Ammo Specifications
More Information on Hornady .410 Bore Ammo
Hornady Critical Defense .410 Bore 2½” Triple Defense (86238) is a specialized shotshell built around an unusual three-projectile payload. Rather than using conventional birdshot or buckshot, each shell contains a 115-grain FTX slug followed by two 65-grain round balls. Hornady calls this configuration Triple Defense, and the company places it within its Critical Defense shotgun ammunition line. The individual retail package contains 20 shells, while this case configuration contains 200 rounds total, equivalent to ten 20-round boxes.
The centerpiece of the load is the 115-grain FTX slug. Hornady’s FTX design incorporates the company’s recognizable flexible polymer tip within the nose of the projectile. In its Critical Defense ammunition, the FTX concept is designed to promote controlled and consistent projectile performance while preventing material from clogging the hollow cavity. The slug serves as the primary projectile in the .410 Triple Defense load and is accompanied by two additional projectiles rather than a conventional column of small shot.
Behind the FTX slug are two 65-grain round balls, each measuring approximately .35 caliber (8.89 mm) in diameter. Hornady’s current catalog confirms these exact projectile weights and dimensions for item 86238. Altogether, each trigger pull launches three distinct projectiles: the 115-grain FTX slug and two 65-grain balls. That produces a combined projectile payload of 245 grains, or approximately 0.56 ounce.
The shell itself is a 2½-inch .410 Bore load. This is an important distinction because .410 ammunition is available in multiple shell lengths, and firearm compatibility should always be determined from the chamber markings and manufacturer’s specifications. Hornady lists item 86238 specifically as a 65 mm, or approximately 2½-inch, .410 shell.
Unlike ordinary .410 target or hunting ammunition, which typically contains numerous small pellets, the Triple Defense configuration concentrates its payload into only three relatively large projectiles. This gives 86238 a fundamentally different design and purpose from .410 birdshot loads. It also distinguishes the cartridge from conventional .410 buckshot, where the payload normally consists of several similarly sized pellets rather than a central FTX slug combined with round balls.
Hornady’s catalog classifies 86238 under Critical Defense Shotgun ammunition and identifies the projectile combination as Triple Defense. The ammunition is intended for compatible .410 Bore firearms, including platforms designed to accommodate this type of specialized defensive shotshell. As always, users should confirm that their particular firearm is chambered for the shell length and ammunition type specified by the manufacturer.
For this case configuration, the key specifications are straightforward: .410 Bore, 2½-inch shell, 115-grain FTX slug, two 65-grain .35-caliber round balls, item number 86238, and 200 total rounds per case. The combination makes Hornady Triple Defense a particularly distinctive member of the .410 Bore category, using three purpose-selected projectiles in place of the traditional shot payload found in most .410 ammunition.
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