I cast my own bullets. The bullets are cast hard or soft depending on the use. The Eastwood Ford Blue powder coat allows the bullets to match copper jacketed or gas check bullets. The brass cases for the .357 SIG are made easily from the abundant .40 S&W brass.
Self defense and target reloading for pistols
- Thread starter AckleymanII
- Start date
jrb06
Gold $$ Contributor
The whole story about not using handloads because a lawyer can use it against you is somewhat correct but not in the way most people hear it.
Massad Ayoob, and no I do not think he walks on water but is one of the few experts in the field of gun shot forensics, talks about this in his books and classes. One of the main reasons he suggest not to use handloads is the lack of ballistics data for your handloads. With factory loads there are resources and lots of data on the ballistics and forensics of the round which could come into play during an investigation and or trial. Things like powder burn patterns, penetration, expansion testing could be recreated and tested using factory ammo. Since your reloads have no verified testing data and verified quality control to compare it with, it can make it much more difficult to use forensics to prove or disprove what happened.
Massad Ayoob, and no I do not think he walks on water but is one of the few experts in the field of gun shot forensics, talks about this in his books and classes. One of the main reasons he suggest not to use handloads is the lack of ballistics data for your handloads. With factory loads there are resources and lots of data on the ballistics and forensics of the round which could come into play during an investigation and or trial. Things like powder burn patterns, penetration, expansion testing could be recreated and tested using factory ammo. Since your reloads have no verified testing data and verified quality control to compare it with, it can make it much more difficult to use forensics to prove or disprove what happened.
Law enforcement will not use reloads for anything, even requalification. We couldn't even use it for competition use when shooting for the department. It's a liability issue really. If an officer gets injured from a reload, the department is responsible. I've never heard of becoming a victim from a righteous defense shoot when using reloads. At least not in my home state. If you use reliable ammo whether reloaded or factory, that seems to be the important part, Reliable.
Even if my previous post isn't verified, who on here wants to be the test case? I assure you I don't. Additionally, have you ever had a reload fail to fire because of a bad primer, or worse yet, no powder charge? I can't think of a worse scenario than needing to fire my weapon in self defense and it goes pop, leaving a bullet lodged in the barrel and suddenly you have an expensive paper weight. Find the best self defense ammo the runs reliably in your defensive pistol, then practice, practice practice with the cheap stuff.
I hope this helps,
Lloyd
I hope this helps,
Lloyd
DogBuster
Silver $$ Contributor
My carry FN-S 40 has a mag full of Mag Tech self defense loads
But in these limited selection times we now have...
My 9 mm or 45 ACP may be very well loaded with my carefully assembled handloads
I really like the Lee deluxe 4 piece set with the factory crimp die..
You can load some very reliable ammo with this $50 die set
Remember too as the saying goes....
'Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6'
But in these limited selection times we now have...
My 9 mm or 45 ACP may be very well loaded with my carefully assembled handloads
I really like the Lee deluxe 4 piece set with the factory crimp die..
You can load some very reliable ammo with this $50 die set
Remember too as the saying goes....
'Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6'
Point well made, but as for me, I'll trust my life to my QC seven ways from Sunday before I will a faceless factory worker with only a vested interest in his\her paycheck and well being.
Example: a few years back we experienced another shortage and I purchased a bulk box of BIG name 22LR ammo at a greatly inflated price. In that 333(hint)ct box there was 16 prImed EMPTY cases.
Now if the same doo-fuss had been working the ACP line that shift, I'm inclined to believe the attitude would have been just as lackluster.
And please don't get me wrong, factory ammo across the board may be the best we've ever seen. But when it comes down to the nitty/gritty, I prefer to roll my own cause there just ain't no one cares more about me...than me. And that, my friend is QC you can't put in a paycheck.
This!!!!! You are being prosecuted. The state has the burden of proving you guilty. If a lawsuit then same thing, you are the defendant, the plaintiff has to prove what he is alleging. Lawsuit is a little different because of discovery. You will be "deposed".
Lawyer Q: So, how did you select the ammo you used on the day you killed my client???
Defendant A: Well it was on my dresser and I just grabbed it, you know, I was kind of in a hurry to leave that day. If pressed...{I typically use factory ammo and I believe that is what I had on the day in question.}
They {may} have an empty brass case, the contents of which are "consumed in performance" {neat little term we use}. One huge fallacy regarding bullets and gunshot forensics in general is that you can do "ballistics" on every shot ever fired. It's just not so. Many bullets are never recovered and of those that are, they are usually so damaged that no useful ballistic information can be attained. Bottom line, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT except to say, "I want a lawyer!!"
The biggest thing you have going for you is the fact that the case all hinges on one thing...were you or were you not justified in shooting. All else falls by the wayside if you were. Whether or not you used reloads don't take away from the fact that he pulled his gun first.
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Flouncer
What the heck it works for me !!
Other than question and answer, how would it be determined a particular badly deformed HP extracted from a cranium had been from a reload ? If you reloaded Hornady caases ? The spent primer ?? Taken the illogic of law, isn't ANY hollowpoint more lethal than a FMJ on a typical human ? The City/County of San Francisco banned hollowpoints years ago if I am not mistaken. Hate to see if a FMJ missed and went through a gypsum board wall and smoked an innocent lady . ... Oh, wait, that already . . . . .
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
These were shot into 5 gallon water jugs at a distance of 9 yards
45 acp full size
40 S&W full size
9mm Compact 12 shot Taurus Millennium
45 acp full size
40 S&W full size
9mm Compact 12 shot Taurus Millennium
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