Video: Federal Defensive Ammunition

by
posted on June 30, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
There is no conventional personal-protection projectile available to “civilians” that performs optimally “across the board.” A bullet that is intended to maintain its integrity—for sufficient penetration—even when encountering difficult-to-defeat barriers, such as automobile glass, cannot be expected to exhibit the same traits as one designed to expend most of its energy in a soft target, even wallboard, to reduce damage from over-penetration or a miss. As such, it’s prudent for an ammunition company to offer multiple loads with distinct performance parameters. That’s exactly what Federal Premium did with HST and Guard Dog Home Defense.

Watch this segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman as the staff visits Federal Premium's factory in Anoka, Minn., to see how its Guard Dog and HST loads fare under the most extreme testing.

For more on Federal's defensive ammo, please enjoy the following articles:

Mastery of Metals: Federal's HST and Guard Dog Loads

Editors' Picks—New for 2015: Federal Premium .380 ACP Personal Defense HST 

Federal Premium Personal Defense Low Recoil .45 Auto Ammunition


Six Things to Consider When Choosing Self-Defense Ammunition

Federal Premium Guard Dog Ammunition

Latest

TNW Firearms ASR 1911
TNW Firearms ASR 1911

Review: TNW Firearms ASR 1911

Reliable pistol-caliber carbines, especially with quick-caliber-change capability, are fun, and the ASR 1911 from TNW Firearms is one of the most unique of the bunch.

GOEX Resumes Black Powder Production

Voyager Technologies announced on Sept. 8 that the GOEX plant in Camp Minden, La.—the sole black powder manufacturing facility located in the United States—has been modernized and is back in production.

NRA-ILA Names SIG SAUER Official Partner of the 2026 NRA Gun Bus Battleground Tour

New Hampshire-based firearms and weapons-systems maker joins NRA-ILA on the road.

Today’s Makers of Yesterday’s Firearms

Original firearms from the American Revolution era are valuable and best preserved for posterity. For those who want to shoot them, several modern makers offer quality reproductions.

Left Turn (Bolt): Tikka's New Left-Handed T3x Ace Rifles

Lefties of the world unite and rejoice, as Tikka has announced left-hand versions of its award-winning T3x Ace chassis rifles.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 14, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.