Do you make your own defense rounds?

[RED333]

To answer the OPs topic question.
Yes, by the hundreds, as others have said, if I have to defend myself or loves ones and I pray I never have to,
what I use is gona work.

[Dan Cash]

All my hand gun ammo is cast. None is hollow point. All of it will kill you dead if I use it on you, as dead as any one or two dollar a round "Self Defense," ammo will kill you. It is my choice, regardless what the panty wadders think or say. Mess with me or mine and we will hear what the court has to say afterword but I intend to hear it.

[Lonegun1894]

At work, I carry factory loads because that is what my department pushes on us, but off duty, I just carry whatever is handy, and I have VERY little factory ammo. I figure if anything happens, and I hope it doesn't, I will use whatever is available and effective, and I don't care if that is a firearm (I care that it is loaded, but not with what), or knife, or any other object that will make sure me and mine live. All else is a minor secondary concern. I'm not rich, never have been, never will be, but everything except life is replaceable. Like has been said, there hasn't been any case where it was an issue, and unless handloading itself becomes illegal, I don't think there will be a case. All these discussions do is sell more factory ammo, and I have had 2 factory defensive rounds not fire, thankfully on a range. Both were pulled apart later to figure out what went wrong. The first had no powder, and the second did not have the flash hole drilled. Primer fired as designed, and it had powder, but no ignition route in the brass. A lot of my friends give me grief about preferring my own handloads, but I have never had a nasty surprise from one of them like those two factory loads gave me, so you know what I trust.

[rhead]

If you ever get into a shooting there will be a trial. you will either be the defendant od Exhibit "A". check all the available ammo and go with the one that will give you the best chance to be the one you would rather be.

[Love Life]

A) The Ayboob argument is well...lacking.
B) I don't know how a jury can find my ammo more deadly or designed to kill mo' better when compared to Extreme Shock o or the other boutique super killer bullet makers.

[Blackwater]

I actually worked in and around the courts for over 8 years. Things DO happen and are said in court that nobody who knows anything about the subject at hand, whether it be shooting or whatever, would EVER say or believe. And yet, with juries being composed largely of welfare recipients because all the "good folks" don't want to get off work to serve, SOME of this **** actually winds up being swallowed by those present, no matter how stupid or just plain wrong it might be. Anyone who plans on choosing a self defense round on the basis of what MIGHT happen in court, is whizzing up a rope, and probably shouldn't be carrying anyway. I'll be danged if I'll worry about it, no matter what Ayoob or anyone else says. I usually tote a little .380, which would be relatively immune to such shyster's shenanigans, or a .45 ACP with 200 gr. SWC bullets I use for TARGET shooting. If I'm involved in a shooting, and I once came up to within a bare few ounces of doing so, my ammo won't be on my mind at ALL, before, during or after. It's whether I get to walk away or not that will be on my mind. But so many today like to have something to argue about, and show how "smart" they are, and how "prepared," so arguments like this keep showing up to get the impressionables' panties all in a wad. "New studies" and "New info" sell glossy mags, too, but ..... who considers that when it's his/her LIFE on the line???? Only a dang fool, that's who! If ever you have to use a gun, and need a lawyer, make DANG sure he's one who SHOOTS, so the other side won't be able to make silly, stupid accusations like in the case cited above. Ayoob lives in a large, drug-infested metro area where juries aren't exactly friendly to those who defend themselves, and if he wants to load factories, then he ought to do that .... or move out. I live in a rural area of a college town that's getting more and more urban, but I'll NEVER let uncontrollable things decide what ammo I'll use. It'll be whatever's in the gun at the time, and any lawyer who doesn't point that out at trial, if confronted by shystering grandstanding BS, ought to be disbarred. There ARE lawyers out there who DO shoot, ya' know?

[Garyshome]

If it's shtf time I won't care. Law and order will be a long way off, maybe never to show back up.
Now if it is home defense I will use factory stuff.

[dudel]

I save enough reloading, that I can afford a few boxes of store bought ammo for SD each year. I buy what the local LEOs use. My practice rounds duplicate the velocity and projectile weight. That's me, everyone can do what works for them. Not trying to convince anyone to change out of their comfort zone, and would appreciate the same in return.

[10 ga]

My carry, 45acp with 240 ball as "why shoot more than once", sometimes a .22WMR depending. Home defense, well that is a shotgun, need I say more. And as officers are trained, double tap whenever possible. 10

[str8shot426]

I own zero rounds of factory ammunition.

[tazman]

All my hand gun ammo is cast. None is hollow point. All of it will kill you dead if I use it on you, as dead as any one or two dollar a round "Self Defense," ammo will kill you. It is my choice, regardless what the panty wadders think or say. Mess with me or mine and we will hear what the court has to say afterword but I intend to hear it.

I like the way you think.

[Moonie]

Why isn't this a sticky yet? It comes up regularly and is hashed out for page after page, same things said every time...

[nemesisenforcer]

This is probably a question asked by many new folks. and iv read people don't like doing it. but it seems to me, if cast bullets and hand loaded rounds, customized to your firearm and yourself and are thus more accurate, would this not be better? (assuming you use hollow point molds of course.

As far as the arguments iv read "a lawyer will make it seem as if you made more powerful rounds with intent to kill", I use +p defense rounds. the max my firearm will take, already "more powerful" and the same that the police us. i cant see that argument actually meaning much in court, so id like to ask about the rounds themselves.

First and foremost, trust me, if you ever have to use them, the fact that you made them yourself will almost certainly be brought up in court. I'm a lawyer and I see the most absurd, irrelevant, and prejudicial evidence admitted, or attempt to be admitted, all the time. You're right in that it MIGHT not carry much weight, but the prosecutor will try and bring it up at the very least, take my word for it.

That being said, yes I do load my own defensive rounds for my wife's carry piece, more out of penny pinching than anything else. I had all the components, why spend the money on a new box of ammo if you don't have to?

[Bzcraig]

This horse has been beat to death, resurrected, beat to death, resurrected, beat to death, resurrected, well I think you get my point. Yawn

[M-Tecs]

The prosecutor can make it look like ANY ammo choice is the most evil thing ever.

Reloads = Super killer custom rounds.

Hunting rounds = You want to hunt people.

Same as local PD = You wanna play cops and dead guys.

Target rounds = So people are just targets to you?

Defending your actions is your real concern. Your ammo choice is a non-issue.

[triggerhappy243]

The one thing I have not heard on this subject is someone here really did shoot and kill some one.... and tell all the repercussions that came out of the situation. we can "I heard this" or "i heard that" to death. I would be most concerned that it was a "last resort shoot".... cut and dry. My thoughts? dead men do not lie!

[jmort]

Since we have court records that will suffice. How many people have been elected POTUS? If no one has served as POTUS, then no opinions may be offered as to the acts of any president based on that "logic."

[dolang1]

I have always carried the white box from Wal-Mart in all of my EDC. I always practice with my reloads. I bet some of my carry ammo is 10 years old. The other day, somebody hit a doe in front of me. She still had her head up when I got there. I shot her twice in the heart with 40 S&W. As I drove away I thought she would have been better served if I had shot her with my lead boolits. Now that I have read these posts, I'm going to carry my reloads all the time.

[triggerhappy243]

I see the points made by both sides of the argument. both are valid, but I, myself do not trust the legal system. Do not give them the chance to steal your lunch money.

[reloader28]

I shoot zero factory ammo in any gun.
My handguns are 100% cast boolit shooters. No jacketed. (My rifles are 90% cast shooters)
I have tested the boolits them and made/load them to perform the way I think they need too, and thats what I use. I have plinkers, hunting rounds and SD rounds, and they've all been tested to perform.

I want the deadliest stuff I can make for self defense. Do I make them to be extreme killers? You bet I do. I dont want to chance the bad guy getting back up when my gun is empty and hurting my kids or wife.
For self defense I want the most expansion, the most weight retention and about 14-15" penatration. I make and load them accordingly to do that. Thats only my preference, other opinions vary.

I would rather take my chances in court with these rather than someone elses "self defense" loads.