Hornady Critical Defense 5.7x28mm 40gr FTX

Hornady Critical Defense 5.7x28mm solves the failure mode that dogs hollow points: a plugged nose cavity. Fabric and denim can pack into a conventional hollow point and stop it from opening, and Hornady's FTX bullet answers that with a Flex Tip polymer insert seated in the cavity. On impact the tip drives back to initiate expansion, so the bullet opens reliably even after punching through clothing. That clog-resistant behavior is the reason to choose it over a plain JHP.

The 40gr FTX runs 1,810 fps for 291 ft-lbs, keeping the heavier-bullet momentum that FN's lighter 30gr DFNS load trades away for speed. Where the FN and Speer loads split the difference on weight and velocity, Critical Defense stakes out the heaviest mainstream defensive bullet in the caliber with a clog-resistant tip.

It ships in 25-round boxes rather than 50, so per-round cost runs to about $1.04, the top of the 5.7 defensive band. The realistic approach is the same as every carry load: buy a box, confirm it feeds and groups in your pistol, carry it, and train on cheaper FMJ.