Federal Guard Dog Ammo Review: Legit Home Protection?

Disclaimer: Federal Premium no longer produces Guard Dog ammunition. You can discover Federal’s other excellent defensive handgun cartridges here.

Federal Guard Dog ammo was Federal Premium's attempt at selling a full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet that performs like a jacketed hollow point (JHP) after impact.

The idea was to combine the reliability and accuracy of an FMJ with the hard-hitting terminal ballistics of a JHP: expansion, which accentuates trauma to the threat while lessening the risk of over-penetration.

This Federal Guard Dog ammo review will examine what went right and wrong with this puppy.

Is Federal Guard Dog a Good Brand of Ammo?

Yes, Federal Guard Dog Ammo is a good brand ... or, rather, was a good brand.

Federal no longer manufactures the Guard Dog line, though you can occasionally find a few boxes for sale (update: as of early 2025, you're about as likely to find Guard Dog ammo as you are Sasquatch).

Many ammo critics praised these rounds when they first came out. Despite those kind words, Federal didn't think the Guard Dog line was worth keeping around after launching the their Personal Defense HST and Personal Defense Hydra-Shok lines.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Accurate like an FMJ
Feeds reliably like an FMJ
Stopping power of a JHP
Nickel-plated brass facilitate smoother feeding in semi-automatics

Cons

Discontinued
Potential advantages over tried-and-true JHP ammo weren't significant/apparent

Which Calibers Are Available?

Federal offered a variety of Guard Dog label cartridges, including:

Federal stopped offering Guard Dog series ammunition around the same time they introduced the Personal Defense HST and Hydra-Shok ammo lines. The following cartridges are available under those labels.

Federal Personal Defense HST

327 Federal Magnum
380 Auto

Federal Personal Defense Hydra-Shok

Federal Guard Dog Ammo History and Important Information

Federal Premium is one of the top ammo manufacturers in the world. A lot of hype initially surrounded their Guard Dog ammo line – much of it in European countries and New Yersey where hollow point bullets are illegal.

Instead of a traditional lead core, Federal encased a two-piece lead rear and polymer front core inside a full metal jacket. This technique yielded lightweignt bullets that were also capable of terminal expansion.

Ballistic gelatin tests revealed the Guard Dog bullet didn't reliably penetrate at least 12" deep – a failure by the FBI's standards. Federal tried marketing the product to the concealed carry crowd, although civilians failed to discern any real benefits over JHPs.

Guard Dog ammo never stood out from traditional JHP loads. Federal discontinued the line as demand for it languished.

Soon afterward, Federal went all in on their Personal Defense Punch, HST and Hydra-Shok cartridges, which are all loaded with more conventional jacketed hollow points. These self-defense rounds have proven extremely effective and are carried by civilians and law enforcement officers everywhere.

Hornady Critical Defense and Critical Duty cartridges are loaded with somewhat similar bullets. They contain all-lead cores, but also polymer plugs which obscure their nose cavities, thus presenting flat nose profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

We've taken the liberty of answering a couple of the most commonly asked questions about Federal Guard Dog ammo.

Is Federal Guard Dog Ammo Corrosive?

No, Federal Guard Dog ammo is not corrosive. Federal ammo is high quality.

Where Is Federal Guard Dog Ammo Made?

Guard Dog Ammo was manufactured alongside the rest of Federal's products in Anoka, Minnesota.

Parting Shots

Now that you've read this Guard Dog ammo review, you understand why Federal Premium discontinued the product line. Underwhelming terminal ballistics and unapparent advantages failed to win over law enforcement officers or civilians.

If you're still on the hunt for personal defense ammo to feed to your Glock or Springfield Armory XDS, be sure to check out what's in stock at Ammo.com!