Speer's Gold Dot is the fastest standard-pressure hollow point in this .380 comparison: a 90-grain jacketed hollow point at 1,040 fps for 216 ft-lbs, sold by Speer as a carry and duty bullet. Power factor is 94, well short of the 125 minor floor, as every .380 is. From a 25-yard zero it drops 1.7 inches at 50 yards and 12.8 inches at 100; treat it as the close-range load it is. The nickel-plated brass case is reloadable.

It leads the standard-pressure loads narrowly. Hornady Critical Defense and Hornady American Gunner both run 1,000 fps and 200 ft-lbs, 40 fps and 16 ft-lbs behind, and the Gold Dot produces about 7 percent more recoil energy than either in the same pistol. Remington HTP 88-grain is 50 fps slower at 990 fps and 25 ft-lbs down, with the Gold Dot about 14 percent heavier in recoil. Federal Train + Protect 85-grain is 27 ft-lbs down at 189 ft-lbs, and the Gold Dot recoils about 20 percent harder. Underwood +P 90-grain is the only load ahead: 1,200 fps and 288 ft-lbs, 72 ft-lbs more, at about 27 percent more recoil energy.

Buy the Gold Dot for the most muzzle energy of any standard-pressure load here, if your pistol is not rated for +P or you do not want the Underwood's 27 percent recoil step. For lighter recoil than a 90-grain gives, Black Hills HoneyBadger 60-grain at 1,150 fps and 176 ft-lbs has about 47 percent less recoil energy than the Gold Dot. For practice, PMC Bronze 90-grain ball at 961 fps is the same bullet weight; the Gold Dot has about 14 percent more recoil energy than the PMC in the same pistol.