Buried Lede

Federal dropped a presser announcing a new line of CCW-oriented ammunition, called "Punch", and marketed as "personal defense ammunition". While LE ammunition such as Federal's HST Tactical is fine for CCW use, the difficulty of performing well on the more difficult portions of the FBI barrier protocols requires solutions that aren't necessarily as important for a CCW bullet.

Engineering a bullet that will hold together, penetrate, and expand after encountering plywood, laminated auto glass or sheet metal requires various methods of locking the jacket to the core that require extra manufacturing steps and extra cost. A bullet that will do well in just the bare gel & heavy clothing parts of the test is easier and cheaper to make.

I mean, I'm still going to carry HST, but I found something interesting in the press release:

“Concealed-carry permit holders, especially new shooters, need an uncomplicated answer to the question ‘What ammo do I need for self-defense’,” said Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack. “Things to consider such as function, reliable ignition, barrier performance, terminal performance, ballistics and other considerations are a lot to digest for most people. What some consumers really need to know is it will function in their gun, every time, and that it will be effective stopping a threat as quickly as possible. Punch is our easy answer for them.”

Most concealed carry permit holders are less concerned with factors such as barrier penetration through steel, plywood and auto glass and more concerned about choosing a bullet that is engineered from the ground-up to stop an attacker and work effectively in their chosen firearm. And, as the data shows, Punch bullets perform well in the tests that matter most to the average shooter—penetration and expansion through bare gel and heavy clothing. Federal has made Punch ammunition a natural choice for concealed carry.

What’s more, Punch ammunition features Federal’s smooth-feeding nickel-plated cases, advanced powders, and the sealed reliability of high-quality, sensitive primers. With Punch, self-defenders can be assured its components will do its job when it matters most.

The five new Punch options include a .380 Auto 85-grain offering with a muzzle velocity of 1,000 feet per second, a .38 Special +P 120-grain load at 1,070 fps, a 9mm 147-grain load at 1,150 fps, a .40 S&W 16-grain load at 1,130 fps, and a .45 Auto 230-grain load at 890 fps. What’s more, all these loads will be available immediately, and with MSRPs from $15.95 to $20.95 per box of 20.

Check out the highlighted portions. If the .380 is getting those velocities out of LCP-size guns, that's a big deal. But personally, I'm looking at that claimed velocity for the 147gr nine. If they're getting supersonic velocities out of a 147gr bullet from a 4" barrel, that's a spicy meatball. Then again, it could be a typo like the "16-gr" .40 cal bullet. (It's 165gr, almost certainly.)

Looking forward to getting some and testing it.
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