Hornady Critical Duty Review (2026): 30 Shots in 4 Calibers, Plus Hornady’s FBI Barrier Data

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In this Hornady Critical Duty review, the load ran deep from every carry gun we shot. I shot six Critical Duty strings in four calibers, 30 shots in all, through four layers of heavy clothing, and every string averaged past 18 inches. Only 7 of 30 shots stopped inside the FBI window of 12 to 18 inches.

That fits what Hornady says: Critical Duty is built for full-size duty guns, and our test guns were compacts and revolvers. Hornady’s own FBI tables, shot in its lab through calibrated gelatin, put 46 of 48 results in the window. Below you get both sets of numbers, every shot charted, and live prices.

Last updated October 15, 2026

Table of Contents

Hornady Critical Duty at a Glance

Hornady Critical Duty is a plated-case, FlexLock-bullet duty line in eight handgun loads. From our carry guns 7 of 30 shots landed between 12 and 18 inches, and every one of the six strings averaged deeper than 18.

Item	Load	Hornady velocity	Energy	Our gel result	Hornady’s heavy clothing depth	Rounds per box
90236	9mm 135 gr	1,010 fps, 4 in	306 ft-lb	19.04 in, 0.43 in wide, 2 of 5, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	15.50 in	25
90226	9mm 135 gr +P	1,070 fps, 4 in	343 ft-lb	18.08 in, 0.47 in wide, 2 of 5, S&W M&P9c 3.5 in	15.00 in	25
90216	9mm 124 gr +P	1,175 fps, 4 in	380 ft-lb	not tested	13.25 in	25
91376	.40 S&W 175 gr	1,010 fps, 4 in	396 ft-lb	19.40 in, 0.42 in wide, 1 of 5, Glock 27 3.42 in	14.50 in	20
90926	.45 Auto 220 gr +P	975 fps, 5 in	464 ft-lb	21.32 in, 0.58 in wide, 1 of 5, Kahr CW45 3.64 in	14.50 in	20
90511	.357 Magnum 135 gr	1,275 fps, 8 in vented	487 ft-lb	18.64 in, 0.44 in wide, 1 of 5, Kimber K6s 2 in; 19.20 in, 0.50 in wide, 0 of 5, Ruger GP100 4.2 in	14.40 in	25
91296	.357 Sig 135 gr	1,225 fps, 4 in	450 ft-lb	not tested	13.50 in	20
91256	10mm Auto 175 gr	1,160 fps, 5 in	523 ft-lb	not tested	14.50 in	20

Hornady’s figures come from each Hornady product page, with the test barrel it lists. Our gel column is penetration depth, average expansion and how many of five shots landed between 12 and 18 inches. The last column is Hornady’s own heavy clothing result from its law enforcement pages.

We shot four calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and .357 Magnum. We did not shoot the 9mm 124 gr +P, the .357 Sig or the 10mm, so those rows carry Hornady’s numbers only.

Our Rating: 7.0/10

How the FlexLock Bullet Works

FlexLock is a jacketed hollow point with a polymer Flex Tip in the nose and a jacket band that locks to the core. Hornady says the tip “eliminates clogging and aids bullet expansion” and calls the result “barrier blind”.

The InterLock band is a ring inside the jacket that grips the core. Hornady says it keeps the bullet and core from separating for maximum weight retention. The core is a hard alloy, in Hornady’s words “Made of high-antimony lead making it extremely tough.”

Critical Duty is not a bonded bullet. Hornady itself compares the core to bonded designs and says it is “more economical than similar bonded bullets.” Speer Gold Dot is bonded; FlexLock locks the jacket mechanically instead.

The rest of the cartridge is built for duty use. Every Critical Duty load has a plated case for low-light chamber checks, a crimped and cannelured bullet against setback, sealant at the primer and case mouth, and low flash powder. Hornady’s retail pages now call the cases brass-plated, its LE site calls them nickel-plated, and its product photos show silver cases. The LE site adds that Critical Duty bullets carry an H on the polymer tip.

Critical Duty is not the same bullet as Hornady XTP. Hornady spells XTP out as “eXtreme Terminal Performance” and loads it in its Custom handgun ammunition; FlexLock adds the Flex Tip and the InterLock band. We have no XTP gel data from the same test to set beside it.

In a Hornady interview, Hornady’s then senior ballistician Dave Emary said the Critical Duty work took three to four years, against about one year for Critical Defense. American Rifleman named Critical Duty its Ammo of the Year for 2013, per Hornady’s awards page.

How We Tested for This Hornady Critical Duty Review

We shot five rounds of each load into ballistic gelatin through four layers of heavy clothing at 10 feet, measured every shot, and timed each string over a chronograph from compact carry guns and two revolvers.

The heavy clothing stack is the FBI’s: a cotton T-shirt, a cotton shirt, fleece and denim. We used clear synthetic gel in blocks set end to end, so a deep bullet is still recorded. A shot between 12 and 18 inches counts as in the window.

Our guns were a S&W M&P9c with a 3.5 inch barrel, a Glock 27 at 3.42 inches, a Kahr CW45 at 3.64 inches, a 2 inch Kimber K6s and a 4.2 inch Ruger GP100. Each rival load in the tables below came from the same gun as the Critical Duty it sits beside.

Hornady tests differently, and the page says so wherever both sets of numbers appear. Its FBI protocol page describes 10 percent ordnance gelatin and six barrier events, and adds: “The data represents an average of five fired test shots.” We did not weigh our recovered bullets.

Hornady Critical Duty 9mm: 135 gr, 135 gr +P and 124 gr +P

Hornady Critical Duty 9mm ran deep and narrow from our 3.5 inch pistol. The 135 gr averaged 19.04 inches and the Critical Duty 135 +P 18.08, and each put two of five shots in the window.

Load	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Critical Duty 135 gr	1,053	19.04 in	0.43 in	2 of 5	16.6, 17.6, 19.7, 20.5, 20.8
Critical Duty 135 gr +P	1,118	18.08 in	0.47 in	2 of 5	17.1, 17.3, 18.4, 18.7, 18.9
Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr	1,143	13.06 in	0.50 in	4 of 5	11.6, 12.9, 13.3, 13.7, 13.8
Federal HST 147 gr	973	15.24 in	0.61 in	4 of 5	14.0, 14.1, 14.7, 14.9, 18.5
Winchester Ranger T-Series 147 gr	941	16.46 in	0.74 in	3 of 5	14.4, 14.9, 15.2, 18.3, 19.5
Sig V-Crown 124 gr	1,072	17.34 in	0.52 in	3 of 5	15.1, 16.9, 17.8, 18.3, 18.6
Speer Gold Dot 124 gr	1,067	18.14 in	0.54 in	2 of 5	15.1, 17.7, 18.6, 18.9, 20.4
Federal HST 124 gr	1,135	18.28 in	0.61 in	2 of 5	17.3, 17.8, 18.4, 18.8, 19.1
Winchester PDX1 124 gr +P	1,142	19.60 in	0.52 in	1 of 5	17.4, 19.0, 19.6, 20.7, 21.3

Both Hornady Critical Duty 9mm loads we tested beat their box velocity from our shorter barrel. The 135 gr read 1,053 fps against Hornady’s 1,010 fps from 4 inches, and the +P 1,118 fps against 1,070. The extra speed did not make them wide: at 0.43 and 0.47 inches they were the two narrowest of the nine 9mm loads in this test.

Against the rivals from the same pistol, only Winchester PDX1 124 gr +P went deeper than the 135 gr, at 19.60 inches. Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr stopped at 13.06 inches with four of five in, and Federal HST 147 gr at 15.24 with four of five.

Critical Duty 135 +P vs 135 gr Standard

The Critical Duty 135 +P, item 90226, is rated 1,070 fps. The standard 135 gr, item 90236, is rated 1,010 fps, and Hornady’s law enforcement site lists its 50-round twin as the 135 gr FlexLock Subsonic. In our gun the +P went 0.96 inches shallower and opened 0.04 inches wider.

Hornady’s own heavy clothing numbers point the same way: 15.00 inches and 0.55 inches wide for the +P, 15.50 and 0.50 for the standard load. Hornady calls both full power loads for full-size handguns.

What About the 124 gr +P?

The 124 gr +P, item 90216, is the lightest and fastest Critical Duty 9mm, rated 1,175 fps and 380 ft-lb from 4 inches. We have no gel data of our own on it. Hornady’s tables give it 13.25 inches through heavy clothing and 13.00 inches through bare gel, the shallowest of its three 9mm loads in both.

Through auto glass it kept 66 percent of its weight, against 69 percent for the 135 gr +P. We have not shot it, and our two 135 gr strings ran 3.08 and 3.54 inches deeper than Hornady’s heavy clothing figures, so for a compact carry gun we still point you to Hornady Critical Defense.

For the full field of 9mm carry loads ranked side by side, see our best 9mm ammo guide.

Hornady Critical Duty 40 S&W: 175 gr

Hornady Critical Duty .40 S&W 175 gr averaged 19.40 inches from our Glock 27 and opened to 0.42 inches, the narrowest of the seven .40 loads we shot. Only one of five shots stopped in the window.

Load	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Critical Duty 175 gr	970	19.40 in	0.42 in	1 of 5	16.0, 19.4, 19.9, 20.1, 21.6
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr	955	14.50 in	0.65 in	5 of 5	13.4, 13.6, 14.3, 14.4, 16.8
Winchester Ranger T-Series 180 gr	949	16.22 in	0.70 in	5 of 5	15.3, 15.5, 16.5, 16.7, 17.1
Winchester Defender 180 gr	995	16.46 in	0.71 in	4 of 5	15.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.3, 18.4
Hornady Critical Defense 165 gr	1,075	16.60 in	0.60 in	5 of 5	14.3, 16.5, 16.5, 17.8, 17.9
Federal HST 180 gr	964	18.50 in	0.72 in	2 of 5	17.3, 17.7, 18.4, 19.4, 19.7
Sig V-Crown 165 gr	1,014	20.18 in	0.57 in	1 of 5	17.4, 19.7, 20.4, 21.6, 21.8

Hornady rates the 175 gr, item 91376, at 1,010 fps from a 4 inch barrel; we read 970 fps from 3.42 inches. Speer Gold Dot 180 gr kept all five shots in the window from the same gun at 14.50 inches, and so did Winchester Ranger T 180 gr at 16.22. Our Glock 27 review covers the gun.

Our Winchester Ranger T-Series review covers that load and seven more Ranger T strings.

Hornady Critical Duty 45 ACP: 220 gr +P

Hornady Critical Duty 45 ACP is a 220 gr +P load, and from our 3.64 inch Kahr it averaged 21.32 inches with one of five shots in the window. It was the deepest Critical Duty string we shot.

Load	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Critical Duty 220 gr +P	934	21.32 in	0.58 in	1 of 5	18.0, 20.4, 22.1, 22.7, 23.4
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr	752	12.86 in	0.71 in	4 of 5	11.5, 12.4, 12.9, 13.3, 14.2
Federal HST 230 gr	822	14.02 in	0.85 in	5 of 5	13.1, 13.3, 13.4, 13.6, 16.7
Winchester Ranger T-Series 230 gr	900	14.52 in	1.00 in	5 of 5	13.5, 13.6, 14.2, 14.5, 16.8
Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr	941	17.62 in	0.59 in	2 of 5	11.2, 12.8, 13.9, 23.6, 26.6
Winchester PDX1 230 gr	863	21.58 in	0.61 in	3 of 5	16.6, 17.2, 17.9, 24.2, 32.0
Sig V-Crown 200 gr	871	31.16 in	0.45 in	0 of 5	29.1, 31.2, 31.5, 32.0, 32.0

The 220 gr +P, item 90926, is rated 975 fps and 464 ft-lb from a 5 inch barrel, a full-size 1911 length. We read 934 fps from the Kahr. It opened to 0.58 inches on average, wider than Sig V-Crown 200 gr but short of every other rival in this table.

Federal HST 230 gr kept all five in from the same gun at 14.02 inches, and Winchester Ranger T 230 gr did the same at 14.52. For a compact .45, those are the better choice on our data. Our best .45 ACP ammo guide has the whole field.

Critical Duty 357 Magnum: Snub vs 4 Inch Revolver

Critical Duty .357 Magnum 135 gr ran past 18 inches from both revolvers: 18.64 inches from the 2 inch K6s and 19.20 from the 4.2 inch GP100, with 1 of 10 shots in the window.

Load	fps	Depth	Width	In 12 to 18 in	Every shot, in
Critical Duty 135 gr, K6s 2 in	1,126	18.64 in	0.44 in	1 of 5	17.4, 18.4, 18.5, 18.9, 20.0
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr, K6s 2 in	1,069	12.96 in	0.55 in	5 of 5	12.4, 12.5, 12.9, 13.4, 13.6
Winchester PDX1 Defender 125 gr, K6s 2 in	1,100	13.92 in	0.63 in	5 of 5	12.3, 13.8, 14.1, 14.4, 15.0
Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr, K6s 2 in	1,208	15.28 in	0.52 in	5 of 5	14.4, 14.7, 15.0, 15.0, 17.3
Critical Duty 135 gr, GP100 4.2 in	1,253	19.20 in	0.50 in	0 of 5	18.2, 18.4, 19.1, 20.0, 20.3
Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr, GP100 4.2 in	1,350	14.54 in	0.57 in	5 of 5	13.7, 13.8, 14.3, 14.7, 16.2
Winchester PDX1 Defender 125 gr, GP100 4.2 in	1,215	15.48 in	0.65 in	5 of 5	13.4, 14.7, 15.2, 17.0, 17.1
Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr, 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

Hornady rates item 90511 at 1,275 fps from an 8 inch vented test barrel, longer than any carry revolver. The snub read 1,126 fps and the GP100 1,253. The faster GP100 string went deeper, not shallower, and the two averaged 0.44 and 0.50 inches wide.

Every rival in this test kept all five shots in the window from both guns, including Hornady’s own Critical Defense 125 gr at 15.28 and 14.54 inches. For a revolver, that is the Hornady load to carry. See our best .357 Magnum ammo guide for more.

Critical Duty 357 Sig and 10mm: Hornady Numbers

We did not gel test the .357 Sig 135 gr or the 10mm Auto 175 gr. Hornady’s own heavy clothing figures are 13.50 inches for the .357 Sig and 14.50 inches for the 10mm, both from Hornady’s lab.

The .357 Sig 135 gr, item 91296, is rated 1,225 fps and 450 ft-lb from a 4 inch barrel. It fits a Glock 31 or a Sig P229 chambered in .357 Sig. Through wallboard and plywood, Hornady’s tables put it at 16.50 and 17.75 inches.

The 10mm 175 gr, item 91256, is rated 1,160 fps and 523 ft-lb from a 5 inch barrel. Hornady’s LE page lists its 50-round twin at 1,150 fps. Hornady’s tables keep it between 13.00 and 15.75 inches across all six barriers. For full-power hunting loads, see our best 10mm ammo guide and 10mm pistols ranked.

Hornady’s Own FBI Barrier Numbers

Hornady publishes FBI protocol results for every Critical Duty load on its law enforcement site. Across eight loads and six barriers, 46 of 48 results landed between 12 and 18 inches.

The two outside the window were both the .357 Magnum: wallboard at 18.50 inches and plywood at 18.10 inches, just past 18. That load is rated from an 8 inch vented barrel, the longest in the line. Every 9mm, .40, .45, .357 Sig and 10mm result stayed inside.

Weight retention is where auto glass shows. 40 of 48 results kept 90 percent or more of the bullet, and all eight that fell short came through auto glass, from 66 to 80 percent kept. Every steel, wallboard and plywood result kept at least 95 percent.

These are Hornady’s numbers, from Hornady’s lab, through 10 percent ordnance gelatin. They do not show what happens from a compact carry gun, which is what our own test covers.

Hornady’s law enforcement page states: “Hornady currently has an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the FBI to provide Critical Duty, Training, and Frangible ammunition.” Our article on when the FBI left 9mm and came back covers the bureau’s caliber history.

Why Our Gel Ran Deeper Than Hornady’s

On every one of our six strings Critical Duty went 3.08 to 6.82 inches deeper than Hornady’s own heavy clothing figure for the same load, and opened narrower. Hornady’s gel and guns differ from ours.

Hornady shoots calibrated 10 percent ordnance gelatin, and its protocol page says “All terminal testing is from actual firearms.” It does not name the guns. We shot clear synthetic gel from compact carry guns. Hornady itself ran a series on the two media and wrote: “There’s a clear difference between synthetic and organic gelatin that law enforcement needs to understand.” Its gelatin comparison page has the details.

Both 9mm loads we tested ran faster than Hornady’s rating from our 3.5 inch pistol and still went past 18 inches. Hornady’s own guidance fits our result: its support page says Critical Duty loads are “not optimized for short barreled, concealed carry style handguns”.

Hornady’s LE site says the line delivers “optimized performance through the FBI Protocol test when used in full-sized handguns.” Read our numbers as what Critical Duty does from a compact, and Hornady’s as what it does from a duty gun.

Barrel Length and Velocity

Short barrels cost Critical Duty little speed in 9mm and a lot in a snub. Both 9mm loads we tested beat Hornady’s rating, the .40 and .45 ran about 40 fps slow, and the 2 inch K6s lost 149 fps.

Load and gun	Hornady rating	Ours	Difference
9mm 135 gr, S&W M&P9c	1,010 fps, 4 in	1,053 fps, 3.5 in	+43 fps
9mm 135 gr +P, S&W M&P9c	1,070 fps, 4 in	1,118 fps, 3.5 in	+48 fps
.40 S&W 175 gr, Glock 27	1,010 fps, 4 in	970 fps, 3.42 in	-40 fps
.45 ACP 220 gr +P, Kahr CW45	975 fps, 5 in	934 fps, 3.64 in	-41 fps
.357 Magnum 135 gr, Kimber K6s	1,275 fps, 8 in vented	1,126 fps, 2 in	-149 fps
.357 Magnum 135 gr, Ruger GP100	1,275 fps, 8 in vented	1,253 fps, 4.2 in	-22 fps

Hornady rates the 9mm, .40 and .357 Sig from 4 inch barrels and the .45 and 10mm from 5 inches. A Glock 17 at 4.49 inches or a Sig P320 at 4.7 inches sits at or past that length, a Glock 19 at 4.02 matches it, and a pocket pistol sits well short.

More muzzle velocity did not mean less depth. Our fastest Critical Duty string, the GP100 .357 at 1,253 fps, went deeper than the K6s at 1,126 fps.

Critical Duty and Critical Defense From the Same Guns

Critical Defense is Hornady’s short-barrel carry line and Critical Duty its duty line. On the same guns, Critical Duty went deeper in six of six pairings and Critical Defense opened wider in six of six.

Critical Duty	Result	Critical Defense	Result
9mm 135 gr	19.04 in, 0.43 in wide, 2 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr	13.06 in, 0.50 in wide, 4 of 5
9mm 135 gr +P	18.08 in, 0.47 in wide, 2 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr	13.06 in, 0.50 in wide, 4 of 5
.40 175 gr	19.40 in, 0.42 in wide, 1 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 165 gr	16.60 in, 0.60 in wide, 5 of 5
.45 220 gr +P	21.32 in, 0.58 in wide, 1 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr	17.62 in, 0.59 in wide, 2 of 5
.357 135 gr, K6s	18.64 in, 0.44 in wide, 1 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr	15.28 in, 0.52 in wide, 5 of 5
.357 135 gr, GP100	19.20 in, 0.50 in wide, 0 of 5	Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr	14.54 in, 0.57 in wide, 5 of 5

Hornady makes the same split. Its support page says Critical Duty loads are “full power loads” for full-size slides, and Critical Defense is built for short barreled concealed carry guns. Critical Defense uses the FTX bullet without the InterLock band.

Our Hornady Critical Defense review charts every Critical Defense shot, and Hornady vs Federal compares the two makers. For a carry gun under 4 inches, our data favors Critical Defense.

Critical Duty vs HST, Gold Dot and Ranger T

Against Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot and Winchester Ranger T from the same guns, Critical Duty opened narrower than all three in every caliber. In .40 and .45 each rival also put more shots in the window.

Caliber	Load	Depth	Width	In window
9mm	Critical Duty 135 gr +P	18.08 in	0.47 in	2 of 5
9mm	Federal HST 124 gr	18.28 in	0.61 in	2 of 5
9mm	Speer Gold Dot 124 gr	18.14 in	0.54 in	2 of 5
9mm	Winchester Ranger T-Series 147 gr	16.46 in	0.74 in	3 of 5
9mm	Critical Duty 135 gr	19.04 in	0.43 in	2 of 5
.40 S&W	Critical Duty 175 gr	19.40 in	0.42 in	1 of 5
.40 S&W	Federal HST 180 gr	18.50 in	0.72 in	2 of 5
.40 S&W	Speer Gold Dot 180 gr	14.50 in	0.65 in	5 of 5
.40 S&W	Winchester Ranger T-Series 180 gr	16.22 in	0.70 in	5 of 5
.45 ACP	Critical Duty 220 gr +P	21.32 in	0.58 in	1 of 5
.45 ACP	Federal HST 230 gr	14.02 in	0.85 in	5 of 5
.45 ACP	Speer Gold Dot 230 gr	12.86 in	0.71 in	4 of 5
.45 ACP	Winchester Ranger T-Series 230 gr	14.52 in	1.00 in	5 of 5

Federal HST opened wider in all three calibers. Our Federal HST review and Speer Gold Dot review cover those lines shot by shot, and HST vs Gold Dot puts them head to head.

All four lines are duty loads, and we shot them all from compact guns. From those guns, HST, Gold Dot and Ranger T stayed closer to the window in .40 and .45.

Which Critical Duty Load for Which Gun

Match Critical Duty to a full-size duty gun. From our compacts and revolvers it ran deep, so for a carry gun under about 4 inches the better pick on our data is another load.

Gun	Barrel	Load	Why
Glock 17 or Sig P320	4.49 in, 4.7 in	Critical Duty 9mm 135 gr +P	Hornady data only: heavy clothing 15.00 in. We did not test a full-size gun
Glock 19 Gen 6	4.02 in	Critical Duty 9mm 135 gr +P	Hornady data: 15.00 in; ours ran 18.08 in from 3.5 in. See our Glock 19 Gen 6 review.
S&W M&P9c, Sig P365	3.5 in, 3.1 in	Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr	Duty ran 19.04 in from our 3.5 in M&P9c
Glock 22	4.49 in	Critical Duty .40 175 gr	Hornady data only: heavy clothing 14.50 in
Glock 27	3.42 in	Speer Gold Dot 180 gr	Duty ran 19.40 in from our G27; Gold Dot 5 of 5
Government 1911	5 in	Critical Duty .45 220 gr +P, if +P rated	Hornady data only: heavy clothing 14.50 in
Kahr CW45 or similar	3.64 in	Federal HST 230 gr	Duty ran 21.32 in; HST 5 of 5
Glock 20, Glock 29	4.61 in, 3.78 in	Critical Duty 10mm 175 gr	Hornady data only. See our Glock 20 review.
Snub or 4 in .357 revolver	2 to 4.2 in	Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr	Duty 0 and 1 of 5; Critical Defense 5 of 5 from both

For home defense or self-defense from a full-size gun, Critical Duty’s depth matters less than its barrier record, and Hornady’s tables are strong there. For concealed carry, see our best concealed carry ammo and best home defense ammo.

The Glock 29 we reviewed shot Critical Duty 175 gr well for accuracy; our Glock 29 review has those groups.

Known Problems

Critical Duty’s known problems are depth and width from short barrels, plus one 2014 recall lot. Every string we shot averaged past 18 inches, and the 9mm and .40 opened the least in their caliber tests.

• Deep from compacts. Every Critical Duty string averaged past 18 inches. Our shallowest shot of all 30 went 16.0 inches, and the deepest 23.4. 23 of the 30 went past 18 inches and none stopped short of 12, so from a compact it runs past the FBI window rather than short of it.
• Narrow from compacts. It was the narrowest load in our 9mm, .40 and both .357 tests, at 0.42 to 0.50 inches.
• The 2014 recall. Hornady recalled one lot of the 9mm 135 gr +P, lot 3141635, in July 2014, because cartridges “may exhibit light or no powder charges.” The lot number is printed on the underside of the box label; details on Hornady’s recall page.
• +P in older guns. The 9mm 135 gr +P, 124 gr +P and .45 220 gr +P are loaded to the SAAMI +P pressure level. Check your owner’s manual.
• LE boxes. The 50-round law enforcement boxes carry different item numbers from the 20 and 25-round retail boxes, and the 10mm LE twin is listed at 1,150 fps against 1,160 retail.

Critical Duty Variants

Hornady sells eight Critical Duty handgun loads in six calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 Auto, .357 Sig, 10mm and .357 Magnum. Every one has a variant card below with its rated velocity and box count.

Critical Duty is a handgun line. Hornady lists no Critical Duty rifle or shotgun load on hornady.com or on its law enforcement site, where every Critical Duty item is a handgun load.

Who Should NOT Buy Hornady Critical Duty

Critical Duty is a duty load built for full-size handguns, and from our carry guns it ran deep and narrow. If one of these four buyers sounds like you, buy something else.

• A compact 9mm carrier. Critical Duty 135 gr ran 19.04 inches from our 3.5 inch gun. Buy Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr, which stopped at 13.06.
• A Glock 27 owner. The .40 175 gr went 19.40 inches with one of five in. Buy Speer Gold Dot 180 gr, all five in at 14.50.
• A compact .45 carrier. Hornady Critical Duty 45 ACP averaged 21.32 inches from our Kahr. Buy Federal HST 230 gr, five of five at 14.02.
• A .357 Magnum revolver owner. Critical Duty put 1 of 10 shots in from our two revolvers. Buy Hornady Critical Defense 125 gr, all 10 in.

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Price and Where to Buy

Every caliber section above has a live price card with today’s cheapest box per round. On our October 15 cards the 9mm 135 gr +P cost less per round than Federal HST 124 gr and Speer Gold Dot 124 gr.

Retail boxes hold 25 rounds in 9mm and .357 Magnum and 20 in .40, .45, .357 Sig and 10mm. The 50-round boxes are law enforcement items, but the line is not law enforcement only: Hornady builds it for police “as well as those law abiding citizens who prefer a full-size handgun for their personal protection.” Prices move daily, so buy enough to run a few boxes through your own gun before you carry it.

For more picks across brands, see our best defensive ammo guide.

Hornady Critical Duty Review: The Verdict

Hornady Critical Duty is a strong barrier load for a full-size duty gun, backed by Hornady’s FBI tables and an FBI contract. From our compacts and revolvers it ran deep and narrow, so skip it for concealed carry.

On Hornady’s FBI tables, the Critical Duty 135 +P or the Hornady Critical Duty 45 ACP 220 gr +P suits a Glock 17, a Sig P320 or a 5 inch 1911; we did not test a full-size gun. Its plated cases, sealed primers and low flash suit duty use. From compacts like ours, with 3.42 to 3.64 inch barrels, expect the 9mm, .40 and .45 to run past 18 inches.

Our rating is 7.0 out of 10. It loses most of its points on our own window count, 7 of 30, and earns them back on Hornady’s barrier data, its build and its price per round. Our Hornady brand page covers the rest of the maker’s lineup.

Hornady Critical Duty FAQ

Short answers, from our gel data and Hornady’s own pages.