Reloaded ammo for self defense?

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Styx

Styx

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As the title says, does anyone use or know of anyone who uses their own reloaded ammo for self defense. I was thinking about going this route.
 
Not me.

Sure, the potential legal or civil issues are a consideration but more telling, for me, is I've yet to have a dead primer in factory loaded SD ammo and have had a few on every major brand of primer I've tried.
 
This topic has been discussed to death many times but this may help.

Can you use reloads for self defense?

Yes, but consider this.

Even though I have reloaded over 600,000 rounds and countless duplicate factory rounds for practice using the same exact Remington Golden Saber JHP/Speer Gold Dot HP projectiles to same finished OAL as factory rounds using WSF and now BE-86 (And you KNOW that my "match grade" reloads are so much more accurate than factory ... :D), this is the decision I made regarding my choice of defensive ammunition in my SD/HD pistols.

Since my entire reloading equipment and supplies could potentially be taken and held by police as evidence to be used to duplicate the reloaded rounds used in the shooting (If that was needed) for the duration of the court case, I decided to buy several boxes of factory ammunition and only use part of each box so I can simply hand the police my pistol, magazine(s) and factory ammunition boxes fired rounds came from.

Since then, I have been sleeping much better. :D
 
JR24 said:
Not me.

Sure, the potential legal or civil issues are a consideration but more telling, for me, is I've yet to have a dead primer in factory loaded SD ammo and have had a few on every major brand of primer I've tried.
Click to expand...
You are correct but don't forget you don't shoot as much self defence rounds as practice ammo. Unless your filthy rich.
 
JR24 said:
Not me.

Sure, the potential legal or civil issues are a consideration but more telling, for me, is I've yet to have a dead primer in factory loaded SD ammo and have had a few on every major brand of primer I've tried.
Click to expand...
I can't see why reloaded ammo vs self defense ammo would be an aggravating circumstance that would generally make a difference in a otherwise good shoot.
 
jonb32248 said:
You are correct but don't forget you don't shoot as much self defence rounds as practice ammo. Unless your filthy rich.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I have shot as much as some of the primer brands I've had dead primers from, over the years since I've carried HST for years and tend to burn up 200-500 a year, more if I'm buying new guns (that need to be checked out with carry ammo).

Styx said:
I can't see why reloaded ammo vs self defense ammo would be an aggravating circumstance that would generally make a difference in a otherwise good shoot.
Click to expand...

It's a common argument that goes around every time using your own ammo gets broached, something about a zealous prosecutor (criminal OR civil) making the argument you were intentionally making "more deadly" ammo.

I'm not sure how much water it holds, but it has been argued ad nauseum if you search, I'm sure.
 
jonb32248 said:
you don't shoot as much self defence rounds as practice ammo
Click to expand...
This topic came up when I was shooting USPSA and on one match practice day, we bought some factory premium JHP ammunition to compare with our match rounds loaded to 125-130 power factor many match shooters loaded to.

At typical defensive shooting distance of 7-15 yards off hand, POI produced by factory premium JHP was about an inch higher. To me, not much difference in a defensive shooting situation.

Then some seasoned regional match shooters commented that if we practiced enough with sufficient trigger time to shoot accurate with match reloads, we were likely to shoot accurate with any factory ammunition. Since I reload, I can shoot my reloads several times more for the same cost as factory premium ammunition.
 
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LiveLife said:
This topic has been discussed to death many times but this may help.

Can you use reloads for self defense?

Yes, but consider this.

Even though I have reloaded over 600,000 rounds and countless duplicate factory rounds for practice using the same exact Remington Golden Saber JHP/Speer Gold Dot HP projectiles to same finished OAL as factory rounds using WSF and now BE-86 (And you KNOW that my "match grade" reloads are so much more accurate than factory ... :D), this is the decision I made regarding my choice of defensive ammunition in my SD/HD pistols.

Since my entire reloading equipment and supplies could potentially be taken and held by police as evidence to be used to duplicate the reloaded rounds used in the shooting (If that was needed) for the duration of the court case, I decided to buy several boxes of factory ammunition and only use part of each box so I can simply hand the police my pistol, magazine(s) and factory ammunition boxes fired rounds came from.

Since then, I have been sleeping much better. :D
Click to expand...
I've seen it mentioned before, but haven't seen this topic discussed to death. Then again, I only frequent the general and handgun related forums.
 
I carry my own loads.
I've seen enough factory ammo with obvious! flaws that I have a hard time trusting that they didn't miss the less obvious flaws.
My dad had several examples of factory made ammo he'd found that failed to go off, or he didn't bother chambering...
No powder, no primer, no flash hole, crumpled necks, etc, in factory rounds.

but mine? I know the specs and quality of each component.
in my mind, at least, that's not something you want to leave up to Murphy
 
These jumped out at me from Spats McGee's post to the tune of, "How much money do you want to spend?"

"I’m a lawyer, but I’m not your lawyer ... issue of using handloads or reloads as self-defense rounds ... fundamentally misunderstanding the underlying questions.

... The odds of ever having to use the gun I carry are extremely slim, but if I ever do have to, the stakes are incredibly high: The lives of myself and my family. The Peculiar Problem of Handloads is similar. The odds of handloads ever developing into a real legal problem for someone involved in a SD shooting are very low ... If it does, however, the stakes are very high.

The use of handloads can muddy the evidentiary waters, causing incorrect conclusions from investigators, experts, and the prosecutors who rely on them. In turn, that could lead to incorrect criminal charges, or necessitate the hiring of additional experts on the defense side to head off whatever problems may have been caused.

... I don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to hire extra experts for my criminal defense.

... I don’t want the waters muddied. I want the evidence to be as clear and simple as I can make it"
​
To me, life is already complicated. Why make it more complicated?
 
If I admitting fired a 9mm round that's within 9mm specs out of my gun into a suspect in a self defense situation, I do not understand what difference the brand, weight, color, factory or reloaded would make in whether the shoot was good or not.
 
It's because a prosecuting DA is not your friend, and your own lawyer may be lazy or apathetic, and maybe even agree with the DA.
the defense, prosecution and judge may be buddy buddy, and maybe they think self defense is an antiquated notion?
To give them another possible lever to pry against you with, does seem a bit foolhardy.

The ifs and buts of the whole dilemma still make me pause and think more about it. my mind could still be changed.

until then, I like having inspected each piece of the cartridges I presume to defend myself with.
 
Styx said:
If I admitting fired a 9mm round that's within 9mm specs out of my gun into a suspect in a self defense situation, I do not understand what difference the brand, weight, color, factory or reloaded would make in whether the shoot was good or not.
Click to expand...

IMO, attorneys are members of a really twisted Tribe. "There's the rub" as Hamlet might say. :)
 
LiveLife said:
This topic has been discussed to death many times but this may help.

Can you use reloads for self defense?

Yes, but consider this.

Even though I have reloaded over 600,000 rounds and countless duplicate factory rounds for practice using the same exact Remington Golden Saber JHP/Speer Gold Dot HP projectiles to same finished OAL as factory rounds using WSF and now BE-86 (And you KNOW that my "match grade" reloads are so much more accurate than factory ... :D), this is the decision I made regarding my choice of defensive ammunition in my SD/HD pistols.

Since my entire reloading equipment and supplies could potentially be taken and held by police as evidence to be used to duplicate the reloaded rounds used in the shooting (If that was needed) for the duration of the court case, I decided to buy several boxes of factory ammunition and only use part of each box so I can simply hand the police my pistol, magazine(s) and factory ammunition boxes fired rounds came from.

Since then, I have been sleeping much better. :D
Click to expand...
Has there ever been a case where someone using reloaded ammunition in a shooting had their equipment seized as evidence?
 
DocRock said:
Yes. I do. It's been a long time since I bought any manufactured ammunition.
Click to expand...

Ironicaintit said:
I carry my own loads.
I've seen enough factory ammo with obvious! flaws that I have a hard time trusting that they didn't miss the less obvious flaws.
My dad had several examples of factory made ammo he'd found that failed to go off, or he didn't bother chambering...
No powder, no primer, no flash hole, crumpled necks, etc, in factory rounds.

but mine? I know the specs and quality of each component.
in my mind, at least, that's not something you want to leave up to Murphy
Click to expand...

GBExpat said:
I do, in several calibers.
Click to expand...

Are they also hollow points?
 
TTv2 said:
Has there ever been a case where someone using reloaded ammunition in a shooting had their equipment seized as evidence?
Click to expand...
Not equipment, but they will try to establish which ammunition, and it's specifications, was used....just is a normal part of any investigation where evidence might differ from shooters version.

The obvious sticking point would be how do you independently prove which specification you loaded your ammunition to
 
TonyAngel said:
Reloads first self defense? Never. There are just no advantages to it.
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Being able to shoot hundreds to thousands of rounds down range with what I carry without going broke, being to better vet my carry ammo in the specific gun I carry outside of only putting a few rounds through it and calling it a day (like most do), having more accurate ammo, and not being as affected by ammo sortages. I seen a few threads over the years and most recently where a member has problems finding ammo he preferred because Wal-Mart stopped selling it. Not as much of a worry when you reload your own ammo.

At least those are some of the reasons why I started thinking about reloading my own. What is most important to me though is training and shooting ammo that I will actually be using when it matters most instead of practicing 98% of the time with ammo I who'll not be using in a self defense situation.
 
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9mmepiphany said:
Not equipment, but they will try to establish which ammunition, and it's specifications, was used....just is a normal part of any investigation where evidence might differ from shooters version.
Click to expand...
That would be if after a case has been brought against you. If you were justified and no case is, you're in the clear. It's when you're the victim of a rogue prosecutor trying to make a name for him/her self like the Trayvon Martin shooting. That was a pretty interesting case because Zimmerman was told by 911 he didn't need to follow him, he did, and to the prosecutor it established a cause that he was looking to use his gun to shoot somebody. Had he been using reloaded ammo, that would have been even worse and possibly led to a conviction.

The obvious sticking point would be how do you independently prove which specification you loaded your ammunition to
Click to expand...
You don't have to because you are innocent until proven guilty and it's up to the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt what the ammunition loaded to was. Really, I don't think they would even bother because the tools used to commit an unlawful killing are tertiary to the motive and act itself.
 
I have no problems using reloads for self defense, especially in revolvers which is mainly what I reload. I think if this was a defensive use inside your home, you're extremely unlikely to ever be prosecuted. If this is ammunition you're carrying outside the home, that's pretty risque, but again, if it's a legally justified shooting, you should not be prosecuted. I brought up the Zimmerman case because there were extenuating circumstances where the prosecution had reasons to charge him, but ultimately his fate is determined by a jury and under Florida's stand your ground law, he was not guilty. No matter what ammunition he used, he would have been prosecuted, however had he used ammo he reloaded, it would have been used to show added intent, but that doesn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
 
It's late, but I want to add one note about Zimmerman/Martin. If memory serves, GSR actually was used to establish his defense. Where handloaded ammo is used, that GSR evidence, which might be used to establish the shot distance, could be excluded.

As for me, I'll stick with factory ammo. There are enough vagaries involved in an SD shooting and its aftermath that I don't care to add more.
 
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