Sticking with "same" ammo for defense and practice

[marineman227]

Guys fairly new to handguns and I'm working on placing my first bulk order for 40 S&W. I have Speer Gold Dot HP's for SD, if it matters I have the 165gr. Does it benefit me at all to get Speer Lawman FMJ 165gr for practice? According to Speers ballistic chart the 2 rounds have the exact same numbers so would that lead to more consistency when switching from practice rounds to defense rounds or does it not really make a difference?

 

[Steve C]

Practice ammo with the same ballistics as your defense load make for more consistency but in practical terms it makes little difference within 50 yards. Typical defense use will be under 25 yds and most people practice defense shooting at 7 to 10 yds which barely requires the need for using your sights.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Far more important than ballistic similarity is pure mechanical function. You'll only find that out shooting bullets with the exact same charistics as your carry ammunition

 

[RBid]

Mechanical consistency is a good reason. Recoil impulse feel is another.

 

[tipoc]

The premium defensive ammo you plan on carrying can be a bit pricey over time. For this reason it makes good sense to shoot some of the premium ammo now and again to make sure it functions well in your gun and that you know how it will shoot in your piece. But it makes no sense to shoot it exclusively. FMJ practice ammo is useful for training drills and such and large quantities of this should be shot over time. It is less expensive.

You may want to consider learning ti reload as well.

There is also no reason to limit yourself on the bullet weights and loads you plan on shooting. Over the years you will likely want to try a few other loads out.

But your plan seems a good one, a premium defensive round that works well in your gun of a certain weight and a good deal of fmj practice ammo in the same weight to practice with.

tipoc

 

[psyopspec]

I used to based on the reasoning in your OP, but lately I'll shoot whatever practice ammo can be had cheaply (.20/round or less). Consequently, my shooting's gotten a lot better. I shoot 115 gr FMJ for practice, 147 gr FMJ subsonic for competition, 124 gr +P GDHP for HD. Shoot more, practice effectively, and you'll be better than the guy who shoots the same ammo less often. Even on an unlimited budget my HD and competition ammo would be different.

 

[ny32182]

I'd shoot a couple hundred rounds of the defensive ammo to make sure it runs in your gun, and then after that, volume of practice is far more important than whether you are shooting a load of the same ballistics, or even the same caliber for that matter (my opinion of course). I'd get whatever is cheapest for bulk practice as long as it runs.

 

[ATLDave]

Shoot more, practice effectively, and you'll be better than the guy who shoots the same ammo less often. Even on an unlimited budget my HD and competition ammo would be different.

QFT. Also, shooting hot defensive loads all the time makes development/maintenance of a flinch more likely. As long as you shoot enough of your chosen defense round to ensure reliable mechanical function and not drop the gun because of the surprise extra recoil, there's not much benefit to doing all HP full-house all the time.

I suppose someone trying to shoot a cadence, rather than seeing the sights for each shot, might really need the same impulse; but that's not exactly the preferred method these days.

Also, if the practice loads are a little softer than the SD stuff, the wear on the gun and its parts will be a little slower, too.

There's a reason they sell so much FMJ ammo, and it ain't because all the civilians think the Hague Convention requires them to use it.

 

[Jim K]

A while back, a poster wrote that he bought the high priced spread for carry but never fired it on the range, using cheap ammo for practice. I suggested he fire at least a few magazines of the expensive ammo to be sure it worked. He reported that it didn't, with several malfunctions in every magazine!!!

I am glad I was able to help him. Can you imagine finding out at the wrong time that the expensive ammo you have never fired won't work?

Jim

 

[Remllez]

Marineman,

If the price is reasonable there's nothing wrong with using the Lawman for practice, as long as you know your gun will shoot your choice of SD rounds. You may find like some of the others, if you don't reload practice can get expensive.

 

[M7]

QFT.

QFT?

Whatzat mean?

 

[tipoc]

A while back, a poster wrote that he bought the high priced spread for carry but never fired it on the range, using cheap ammo for practice. I suggested he fire at least a few magazines of the expensive ammo to be sure it worked. He reported that it didn't, with several malfunctions in every magazine!!!

I am glad I was able to help him. Can you imagine finding out at the wrong time that the expensive ammo you have never fired won't work?

A rare problem. Most often we hear what we see here. A fellow who has had the old advice deposited in their skull willy nilly, is new to firearms and so believes that he will break the magic charm if he shoots anything other than premium defense ammo and so fails to practice adequately due to price.

Nope shoot the premium for practice of course to see that it functions smoothly and that you can shoot it well, but for every box of that 4-5 boxes of ball should go down range. It's how we get proficiency as most here have said.

tipoc

 

[KJS]

Typical defense use will be under 25 yds and most people practice defense shooting at 7 to 10 yds which barely requires the need for using your sights.

Yeah, I think we can safely say defense will be under 25 yards unless one comes up with a hostage situation where a sniper has to take out an armed bad guy.

Some guns (think Ruger LCP) have tiny bumps that can't seriously be deemed sights. Even with top quality sights kind of hard to imagine many people are taking time to line them up as someone charges at them with a knife.

 

[BADUNAME37]

QFT?
Whatzat mean?

Quite Freaking True

 

[ATLDave]

QFT?

Whatzat mean?

Quoted For Truth. A shorthand way of indicating that the inclusion of a quote is not for the purpose of disagreement, but, instead, for agreement.

 

[M7]

OK, got it. I wasn't sure what it meant and thought that it meant something other (a rather rude form of "shut up") than what you guys say it means.

Perhaps I need to bone-up on my internet acronyms.

 

[FMF Doc]

I used to carry 124gr 9mm JHP as my carry ammo. I would then buy the much more expensive 124gr FMJ for practice so that POA=POI and I get better practice. Now, I buy 115gr JHP for carry, and can use the cheap bulk 115gr FMJ for practice. If helps, but it isn't essential. If I know that for whatever reason I have a real need for another round, like a deep penetrating 147gr +P, then I will carry that, but I do try to keep my carry and practice as close to the same.

 

[NG VI]

You'll probably learn more about your gun and what it likes or dislikes by running as many different kinds of ammunition through it as possible. The Speer Lawman is a really good practice line, but honestly it's the cheapest possible stuff from all kinds of different manufacturers that will tell you how sensitive your pistol is to the various types of ammunition flaws.

Whether it's a JHP or an FMJ isn't really as important as just getting that variety and round count up there. It's a manufactured machine, you want to find out if there's a particular kind of ammunition that makes your gun choke, and then measure the hell out of that ammunition so you can pick defense ammo that doesn't have the same problems.

I found out that my CZ PCR doesn't care what you put in it. Neither did my Glock 27. Or USP .40.

My CZ 40B didn't like anything I put in it, but then I realized I'd put the magazine spring in upside down, and then it wasn't a picky eater either.