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Founded in 1943, Vernon Speer provided rifle bullets, and later, handgun bullets to reloaders from his small ammunition company. In the 1960s he began loading those bullets for what would become the famous Speer Lawman series. Following the 1986 Miami FBI shootout, Speer developed Gold Dot — a revolutionary step forward in bullet design.
In the three decades since, Speer Gold Dot has been revered as the most trusted duty round in law enforcement known for its consistent expansion, weight retention and energy transfer resulting in massive wound channels. Then in 2019, Speer made Gold Dot G2 — the highest scoring bullet the FBI has ever tested — available to the public for the first time.
This year, Speer stepped it up again with new Gold Dot CarryGun.
Gold Dot CarryGun
Still featuring Speer’s UNICOR bonded lead bullet construction, Gold Dot CarryGun boasts a newly engineered projectile. Unlike Gold Dot G2, which is designed to perform in full-size handguns, CarryGun is optimized to perform in compact and subcompact pistols — those most popular for concealed carry.
No easy task, Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack said the team first asked themselves if they could make a bullet with excellent terminal performance that would work despite limited velocity potential in a short barrel. “The answer was yes,” said Lacck.
To accomplish this, lighter grain-weight G2 bullets were developed to maintain optimum velocity despite shorter barrels, and its hollow cavity was redesigned as a shallow dish with elastomer nose. Similar to the concept of Hornady’s Critical Duty/Defense round, the elastomer is forced down into the projectile upon impact, creating full expansion as the bullet’s petals peel-back, forming a large-diameter mushroom.
Like standard Gold Dot G2, CarryGun is regarded as “barrier blind.” Even when shot through barriers like plywood and steel, the bonded projectile and elastomer-filled cavity prevents the hollow point from caving in or being clogged.
Carry Calibers
For 2020, Speer Gold Dot CarryGun will initially be offered in three calibers: 135-gr. 9mm, 165-gr. .40 S&W and 200-gr. .45 ACP +P. Though surprising not to see a .380 ACP load, the cartridge has historically been difficult to get reliable performance out of. But if anyone can do it — it’s Speer.
MSRP for 20-round boxes of CarryGun range from $28.99–$33.99.
For more info: www.speer-ammo.com, Ph: (866) 286-7436
