Told today that only jacketed bullets will shoot accurately from a pistol....

[tdoyka]

I'm am really glad you have finally found the man who really does know it all.

He should write a book to the rest of us would also have all his knowledge.

we should all be lucky to have such an esteemed man.....sorry, i couldn't keep a straight face!!!!

[Kraschenbirn]

...I have seen a few indoor ranges are starting to forbid reloaded ammo from their ranges. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

We've got one of those 'bout a half-mile from where I'm sitting. Not only don't allow reloads, they also don't allow ANY lead bullets (other than .22s) and don't let you pick up your brass if it makes it to floor. When they opened last year, I walked in the door, read the posted range rules, spoke about two minutes with the guy behind the counter to make certain those rules actually meant what they said, and walked out. Haven't been back since. A old shooting buddy was asked to leave when he vociferously challenged their "No Reloads/no lead" policy, pointing out that the generic 'white box' ammo they sell across the counter ($25-$40 a box!) is commercial reloads with COPPER-PLATED lead bullets.

Bill

[Lloyd Smale]

our little local gunshop gives ccw classes and I heard him once say that reloads weren't allowed. I thought it was something they made up because they were worried about getting suited. I never would have guessed the nra had anything to do with it. I'm a certified instructor myself but haven't given a class in many years. I don't remember seeing that in any instruction I took. Bottom line was in the big shortage when they couldn't get 9mm or 40 ammo they were buying reloads from a local guy and selling them to people who took the class. I guess it was that or quit giving the class. I guess things were different when it took away money.

Some of this nonsense is being promoted by the NRA. I had this discussion with a NRA approved and state certified CCW instructor, about reloads. He pulled out his NRA manual where it told him to forbid the use of reloads in his classes because they are inherently unsafe and pose unacceptable safety risks. I can see their point as they have no control of who reloaded what....but some read that as a blanket condemnation of reloaded ammo of any type. I told him I thought it was just a ploy to sell more factory ammo...(this guy works in a gunshop selling guns and ammo as well as instruction)
I have seen a few indoor ranges are starting to forbid reloaded ammo from their ranges. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

[country gent]

I was good friends with the LGS owner where I took my CCW classes. (We competed together in NRA High Power and his wife and I shot ispc and bowling pins together) My last renewal class was during the ammo shortage. We were talking about it and I told him I was checking around for the 150 rds of factory ammo required. He smiled and told me go out on the range pick out 3 empty boxes and inserts from the trash and use your handloads. Thier reason for the factory only was they didnt know who orquality of handloads and bad loads slowed the class down to much. He knew my loads and knew me so it was waived. Good thing no one looked close as I picked up federal 45 acp boxes and had win cases loaded and in them LOL.

[gwpercle]

Today, I asked a retired police instructor how I could improve my pistol shooting accuracy. During the conversation, he tells me that I would never get fine accuracy while using lead boolits. He explained that only jacketed bullets will grip the lands and that lead boolits over spin the lands when fired. Wanting to keep the conversation cordial, I backed away from the disagreement. I'd still like to know what he knows about the shooting stuff.

He doesn't know doodley squat , he might think he knows something , but he doesn't.
Pity his student's , nothing worse than being taught incorrect information.

[mold maker]

Local range here says no reloads in THEIR RENTAL guns which is reasonable but allows them in your guns.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive seen ranges that don't allow reloads for the simple reason that they sell ammo and loose money if you don't buy it from them.

Local range here says no reloads in THEIR RENTAL guns which is reasonable but allows them in your guns.

[DerekP Houston]

Local range here says no reloads in THEIR RENTAL guns which is reasonable but allows them in your guns.

That is standard at almost every range I have visited.

[sharpsguy]

All my bullets are jacketed--with paper.

[Boolseye]

Always interesting to hear about other points of view. Tell that to the 4" group I just shot at 50 yds. with HG 68s...

[ascast]

probably arrests people 'cause they need a hair cut - you can always spot a guilty person..... GENIUS !

[jonp]

Without the support of this forum, I may very well have believed the same thing.

^^^^I thought much the same before getting the casting bug and stumbling onto this site with all of the advice and encouragement. I have not bought a jword in a couple of years and reuse all of the lead I shoot. What bullet shortage?

[jonp]

ive seen ranges that don't allow reloads for the simple reason that they sell ammo and loose money if you don't buy it from them.

I've seen the same in NC and also you must leave the brass on the ground. I don't visit twice. The reloads I can understand due to a lawsuit of a very stupid person and an ambulance chasing lawyer but the brass was paid for by me and is mine.

[flyingmonkey35]

I can understand the no reloads in there gun. Makes sense.

They don't know you. And if they did know you very very well. And you want to try out a new gun that came in the may let you shoot your reloads if you pay for the gun upfront.


As for ranges that don't allow picking up brass.

A coworkers / avid reloader states he reloads throw away brass. Steel case etc. Reload it once and walk away from it.

You can find that stuff all over the place.

[TXGunNut]

I was a LEO 25 years and a PPC shooter much of that time and never heard an instructor say something that silly. I loaded and fired over 200K swaged and cast boolits during that time and most folks won't believe the accuracy a swaged HBWC is capable of @ 50 yards. I think some BE shooters and most PPC shooters shooting semi-autos are using J-words so they may indeed be more accurate in those pistols but there aren't a lot of shooters with the skill to take advantage of that accuracy.
In Texas, last I heard anyway, CHL qualification was with factory new ammo. Ammo issues can be annoying at best and dangerous at worst so I don't have a problem with that policy because we all know some folks shouldn't be rolling their own and qualifying next to someone like that is something I'd like to avoid. Instructors have bigger things to worry about than ammo issues.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I have heard the same line about cast lead bullets and reloaded ammunition. My father simply would not use reloads , didn't trust them and wanted no part of them.
Probably half of my handguns have never seen a round of factory ammo or a jacketed bullet in the thousands of rounds I have shot through them.

I have been given grief to no end by people at my gun club who claimed that reloads were dangerous, unsafe and possibly against the will of God. Then again, most of the rifle shooters at my club are more than willing to discuss what reloading data and components they use.

Most indoor shooting ranges in my area do not allow handloads on their range, both because of liability issues and the fact that they sell ammunition. The same ranges won't allow any one to pick up their brass...I do not shoot at those ranges. Strange that some of those ranges also sell once-fired brass.

[marlin39a]

Looks like all of us have been doing it wrong. Me for almost 40 yrs.

[BrassMagnet]

Seems to me that the know it all types are just covering for a fragile ego. Aside from being a bore, you kind of have to feel sorry for 'em. I usually just smile, nod my head and let 'em rant.

Sometimes they are just repeating what they were taught. Marksmanship instructors can be the worst. They have false reasons to believe they are the best and the resident experts.
They seldom run into real experts in their classes.

[jonp]

our little local gunshop gives ccw classes and I heard him once say that reloads weren't allowed. I thought it was something they made up because they were worried about getting suited. I never would have guessed the nra had anything to do with it. I'm a certified instructor myself but haven't given a class in many years. I don't remember seeing that in any instruction I took. Bottom line was in the big shortage when they couldn't get 9mm or 40 ammo they were buying reloads from a local guy and selling them to people who took the class. I guess it was that or quit giving the class. I guess things were different when it took away money.

"Getting suited"? Is that worse than getting pants?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I would have used that as an opening asking if he had any lead he wanted to get rid of. Just saying...
jeepyj

Maybe, given time, that is what he would have done. More likely, though, he was well trained and competent in all his job required of him, which was teaching policemen to point a gun in the right direction.

There was a limited amount of truth in what he said. Besides some commercial bullets, someone who simply says "I've got a .38. Better buy a .38 mould then", can easily fail to get jacketed bullet accuracy. But with properly thought out casting processes... Oh, does anybody really need to say that here.

I've got "The NRA Gunsmithing Guide Updated", which includes an article by a US military competitive shooting instructor. His advice, odd in that context when you think about it, was mostly to do no gunsmithing whatever. He also said it was very useful to be able to identify the various powders by appearance - a big no-no, I always thought. I'd have advised people to keep labels on them.