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I use reloads from a trusted friend.
Nothing fancy, just reliable loads that always work.

HighVelocity wrote:Besides the legal questions, here's something to consider...

Being a reloader myself, I can say with a good level of certainty that no matter how careful and methodical I am about my handloads, I am much more likely to make a round that would fail on occassion than a major producer of defensive ammo would be.

That said, I might be able to create, with extensive research, a defensive load that would work "as good" as the top factory loads, but why??? I have a family and a life. The couple of dollars I would save on ammo would not nearly offset the amount of time I'd have to put into developing it.

Handloads for practice, yes.
Handloads for hunting, yes.
Handloads for self defense, no.

My .25¢

I would tend to agree with you for most reloads and most reloaders. But the original poster has the utmost confidence in his reloads. and his desire to use his own reloads are based on his reloads being optimised for his guns. In otherwords he feels his reloads are better than anything he can buy.

I am not a reloader, but one concern I would have with reloads is how water proof are they? Will humidity get to them or can oils seep in? Modern factory amunition seems to hold up to getting soaked. Will reloads hold up just as well?

HighVelocity wrote: . . . Being a reloader myself, I can say with a good level of certainty that no matter how careful and methodical I am about my handloads, I am much more likely to make a round that would fail on occassion than a major producer of defensive ammo would be. . . .

Don't be so sure of that - I remember when Cor-Bon had problems with dud rounds, and most of the major ammo makers DO issue recalls from time to time.

Unless you've loaded explosive bullets dipped in rattlesnake venom, I don't see handloads being an issue in a good shoot . . . and the use of factory ammo will NOT guarantee ammo choice being a "non-issue" as Ayoob has written about LEOs using department issue ammo still being attacked for ammo type.

Still, I carry factory ammo - I remember when if you wanted a good defensive load, you HAD to reload, but today, that's not the case; there's plenty of good ammo on the market.

jbirds1210 wrote:I use handloads for practice and proven factory rounds to bet my life on.

me 2.

I voted "either is acceptable." I normally carry factory ammo, but I have been known to carry reloaded ammunition (.45 ACP, 230g lead slug). Once I got my OAL issues ironed out, they have been quite reliable and accurate. One of these days, in my next .45 ACP batch, I'll load up a bunch of Hornady XTP 230g rounds.

I'm not worried about my reloads affecting any grand jury if I, God forbid, have to use my reloads for self-defense. Either the shoot is justified or it isn't, and that will be my concern. What ammo I used would be a non-issue to me, so long as it worked, whether reloaded or factory.

As for civil liability, well yeah, I can get sued. But as was pointed out in another thread, if it's a good shoot, the case will get tossed out on its ear. I highly doubt ammunition selection would play -any- part in the matter. Again, either it's justified or it's not.

Before the civil immunity for good shoots was instituted, I would have worried about ammo, as a shady lawyer could use it to persuade a jury that I "went overboard" or that I "was looking to shoot someone." But since such frivolous suits are highly unlikely to ever even be heard now, ammo isn't such a big deal to me anymore.

I say, "use whatever ammo you're comfortable and competent with, be it factory or handloads, so long as they have proven reliable in your weapon."