New Ammo: Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep

Hydra-Shok Deep provides a defensive round with greater penetration and improved terminal performance.

What Hydra-Shok Deep brings to the table:

• The improved core allows for 50-percent greater penetration over the original.
• In testing on bare ballistic gelatin, the round penetrates 15 inches.
• The round will be loaded with optimized Federal components.
• This includes a flash-reducing propellent.

In 1989, the FBI called for a bullet with improved terminal ballistics compared to the old cup-and-core projectiles in use. Federal Premium Ammunition‘s response was the Hydra-Shok.

Since then, the notched jacket, non-bonded lead core, center-post hollow-point has been among the top defensive rounds used by both law enforcement and armed citizens alike. And for 2018, Federal is shooting to make its legendary defensive round even better.

Hydra-Shok Deep is designed to deliver improved penetration and reliability through design modifications to the original projectile. In particular, the core design has been tweaked to provide 50-percent deeper penetration than the original Hydra-Shok bullets. Additionally, the center post is more robust, creating a bullet that retains more of its structural integrity through barriers.

What this adds up to in Federal’s testing is a round that penetrates 15 inches in bare ballistic gelatin, the optimal depth according to FBI standards.

“Hydra-Shok Deep offers consumers a round that results in consistent, reliable performance through typical defensive barriers and penetrates to the depth deemed optimum by the leading law-enforcement agency in the United States,” Federal’s director and chief engineer of handgun ammunition Larry Head said in a press release.

The re-engineering in the Hyrdra-Shok Deep also keeps the projectile up to current professional standards.

“FBI performance requirements and protocol testing have evolved over time,” said Head. “One of the most notable changes has been the desire for deeper-penetrating rounds and more consistency in penetration depths through all intermediate barriers.”

Hyrdra-Shok Deep is slated for release at the Jan. 23-26, 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Initially it will be offered in a 135-grain 9mm, but other loads for the most popular self-defense calibers are on the horizon. The rounds will feature optimized projectiles and components as well, including premium propellants that ensure optimum performance and reduce muzzle flash.