I've heard arguments for and against this practice.
What do you do?
I carry factory ammo. I don't currently reload, but I intend to. Even once I get set up, I won't be carrying reloads.
....If you were found to have shot the other guy with glowing green super duper zombie killers I guarantee it will be a talking point in your Grand Jury indictment / trial.
Probably true, but the idea that you could make reloads that are superzombiekillers or "more deadly" than factory rounds is only one part of the equation.
The legal liability argument is hypothetical.....
The evidentiary issue is not.
....Also, I haven't seen a real, factual report of any shooter being prosecuted for "killer, premeditated" handloads, other than an "expert's" opinion...
This is one of the more common red herrings that I see tossed about in these debates. Lots of folks focus on this idea of an overzealous prosecutor and "killer, premeditated" reloads, but there's more to it than that.
This is the main objection to SD handloads and at best is only speculation...
No, that's not the main objection. Certainly not
my main objection. Mine is an evidentiary one.
Has anyone ever seen any proof that someone involved in a shooting was even questioned about the ammo used ?
I'm curious: what kind of proof would be required to satisfy this? Would the case of Daniel Bias suffice? He went through three trials (I think it was 3), and one of the issues was GSR and his handloads. Will that do it? Or would you require me to produce the deposition transcript from a civil trial?
Speer Gold Dot 124gr moving 1200fps. Bought factory they are over a dollar a round. Made by me on a single-stage press in lots of 50 at a time are around 30 cents a round. XTPs are even cheaper. I can verify their accuracy and become very familiar with their characteristics for a fraction of the cost of factory ammo.
For the sake of argument, let's call it a 70 cent per round difference. A dollar a round vs. 30 cents per round. I think my math is pretty solid there. How many handloads do you have to shoot to make up the difference if you have to hire a GSR expert at your criminal defense for, say, $25K?
Besides, the argument regarding GSR differences fails to account that GSR doesn't travel more than a couple of feet....
Nah, I've never seen it claimed that GSR and tattoing were an issue beyond a few feet.
....and the ONLY case people can come up with involved a man who had a gun loaded in his house with reloads that his wife used to kill herself with.
And how does the suicide issue affect the admissibility of the GSR evidence?
The folks that I've argued with over the years often point to the suicide issue in the Daniel Bias case as though it is some kind of distinguishing feature that makes it difference than SD shootings. The rules of evidence in all of the jurisdictions where I've looked at the issue generally apply regardless of the type of case at bar. Thus, the rule on expert testimony would apply whether the case is a suicide, a car wreck, a SD shooting, or a debt collection case.
I would also point out that GSR & tattooing was an issue in the George Zimmerman trial and helped support his claim of self-defense.
He did not try to duplicate performance of factory self-defense ammo using the same velocity and bullet type.
Why would he? You just said he didn't use factory ammo. That, in fact, is one of the main problems. If you need to duplicate performance for GSR testing purposes, using your handloads can be a big hurdle.
....Using their argument against reloads and the only case they can point to, one would have to extrapolate that you should never shoot reloads in any gun in case you have to use it in self-defense at the range, or someone might come into your home and use one of your guns with your reloads in it to shoot themselves. It's a little ridiculous.
Only if you choose to extrapolate it to the point of being ridiculous.
....I consider having the Punisher logo on a gun much more legally precarious than using reloads for self defense. And the same goes for that stupid zombie defense ammo.
I can't say that I disagree with this. It helps to understand that we're looking at different kinds of legal pitfalls. Handloads are a (moderately) complex issue of GSR, expert testimony, and exemplar evidence. Punisher logos are jury perception problems.