Hornady's Critical Defense .32 ACP pushes a 60-grain FTX bullet, a jacketed hollow point with a polymer insert in the nose, to 1,000 fps and 133 ft-lbs. That is the most muzzle energy of any standard-pressure load in this set, tied with Hornady Custom 60 XTP. From a 25-yard zero it is 2.0 inches low at 50 yards and 14.6 inches low at 100, a close-range pistol load like every .32 ACP. Recoil energy is about 7 percent more than Speer Gold Dot 60 in the same pistol.

At the muzzle the Critical Defense sits at the top of the standard-pressure loads, 20 fps ahead of PMC Bronze 60-grain JHP, 30 fps ahead of Silvertip 60 and 40 fps ahead of Gold Dot. Hornady Custom 60 XTP matches it exactly, at 1,000 fps and 133 ft-lbs with the same recoil energy, so the choice between the two Hornady loads comes down to bullet design rather than numbers. Buffalo Bore's +P Barnes TAC-XP is in its own bracket at 1,150 fps and 176 ft-lbs, with about 26 percent more recoil energy in the same pistol. It is loaded above standard pressure, so check that your pistol is rated for +P before you use it.

Buy this if you want the most standard-pressure muzzle energy in the set from a polymer-tipped hollow point. If you would rather have the lightest recoil among the standard-pressure loads, Speer Gold Dot 60 gives up 10 ft-lbs at the muzzle to get it. For practice, PMC Bronze 71-grain FMJ at 900 fps produces about 16 percent more recoil energy than this load in the same pistol, so it kicks a little harder than the carry load.