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

Donna Zoey 3
Donna Zoey 3

NICS Checks Top 530K for 2025 “Black Friday” Week

The number of checks is down from 2024’s total of 613,380 for the same period, which translates to a 13.6 percent decrease.

Gertrude Claus: Santa’s Better Half 

It is said that behind every successful man is a great woman, and that includes the jolliest of men!

Review: Henry's G2 Mini Bolt Youth .22 LR Rifles

2025 year marks the welcome return of Henry's handy, lightweight single-shot rifle.

We Love It: Smith & Wesson Barrel Bag

Need to carry more than your car keys when you purse carry? This roomy CCW off-body option goes against convention by not requiring the extreme editing of your contents as you keep your personal safety in mind.

3 Great Reads for Firearms Instructors

For the holidays or anytime, these books make great gifts for any hunter, shooter, firearm instructor or trainer.

New Guns 2026: EAA MC 1911 250th Anniversary of U.S. Independence Special Edition Pistol 

This exclusive model celebrates the nation’s free spirit and the constitutional right to bear arms.

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.