Picked up 25 rounds of the subject (pricey) ammo the other day. I was told that it would be OK for my compact although a bit "snappier" than 9mm. Understood as I fire .38+p from my .357 magnum revolver.

Question - anyone have experience with this in a compact? Read somewhere that it should be used only in full sized M & P pistols. Would appreciate your valued inputs on this.

I don’t shoot the critical defense but do carry 124gr +p hst and have shot a couple of hundred rounds of it for practice without issue.


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I have a Shield 9 that has been ammo picky since Day One (and it still is after 5500 rounds). Knowing this, I conducted extensive tests of self defense ammo rounds to find at least one that my Shield could fire reliably. My standard was that it had to fire at least 200 consecutive rounds without a failure. Only two rounds have met that standard, and one of them is Hornady Critical Duty 135g +P. I have fired 313 rounds of Critical Duty with zero failures of any kind, so that's what I carry. The other successful round was Federal HST 147g, with zero failures in 200 rounds.

Although both were equal in accuracy, I went with Critical Duty because it had established itself to my satisfaction as working perfectly in my cranky Shield, and I saw no need to buy a bunch more HSTs to see if they could go 300+ rounds as well. Critical Duty does have a bit more oomph when you shoot it, but it's not difficult to learn to control.

FYI, rounds that failed to make the cut in my testing were: Remington Golden Saber 147g (It almost made the cut with just 2 failures in 260 rounds. It was also the most accurate.); Remington Golden Saber 124g +P; Speer Gold Dot 124g +P; and last, but least, Federal HST 124g +P which had a 10% failure to feed rate .

Even though the Critical Duty rounds have proven themselves, my Shield 9 is pretty much a safe queen these days. My main carry gun is my trusty M&P 40c, which shoots anything without a problem. My backup carry is my Shield 45 which is more accurate than my Shield 9, and far more reliable.

Bottom Line: Go ahead and use the Critical Dutys in your compact. From my experience they're an excellent round. But I suggest trying some other self-defense rounds as well. It's always good to find out what works best for you and your gun.

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What, me worry?

I was always told that +P would be fine for my Compacts but be careful of a steady diet of it.
Shoot some rounds of it to get a feel for what to expect.
I personally went back to carrying standard pressure JHP’s.


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"Read somewhere that it should be used only in full sized M & P pistols. Would appreciate your valued inputs on this."


Suggest you throw out any publication that gives such bogus advice.
And if you heard it from "some guy", he probably lies about other things too. The 2.0 compact IS a FS M&P except for 1/4" shorter barrel and a couple fewer cartridges in the grip.

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Per page 11 of the M&P 2.0 Compact manual:

“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the margin of safety. Use of “Plus-P” ammunition may result in the need for more frequent service."

"Plus-P-Plus” (+P+) ammunition must not be used in Smith & Wesson firearms."

I bought several boxes of the Hornady Critical Duty +P in 2013 when it was the only self defense ammo I could find. I have shot a box or two through my compact 2.0 with no ill effects. I don't shoot +P+ but don't hesitate to shoot +P from any major manufacturer through my M&P or Glock 19.

At Critical Duty(R) & Critical Defense(R) Differences - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc Hornady does recommend this ammo for full size guns. But that is because they use a toughly constructed bullet that is good at penetrating barriers but needs the extra velocity from a long barrel to reliably expand. It is not any harder on small guns than other types of +P ammo. At 4 inches the barrel on your compact is not all that short. I think Hornady is trying to say that if you are looking for ammo for a Shield or other gun with a 3 inch barrel there are better choices.

I am taking their advice about better choices being available and bought a half case of Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P. It has a great reputation in both short and long barrels and is quite a bit less expensive.

In light of economics alone, I don't expect to be firing a huge number of the critical duty but will run a few at my next range visit just to establish the feel (after a few rounds of .357 magnum in my 586-8 revolver). Based on the inputs you have all provided, I have no reservations with firing these in my compact.

Thanks again!

The design of 9mm defense ammo has come a long way in my 40 years of shooting handguns.........but in the end I think we've reached the point of splitting hairs with each new generation of "new and improved" ammo at $1 or more a round.......................

In the end "Shot Placement is the key"..... I'd rather have two good hits with good old Federal BP........ than one with one of today's super rounds.

Thou I may opt for +P+ federal 9BPLE in my 5906s.

Hornady Critical Duty won't "hurt" your gun. It will function much the same as with other ammo. Problem is, Hornady designed it for 4" and 5" barrels. It doesn't expand well in short barrels with less velocity.

OKFC05; I didn't get that from "somebody on the internet, I got it from the Hornady web page.

Hornady made Critical Defense to expand well in short barrels.

Try to find a Gel test for your gun. I kanw that it barely expanded at all on a 3" Sig P938. Your gun is 3.5", while Critical Duty is meant for 4" and above. Only a gel test will tell you for sure how much that .5" will make.

Myself; I stick to Critical Defense. Critical Duty is designed for what cops need, and Critical Defense is designed for what I need. I don't shoot through car doors.

The M&P Compact 2.0 has a 4 inch barrel, same as a Glock 19 which is a popular choice for people that put gel test videos on YouTube. Based on those tests it should work fine out of the OP's gun. Although it does favor penetration over expansion compared to Critical Defense or Speer Gold Dots.

Like you the odds of my having to shoot through barriers is pretty small and I normally carry a Glock 43 with 3.4 inch barrel so I now buy +P 124 grain Gold Dots. But I still load my remaining Critical Duty in my Compact 2.0 and will do so until it runs out.

Since the OP is price sensitive he should try looking online unless he lives in a state that prohibits buying ammo that way. When available Gold Dots can be found for 50 cents a round or a little less when purchased in bulk or in 50 round boxes. Nothing wrong with either Critical Duty or Critical Defense but I think Gold Dots are at least as good and less expensive.

Good advice from all. The critical duty was the only defensive 9mm round that the LGS had in stock at the time so I bought them instead of shopping around. Sounds as if critical defense would have been a better choice or the Speer Gold Dot as others have noted. I don't plan on shooting through car doors either.

I didn't intend to overemphasize the economics factor - just that my .38+P hollow points are 1/2 the price so it got my attention.

As for online purchase in NJ, I can and do have ammo delivered from Cabelas, or, close enough (1.5 hours) to drive to their Hamburg, PA store and buy in bulk.

Well, I'm a bit surprised the Lucky Gunner Ammo test has not come up yet. .

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/sel...tic-tests/#9mm

Bear in mind the test gun was a M&P9C 1.0.

As always, YMMV.

I never had a problem with it in any of my Smith guns .

If you read the OP post, the question is about the 2.0 M&P Compact, WHICH HAS A 4" barrel. Hornady agrees that it IS a FS by their definition.

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