Federal has just released their new Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto bullet design meant for .380 micro-guns and compact pistols alike. This adds a whole new dimension to the micro-handgun caliber giving users more effectiveness. Federal Ammunition claims that this .380 offering is the first to offer consistent penetration beyond the FBI recommended 12-inch minimum in bare gel and through heavy clothing.

Federal Introduces their New Hydra-Shok Deep 380 ACP

Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack has said “FBI protocol for handgun ammunition testing includes a series of rigorous scenarios. Bullets are shot through materials such as 10% ordnance gelatin, laminated automotive safety glass, plywood, wallboard, and heavy clothing specified by the FBI…While our larger caliber ammunition is designed to meet and exceed these requirements, the smaller 380 Auto is designed to offer the best possible blend of performance in a compact handgun platform.”

Features:

• Improved penetration through common barriers
• Iconic center post design has been improved for better, more consistent expansion through standard barriers
• Consistent, specially formulated propellant
• Extremely reliable Federal primer with sealant

This is a completely new bullet design despite the fact that the Hydra-Shok Deep is offered in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, and 9x19mm. According to Laack, development engineers looked at several design elements like bullet weight, jacket, skiving, profile, and hollow point design in order to determine what they had to change about the design of the bullet specifically for the 380 autos.

In Federal Ammunition’s testing performed at the Anoka Minnesota facility penetration results of between 13 to 13.5 inches in the bare gel were recorded. Meanwhile, penetration through heavy clothing resulted in penetration between 13.25 and 14 inches. This testing was done using widely available compact handguns with barrel lengths between 2-3/4″ and 3-1/2″. The powder load is designed to give consistent and penetration and expansion even out of longer barrels.

The Federal Hydra-Shok Deep .380 boasts a 1000fps muzzle velocity and reliability in common compact handguns. While I don’t own a .380 ACP handgun any more I’d like to see how this new offering in .380 stacks up to the competition as both penetration and full expansion are the two hardest goals to reach for micro-sized guns because of the .380 ACP’s inherent shortcomings.

Federal’s new Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto cartridge will be available at dealers nationwide and can also be purchased online directly from federal. Each box of Federal Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto retails for $26.99 and contains 20 cartridges loaded with 99-grain Hydra-Shok Deep projectiles. For more info and sales information, you can visit www.federalpremium.com.