Carry ammo....Hand loaded or Factory loaded?

What kind of ammo do you carry?

  • Factory only(I don't trust myself)

    Votes: 99 67.3%

  • Hand loaded(I don't trust the fatcories)

    Votes: 11 7.5%

  • Either/both(doesn't matter to me aslong as it goes bang)

    Votes: 37 25.2%
  • Total voters
    147
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C

clipse

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Sep 19, 2003
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Location
missouri
Is your carry ammo factory or hand loaded? And why?


No flaming. No telling someone that they are wrong is doing what they are doing. Just tell me why you do what you do. Thanks.


clipse
 
Voted factory, since right now I don't 'roll my own'.

Range ammo, though, I buy from my local commercial reloader. National Bullet Company
 
Depends on the gun. For my 357mag, it's my handloads all the way. For my 38special, it's factory because I don't feel like I can improve upon what's offered for the price. For my 32acp, it's factory for now, but will be my own handloads once I finish working out some ideas.

My handloads have been more reliable overall than factory. I've had a couple squib factory loads in the past year, but the only squib handloads I've had were ones that occured when working up very light loads.

Chris
 
No option carry factory becuse the bloodsucking lawyers(no offense to any gun loving lawyers) Try to turn your handload into the JFK wonder bullets and also say since you loaded it you specifically loaded it to kill so one so it was premedated.

So ill vote factory
 
I have heard that it was tried in one of the gun rags they talked about it dont rember the outcome

All i know it the police instructers at the class i just took told us it is a big no no and your casuing yourself a lot of hassels. These guys own the gunshop/range and 2 of the 4 work still as officers ive delt with them many time at range and trust what they tell me to be good info
 
35-year tally:

Winchester: no failures to fire
Federal: no failures to fire
Self: 2 failures to fire about 33 years ago (handgun ammo)
Remington: 3 failures to fire about 3 years ago (rifle ammo)

I guess you know what I carry.
 
I handload 9mm 147gr Remington Golden Saber for defense, duplicating factory velocity specs when fired from my Glock 19.

This practice allows me to train with my actual defense ammo for a lot less cost. It is the one load I use for everything.
 
30 years ago I often carried handloads. Back then there was not much in the way of factory high performance ammo and what was available usually didn't work as advertised. At that time it was very easy for a reloader to exceed factory accuracy and terminal performance. In those days I could load Speer 200 gr flying ashtrays for my 45s and often pushed 9mm JHPs past 1500 fps which allowed performance no factory ammo could duplicate . However, today it is very hard if not imposible to improve on factory ammo. Add to that the increased sensitivity of the law towards guns and gun owners and it is just not worth the hassle.

BTW, don't ask about the 9 MM load as it takes two steps of compression to load the charge and I'm to old to risk it today!

JAC
 
Carry factory, though I do trust myself. Since I load FMJ for practice, I'd have to mess with the seating die to get JHP ammo to have the correct COL. Either that, or get another set of dies and a toolhead, just to load carry ammo. No thanks.
 
While we are on the subject of factory ammo vs.
handloaded ammo; and since velocity seems
to be the "hot topic" of this thread, I was wondering
if any one here still has any Super Vel ammo left
over from 'em good ole days?

For those that don't know, it was the first Hyper
Velocity centerfire handgun ammunition available. In
.357 magnum, a 110 grain JHP was reported to be
moving out in the neighborhood of 1250 to 1400 fps.
I can't remember the exact stat's; but it was some
really hot stuff! :uhoh: :cool:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Premium factory ammo is stupid expensive. I can load highly effective, accurate, and reliable ammunition with premium bullets for a tiny fraction of what the factory stuff costs. Furthermore, I can load precisely what I'm comfortable shooting at a power level I'm comfortable with, especially for an ammo-sensitive gun like my airlite j-frame. I load defensive ammo for the same reasons I load target ammo; it's better, it's more precisely what I want, and it's much, much cheaper. It's also legal; so why wouldn't I?
 
I have carried both. Rightnow I think it is factory stuff. I dont see a problem either way. I think the whole "dont carry reloads" is just another myth. I havent ever seen proof of it being used against anyone.
 
I carry factory loads, but not because I don't trust myself. I too have read articles in the gun rags about the liability issue when using hand loads for defense. If you have to shoot someone, you probably will have enough trouble without adding to it un-necessarily. I figure if I'm using the same ammo that cops carry, they can't use that against me in court.:scrutiny:
 
I'd be entirely willing to stake my life on my hand loads; unfortunately, working up the exact right .357 magnum round for my main carry gun would take months. It was quicker, easier, and less expensive to buy an assortment of factory rounds and pick the most accurate.
 
Factory but .. roll my own for near everything else. Just started loading up with the Cor-Bon 140 grain loads .. 1325 quoted on those ... that's useful!

I do think the liability deal is something to bear in mind even is, as we usually say when this crops up .. we don't seem to have case to quote. Just seems a tad more ''sensible'', that's all.

That aside ... I'd prefer my home loads .... and my gas check 158 cast SWC is about best .357 mag round I have found.

Still keep some .38 +P Corbons too.
 
Depends on the gun I am carrying.

I carry only handloads in my .41 magnum since there are no really good DS rounds in factory boxes.

In everything else I often carry home-brew. That way I can afford to practice with the exact same load I carry. This $2 apiece for factory stuff is getting silly.

I think that we are very lucky to have as many good factory option as we do now. I can well remember when Lead and FMJ was just about the only options except for a few soft-point loads in the magnums.

God bless Lee Jurras, he blazed the path for the rest to follow.


What would our world be like without Sam Colt, John Browning, Elmer Keith and Lee Jurras? :scrutiny:
 
I carry factory, but I do trust myself. While I dont have a reloading setup of my own, I have had the opportunity to use friends, and the ammo has always come out right. For most autos, I would probally use factory anyway, but on revolvers for woods guns, and maybe a 10mm, id consider making my own loads.
 
I use handloads in my CCW. As others have said this allows me to practice with a load that I carry. It also allows me to optimize my carry ammo by taking advantage of the best bullets and low flash powders. The last advantage is I know everything was done right with my ammunition, which gives me confidence.
 
I carry only fact. new ammo. I do trust my handloads, but 1: I don't have

access to all of the powders and testing equipment that the factories do.

(low-flash powder, pressure testing, ballistic gelatin, car glass ect.)

2: Some of the modern bullets are not available as a reloading

component. 3: My company lists approved ammo and my reloads are not

on it!

Nothing wrong with reloads, but with what is available for defence, why

bother?
 
Ah tc300mag1, that is precious!

You don't have gun rag reference to talk about the alledged court case where the handload issue came into play. No biggie. Nobody does. Gun instructors all across the country pass on this stupid myth on the CHANCE possibility that it could happen, even though nobody seems to know of any actual cases where it has happened. This is an Ayoobian myth that has been around for at least 25 years and it comes up time and time again and nobody has any court cases to substantiate this myth.

Either you had the right to use lethal force or you did not in a self defense shooting. If you did, it doesn't matter whether the load was handload, factory, or whatever.

Also, if you are believing that somehow the handloads could indicate premeditation, that would no more be the case than having the gun on your person or having actually loaded it with ammo. Additionally, the lawyer could just as well argue that you loaded your gun with the evil factory ammo that was developed to cause the most damage.

The liability is not in whether or not you loaded the ammo, but in whether or not you shot somebody.
 
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