Federal HST 165-grain leaves at 1,130 fps with 468 ft-lbs. HST is Federal's jacketed hollow point built for duty and carry use. Power factor 187, about 22 over the 165 major floor. It holds its speed well: 1,039 fps and 396 ft-lbs at 50 yards, 973 fps and 347 ft-lbs at 100, with drop of 1.4 and 10.3 inches from a 25-yard zero. In the same compact pistol it produces about 3 percent less recoil energy than Speer Gold Dot 165 and 14 percent more than Hornady Critical Defense 165.

Speer Gold Dot 165 and Remington Golden Saber 165 start 20 fps and 16 ft-lbs ahead, but the HST holds its speed better and closes that to 8 ft-lbs at 50 yards and 5 at 100, where all three are within 7 fps. The Hornady loads are a step down. Critical Defense 165 is 85 fps and 68 ft-lbs behind at the muzzle and 41 ft-lbs behind at 100, where it drops 1.7 inches more. Critical Duty 175 is 120 fps behind at the muzzle, 46 ft-lbs behind at 50, 2.4 inches lower at 100 and about 7 percent softer. PMC Bronze 165 at 1,040 fps gives up 72 ft-lbs and recoils about 15 percent less.

Buy the HST if you want the 165 that carries its energy furthest: it starts behind Gold Dot and Golden Saber and finishes within 5 ft-lbs of them at 100 yards, with slightly less recoil. If you shoot better with less recoil, Hornady Critical Defense 165 gives up 68 ft-lbs at the muzzle for about 14 percent less. For practice, Winchester 165-grain FMJ Range runs 1,060 fps and 412 ft-lbs with about 12 percent less recoil energy in the same pistol; softer than the HST, not the same.