Hornady’s American Gunner Ammo Is Worth a Look

If you’re looking for an affordable name-brand all-round shooting ammo, Cheaper Than Dirt! stocks Hornady’s line of American Gunner ammunition, available in most common pistol calibers—.380 ACP, .38 Special, 9mm, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP—and in .223 Remington.

This particular Hornady ammo is a bit more affordable, but still has all the performance and quality of the company’s previous offerings. American Gunner ammo is loaded with the Hornady XTP (eXtreme Terminal Performance) bullet.

What makes the XTP so special? Uniform core density, for a balanced trajectory and reliable expansion, and a jacket that gradually thickens from its nose to its base. Also, the jacket has strategically placed serrations that deliver superior control during expansion as well as to initiate expansion at lower velocities.

• The American Gunner .380 Auto 90-grain XTP hollow point produces 1000 fps of muzzle velocity and 200 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
• The American Gunner 9mm Luger 115-grain XTP hollow point delivers 1155 fps muzzle velocity and 341 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle, according to factory specs. The 9mm +P Luger 124-grain load generates 1200 fps muzzle velocity and 396 foot-pounds muzzle energy.
• The American Gunner .40 S&W load is a 180-grain XTP hollow point that delivers 950 fps muzzle velocity and 361 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle, according to factory specs.
• The .45 ACP load in the American Gunner line is a 185-grain XTP hollowpoint that exits the muzzle at 970 fps, generating 386 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
• For revolvers, the American Gunner .38 Special 125-grain XTP has a muzzle velocity of 900 fps and muzzle energy of 225 foot-pounds.
• The .357 Magnum American Gunner load is also a 125-grain XTP, but it has a 1500 fps muzzle velocity and muzzle energy of 624 foot-pounds.
• American Gunner rifle ammunition includes the .223 Remington load, which fires a 55-grain Hornady boattail hollow point bullet at a muzzle velocity of 3240 fps, which translates to a muzzle energy of 1282 foot-pounds.