These combo packs pair 50 rounds of Federal Syntech practice ammo with 50 Federal HST personal defense rounds.
The ammunition was provided to the author by Federal Ammunition for review.
That is, to choose the best ammunition for your handgun of choice.
The Practice & Defend Pack provides 50 rounds of defensive and 50 rounds of practice ammo for your EDC.
Ive struggled with this for many years now, and I know Im not alone.
Im familiar with this load and its a good choice based strictly on performance.
Incidentally, it is also used by my local police department.
The combo pack features both defense-oriented HST and range-ready Syntech ammunition for your preferred 9mm CCW.
[Dont miss Massad AyoobsSpringfield Hellcat Pro review.]
The Process
So, why exactly is this such a tough decision to make?
Most premium-grade defensive ammunition is sold in 20- or 25-round boxes.
Federal’s HST 124-gr. load features a nickel-plated case and a high-performance jacketed hollow point projectile. Note the expanded bullet from the author’s testing.
It can be very costly to do this process with premium-grade ammunition.
I can say from experience that will likely not be the case.
This means you would have to go back to your premium ammo to fine-tune your pistol and sight combination.
The Syntech Training Match Total Synthetic Jacket (TSJ) round is designed to match the ballistics and point of impact of the paired HST defensive round.
This whole process ends up being very time-consuming, and even more importantly, very costly.
[Be sure to read our article on9mm ball ammo vs FMJ.]
A Defensive Ammo Solution?
The author employed a Desert FDE Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol for the testing of the Practice & Defend Pack. Image: Jeremy Tremp
A couple of years ago, Federal Ammunition released their Practice & Defend Pack featuring 100 rounds of ammunition.
These packs are available in 9x19mm Parabellum in both 124-gr.
loadings, .40 SW in 180 grain, and .45 ACP in 230 grain.
The approach of including both practice and defensive ammunition in one package likely appeals to many shooters who carry for self-defense. Desert FDE Hellcat Pro with optional threaded barrel shown.
it’s possible for you to probably see the advantage here.
[The Syntech line is quite capable beyond just practice use.
What You Get
First lets discuss the ammo itself.
In my experience, it also offers the ultimate in function and reliability in semi-automatic handguns.
In short, you get the best of both worlds in one box of ammo.
While the 9mm Practice & Defend Combo Packs are available in both 147-gr.
and 124-gr options, I decided to try out the lighter 124-gr.
Not incidentally, this gun is, in my humble opinion, the best EDC choice.
There are several points of view on this subject, but I landed on 10 yards for my testing.
So, is the point of impact of the 9mm Luger 124-gr.
HST the same as the Syntech Training Match?
Again, the best way to find out is to put it to the test.
Using the same set-up, I fired five rounds of the 124-gr.
Syntech Training Match ammo on a brand-new target.
Then, on a separate target, I shot five rounds of the 124-gr.
The results were that the point of impact of the 124-gr.
HST were extremely close to that of the 124-gr.
I say close because this is a human being doing the shooting, so there is a variable there.
I suspect in a machine rest, the results would have been exactly overlapping.
The Syntech Training gave me a muzzle velocity of 1,178.5 fps with an energy of 382.4 ft-lbs.
Next, I tested the 124-gr.
HST, and it gave me a muzzle velocity of 1,150.6 fps with an energy of 364.5 ft-lbs.
Clearly, these two loads are very closely matched.
It also shows excellent weight-retention characteristics.
The round penetrated about 14.5 into the gel and expanded to .601.
Weight retention was an impressive 122.8 grains.
Go to forum thread
FederalPractice & Defend 9mm 124 gr.
