Self made homedefense reloads

ochmude said:
I can try and duplicate those factory loads for defensive purposes, but I just feel like I'd be flying blind unless I tested the terminal performance of my own loads as extensively as ones from the factory.
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Do you own a Chronograph? If you do, this problem is rather intuitively
solved.

If you use a recognized bullet (eg, something like a Speer GDHP) and load it to the correct velocities, it'll do the same "job" a factory load will. All you need is a box of the desired bullets and a chronograph. The component bullets the major factories sell are exactly the same as what they use in their commercial ammo- loading them to similar velocities as their recipe will yield similar results.

For example, I like the Speer GDHP 230 gr .45 ACP load. I could replicate the performance of that load by buying a bunch of .45 cal 230 gr GDHP component bullets, load it up to about 800-900 fps or so and I'd be in the performance window of that bullet, just like the factory. (somewhere in the "bible" I have chrono data for factory defense ammo I like to use..... so getting in the same speed range wouldn't be hard. ) No need to do ballistic testing because Speer, Remington, or whoever, has already done it for me. (and this has been usually backed up by other sources, as well. )

One thing that does suck is there are a limited amount of component bullets out there suitable for self defense (IMHO) and they are sometimes hard to get. Speer, Remington, and Barnes are pretty much it for pistol calibers... and the bullets Barnes sells are more centered around hunting ammo.

All this aside I don't do it..... I like sealed primers and flash retardants... and I have a fair amount of defense ammo in most calibers I would ever hope to use, but if I had to load ammo I could trust my life to, I have no doubt I could do it, no problem, without hesitation.

-Mike
 
DukeInMaine said:
That's a great trick shot at the range.

But.... when the adrenalin starts pumping, there's no way that you would ever make that shot. All that would do is give the bad guy extra time to hit YOU center mass.
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....it was a sad attempt at humor [hmmm]
 
I'd be afraid of a state of mind attack claiming a bloodthirsty gun owner reloading super hot bullets and then itching for a reason to use them. It won't help your case if they can make you look like a psycho or paranoid freak. And on that note I have loaded all my own doomsday ammo with a special super hot recipe that I originally developed for the Y2K thing. Its an excellent rabbit load if your rabbit is 2 legged and has an evil intent.

Marcus5aurelius said:
I don't think it matters as far as liability. The only real reason that I've heard to avoid using reloads for self defense is a greater chance of having a dud or FTF in a situation that you need reliability the most. As long as you trust your reloads completely though, it shouldn't make much of a difference. Besides, if you wanted to make sure the aggressor did not have a chance to get back up, or live to sue you for defending yourself than a reloaded SW500 "grand canyon" hollowpoint might be interesting, but might make more of a mess [wink]
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swampy said:
I'd be afraid of a state of mind attack claiming a bloodthirsty gun owner reloading super hot bullets and then itching for a reason to use them. It won't help your case if they can make you look like a psycho or paranoid freak.
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i always thought this very same thing....but when i actually thought about it i dont see how in a situation where you may have to shoot someone that homemade rounds were more likely the cause of you shooting, as if you had factory rounds you would be less likely to pull the trigger?

its hard for me to put the thoughts into words, but i think you get what i mean


also, i would think that if your shooting can be legally justified than it shouldnt matter what is in your gun. on the other side of that...if you are involved in a shooting where you should not have pulled the trigger, i dont care if your gun is loaded with cute fluffy kittens, you are still going to be seen as a blood thirsty psyco killer
 
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I think you folks have to remember there are two obstacles. First hurdle to clear would be with the authorities. If they deem the shoot justified then you won't be facing any criminal actions. Second hurdle would be a civil action. The bg or bg's family with the help of an attorney is likely going to be looking to pick your pocket.
Do you think they won't be looking over all of your loading data, handloads vs traditional loads, posts on this forum with statements like 'I shoot to kill', affiliations with various gun clubs, the number of guns you collect, your magazine subscriptions etc etc

Whomever posted 'it doesn't matter what's in your gun' is absolutely out of their mind. I'm not even a lawyer and I could make you look like a total wack job. Remember all the craziness with armor piercing ammo? Do you think the jury would shrug it off if they knew you had some of that sitting in your safe?
 
Realtor MA said:
Whomever posted 'it doesn't matter what's in your gun' is absolutely out of their mind. I'm not even a lawyer and I could make you look like a total wack job.
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If you buy into that mindset, then you might as well not carry a gun. In MA, we're all considered "whack jobs", or outcasts, by default definition in MA, unless you are someone of certain political prominence or power, then you'll probably get a pass on that front. I just think the impact of the ammo you use in a judicial sense is very overrated, especially if you have competent counsel in play on your side. IF you don't., you're probably screwed anyways. A prosecutor/DA hell bent on convicting you will try to convince a jury that .25 ACP is the round favored by Al Queda, and the only way to counter that is going to to have a defense that sounds more realistic and competent than theirs is.

The only ayoobist argument I can remotely buy is that in a corner case it might be useful to have lot traceability to answer some forensic questions which might not be reliably answered (with relatively independent veracity). This kind of thing is probably an issue in less than 1% of all self defense shootings, whether the defender is a LEO or a "Citizen".

The issue of a civil action is another story, but they can "invent" problems so trying to dodge them is an exercise in futility anyways. Anyone can be sued for anything in civil court. Doesn't mean the aggrieved will win a damned thing, though. If their attorney does not see a pot of gold at the end no case will be brought. Since you'll probably be destroyed financially from the criminal case (if it gets that far) a civil case is probably somewhat moot, unless you happen to have a lot of money around.

Remember all the craziness with armor piercing ammo? Do you think the jury would shrug it off if they knew you had some of that sitting in your safe?
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What craziness? None of that has ever seen a courtroom, to my knowledge.... all was (and still is) legislative and anti gun bloviation. A bunch of douchebags pranced around whining about AP ammunition and succeeded in banning something which had never proven to ever be a real problem. The mythical "aids quilt" of LEOs killed by armor piercing ammo was never produced, and nobody really cared on the RKBA side, which is why the "guh buh wuhs" got their way on that one. That was clearly an issue where "80% of success is just showing up" couldn't have been truer. It pobably would have made a big difference to some degree or another, except the NRA and the fudds decided it was cheaper to just throw an entire class of ammunition under the bus. "I don't use it so it doesn't matter to me. " [thinking]

Anyways, my point her is the AP ammo crap has nothing to do with what would or would not happen in a courtroom based off handloads made with common off the shelf components (that all the
major manufacturers use!) .

-Mike
 
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Realtor MA said:
Whomever posted 'it doesn't matter what's in your gun' is absolutely out of their mind. I'm not even a lawyer and I could make you look like a total wack job. Remember all the craziness with armor piercing ammo? Do you think the jury would shrug it off if they knew you had some of that sitting in your safe?
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I posted that and im just trying to have a debate, dont gotta go calling names and whatnot [rolleyes]
 
Chrisg67 said:
I posted that and im just trying to have a debate, dont gotta go calling names and whatnot [rolleyes]
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Sorry. I get too worked up about this stuff. I just figure you're better of saying that you went to the store, bought a gun approved by the AG, bought the ammunition for that gun at a reputable gun shop, took safety classes etc etc.
DRGRANT had a good point. The other parties attorney will make you or I look like a whacko either way.
 
Yeah, so just worry about killing the bad guy before he kills you (when he becomes intent on that purpose)..... The gun, the ammo you use, and the degree of highly qualified training you utilize isn't gonna matter.That's been the point right along.
 

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