What’s America’s Top Handgun Ammo?
Quick Answer
By almost any measure, 9mm Luger is America most popular handgun ammunition. It outsells every other handgun caliber — U.S. production tops two billion rounds a year — thanks to low recoil, high magazine capacity, low cost and proven defensive performance. For self-defense specifically, Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot are the most widely trusted loads, both heavily used by law enforcement.
America’s most popular handgun ammo: quick facts
What is the most popular handgun caliber in America?
9mm Luger, by a wide margin — it outsells other handgun calibers combined, with more than two billion rounds produced in the U.S. each year.
Why is 9mm so popular?
It offers manageable recoil, higher magazine capacity, inexpensive and widely available ammo, and effective modern defensive loads — a strong all-around balance.
What is the best 9mm self-defense ammo?
Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot are the two most widely used defensive loads; both perform consistently in FBI-protocol testing and are common in law-enforcement duty use. Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty are also popular.
What ammo should I use for range practice?
Inexpensive 115- or 124-grain full-metal-jacket (FMJ) 9mm is the standard practice choice, with jacketed hollow points saved for carry and defense.
If you want to know what America’s favorite ammunition for handguns is, you ask the people to whom it matters most. Recently, a survey conducted by Southwick Associates asked over 18,000 hunters and shooters which brands they trusted most…and when it came to handgun ammunition, it was Federal Premium all the way. Federal, which includes sub-brands like Fusion, came out on top of the 2018 surveys held on HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com consumer panels.
More than 100 products were examined in the Southwick Associates 2018 Hunting & Shooting Participation and Equipment Purchases Report. Southwick’s in-depth resources illustrate shopping behaviors, such as where consumers buy, brand preferences, and amount spent.
“This report confirms we’ve accomplished what we’ve always worked hard to achieve,” said Federal Centerfire Rifle and Handgun Product Director Mike Holm. “Our handgun ammunition offers consistent, accurate performance for all types of recreational shooting, hunting and self-defense.”
Federal’s latest handgun ammunition introductions include the new 10mm Auto HST and Hydra-Shok Deep 40 S&W and 45 Auto. The 10mm Auto’s full-power loading makes the most of the HST bullet design, providing large, consistent expansion, optimum penetration and superior terminal performance. Hydra-Shok Deep bullets feature a more robust center post and a core design that penetrates to critical depths through common self-defense barriers, without over-penetrating.
For more information on Federal ammunition, visit www.federalpremium.com. But if you’d just like to find out how to win a bunch of their ammunition, you can always sign up for our Youth Shooting Sports Alliance $9K Spring Guns and Gear Giveaway here!
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Having had a failure to fire with a Hornady Critical Defense round in 380, I prefer to load my own and use several different bullets, some times loading alternates across magazine capacity. I can usually empty a mag in less than 6 seconds counting a malfunction. So I figure one will get the job done; hopefully before I expire.
This article wasn’t very helpful. As someone above said; it’s basically an add for Federal. Show us the data!
The polling was done by Southwick Associates…their website is here: http://www.southwickassociates.com/
It wasn’t there. If we have to join and pay their outlandish subscription price, forget it.
Well in that case I don’t blame you!
How about the entire ranking list? Top 5 or 10? This article appears your endorsing Federal ammo.
While that brand is most certainly good, I like Hornady best.
CORBON for my Money.
Fiocchi is THE cleanest burning ammo and the one of the most consistent.
I’ll never run Federal again…!
I will take the FBI’s opinion over 18,000 Joe Sixpacks opinions on self-defense handgun ammo .