Handgun Ammo

Find the right handgun ammunition by browsing by caliber below. Each page covers in-stock loads for that cartridge—FMJ practice ammo, hollow point defensive rounds, and specialty loads—along with ballistics, compatible platforms, and guidance on choosing the right load for your use case. Whether you shoot a 9mm carry pistol, a .45 ACP 1911, a .357 Magnum revolver, or something more specialized, use the caliber pages below to get straight to what you need.

Read our full Handgun Ammunition Buying Guide ↓

Choosing a Caliber

For most shooters, caliber is determined by the pistol or revolver they already own. If you’re choosing a new platform, 9mm is the right starting point for the vast majority of uses—best capacity, lowest recoil, most affordable to shoot. .45 ACP and .40 S&W offer more energy per round at the cost of capacity and recoil. .38 Special and .357 Magnum are the revolver standards, with .357 offering significantly more power in the same platform. Specialty calibers like 10mm, .44 Magnum, and 5.7x28mm fill specific hunting, woods carry, and performance niches.

FMJ vs. Hollow Point

Full metal jacket (FMJ) loads are the standard for practice and range use—affordable, reliable, and widely available in every caliber. Hollow point loads are designed for defensive carry, expanding on impact to transfer more energy and reduce over-penetration risk. For defensive use, always carry a purpose-designed hollow point rather than FMJ. Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Defense, and Remington Golden Saber all have extensive published performance data and proven track records across all common handgun calibers.

Practice Ammo Strategy

Buy FMJ in bulk for practice and carry dedicated hollow points for defensive loading. This approach maximizes training volume at minimum cost. Before trusting a defensive load for carry, run at least 50–100 rounds through your specific pistol to confirm reliable function and verify any point-of-impact difference between your FMJ and hollow point loads. Most quality defensive loads will function flawlessly out of the box, but the verification step is worth the cost and eliminates uncertainty before you rely on the ammunition.

+P and +P+ Loads

Many handgun calibers are available in +P (overpressure) variants that generate higher velocity than standard loads. +P loads are safe in any pistol rated for them—check your owner’s manual before using +P ammunition in older or compact pistols, as some are not rated for sustained +P use. The velocity gain from +P is meaningful for defensive hollow point expansion from short barrels. +P+ is less common and typically only found in 9mm and .38 Special; consult your manufacturer before using +P+ loads in any platform.

Rimfire Handgun Ammo

Rimfire handgun calibers—primarily .22 LR and .22 Magnum—are covered under our rifle ammo section since the ammunition is shared between pistol and rifle platforms. If you’re shopping for .22 LR for a Ruger Mark IV, Browning Buck Mark, or similar rimfire pistol, see our .22 LR ammo page for current stock and load options.

Browse our full ammunition selection for all in-stock options, or visit our handguns page to find a pistol or revolver. See our rifle ammo page for centerfire and rimfire rifle calibers.