Ready, Steady, Defend: Winchester USA Ready Defense Pistol Ammunition

Shouldn't the ammo you trust with your life be the very best?

by posted on February 1, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Winchester USA Ready Defense 2

If you're plinking for practice, go ahead and burn through your "good enough to go pow" ammo. But when it comes to an "every second counts" self-defense situation, there isn't any such thing as ammunition that's "good enough." If you're defending your life, you need the very best, and the latest salvo from Winchester Ammunition is just that. It's called USA Ready Defense, and it'll be ready when you need it most. The company bills it as the ideal combination of stopping power, penetration and reliable expansion ... otherwise known as the best of the best. 

When we talk about "stopping power," we're referring to "terminal ballistics," which is simply the transfer of energy from firearm to target. That transfer needs to be effective even when the target (the attacker) is wearing heavy clothing. Obviously, that's of particular interest during the cold months. USA Ready Defense ammunition features a distinctive Hex-Vent bullet design that allows that to happen reliably. The Hex-Vent is a rigid insert nested inside the jacketed hollowpoint cavity that keeps clothing from blocking the bullet's ability to expand once inside the target.

What that means for self-defenders is that you can load your carry pistol with the appropriate ammo, and trust that you'll get the consistent performance that the situation demands. Fired through common personal defense pistols, the 9mm Luger +P 124-gr. variant demonstrates 12" penetration with 95 percent weight retention.

Along with sledgehammer-like impact, USA Ready Defense ammunition achieves high accuracy and trusted reliability thanks to its Match Grade Primer and lot-controlled loading techniques. In fact, the individual ballistics data for each lot of USA Ready ammunition are available online at Winchester.com/USAREADYINFO.

Latest

Deering Blind Spot Istock 1283545298
Deering Blind Spot Istock 1283545298

Blind Spots: Don’t Just Look for the Threat

Situational awareness is great, but hyper-focusing on it can create its own type of blind spot when it comes to personal safety.

Winchester's .21 Sharp: The Future of Rimfire?

Will Winchester's new twist on an old cartridge be the next big thing or the latest niche option?

What Is Still-Hunting?

When treestand hunting isn’t practical or you want to mix up your hunting method, try a still-hunt. How?

How Bad Is It: to Sight in at 25 Yards?

If you have only a short range at which to sight in, will you be OK to shoot at 100 after sighting in at 25?

New Guns 2026: The Ruger Red Label III Shotgun

Ruger has brought back one of America’s most iconic over-under shotguns—the Ruger Red Label III—renewing the company's commitment to being a full-line manufacturer of firearms.

6 Wild Game Apps for Your New Year’s Eve Party

Throwing a party to ring in 2026? Whip up these wild-game appetizers to use up some of this year’s bounty from the freezer.

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.