Liberty Ammunition, manufacturer of high performance, lead-free ammunition for military, law enforcement and civilian markets, has announced that its  9mm Civil Defense Round has passed Personal Defense Network’s reliability and penetration tests with flying colors. The reliability and ballistics gel tests were filmed and can be viewed on Personal Defense Network’s website. 

Rob Pincus, the managing editor of Personal Defense Network, first tested the ammunition by firing it into ballistics gel without a barrier: “The Civil Defense Ammunition from Liberty does exactly what it’s supposed to," he said. "It gives us our depth of penetration with the base, but it also creates a lot of damage out here in that 5- to 6-inch range as it enters the human body. That’s what we want to see from any good hollow point.” 

Pincus then fired the ammunition through a barrier of three stacked panes of tempered industrial safety glass and into ballistics gel. 

“Even through very thick tempered glass, multiple panes… this proves you’re going to get that penetration, that damage you’re looking for with the Civil Defense Ammunition from Liberty,” Pincus said about the barrier test.

Liberty Ammo’s 9mm Civil Defense Ammo was also tested for reliability. Pincus fired 400 to 500 rounds of the Civil Defense ammunition through a Glock 23 that had been converted to fire 9mm and a Kahr Arms P9. Throughout the testing there were zero light strikes and zero failures of the round to seat itself into the chamber once clear of the magazine. Out of the 400 to 500 rounds fired a double-feed occurred only once and in only one of the two guns that was tested, in Pincus' well-used Glock 23 modified to 9mm.

“The ammunition fires when it’s chambered in the round and goes into the target exactly like it’s supposed to, we also know that the ammunition performs like it’s supposed to inside of gelatin,” said Pincus.  

Civil Defense 9mm Specifications

Description: Copper, monolithic, hollow-point fragmenting personal defense round

Weight: 50 grains

Velocity: >2,000 fps

Kinetic Energy: >450 FPE

Accuracy: <2” @ 50 m  

Terminal Effect: > 3.5” W x 12”

MSRP (20 rd box): $25.99