Speer’s latest in a long list of law-enforcement contracts was announced in July 2018, a five-year, up-to-$18 million agreement with the New York City Police Department for the purchase of the company’s 124-grain 9 mm Luger +P Gold Dot Duty ammunition. Late last year, the legendary ammo maker also signed a five-year deal with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Customs Enforcement, to provide up to 120 million rounds of 9 mm 124-grain Gold Dot loads.
“We are proud to support a majority of the nation’s law-enforcement agencies, and we will continue to focus on providing the best ammunition to their officers each and every day,” said Speer Ammunition President Jason Vanderbrink. “We are honored to be the ammunition brand of choice for the nation’s largest agency: the New York City Police Department. Speer Gold Dot duty and training rounds have a 20-year history supporting more than 35,000 NYPD officers who protect and serve their communities.”
The reliability of the company’s ammunition hasn’t escaped international law-enforcement notice, either. Earlier this year the French National Police selected the same cartridge as ICE. “The French National Police are one of the world’s finest law-enforcement agencies,” said Jason Nash, senior director of marketing for Speer at the time. “We’re proud to provide Speer Gold Dot for their duty ammunition needs.”
The company became one of the first ammunition manufacturers to achieve ISO 9001 quality certification in 1996 and has a long history of working with those who protect and serve. “Speer is the world leader in law enforcement and military ammunition,” Vanderbrink said. “It is the company’s heritage and foundation. Our unwavering support for the brave men and women who keep us safe is not subject to political rhetoric or winning a contract. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement agencies through thick and thin.”
Speer produces a variety of bullets and cartridges, many of them designed for civilian self-defense applications. Shooting Illustrated Ammo Editor Richard Mann has handled it extensively, and here’s an abbreviated look at performance from two he’s tested: the 135-grain and 158-grain .357 Mag. Gold Dot loads.