Tip of the Week: Avoiding the 9mm Defensive Ammo Upcharge

Selecting the right ammo for your concealed carry or home defense gun can be just as important as picking the right gun itself.

Getting quality ammunition with reliable expansion and a proven track record is an absolute must. But let’s face it — good defensive ammo is annoyingly expensive.

But with 9mm being the most commonly used handgun round by far, some manufacturers and sellers use that fact to their advantage and employ some sneaky tricks to try and squeeze an extra few dollars out of us.

However, if you know what to look for, you can avoid some of those cheap marketing tactics and save yourself some money!

What Kind of Ammo Are We Talking About?

As I mentioned, this article is specifically about 9mm since it is the most prevalent handgun round out there.

When it comes to defensive ammo for 9mm, everyone has their own preferences. You can check out some of our favorites here.

However, two of the most well-regarded and popular choices are the Federal HST rounds and Speer Gold Dot.

Both of these rounds are carried by countless government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and civilians every day.

But due to their popularity in both law enforcement and the civilian market, both Federal and Speer do something to dupe the general public into paying a little more when they can.

What Are They Doing?

Federal and Speer used to only allow the sale of 20-round boxes of HST and Gold Dot to the civilian market.

They made 50-round boxes, but they were only available to law enforcement and other official agencies and similar entities.

But over time, they relaxed the rules on the LE-only 50-round boxes, and many retailers now sell them directly to the general public. This isn’t grey market stuff either; legitimate online retailers and even brick-and-mortar chains like Scheels now carry the larger boxes.

So what is the big deal? In a nutshell, the 50-round boxes are almost always much cheaper when you look at the CPR (cost per round).

However, aside from charging a higher CPR from the smaller boxes, they also mark them differently, even though the rounds are completely identical.

If you read the 20-round boxes of Federal HST, they read “Federal Premium” followed by “Personal Defense.”

A gander at their 50-round boxes shows “Federal Premium – Law Enforcement.”

These “LE” boxes also say “Tactical” below HST, whereas the 20-round boxes do not, despite using the exact same bullet.

Speer does the same thing with their Gold Dot line.

Their 20-round boxes read “Speer Gold Dot – Personal Protection.” Their 50-round boxes read “Speer Gold Dot – Duty Ammunition,” with a “Law Enforcement” indicator in the top corner.

Again, both these bullets are exactly the same. There is no difference in the pressure or powder loadings either; both the “civilian” and “LE” versions are available in standard or +P loadings.

The only difference is the number of rounds in the box.

Final Thoughts

Of course, buying in bulk always saves money. But not everyone wants to drop $400-600 on a 1,000-round case of defensive ammo.

But paying anywhere from 20 to 60 cents less per round by going with a 50-round box instead of a 20-round box? Hell yeah, sign me up.

If you use or have considered running Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot in your 9mm gun, definitely keep an eye out both in-store and online for the 50-round boxes for the better bargain.

Do you buy bigger boxes or in bulk when you buy defensive ammo? Let us know in the comments below. Looking for a new gun to help put that ammo to use? Check out our article on the Best Concealed Carry Guns of 2024.