Do you make your own defense rounds?

[jmort]

Again, look what happened to the late Harold Fish. He used factory hollow-point 10 mm ammunition, was convicted and had to take up an appeal to get his felony conviction overturned. The proposition that using your hand-loaded ammunition is more risky is conjecture as opposed to the reality of using 10 mm hollow-point ammunition. We know for sure that using factory 10 mm hollow-point ammunition can be used against you. I never hear the fearful saying anything about hollow-points or 10 mm handguns which is reality as opposed to the unicorn of hand loaded ammunition.

[mallen]

Again, look what happened to the late Harold Fish. He used factory hollow-point 10 mm ammunition, was convicted and had to take up an appeal to get his felony conviction overturned. The proposition that using your hand-loaded ammunition is more risky is conjecture as opposed to the reality of using 10 mm hollow-point ammunition. We know for sure that using factory 10 mm hollow-point ammunition can be used against you. I never hear the fearful saying anything about hollow-points or 10 mm handguns which is reality as opposed to the unicorn of hand loaded ammunition.

so, i shouldnt carry a 50 cal desert eagle?

[M-Tecs]

LOL...too much tv

How does stating "Defending your actions is your real concern. Your ammo choice is a non-issue." equal too much tv?????

[MaryB]

No it will be "his targeting laser flashed my eyes and now I have permanent loss of sight..."

[Bullshop Junior]

If i pull a gun, he wont be needing his eyes anymore.

[FLHTC]

How does stating "Defending your actions is your real concern. Your ammo choice is a non-issue." equal too much tv?????

Your attorney will be defending your actions at $250 an hour, after he spent dozens of hours preparing your case and hopefully, within the first three days of testimony. So much for your house being paid for. Now what is your real concern?

[jonp]

? Staying alive. I cant say im going to live my life examining everything i do in the light of "i might get sued". If i did i would never drive a car let alone put 3,000,000 miles under the wheels of my semi.

This is the continuation of a silly arguement. If everyone is afraid of being sued for using a firearm in self defense then do not carry one or have one in your house. Those few seconds you spend deciding on if you are going to get sued if you defend yourself will get you killed

[Bonz]

I reload my carry ammo primarily due to cost. Every time that I go to the range, I shoot 50 - 100 rounds thru my carry gun and my carry ammo uses factory projectiles such as Hornady XTP, Speer GoldDot, etc. The only cast that I shoot in my carry guns are the "FBI Load" projectiles that I buy from Rock River.

[dudel]

? Staying alive. I cant say im going to live my life examining everything i do in the light of "i might get sued". If i did i would never drive a car let alone put 3,000,000 miles under the wheels of my semi.

Not worried about getting sued, expect that. Just trying to improve the odds. How many of those 3,000,000 miles would you drive drunk? Hopefully not many. Defending an accident while under the influence is more difficult than sober. Even if you were not at fault.

[mallen]

Self defense insurance helps with all the legal stuff

[mold maker]

In a self defense situation, I worry lots more about being alive, than sued. I carry a gun, same as I carry insurance. Both make aftermath more bearable for me and my family.

[Bagdadjoe]

If you happen to shoot someone in self defense, is it worse to use "civilian killer bullets" like the police use or "cop killer bullets"?? Just wondering. I say "civilian killer bullets" because, obviously, cops don't shoot cops with their guns...well, usually. It's all in the terminology, ain't it?

[jonp]

Not worried about getting sued, expect that. Just trying to improve the odds. How many of those 3,000,000 miles would you drive drunk? Hopefully not many. Defending an accident while under the influence is more difficult than sober. Even if you were not at fault.

Your argument makes no sense. Are you equating loading your own ammo to driving drunk? One is a crime and the other is not. Try again with a coherent response

[Blackwater]

Well, this thread has degenerated the way it always does, with each side trying to prove they're more "right," smarter, more judicious and morally superior to the other. There ARE good points on both sides, and whenever that happens, it'll always wind up being a very PERSONAL decision, and people make personal decisions every day, including rather serious ones, on the basis of "selected" data they favor, while ignoring the merits, whatever they may or may not be, on the other side. The word that applies here is "prejudice," meaning "pre-judging" YOUR decision on the basis of the things YOU consider most important to YOU. That's just as it should be. We are still, at least for a while longer it seems, FREE to make these decisions on whatever basis we wish to, whether it be sound or rational or not. We decide who we WANT to believe about the courts and the aftermath, yada, yada, yada. I'll always take the side of wanting the best chance of just being the one to testify, rather than being the deceased, and that is most definitely NOT an unreasonable position to take. I love me, want to see me come home whenever I leave, and will defend me with my life, if needs be. All other questions come AFTER that.

However, each of us must make our OWN PERSONAL DECISION as to what data we wish to weight most heavily, and take responsibility therefor when and if we have to test it out. I have absolutely no problem with anyone who disagrees with me. I may think it less than prudent, but I have no problem with me, because I'm quite content to let everyone make this kind of decision for whatever reasons THEY deem appropriate.

I am concerned, though, about how these type arguements, and that's what they are - NOT "debates" which can actually be "won" or "lost" on the basis of rationality and logic - but more whizzing contests that nobody ever "wins" or "loses." There simply IS NO pat answer here. We just make choices, and that's all there is to it. Do whatever you feel moved to do, and either way, you're not necessarily or provably "better," "smarter" or "more prudent" in doing so, no matter which way you decide to go.

I based my decision on pretty extensive knowledge of what various bullets do to various creatures at various velocitys, etc., etc., etc. If I go to the morgue rather than home, it won't be because I listened to the wrong person, or read the wrong article - it'll be because I didn't handle the situation well and effectively - maybe let the bad guy get too close before reacting, felll prey to a fake, or whatever. It won't matter a heck of a lot, whatever it was that caused ME to fail. My guns do what they do. I do what I do, and if it's not enough ...... well, that's bad, but it's just the way it is. Eternal vigilance really IS the price of freedom, but not many take that as seriously as it merits being taken either. So be it. I can't change a soul, or a mind, and that's the way it should be. The ones who fail go to the morgue, and the ones that succeed get to go home, and MAYBE, fight a legal battle. I can't change the last part, but I owe it to myself and my family to at least TRY to do my best to make it home, whatever may await me there. The world may be a mess, but we CAN keep our own actions "clean," and that's all I control, so that's all I care about. You're perfectly welcome to differ with me, and to do so for whatever reason you find merit in. I just hate to see this always wind up being an argument of one set of "facts" vs. a 2nd, contrasting set of "facts." With all the inconsistencies in our world today, the only accurate answer is "IT ALL DEPENDS," and that's not reassuring, but these arguments don't make that better one whit.

[mallen]

ill read that. but not till after i eat my nachos

[jmort]

That is funny

[dolang1]

I haven't paid that much attention to the debate because I made my decision about 7 pages ago. I've got a new hollow point mold coming and I'm looking for two more. I haven't been this excited about reloading and casting in years. I enjoy this site.

[ritepath]

I don't know about casting my own HP's or using solid lead for SD loads, but I did load a general purpose 1.050 XTP's using 5 grains of power pistol for my Shield and CZ p-09. Both guns had zero issues.

Now instead of shooting 10 or 15 rounds of SD ammo a year I can load 100 rounds (new brass and XTPs being the bulk of the cost) for the price of 40. That means I can toss 500 rounds downrange, and truly learn how my pistol preforms with SD ammo.

[Lonegun1894]

Very well said, Blackwater. We all make our choices, and we live or die by them. No matter the choice, I hope it works out well for us all.

[nylocmik]

So carry what your local PD"s carry, in caliber and bullet weight and type. Good for them, then it should be good for you?