LEWISTON, Idaho – June 17, 2020 – Speer has taken its law-enforcement proven Gold Dot G2 hollow-point bullet and modified it to create a new product line called Gold Dot Carry Gun. This specialized ammunition is designed to provide superior feeding, ballistics and terminal performance through compact handguns. Speer’s new Carry Gun lineup includes 9mm 135-grain, .40 S&W 165-grain, and.45 Auto +P 200-grain loads. Shipments of this new product have begun to arrive at dealers.

“Most shooters believe that a defensive bullet—any defensive bullet—will perform well in typical self-defense situations. But a duty bullet that is designed and optimized for a full-sized duty handgun may not perform to the same standard when shot from a short-barreled carry or backup gun,” said Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack. “By taking the Gold Dot G2 bullet and customizing it to function in short-barreled defense pistols Speer has created a self-defense load truly optimized for the guns in which it will be carried.”

Gold Dot Carry Gun features the original G2’s exclusive bullet nose design. Instead of a large hollow-point cavity, it has a shallow dish filled with a high-performance elastomer. On impact, the material is forced into engineered internal fissures to start the expansion process. The result is extremely uniform expansion, better separation of the petals, and more consistent penetration across barrier types. Speer Gold Dot Carry Gun also utilizes the use of quality nickel-plated cases that feed dependably, advanced powders that perform consistently, and a sealed CCI primer that is sensitive and reliable. 

Features:
• Gold Dot G2 bullet design optimized for compact carry pistols
• Shallow dish nose cavity filled with elastomer and structural-plated, pressure-formed core improve performance through barriers
• Extremely uniform expansion and penetration when fired through short barrels
• Exclusive Gold Dot construction virtually eliminates core/jacket separation
• Quality, reliable components and consistent accuracy and performance

www.speer.com/ammunition/handgun/gold_dot_carry_gun/19-24260

Speer ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Speer. For more information on all products from Speer or to shop online, visit www.speer-ammo.com.

ANOKA, Minnesota – May 20, 2020 – New Punch draws from Federal Ammunition’s decades of experience designing the world’s finest defensive handgun loads. The bullet’s skived jacket and soft lead core produce the best expansion and penetration in its class, while its nickel-plated brass and sealed primer deliver the reliable feeding and ignition needed for powerful personal protection. Now available in the top five, most popular, self-defense chamberings on the market. Shipments of this product have begun to arrive at dealers.

“Simply put, we know more about making duty and defensive bullets than anyone,” said Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack. “We used that knowledge and experience to create a product to specifically meet the needs of self-defense with a handgun. The result of that hard work is Punch.”

Rather than developing a single bullet design for all five loads, the team at Federal evaluated each caliber individually and determined which bullet design and weight would work most effectively for each load. Since the bullets weren’t specifically designed to perform in FBI protocol testing, Laack and his team spent time tuning each Punch load to meet the needs of the self-defense shooter—namely reliable expansion and enough penetration.

“We looked at specifications from our Hydra-Shok Deep, HST and other bullet designs, and took what made sense for Punch,” said Laack. “We selected whatever elements worked best for each individual caliber. We then played with thickness of the jacket, skive depth, hollow point geometry and even differences in lead cores to build the recipe for Punch.”

The result is a blend of good overall performance from a Federal Premium bullet that was designed specifically for the most common self-defense applications such as an extra-heavy clothing test using ballistic gel.

“The fact that that we’re launching Punch in the top five, most popular, self-defense chamberings on the market—all at once—makes a statement,” said Laack. “Typically, a new self-defense ammunition is launched in only one or two calibers then others are added later. But not Punch, we believe in it and know shooters looking for effective defensive ammunition with its specific features will love it.”

Also, in the build, Federal utilized nickel-plated cases, high quality powders, reliable primers with primer seal. Proven bullet profiles and geometry for reliable feeding.

Features & Benefits
• Jacketed hollow-point bullet design provides a balanced mix of effective penetration and expansion
• Out-performs comparably priced competitor rounds
• Nickel-plated brass case with primer seal
• Available in the most popular defensive handgun cartridges

Federal ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Federal. For more information on all products from Federal or to shop online, visit www.federalpremium.com.

LEWISTON, Idaho – May 19, 2020 – Speer Gold Dot Handgun ammunition’s reliability has made it the No. 1 choice for law enforcement. Now Speer is offering the same performance for self-defense rifle applications. New Gold Dot Rifle ammunition is engineered to provide industry-leading performance in FBI protocol testing through barrels less than 16 inches long. Shipments of this new product have begun to arrive at dealers.

The bullets loaded in the new Gold Dot Rifle ammunition line are built using Speer’s exclusive Uni-Cor method. The jacket is bonded to the core one atom at a time, virtually eliminating core-jacket separation and creating a projectile that’s accurate, tough and consistent through all common barriers.

Features & Benefits

• New self-defense rifle loads optimized for peak FBI protocol performance though barrels shorter than 16 inches
• 75-grain 223 Rem. recommended for 1-in-9-inch barrel twist or faster
• 55-grain 223 Rem. option offers reduced penetration for less risk to bystanders
• Consistent penetration and expansion through common barriers
• Extremely uniform jacket maximizes accuracy
• Gold Dot technology virtually eliminates core-jacket separation
• Nickel-plated brass
• Reliable, sensitive primers

Speer ammunition can be found at dealers nationwide or purchased online direct from Speer. For more information on all products from Speer or to shop online, visit www.speer-ammo.com.

Mona, UT – It is a great pleasure that Barnes Bullets received the 2020 Award of Excellence from Sporting Classics Publications in the ammunition category.  

“The extraordinary success of Barnes Bullets is the X-factor. But the X is not an unknown quantity. Or quality. Quite the opposite. It is the consistent, dependable shape of an eXpanded Barnes monolithic, copper-alloy hunting bullet.  On impact, the hollow noses of X bullets flare into four sharply edged blades that double the surface diameter, enlarge wound channels and eXtinguish game. From the original X through the TSX, TTSX and LRX, eXpansion has been backed by eXtraordinary mass retention.  The bullets typically retain 90 to 100 percent of their mass after impact. As one African PH explained, “That Barnes bullet is like a soft-nose and a solid in one bullet.” Popularity of X bullets led to an extensive line of factory loaded VOR-TX ammunition that makes it easy for everyone to find the perfect X load for their rifles and handguns”. – Ron Spomer

Sporting Classics’ 18th annual Awards of Excellence salute the best of the best— those companies and individuals whose products and services are having a significant and long-lasting impact on our sporting lives. Nominees for the 2020 awards were submitted by our senior and contributing editors, then finalized by the magazine staff. The honorees were chosen for their achievements in defining what a great sporting product should be. Their engineering, craftsmanship and innovations have set higher standards than ever before.

www.barnesbullets.com