Defense Loads

[flanman]

WE all reload in order to make us shoot better and cheaper than what a factory load can accomplish. So then why is it that conventional wisdom says do not reload your own defense ammo?

flanman

[Primer88]

It so Hornady can sell more "Zombie" loads. The gimmick got me at $24 especially when I heard they are discontinuing them very soon. I actually bought them off a recommendation from LEO that they are designed to not glance off of windshields and such. Not that I plan on shooting through windshields but I believe you get the point.

[Kid Sopris]

I don't subscribe to that rhetoric. I believe it was started out of fear that a person shot with homemade rounds would be subject to stiifer penalties should they be in wrong.

HOWEVER, I can find no Valid and Supported Court cases that awarded any damages to a person who was lawfully shot by a private citizen who used homemade rounds.

Factory rounds have and can fail, There is a whole web site dedicated to recalled ammunition. There is the probability that Bubba should not have access to a reloader, much less a firearm and/or ammunition.

[Oyeboten]

WE all reload in order to make us shoot better and cheaper than what a factory load can accomplish. So then why is it that conventional wisdom says do not reload your own defense ammo?

flanman

I think there are two ( very different ) reasons -

1 ) Not everyone's re-Loads will be reliable.

2 ) Some prosecutors may wish to insist that the use of home made re-Loads implies a premeditated intention to harm someone, or to seek out a situation in which to do so, or to do so with particular malice somehow, as compared to the use of off the shelf Ammunition, which in their minds, does not suggest anything of those things.


This is my understanding anyway.

[capstan]

The idea that a lawyer would crucify someone who used his own reloads in self defense,never made any sense to me either. Of course there are lawyers who do anything to win including purposefully misleading others.
But any half intelligent defense lawyer could easily rebut any foolish claim by that lawyer.
Suppose someone buys some FACTORY loads called +P jacketed hollowpoints- Why wouldnt the lawyer use this against the defendant also? He could say- He purposely bought these (Factory) Killing/maiming loads so He could really Hurt someone- it was all premeditated -
Why on earth someone would think that a reload would be more sinister than a factory load is just assinine to me.
And trying to conjure up a vision of some sadistic reloader smirking with this crazed look while reloading is also pretty ridiculous. Course there's plenty of stupid jurors and judges around - I suppose some could envision a reloader saying to himself "Oh yeah, this load will really F... someone up I can't wait to use it on someone__HEHEHE.

[MMCSRET]

I load my carry ammo for my DS. I trust my loads, end of problem.

[Oyeboten]

Of course, if one CCWs or open carries or Car Carries a Cap & Ball Revolver, then there is no other ready option other than for it to be charged with one's own 'Loads'.

Lol...

[Bart45]

Shot placement is more important than the latest heavily advertised bullet.

[WIL TERRY]

I ALWAYS CARRY FACTORY AMMUNITION !!! WHY would you EVER give a prosecuting attorney an 'in' to make you look strange [ they know crap about handloading...] to the jury. WHEN you are/were deposed you WILL be asked about the ammunition in your gun if it looks "strange" to the attorney. You had BETTER be able to answer his pointed questions something like this " SIR, the ammunition in my gun is the same our police officers here use in the service guns. I figured if it was good enough to protect their lives and the lives of all the citizens here in Blankertyblank, USA it would be good enough for me too."
FURTHERMORE : the cost of factory ammunition for your pistol is so minuscule over a years time as to pointless to use anything else. Let me note here I have handloaded well over 850,000 rounds now as we speak [ nearer to 875,000 actually ] and have never carried my own ammunition EXCEPT when I was returning form a trip into the field or from the range and had shot up all the ammunition in my carry gun for it to be replaced with fresh ammunition at home. On the way home I stick a 45 SAA in my belt....just in case...yep, KEITH bullet handloads, or sometimes now that I think about it a COLT 44SPL , also with KEITH bullet handloads, and sometimes in 44RUSSIAN.

[porsche]

Some say that it is not possible for authorities to make powder burn tests, etc , from home reloads since they are not specified like factory load data is. Some line of reasoning like that. I have loaded for 35 years but use factory loads in EDC gun and hunt and range use for reloads.