tuned for 16 inch barrels.

How We Tested for This Speer Gold Dot Review

We shot five rounds of each Gold Dot load through four layers of heavy fabric into clear ballistic gelatin at 10 feet, recorded every depth, and averaged expansion. Semi-autos came from compact pistols, revolver loads from a 2 inch and a 4.2 inch gun.

The fabric stack is the FBI heavy clothing barrier: denim, fleece and two layers of cotton. Each load got a fresh pair of 16 inch Clear Ballistics blocks end to end, so we could read anything that stopped inside 32 inches. The FBI wants 12 to 18 inches, and that green band is what you see on every chart below.

Guns matter here, so these are ours: a S&W M&P9c 3.5 in for 9mm, a Glock 42 3.25 in for .380, a Glock 27 3.42 in for .40 S&W, a Kahr CW45 3.64 in for .45 ACP, and a Kimber K6s 2 in plus a Ruger GP100 4.2 in for the revolver loads. All are carry-length barrels, which is the point of a carry load.

What we didn’t do: we didn’t shoot Gold Dot G2, Carry Gun or Carbine through our clothing test. For G2 we show Speer’s own FBI protocol numbers and label them as Speer’s. We also didn’t weigh recovered bullets, so this page makes no retained-weight claim from our test.

Speer Gold Dot 9mm: 115, 124, 124 +P, 147 and Short Barrel

Speer Gold Dot 9mm runs deep. From our 3.5 inch pistol the 124 gr averaged 18.14 inches and only two of five shots stayed under 18, while the 115 gr and 147 gr kept all five shots inside the FBI window.

Load	Gun	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Gold Dot 115 gr	S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	1,143	16.44 in	0.55 in	5 of 5	14.9, 16.3, 16.6, 16.9, 17.5
Gold Dot 124 gr	S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	1,067	18.14 in	0.54 in	2 of 5	15.1, 17.7, 18.6, 18.9, 20.4
Gold Dot 124 gr +P	S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	1,141	16.78 in	0.52 in	4 of 5	15.9, 15.9, 16.0, 17.7, 18.4
Gold Dot Short Barrel 124 gr +P	S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	1,160	18.20 in	0.51 in	2 of 5	16.7, 17.0, 18.5, 18.8, 20.0
Gold Dot 147 gr	S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	953	16.06 in	0.42 in	5 of 5	14.3, 15.0, 16.7, 16.8, 17.5

That is five Gold Dot 9mm loads and 25 shots. Two of the five kept all five in the window: 115 gr and 147 gr. The 124 gr and the Short Barrel 124 gr +P each put three shots past 18 inches.

But against the field, Gold Dot sits in the middle. Federal HST 124 gr went 18.28 inches and 0.61 inches wide on the same test, Critical Defense 115 gr 13.06, and Critical Duty 135 gr 19.04. Gold Dot 124 gr opened to 0.54 inches, narrower than HST’s 0.61.

124 gr or 147 gr Gold Dot?

Pick the 147 gr if your 9mm is a compact. It kept all five shots between 14.3 and 17.5 inches from our 3.5 inch gun. The trade is width: 0.42 inches, the narrowest Gold Dot 9mm result.

Is Gold Dot 147 gr subsonic? Yes. Speer rates it at 985 fps from a 4 inch barrel, and we read 953 fps from 3.5 inches, both under the speed of sound. The 124 gr is the classic duty weight, and Speer also loads it as a +P.

9mm 124 gr +P and the Short Barrel load

The 124 gr +P is rated at 1,220 fps from 4 inches and read 1,141 fps from our 3.5 inch gun. It averaged 16.78 inches with four of five in the window. Speer used this exact load, item 23617GD, for the FBI protocol table in its 2026 catalog: 14.13 inches through heavy clothing.

The Short Barrel 124 gr +P is rated from a 3.5 in barrel at 1,150 fps, and we read 1,160 fps from our 3.5 inch gun, +10 fps against the box. But it went deeper than we wanted, 18.20 inches on average. It’s built for speed retention, and on that it delivered.

LE Duty vs Personal Protection: same load?

Yes, as far as Speer’s own listings show. The 50-round boxes retailers sell as law enforcement or duty Gold Dot carry item numbers 53614GD, 53617GD and 53618GD, and Speer lists all three on its Personal Protection pages at the same weight and velocity as the 20-round 23614GD, 23617GD and 23618GD. You are buying a bigger box, not a different bullet.

Gold Dot Carry Gun 9mm 135 gr

Carry Gun isn’t a +P load. Speer titles item 24260 9mm Luger, 135 gr at 1,120 fps from a 4 inch barrel, and builds it on the G2 elastomer nose for compact pistols. We haven’t gel tested it, so we’re not going to tell you how deep it goes.

Speer Gold Dot vs Gold Dot G2

Gold Dot G2 replaces the open hollow point with a shallow elastomer-filled dish. On Speer’s own FBI protocol tables, the 9mm G2 147 gr penetrated more evenly across barriers than the original 124 gr +P, which went 27.63 inches through steel.

FBI event	Gold Dot 124 gr +P, 1,226 fps	Gold Dot G2 147 gr, 990 fps
Bare gelatin	11.78 in, 0.76 in	14.0 in, 0.64 in
Heavy clothing	14.13 in, 0.57 in	14.5 in, 0.63 in
Wallboard	12.5 in, 0.69 in	14.5 in, 0.58 in
Plywood	14.0 in, 0.58 in	13.75 in, 0.57 in
Steel	27.63 in, 0.44 in	15.25 in, 0.48 in
Glass	14.95 in, 0.52 in	13.75 in, 0.53 in

Read the depth columns. G2 stays between 13.75 and 15.25 inches across all six events. The original 124 gr +P spans 11.78 to 27.63, with steel the outlier. These are Speer’s numbers from its 2026 catalog, not ours, and the two loads differ in weight and speed, so treat this as Speer’s comparison.

Our own 147 gr Gold Dot, the original design, went 16.06 inches and opened to 0.42 inches through our fabric. Speer lists the G2 147 gr at 14.5 inches and 0.63 inches through heavy clothing. Different labs and different guns, so the comparison is loose, but the width difference is the story Speer tells.

Speer also publishes G2 in .40 S&W 180 gr, 15.75 inches through heavy clothing, and .45 Auto +P 230 gr, 15.0 inches. Two oddities in Speer’s own data: the 9mm G2 is rated at 1,020 fps but its FBI table was shot at 990 fps, and speer.com lists the .40 G2 test barrel as 5 inches while the 2026 catalog says 4.

Speer Gold Dot 380 ACP

Speer Gold Dot 380 ACP opened wide and stopped short. From our 3.25 inch Glock 42, all five shots landed between 10.8 and 11.3 inches, under the FBI 12 inch minimum, at 0.49 inches average expansion.

Load	Gun	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Gold Dot 90 gr	Glock 42 3.25 in	937	11.00 in	0.49 in	0 of 5	10.8, 10.8, 11.0, 11.1, 11.3
Hornady Critical Defense 90 gr	Glock 42 3.25 in	910	13.24 in	0.52 in	5 of 5	12.3, 12.8, 13.5, 13.6, 14.0
Sig V-Crown 90 gr	Glock 42 3.25 in	861	12.84 in	0.51 in	3 of 5	11.6, 11.8, 12.4, 13.7, 14.7
Federal HST 99 gr	Glock 42 3.25 in	893	22.48 in	0.35 in	0 of 5	20.1, 20.2, 21.1, 22.3, 28.7
Winchester PDX1 95 gr	Glock 42 3.25 in	870	9.50 in	0.63 in	0 of 5	7.4, 9.6, 9.8, 10.2, 10.5

Speer rates the .380 at 1,040 fps from a 3.75 in barrel. We read 937 fps from 3.25 inches, 103 fps under the box. That speed loss plus a wide-opening bullet is why it stops early. In this table only Hornady Critical Defense put all five shots in the window.

If you carry a .380, our best .380 ammo guide and Hornady Critical Defense review go deeper on this. Gold Dot’s a fine bullet. In this caliber, though, the numbers point elsewhere.

Speer Gold Dot 45 ACP

Speer Gold Dot 45 ACP put 19 of 20 shots in the FBI window, the highest share of any caliber we shot. The 185 gr and the Short Barrel 230 gr kept all five shots in the window from our 3.64 inch Kahr, and every current Gold Dot .45 load opened past 0.69 inches.

Load	Gun	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Gold Dot 185 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	954	14.10 in	0.72 in	5 of 5	12.4, 13.5, 13.8, 14.1, 16.7
Gold Dot 230 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	752	12.86 in	0.71 in	4 of 5	11.5, 12.4, 12.9, 13.3, 14.2
Gold Dot Short Barrel 230 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	806	14.38 in	0.70 in	5 of 5	13.7, 13.8, 13.8, 13.9, 16.7
Gold Dot 200 gr +P	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	982	13.82 in	0.70 in	5 of 5	13.1, 13.4, 13.8, 13.9, 14.9
Federal HST 230 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	822	14.02 in	0.85 in	5 of 5	13.1, 13.3, 13.4, 13.6, 16.7
Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	941	17.62 in	0.59 in	2 of 5	11.2, 12.8, 13.9, 23.6, 26.6
Hornady Critical Duty 220 gr +P	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	934	21.32 in	0.58 in	1 of 5	18.0, 20.4, 22.1, 22.7, 23.4
Winchester PDX1 230 gr	Kahr CW45 3.64 in	863	21.58 in	0.61 in	3 of 5	16.6, 17.2, 17.9, 24.2, 32.0

The standard 230 gr is rated at 890 fps from a 5 inch barrel, and our 3.64 inch gun read 752 fps, 138 fps slow. It still averaged 12.86 inches with four of five in the window. The Short Barrel 230 gr is rated from 4 inches at 820 fps and read 806 fps, only 14 fps under.

Against the rivals, HST 230 gr went 14.02 inches and 0.85 inches wide, the widest .45 result in this table. Critical Defense 185 gr split, two of five in the window. For a carry .45 like a Commander, the Short Barrel 230 gr is my pick.

Gold Dot 45 ACP +P: G2 230 gr and Carry Gun 200 gr

The 200 gr +P we shot is the older open-cavity Gold Dot, and it did well: 13.82 inches, five of five in the window. Speer no longer lists it. Today’s +P loads are the G2 230 gr at 950 fps and the Carry Gun 200 gr at 1,080 fps, both on the elastomer nose and both untested by us.

Speer’s site lists the Carry Gun .45 test barrel as 5 inches, its catalog as 4. Check that your .45 is rated for +P before you buy either.

Speer Gold Dot 40 S&W

The .40 S&W split hard. The 180 gr and the Short Barrel 180 gr kept all five shots in the window and opened past 0.63 inches, while the 165 gr went 27.14 inches and stayed at 0.40 inches wide.

Load	Gun	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Gold Dot 180 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	955	14.50 in	0.65 in	5 of 5	13.4, 13.6, 14.3, 14.4, 16.8
Gold Dot Short Barrel 180 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	979	12.30 in	0.64 in	5 of 5	12.0, 12.1, 12.1, 12.6, 12.7
Gold Dot 165 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	945	27.14 in	0.40 in	0 of 5	26.3, 26.6, 26.9, 27.5, 28.4
Gold Dot 155 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	1,117	16.34 in	0.67 in	4 of 5	13.9, 15.6, 16.3, 17.4, 18.5
Federal HST 180 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	964	18.50 in	0.72 in	2 of 5	17.3, 17.7, 18.4, 19.4, 19.7
Hornady Critical Defense 165 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	1,075	16.60 in	0.60 in	5 of 5	14.3, 16.5, 16.5, 17.8, 17.9
Sig V-Crown 165 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	1,014	20.18 in	0.57 in	1 of 5	17.4, 19.7, 20.4, 21.6, 21.8
Winchester PDX1 165 gr	Glock 27 3.42 in	1,066	14.60 in	0.74 in	5 of 5	12.8, 13.9, 15.1, 15.3, 15.9

The 165 gr result is the one that would worry me if I carried it. 0.40 inches wide is about its 0.40 inch starting size, the usual sign of a cavity packed with fabric. One string of five isn’t a verdict on a load, but it is enough for me to carry the 180 gr instead. The 155 gr we shot is no longer listed.

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel: .38 Special and .357 Magnum

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel is the reason to buy Gold Dot for a revolver. The .357 Short Barrel kept all ten shots in the window from both guns, while the standard .357 125 gr from the snub never opened.

Load	Gun	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr +P	Kimber K6s 2 in	821	13.64 in	0.44 in	4 of 5	11.6, 12.0, 13.1, 15.5, 16.0
Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr +P	Ruger GP100 4.2 in	890	13.28 in	0.53 in	3 of 5	11.5, 11.6, 13.3, 13.5, 16.5
Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr	Kimber K6s 2 in	1,069	12.96 in	0.55 in	5 of 5	12.4, 12.5, 12.9, 13.4, 13.6
Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr	Ruger GP100 4.2 in	1,184	15.62 in	0.55 in	5 of 5	14.6, 14.7, 15.0, 16.6, 17.2
Gold Dot 125 gr	Kimber K6s 2 in	1,200	29.50 in	0.36 in	0 of 5	25.4, 26.1, 32.0, 32.0, 32.0
Gold Dot 125 gr	Ruger GP100 4.2 in	1,427	19.34 in	0.54 in	2 of 5	17.8, 18.0, 19.5, 20.5, 20.9
Gold Dot 158 gr	Kimber K6s 2 in	1,003	29.92 in	0.36 in	0 of 5	21.6, 32.0, 32.0, 32.0, 32.0
Gold Dot 158 gr	Ruger GP100 4.2 in	1,181	32.00 in	0.36 in	0 of 5	32.0, 32.0, 32.0, 32.0, 32.0

Shots marked 32.0 reached the end of our two blocks, so the real depth was more. The standard 125 gr from the 2 inch K6s read 1,200 fps and went past 25.3 inches on every shot at 0.36 inches wide. From the 4.2 inch GP100 at 1,427 fps it opened to 0.54 inches. Speed is the whole story with this bullet.

The Short Barrel .357 is rated at 990 fps from a 2 in vented barrel, and our 2 inch snub read 1,069 fps. Short Barrel .38 Special +P is rated at 860 fps from a 2 in vented barrel and read 821 fps from ours. From the snub they opened to 0.55 and 0.44 inches. Our .357 Magnum ammo guide has the wider field.

In .38 Special the Short Barrel +P put four of five in the window from the snub and three of five from the 4.2 inch gun. Federal HST Micro 130 gr went 13.02 inches and opened to 0.73 inches from the snub, wider than any Gold Dot revolver load. For a J-frame or a Ruger LCR, see our .38 Special ammo guide and snub nose revolver picks.

Speer Gold Dot 10mm, .22 WMR, 30 Super Carry and the Pocket Calibers

Gold Dot covers far more than the big four. Speer lists 10mm Auto, .357 Sig, 30 Super Carry, .327 Federal Magnum, .44 Special, .25 Auto, .32 Auto, 5.7x28 and a .22 WMR Short Barrel load. We didn’t gel test these.

The 10mm Auto 200 gr is rated at 1,100 fps and 537 ft-lb from a 5 in barrel, the most energy of any Gold Dot load Speer lists for a semi-auto pistol. Our 10mm ammo guide keeps the same figure. The .22 WMR Short Barrel 40 gr comes in 50-round boxes at 1,050 fps and is the load to look at for a magnum rimfire revolver.

The 30 Super Carry 115 gr runs 1,150 fps from a 4 inch barrel, and our 30 Super Carry explainer explains the cartridge. In the pocket calibers Speer makes a .25 Auto 35 gr at 900 fps and a .32 Auto 60 gr at 960 fps. Our .25 ACP and .32 ACP pages cover both.

Gold Dot Carbine 9mm

Gold Dot Carbine 135 gr is built for a 16 inch pistol caliber carbine. Speer’s own test shows 1,179 fps from 16 inches and 14.8 inches through heavy clothing at 10 feet, and the same load from a 4 inch pistol at 1,050 fps went 16.8 inches. Our PCC home defense guide covers carbines.

Speer Gold Dot Rifle

Gold Dot Rifle is a bonded soft point line in .223 Rem 55, 62 and 75 gr and 300 Blackout 150 gr. The .308 150 gr is on Speer’s discontinued list, so we left it out of every table here.

The 62 gr .223 is the one our AR-15 guide ranks first for home defense, rated at 3,000 fps and 1,239 ft-lb from Speer’s 24 inch catalog barrel. Our AR-15 ammo guide keeps the same figures. The 55 gr runs 3,220 fps and the 75 gr 2,775 fps.

Barrel Length vs Velocity: Short Barrel Loads Hold Their Rating

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel loads averaged within 15 fps of their box speed from short guns. Where our barrel was no longer than Speer’s test barrel, the five Short Barrel strings averaged +13 fps and the eleven standard strings -123 fps.

Standard Gold Dot is rated from 4 and 5 inch barrels, and muzzle velocity drops fast from a 3.5 inch carry gun. Short Barrel loads are rated from 2 to 4 inch barrels, so the box matches the gun. That’s the honest reason to buy them: the number on the box is the number you get.

Muzzle energy follows speed. The .357 125 gr is rated at 584 ft-lb from 4 vented inches, but at the 1,200 fps we read from a 2 inch snub it makes about 400 ft-lb, and it didn’t open.

Speer Gold Dot vs HST, Critical Defense, Critical Duty, V-Crown and PDX1

Against the big defensive lines on the same test, Gold Dot is the deep, bonded option. It went deeper than Critical Defense in 9mm, matched HST in 9mm depth, and beat everything but HST on width in .45 ACP.

Caliber	Load	Depth, in	Width, in	In 12 to 18 in
9mm	Gold Dot 124 gr	18.14	0.54	2 of 5
9mm	Federal HST 124 gr	18.28	0.61	2 of 5
9mm	Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr	13.06	0.50	4 of 5
9mm	Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr	19.04	0.43	2 of 5
9mm	Sig V-Crown 124 gr	17.34	0.52	3 of 5
9mm	Winchester PDX1 124 gr +P	19.60	0.52	1 of 5
.45 ACP	Gold Dot 230 gr	12.86	0.71	4 of 5
.45 ACP	Federal HST 230 gr	14.02	0.85	5 of 5
.45 ACP	Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr	17.62	0.59	2 of 5
.45 ACP	Winchester PDX1 230 gr	21.58	0.61	3 of 5
.380	Gold Dot 90 gr	11.00	0.49	0 of 5
.380	Hornady Critical Defense 90 gr	13.24	0.52	5 of 5
.380	Federal HST 99 gr	22.48	0.35	0 of 5

Gold Dot vs Federal HST is close in 9mm: 18.14 inches against 18.28, with HST 0.07 inches wider. In 9mm on October 15, HST ran $29.99 a box and Gold Dot 124 gr $29.89, both 20-round boxes. Our Hornady vs Federal comparison has more on Federal.

Gold Dot vs Hornady Critical Defense is a depth question. Critical Defense 115 gr stopped at 13.06 inches and Gold Dot 124 gr at 18.14. If you want the shallow, short-barrel opener, read our Hornady Critical Defense review. If you want more depth, Gold Dot is the one.

Which Gold Dot Load for Which Carry Gun

Match the Gold Dot load to the barrel. Short concealed carry and EDC guns get the Short Barrel or 147 gr loads, full-size duty guns can run the standard 124 gr, and snub revolvers get Short Barrel only.

Gun	Barrel	Gold Dot load	Why
Sig P365	3.1 in	9mm 147 gr or Short Barrel +P	Shorter than our test gun. See our P365 review.
Sig P365 XL	3.7 in	9mm 147 gr	About our test length. Our P365 XL review covers the gun.
Glock 43X	3.41 in	9mm 147 gr	Same class as the P365. See our Glock 43X review.
Glock 19 Gen 6	4.02 in	9mm 124 gr or 147 gr	A service-length barrel. Our Glock 19 Gen 6 review has the details.
Glock 42	3.25 in	Not Gold Dot .380	Our .380 shots stopped short. See our Glock 42 review.
S&W Bodyguard 2.0	2.75 in	Not Gold Dot .380	Even shorter barrel. Our Bodyguard 2.0 review.
Ruger LCP Max	2.8 in	Not Gold Dot .380	Same story. Our LCP Max review.
S&W Shield EZ	3.675 in	9mm 147 gr	Easy slide, 9mm is the better choice. Our Shield EZ review.
Colt Commander 1911	4.25 in	.45 Short Barrel 230 gr	Short Barrel is rated from 4 in. Our Commander review.
2 in snub revolver	2 in	.357 or .38 Short Barrel	The only Gold Dot loads that worked from our snub.

Barrel lengths come from our own reviews of each gun. Whatever you pick, run at least 100 rounds of the exact load through your gun before you carry it.

Known Problems with Speer Gold Dot

The problems we found are load-specific, not line-wide. Three loads didn’t open in at least one gun, one stopped short, and the 124 gr 9mm can run past 18 inches. Retail listings add their own mix-ups on top.

• The .40 165 gr did not open. All five shots went 26.3 to 28.4 inches at 0.40 inches wide. Carry the 180 gr.
• The .380 stops short. Every shot under 12 inches from a 3.25 inch gun.
• Standard .357 from a snub. The 125 gr and 158 gr never opened from our 2 inch gun. Use the Short Barrel load.
• Deep 9mm. The 124 gr put three of five shots past 18 inches from 3.5 inches.
• Component bullets in listings. Speer also sells Gold Dot bullets for reloading under nearly the same names. Check the box says 20 or 50 rounds, not 100 bullets.
• Wrong item numbers. We found a retailer listing the .40 Carry Gun under 24260, which is the 9mm item. Match the caliber printed on the listing.

Speer Gold Dot Variants

The Gold Dot loads most buyers choose between number twelve, across six calibers, each with Speer’s rated velocity and box count. Live prices sit in the cards above.

Practice ammo matters too. Speer’s Lawman line uses the same weights in a full metal jacket bullet, so you can train with a round that feels close to your carry load.

Who Should NOT Buy Speer Gold Dot

Gold Dot is a deep-running, bonded duty line, and a couple of its loads tested badly in our gel. If one of these four buyers sounds like you, a different load serves you better.

• A .380 carrier. Gold Dot .380 stopped short of 12 inches on every shot. Hornady Critical Defense 90 gr kept all five in the window.
• A snub revolver owner buying standard .357. It didn’t open from 2 inches. Buy Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr or Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr instead.
• A buyer who wants the widest 9mm. Federal HST 124 gr opened wider on the same test.
• A .40 S&W carrier eyeing the 165 gr. It went past 26 inches without opening. Pick Gold Dot 180 gr or Winchester PDX1 165 gr, which kept all five in the window.

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Price and Where to Buy Speer Gold Dot

On October 15 the Speer Gold Dot cards on this page ran from $1.45 to $2.00 per round for the handgun loads in 20-round boxes. Gold Dot is never cheap, and the cards above update all day.

Load	Box price, October 15	Rounds	Per round	Seller
Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 gr	$29.89	20	$1.49	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 gr +P	$31.99	20	$1.60	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot 9mm 147 gr	$34.99	20	$1.75	Sportsman’s Warehouse
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 9mm +P 124 gr	$30.89	20	$1.54	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot G2 9mm 147 gr	$31.99	20	$1.60	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot Carry Gun 9mm 135 gr	$31.99	20	$1.60	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot .380 ACP 90 gr	$34.99	20	$1.75	Sportsman’s Warehouse
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .40 S&W 180 gr	$33.89	20	$1.69	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot .45 ACP 230 gr	$36.99	20	$1.85	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .45 ACP 230 gr	$34.99	20	$1.75	Sportsman’s Warehouse
Speer Gold Dot G2 .45 ACP +P 230 gr	$35.59	20	$1.78	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot Carry Gun .45 ACP +P 200 gr	$38.99	20	$1.95	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .38 Special +P 135 gr	$36.69	20	$1.83	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .357 Magnum 135 gr	$28.99	20	$1.45	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot 10mm 200 gr	$39.99	20	$2.00	Brownells
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .22 WMR 40 gr	$20.89	50	$0.42	Palmetto State Armory
Speer Gold Dot .223 Rem 62 gr	$28.99	20	$1.45	Brownells
Federal HST 9mm 124 gr	$29.99	20	$1.50	Brownells
Hornady Critical Defense 9mm 115 gr	$27.99	25	$1.12	Sportsman’s Guide

Prices are the headline on each live card when we checked on October 15. Our defensive ammo guide lists more places to buy.

Speer Gold Dot Review: The Verdict

Speer Gold Dot earns its reputation in .45 ACP, .40 180 gr and the Short Barrel revolver loads, and runs deep in 9mm. Skip the .380, the .40 165 gr and standard .357 from a snub.

For a full-size 9mm the 124 gr is a proven duty load that runs a little deep. For a compact, I’d carry the 147 gr. For a snub, Short Barrel is the only Gold Dot I’d load. For self-defense and home defense from a .45, the Gold Dot 230 gr or the Short Barrel 230 gr is hard to beat.

Our best 9mm ammo guide and best .45 ACP ammo guide rank Gold Dot against the rest of the field by caliber, and our Speer brand page profiles the company.

FAQ: Speer Gold Dot

Short answers to what buyers ask most about Gold Dot.

More picks: concealed carry ammo, home defense ammo and 9mm vs .45 ACP.

See also Federal brand page.