Thoughts on Federal Premium Personal Defense Hydra-Shok JHP 9mm 124gr?

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papersniper

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I like Speer's Gold Dot 115 gr JHP for carry, but can not find it right now for a reasonable price. I found the Federal 124 gr Hydra-Shok at a local store and bought two boxes of 50 rounds to try in my 9mm Shield and also my alternate carry Springfield 9mm XDS. The Gold Dot functions 100% in both those pistols. The Federal is an unknown, but that round has been around forever and I believe it will do fine in my guns; have to check that ASAP. My regular practice ammo is Blazer Brass, also 115 gr, but I don't think the "placement on target" of the 124 gr Hydra-Shok will be significantly different at SD ranges.

Question: The Federal is an old round, once one of the best bullets available, and carried my many LE organizations. I suspect there are better, more effective SD loads available, but does anyone have any quantitative, not anecdotal, information on this round in actual use? I am not a believer in +P+, and even prefer not to use +P.

I will probably get more Gold Dot rounds when I can find them at a reasonable price, but for now, assuming the Federals function in my pistols, I will be carrying them. I might even use them alternately with the Speer if they continue to be less expensive and I do not find any negative reports on their function as a SD round. I am not much concerned with accuracy beyond 20 feet or so.....my LEO days are over, now I'm just a regular guy trying to protect me and mine. <g>

Thanks, I welcome your feedback.
 
They are what they are, reasonably decent rounds in the day , and just as good as they ever were. My current employer , and the large Metropolitan PD used them back in the 9mm era. They performed as expected , no glaring failures or complaints.
 
The way to test a JHP round is to shoot some plastic water bottles or jugs to see if they expand but ensure they are filled to the top and the cap is screwed tight to create pressure. Most good quality JHP will expand every time.
 
I think you'll find the Federal's to perform about the same as the Speer Gold Dot's. Although as of late I've been using Winchester's "Train & Defend" line of ammo in my Shield. I like the concept of using training ammo at the range that has the same shape & weight as my carry ammo.

With the other brands, you may find practice ammo in the same weight, but it wont have the same ballistics as your carry ammo because your carry ammo is flat nose hollowpoint and the powder charge may be different. With the Winchester, both are formulated to perform the same, passing on the savings at the range to the consumer... Look at Ammo quest's review on the 147 gr. Winchester defend & you might just change brands!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsVe1fxXLE[/ame]
 
To further clarify, I do prefer +P in my full sized gun, but I have carried these in the past , and have no objections to using them again if using std vel.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I have been reading interesting things on the 147 gr. Winchester defend. I guess I'm showing my age, but when my PD issued 9mm S&Ws, we were issued 147 Black Talon rounds for it. Most people at the time thought 147 gr bullets were not as good as the lighter, faster rounds. Now things have changed a bit, especially in the SD arena. I'll have to pick up a box sometime to see how it works in my Shield.

For now I'm going to test the Feds in my two carry pistols to ensure they function 100% and print pretty close to my training load (Blazer Brass 115 gr FMJs), then I'll be able to augment the 20 or so Gold Dots I have left with the Federal rounds. I don't believe I'll do that water jug test, as these rounds have been tested for years by various LE organizations and they are (were) happy with them; but testing them would be fun.....<g>!
 
You don't say what your pistols happen to be. If one is a 3913/3914, it should work fine and, if it is anything like my gun, you may notice the 124-gr Hydra-shoks are exceptionally accurate. Once I determined that, years ago now, I bought a fair quantity of them in the awful little 20-round boxes ( :mad: ) and I am still using them. (I only shoot 10-15 a year.) Obviously I can't think of any reason not to keep using them. :) I think you'll be happy with them, in spite of all the hoopla about more modern loads being superior in various "tests."
 
After you watch that video posted by CaptRon956, you can watch a similar video about the 124gn Hydra-Shok. Several others, too.
 
I've tried WWB, S&B, MagTech and a few others. But lately I've been shooting the "Train & Defend" or "Win3Gun" 147gr subsonic Winchester ammo in my Shield, M&P9 Pro Series (in IDPA), and my Walther PPQ, and both types of ammo have been working great in all of these guns!
 
CaptRon956 said:
I think you'll find the Federal's to perform about the same as the Speer Gold Dot's. Although as of late I've been using Winchester's "Train & Defend" line of ammo in my Shield. I like the concept of using training ammo at the range that has the same shape & weight as my carry ammo.

With the other brands, you may find practice ammo in the same weight, but it wont have the same ballistics as your carry ammo because your carry ammo is flat nose hollowpoint and the powder charge may be different. With the Winchester, both are formulated to perform the same, passing on the savings at the range to the consumer... Look at Ammo quest's review on the 147 gr. Winchester defend & you might just change brands!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsVe1fxXLE
Click to expand...

Well that video sucks, been buying hydroshocks since they first came out & just bought more in 3 different calibers for 3 of my guns.
Did buy & shoot the winchesters train & defend & liked em, guess I will buy more in 3 different calibers.
 
Excuse me for saying but cheaping out on plinking/practice rounds is one thing. If you trust Gold Dots, why would you risk life and limb to save a few bucks?
 
M29since14 said:
You don't say what your pistols happen to be. .... I think you'll be happy with them, in spite of all the hoopla about more modern loads being superior in various "tests."
Click to expand...

I alternately carry a S&W M&P 9mm Shield and a Springfield XDS 9mm sub-compact.

Yeah, once I "qualify" myself with the Hydra-shoks, I really don't have any reason to feel that I'm jeopardizing my safety by caring an inferior round. I know there are "better" rounds, like the hot Cor-Bon loads, but I do not want to qualify myself with something that is that unpleasant to shoot on a regular basis! After qualifying myself (50 rounds initially) with SD ammo, I plan to shoot at least another 50 rounds of that load each year. Of course, during the year I practice with a non-SD load, like Blazer Brass FMJs much more often....hopefully 200 rounds a year minimum.
 
Saudade said:
Excuse me for saying but cheaping out on plinking/practice rounds is one thing. If you trust Gold Dots, why would you risk life and limb to save a few bucks?
Click to expand...

If this is directed at me, the original poster, I don't feel I'm risking life and limb to save a few bucks. I do not feel the Hydra-Shoks are inferior to the Gold Dots, but I asked for feedback to see if anyone else felt that way. With only an exception or two, based on mainly personal opinion, I have not unearthed any reason why the Hyra-Shoks should not serve me well in any practical SD situation I might find myself. I will probably buy the Gold Dots again, but not if their price continues at $20 more per 50 round box than what I consider a good SD round, the Hydra-Shoks.
 
I have been using Train and Defend in 9mm 147 gr. I like the round for a couple of reasons. Shooting the same round both in practice and for then carrying daily is a win/win situation. In ballistic gel it performs better then most other self defense rounds.

Shooting practice is a cost of owning a weapon you carry daily. I shoot 150 to 250 rounds a month according to if I can shoot out side or have to go to a indoor range because of the cold weather.

I think you should shoot a minimum of 1200 rounds a year for just practice and always the last mag of practice should be the round your carrying! Last year I shot 2380 9mm rounds, just under a box a week on average. There was about a month I didn't shoot due to pulling a back muscle.
 
Whitwabit said:
I have been using Train and Defend in 9mm 147 gr. I like the round for a couple of reasons. Shooting the same round both in practice and for then carrying daily is a win/win situation. ....
Click to expand...

Heck, you Air Force guys always have more money for stuff that we retired Navy guys do! <g> I'd love to be able to shoot that much, but money and time isn't available. I applaud your dedication, however.

I ought to know more about the T&D rounds. Is the same bullet used in both training and defense rounds? Or are there two versions of the same bullet weight and ballistics? Like one is a FMJ and the other a more typical JHP? Odd that we street cops used to poo-poo the 147 gr bullets when I was a LEO in the late 90s/early 00s. We thought the round was useful for breaking windshields but not much of a "man stopper". Things and technologies change, eh?

I will eventually try some of the heavier bullets in my Shield 9mm. However, I just ordered a case of 115 gr FMJ for practice, so it might take me a bit longer to go through that than it would for you! <g>
 
The Win T&D bullets are ballisically the same, the Train is a fmj-tc. (trunicated cone) it is the same exact shape & weight as their defend hollow point bullets.

The Win T&D is all I use in my shield 9 now....

for my Shield 40 however I'm using federal white box 180 gr. HST.
 
In my 40 Shield I am using Hornady Critical Defense 165gr FXT may switch to T&D but my reloads for practice match the CDs petty close. Don
 
CaptRon956 said:
The Win T&D bullets are ballisically the same, the Train is a fmj-tc. (trunicated cone) it is the same exact shape & weight as their defend hollow point bullets.

The Win T&D is all I use in my shield 9 now....

for my Shield 40 however I'm using federal white box 180 gr. HST.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Good to know the heavier bullets work well in the Shield. How's the "recoil"? Can you tell any difference from shooting the lighter bullets?
 
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