What Ammo Do the FBI, Secret Service, and Police Actually Carry?
The Short Answer
FBI: Hornady Critical Duty 9mm +P 135gr FlexLock. Secret Service: Specific brand not publicly confirmed. NYPD: Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P (9mm Glocks, transitioning from .40). Most federal and state agencies have shifted or are shifting to 9mm with premium JHP loads.
Confirmed Agency Loadouts
| Agency | Caliber | Duty Ammo | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBI | 9mm | Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P FlexLock | Confirmed |
| U.S. Secret Service | 9mm / .357 SIG | Specific brand not publicly confirmed | Unconfirmed |
| U.S. Marshals | .40 S&W (likely) | Likely Speer Gold Dot (Glock 23) | Likely but unconfirmed |
| NYPD | 9mm (transitioning) | Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P | Confirmed |
| U.S. Military (pistol) | 9mm | M1153 Winchester 147gr JHP (special purpose) | Confirmed |
| U.S. Military (rifle) | 5.56 NATO | M855A1 EPR (not available to civilians) | Confirmed |
FBI: The Industry Trendsetter
The FBI's ammunition choice influences the entire law enforcement market. When the FBI switched from .40 S&W back to 9mm in 2015, hundreds of state and local agencies followed. Their current duty load — Hornady Critical Duty 9mm +P 135gr FlexLock — was selected after extensive testing against all five FBI barrier protocols (bare gel, heavy clothing, steel, wallboard, plywood, auto glass).
The Critical Duty's FlexLock design uses a polymer insert in the hollow point cavity that prevents clogging when passing through barriers like denim, drywall, and auto glass. This ensures consistent expansion regardless of what the bullet passes through before reaching tissue. It's specifically designed for 4"+ barrels — Hornady explicitly recommends Critical Defense (not Duty) for barrels under 4".
NYPD: The 12-Pound Trigger Question
The NYPD famously required a 12-pound trigger pull on all duty pistols — originally implemented when the department transitioned from double-action revolvers to semi-autos to replicate the heavy revolver trigger feel. This heavy trigger degraded accuracy significantly. The NYPD has been phasing out the 12-lb trigger in favor of 5.5-lb triggers on newer Glock 17M pistols, a significant step toward aligning with the rest of the law enforcement community.
NYPD carries Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P in 9mm — one of the most thoroughly tested and widely adopted law enforcement loads in the country. The Gold Dot's bonded construction ensures the jacket doesn't separate from the core, maintaining bullet weight through barriers.
What Civilians Can Learn
Federal agencies spend millions on testing and evaluation before selecting duty ammo. Their choices represent the best available data on what works in real-world defensive scenarios. For civilian carry, the top LE choices are the top civilian choices:
Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P (for 4"+ barrels), Federal HST 124gr (most widely adopted LE load overall), and Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P (bonded, near-100% weight retention) are the three most proven defensive loads based on combined LE adoption and gel testing data.
The Bottom Line
The entire law enforcement community has converged on 9mm with premium JHP. The FBI set the trend in 2015, and nearly every major agency has followed. If you want to carry what the professionals carry, load Federal HST 124gr, Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P, or Hornady Critical Duty 135gr +P. These aren't marketing picks — they're the loads that passed the most rigorous testing protocols in the industry.
Find the Best Ammo Deals
Compare cost-per-round across top retailers. Updated daily.
Browse All Guides →