Federal HST Tactical

[Whaleman]

I just got my first two boxes of the .380 Federal HST Tactical. This is the hotter of the two HST loadings. I know many on here swear by them. I have not shot any yet but they look great. They click every box on my perfect round:

1. +p. While these are not labeled +p the 1030 ft/sec kind of says they are.
2. Heavier bullet close to 100 grains. These are 99 grain.
3. Rounded bullet profile. They just feed better in my P380 than the sharp nose JHP's.
4. Nickle plated case.
5. Military grade sealant on both the primer and bullet.
6. Meets the FBI protocol. I believe the first .380 that has.
7. Only about 80 cents per round not including shipping.

Dan

[Bawanna]

FBI has a protocol for 380's. That's interesting.

[Whaleman]

I am not sure they have a protocol for .380 specifically. They have requirements on penetration and expansion. Dan

[Whaleman]

Standard FBI Protocol measures the penetration performance of a cartridge's projectile through a series of six tests. Measurements are taken of the depth of penetration to the nearest .25 inch, expansion of projectile, and retained weight of the projectile.

Cut and paste. Dan

FBI Ammo Test Protocol: How It Shaped the Industry - Pew Pew Tactical (https://www.pewpewtactical.com/fbi-ammo-test-protocol/)

[berettabone]

Only .80 cents apiece? Gee, what a deal.:hurt:

[berettabone]

FBI has a protocol for 380's. That's interesting. They will penetrate 13" of lime Jello with carrots.

[DavidR]

Looks like a decent round for longer barreled 380s if you prefer hollow points to Philips head screwdrivers.

[gb6491]

Looks like a decent round for longer barreled 380s if you prefer hollow points to Philips head screwdrivers.
LOL, I'm in the "Philips head" camp:der:
https://i.postimg.cc/pybwZ9jV/380ph.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[yqtszhj]

They will penetrate 13" of lime Jello with carrots.

Adding cream cheese chunks would take it to a new level. ;)

[Whaleman]

Only .80 cents apiece? Gee, what a deal.:hurt:

Well, Some of the top carry rounds are close to double that. Crazy times. Dan

[berettabone]

I only paid.40 cents apiece for regular HST's. Crazy I agree, especially for .380. Probably isn't too much difference between regular and high test. If people want to pay that kind of denaro for their bullets, they'll continue to charge and charge heavily.

[Whaleman]

20 bucks for a box of 50 premium carry rounds is a very good deal these days. Dan

[Whaleman]

One other thing I like about these rounds I forgot to add to my list. The case has a very slight and I mean very slight indentation at the bottom of the bullet. I believe this is enough to stop any bullet setback from multiple charging. Dan

[Whaleman]

You can see it in this photo. The light makes it seem more than it really is. Dan

[DJK11]

Looks like case bulge to me.

[Whaleman]

I don't know what that is. Dan

[DJK11]

Just checked some HP rounds and the 9mm HST has the bulge as does the 380 gold saber and gold dots. In fact the gold dots ar very subject to bullet setback according to my experience. Most of my hand loads experience a slight case bulge.

[Whaleman]

Bullet setback is not a big worry for me. I clean my P380 and load up 7 rounds and it stays loaded until I shoot and clean again. I always shoot the first 2 of my carry rounds to confirm it would have worked if I had needed it. I then go to cheap rounds. So my chambered carry round is only chambered once. Dan

[Bawanna]

Bullet setback is not a big worry for me. I clean my P380 and load up 7 rounds and it stays loaded until I shoot and clean again. I always shoot the first 2 of my carry rounds to confirm it would have worked if I had needed it. I then go to cheap rounds. So my chambered carry round is only chambered once. Dan

I do the same thing. Generally I shoot the whole carry mag, but shooting the first 2 or 3 would be wiser given today's ammo prices.

[FreeMe]

Just looks to me like the sizing die is a little tight. Nothing unusual.

[Whaleman]

DJK11 does this mean the case is a little too small or is the bullet a little too big? Dan

[Bawanna]

Neither really. The sizing die is squeezing the case back to factory original or even more. The bullet is a given, it can't be too big or it wouldn't go thru the barrel correctly. (unless of course you have the wrong bullets)
Many precision shooters (rifles) just neck size if they use the ammo in the same rifle. They want the case to fill the chamber so it don't rattle around.
With pistols, the round may be used in different guns and being an auto it has to feed so they want it back to original.
Nothing wrong with your photo. You might back off the sizing die just a tad which might help not squeeze it down quite so much. But nothing to worry about.

[Whaleman]

The picture was a Federal HST factory round. Dan

[FreeMe]

You can see it in this photo. The light makes it seem more than it really is. Dan

I'm seeing the same thing in my factory Gold Dot rounds. Nothing to worry about.

[Whaleman]

Well, I went out back (I live in the country) and shot about 40 rounds of the new (to me) Federal HST Tactical in my P380. The ammo performed flawlessly. I shot every way to try to get it to screw up and it did not. I know this is not classified as +P but it sure feels like it. The blue sealant that is used to waterproof the primer and bullet is a little messy in the gun. They also seemed just a tad dirtier than some other carry rounds. maybe a hot powder is dirty. I don't know and don't care. I will use this as my new carry round. Dan

[berettabone]

Well, I went out back (I live in the country) and shot about 40 rounds of the new (to me) Federal HST Tactical in my P380. The ammo performed flawlessly. I shot every way to try to get it to screw up and it did not. I know this is not classified as +P but it sure feels like it. The blue sealant that is used to waterproof the primer and bullet is a little messy in the gun. They also seemed just a tad dirtier than some other carry rounds. maybe a hot powder is dirty. I don't know and don't care. I will use this as my new carry round. Dan Extra dirty...extra messy? Just what I'm looking for........................

[Whaleman]

Extra dirty...extra messy? Just what I'm looking for........................
I will only shoot these carry rounds like two bullets every 2 months before I go to much cheaper practice rounds. If I ever have to use my carry gun (hope I never do) than how dirty or messy they are will be the least of my problems. My carry gun bullet choice is first do they cycle and fire everytime. Next is they must be a stout round as I would be trying to defend myself with just a .380. Next is a bullet that will reliably expand after going through different clothing and will penetrate enough without over penetrating. I expect I would only shoot at the most my seven rounds in a life or death situation. I carry an extra mag but for the life of me I can't envision very many situations where I would need to or have time to reload. Dan

[berettabone]

I will only shoot these carry rounds like two bullets every 2 months before I go to much cheaper practice rounds. If I ever have to use my carry gun (hope I never do) than how dirty or messy they are will be the least of my problems. My carry gun bullet choice is first do they cycle and fire everytime. Next is they must be a stout round as I would be trying to defend myself with just a .380. Next is a bullet that will reliably expand after going through different clothing and will penetrate enough without over penetrating. I expect I would only shoot at the most my seven rounds in a life or death situation. I carry an extra mag but for the life of me I can't envision very many situations where I would need to or have time to reload. Dan Whatever works for ya.............It's why I shop around. I can't justify spending .80 cents a round plus shipping for ammo that's dirty with messy blue sealant. (your words) You're not sounding too confident in your caliber. " trying to defend myself with just a .380 ". Carry on.............

[Whaleman]

Whatever works for ya.............It's why I shop around. I can't justify spending .80 cents a round plus shipping for ammo that's dirty with messy blue sealant. (your words) You're not sounding too confident in your caliber. " trying to defend myself with just a .380 ". Carry on.............
Your right about the .380. If I knew when a problem would happen I would bring an AR. But I want to carry 100% of the time no matter what I am wearing and my little P380 fits the bill perfectly. Thanks, Dan

[DavidR]

Your right about the .380. If I knew when a problem would happen I would bring an AR. But I want to carry 100% of the time no matter what I am wearing and my little P380 fits the bill perfectly. Thanks, Dan

A couple of well placed rounds of 380 will take care of any problem you’re likely to face. Of course bigger calibers, if well placed, can do more damage but I’ve yet to hear of a 380 naysayer who’s willing to be shot by one, even once.

[DavidR]

And it’s been at least a month since Kahr Talk had one of it’s famous caliber war threads, usually followed by a capacity war thread.

[Whaleman]

And it’s been at least a month since Kahr Talk had one of it’s famous caliber war threads, usually followed by a capacity war thread.
On the Corvette forum I follow (I have a 1996 C4) it is brand of engine oil threads that are also monthly. It always starts with a new member asking, "What brand of oil should I use in my Corvette"? Dan EDIT: There are a lot more Corvette owners than Kahr owners. Post a thread and can have 2-3 hundred views in one day. One thread has almost 7000 posts.

[Bawanna]

Lot of if's involved in that one. If I had the money to buy a Corvette, If I actually wanted to buy a Corvette (guess who wouldn't). If I decided to change the oil in the Corvette that I might buy if I had the money to buy a Corvette, what kind of oil would I use. Probably something extremely high end super duper expensive slippery stuff that I couldn't afford since I gotta make the payments on the Corvette that I might buy if I had the money. Sounds like a vicious circle here.

[Whaleman]

Do a quick study on what you can buy a 1996 Corvette for in great shape. They are cheap as heck these days. Dan Edit: easy to find a great 1996 with 30,000 miles for 1/4 of what they sold for in 1996 with tax.

[DavidR]

C4s are definitely affordable. Let’s see some pics.

Oh and can you test to see if those little HSTs will expand and penetrate after passing through the fiberglass body?

[Whaleman]

My 96 next to it's own garage. Dan

[djd100]

^^^Beautiful^^^ (used to own a 91 Z07)

That's right Bawanna, C4's (1984-1996) are at the bottom of their depreciation curve, and C5's (1997-2004) aren't too far behind!

The great thing about Corvettes is that well maintained/low mile examples are common, as many folks just drive them on Sunday and park them all winter. These folks maintain them well, and typically garage them). You can pick up beautiful used low mile Vettes for 50% off and more.

I have a couple, a restified 71 Coupe that my younger self built back in the 90's, and a stock 2K FRC that's my economy car/driver (it's either the C5 or the mobile dawg haus, a 3/4 ton Dodge Van which is decidedly not an economy car LOL!).

1971 Coupe
https://i.postimg.cc/Y0hKzCm9/side-backvet-3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

1991 Z07 Coupe
https://i.postimg.cc/vZ53pcs4/DSCN1494.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

2000 Fixed Roof Coupe
https://i.postimg.cc/Y23hXnLB/2KFRC_35KMiles.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[berettabone]

A couple of well placed rounds of 380 will take care of any problem you’re likely to face. Of course bigger calibers, if well placed, can do more damage but I’ve yet to hear of a 380 naysayer who’s willing to be shot by one, even once. At least try to come up with something different. Nobody wants to get shot with a BB gun either..........:)

[Whaleman]

I should put my P380 on the hood for a pic so moderators don't flag this as off Kahr topic. Dan

[yqtszhj]

My dad before passing away was a corvette fanatic. I say fanatic because he would buy the newest model every 18 months or so. But he loved jeeps too so it went kinda like this, buy latest corvette, five to 6 months later sell it and buy a jeep, 4 months later sell the Jeep and buy a corvette. Then repeat the process. He worked we’ll into retirement years just to have money to buy and trade cars. That was his hobby I guess. He always got relatively good deals because the general manager of the dealership that sold both brands knew him and that he came in twice a year. Funny part is he was so cheap that he would only shop at Walmart, and he would buy his cars all the time in Georgia where he lived, then register them at my residence in another state to save money on taxes, tags, and insurance. And he would get his drivers license in my state. He paid me $1 for a square inch of property on the back corner of my lot in case any questions were asked.

But me, guess I buy guns and ammo……

[berettabone]

Only had a chance to drive 2.............A 75 and a 78 Pace car. If I were to have a Vette, it would probably be a 78. I always liked that year styling. They took all the HP out of them, but it still got up and moved with the 350 ci. You either like em or you don't. A lot of hood to look down and you're a$$ feels like it's about an inch off the asphalt. Don't ever blame anyone for the road you've taken. It's your own asphalt. :)

[Whaleman]

I had a brand new 78. It was not the pace car it was Corvette light beige with brown leather interior. It was $10,125.00 TOTAL out the door. Drove it 35,000 miles and sold it for $11,500.00 to finance a patent. Cheapest car to own in my life. I loved the car. Dan EDIT: I got the patent #4374506

[yqtszhj]

The ‘78 was a beautiful vette.

[getsome]

I’ve only driven one Vette in my life but I’ll always remember it…..I went to Hendrick Chevrolet to get a couple quarts of auto track transfer case fluid for my truck and I couldn’t miss the beautiful black C6 they had parked out front and I was giving it a total lust look over when here came a salesman asking if I was interested in a Corvette so I said, well yeah so he then asked if I wanted to take a test drive and I said oh hell yeah so he went and got the keys and after asking a bunch of questions and checking my license we went for a ride…..I took it real easy at first and turned onto I-85 south going through 1st and 2nd real easy on the ramp then into 3rd to enter the interstate and saw it was clear so I did what any red blooded American gearhead would do and punched it and that thing took off like a rocket ship, I hit 4th gear and let off at 95 and I can still hear that exhaust sound while down shifting to get off at the next exit to go back to the dealership which seemed to make the salesman quite happy…….We got back safe and I parked her back in the same spot and he wanted to talk financing but I told him to give me his card and I’d sleep on it……..I probably shouldn’t have lied to him that I was a buyer but do I feel bad about checking off a bucket list item, naaaaaaaa……….They charged me $15 a quart for transfer case fluid so I’m calling it even……..

[Whaleman]

You should have bought it getsome. They are not that expensive to own. They are just a car with a chevy small block 350. Not as exotic as people think (the new C8 is). Unless you trash it out they keep their value. Life is shorter than we all think. Dan

[DavidR]

But we still don’t know if the HSTs will expand after passing through fiberglass :2eek:

[berettabone]

But we still don’t know if the HSTs will expand after passing through fiberglass :2eek: Ancient Alien theorist's say yes.............I say they do out of the wifey's .380 into dead wood.....................

[Whaleman]

But we still don’t know if the HSTs will expand after passing through fiberglass :2eek:

I don't think the fiberglass is thick or tough enough for the HST's to actually expand. At any rate I don't have any tests planned. Dan

[djd100]

Knock it off Gentlemen, no shooting Vettes!:mad:

[Whaleman]

Knock it off Gentlemen, no shooting Vettes!:mad:

Especially if the Vette is wearing two layer of denim or a thick leather jacket and one layer of denim. Dan

[berettabone]

I have shot quite a few HST's in a few different calibers and did my own backyard personal testing Nothing real technical. One thing I did find is that even firing into soft rotted wood from 7-10 yds., they will expand. Not 100% but I would say 7 out of 10 on average. It's my go to carry ammo besides Win. Silvertip. So, I do think that some HST's could expand going through fiberglass. JMO.........................Just in case someone wants to take that Vette shot..........................

[Whaleman]

I will leave that to someone with way more curiosity than me. Dan

[Whaleman]

Federal P380HSD1 Premium Personal Defense 380 ACP 99 gr Hydra-Shok Dee – Foundry Outdoors (https://www.foundryoutdoors.com/products/federal-p380hsd1-premium-personal-defense-380-acp-99-gr-hydra-shok-deep-hollow-point-20-bx-10-cs?variant=32229188141140) The article I read was wrong. It is actually this Federal bullet that meets the FBI Protocol. Dan

[Whaleman]

These are not 80 cents but almost $1.30 each. Dan