Federal Rolls Out New Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto

Federal began rolling out its new Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto cartridge earlier this month, with shipments arriving at dealers.

The new handgun ammunition boasts impressive penetration with Federal reporting penetration beyond the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s recommended 12-inch minimum. The company said testing conducted at the Anoka, Minnesota facilities by Federal ammunition engineers displayed a typical penetration depth of 13 to 13 1/2-inches in bare gel and 13 1/4 to 14-inches through heavy clothing.

“FBI protocol for handgun ammunition testing includes a series of rigorous scenarios. Bullets are shot through materials such as 10-percent ordnance gelatin, laminated automotive safety glass, plywood, wallboard, and heavy clothing specified by the FBI,” Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack said in a news release. “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.”

The .380 Auto loads offer a velocity of 1,000 feet-per-second at the muzzle with full expansion in both the bare gel and heavy clothing tests. Federal said the rounds performed well from a variety of compact handguns commonly found among gun owners. The company said the success of the .380 Auto Hydra-Shok Deep comes from the commitment to unique engineering.

“It’s a completely new bullet design. We didn’t just take a 45 ACP, 40 S&W or 9mm Hydra-Shok Deep bullet and make it smaller,” Laack commented. “During development, engineers looked at several design elements such as bullet weight, jacket, skiving, profile, and hollow point design elements to determine what modifications were necessary for the 380 Auto.”

The Hydra-Shok Deep for .380 Auto is shipping now with an MSRP of $26.

Related: Diving into .380 Backup Guns from Guns.com 

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