FED HS DP 38SPL+P 130GR 20/200

Description

Federal Premium’s Hydra-Shok Deep is personal-defense ammunition built around a single engineering problem: getting a hollow point to penetrate consistently to the depths modern gel testing standards demand, regardless of what it passes through on the way to the target. The original Hydra-Shok, introduced in 1989, earned a strong reputation in the self-defense market, but the center-post design and core geometry were developed before FBI protocol testing became the industry benchmark for real-world barrier performance. Hydra-Shok Deep addresses that directly with a taller, more robust center post and a revised core that keeps the bullet driving forward through clothing, drywall, and similar intermediate barriers without premature expansion cutting penetration short.

The +P pressure rating in .38 Special means this load runs at a step above standard .38 Special chamber pressure, which recovers some of the velocity lost in the shorter barrels common to snub-nose revolvers while still remaining within the pressure ceiling that .38 Special +P-rated firearms are built to handle. At 130 grains, the projectile sits at the heavier end of the practical range for this caliber, a trade-off that favors momentum and penetration depth over the flatter trajectory of lighter loads — a sensible priority for a round intended for short-range defensive use. Muzzle velocity is rated at 900 feet per second from a four-inch vented test barrel. The propellant is specially formulated for this load, and Federal specifies an extremely reliable primer, both of which matter for a cartridge that needs to function on demand from a carry revolver that may sit in a holster for extended periods. Packed 20 rounds per box.