Federal’s new Personal Defense Force X2 copper-plated 00 FX2 buckshot pellets look unique as they are designed to split in half on impact to create 18 separate wound channels.
July 26, 2020
By Samantha Knight
The 12 gauge shotgun remains a favorite for home and personal protection. It’s greatest virtue is simply its short-range terminal performance. The question though has always been, “Which 12 gauge load is best for protecting your home?” Should you consider conventional 00 buckshot? Or opt for more numerous but smaller No. 1 or No. 4 buckshot pellets, or go even smaller if over-penetration is a huge concern? Federal’s new Force X2 provides a new option to consider for personal protection. This interesting new 12 gauge load utilizes nine splitting 00 buck pellets to create up to 18 wound channels. This improves terminal performance while minimizing the potential for over-penetration, thus reducing the risk to family members or bystanders. Force X2 also reduces felt recoil, providing faster follow-up shots in a self-defense situation.
“Federal’s splitting buckshot is the first significant change to buckshot ammo in over a century. The expert ammunition engineers at Federal decided it was time for improvements in buckshot that would help in some Personal Defense situations,” said Federal Ammunition Shotshell Product Manager Dan Compton. “This new self-defense shotgun load is designed for tremendous energy transfer for a wider and larger amount of terminal damage.”
Testing by Federal engineers conducted at the Federal Ammunition factory in Anoka, Minnesota showed patterns of 4.5 inches at 7 yards and 14 inches at 20 yards using an improved cylinder choke. Patterns of 4.25 inches at 7 yards and 12 inches at 20 yards were achieved with a modified choke.
The big question is how is this load’s terminal performance? Tests using 10% Ordnance gel were conducted by Federal engineers to find out. The range of penetration depth of the segmented pellets in ballistic gel ran from 5.25 to 14.5 inches with an average depth of 9.5 inches. The average depth when pellets start segmenting is 4.5 inches after impact. So, the reduced weight of the pellet segments does indeed reduce their penetration compared to conventional 00 buckshot.
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Federal Force X2 Features 12-gauge 2 ¾-inch nine-pellet segmenting buckshot Nine FX2 copper-plated 00 buckshot pellets designed to split in half on impact Manageable recoil The pattern and power of buckshot Double the wound channels Less collateral damage risk from over-penetration For more information, visit federalpremium.com .
