i dont go by that

hell i trust my reloads more than factory. Im the one doing quality check.


and some people claim that if you use your reloads in a self defense situation then the DA will claim your loads are more deadly or some BS

if its a good shoot, then its a good shoot

All my SD stuff is hand loaded these days.

.357 Mag 125gr Hornady XTPs for the J-Frame
.357 Mag 180gr Hornady XTPs for the 5" Smith
.40S&W 180gr Hornady XTPs for the M&P40 and the 4006 Tac
5.56mm 65gr Sierra Game Kings for the various ARs

The only guns in the house that use factory ammo are the Mossberg 590A1 (which is for the wife anyway) and a 50s vintage High Standard .22LR 9 shot revolver (which, incidentally, Ive never fired)

Mas Ayoob is full of shit on this one.

What kinds of loads are you using for the .357 XTPs? I picked up a box of 158gr not too long ago and my manuals are short on load data for it.

I've got some factory ammo when dick's had a sale, but I have lots of reloads stocked up. Any intruder will get some 230gr HP 45acp.

I know my reloads are good and I will trust them over any factory loads.

This.

Everything I shoot is hand loads. I carry hand loads. They are all optimized for MY firearms. I have spent much time perfecting them
and my techniques in loading them. No factory can do that. Any and all ammo for rifles that may be called upon for defense will be sealed with a sealant on both neck and primer annulus. All rifle ammo is single stage loaded and all charges are individually weighed so there is no doubt as to whether or not everything is correct. All ammo has been chronographed as well. The only thing I buy as far as factory ammo now is either surplus in military calibers for practice, or new factory if I need cases and it's on sale cheap enough that I can shoot it and reload cheaper than just buying the cases by themselves to start with. 6.8 is a prime example of that, as is .45 acp from time to time.

Pistol ammo is loaded on a simple Lee turret press, and I have trained myself as part of the procedure to visually check the powder in each and every round before placing a bullet in the case. It might be a tad slower, but it is one reason I've not moved on to a better/faster press with a bullet feeder. If you've seen the kids in the Madrases on the news rocking back and forth reading the Koran, that's what I look like, except I'm rocking back and forth looking in the case.

I've so far had one (ONE ) 1, load of any kind that wasn't correct. It was in a workup for a load for a new .45 acp that I didn't follow my normal procedure. I have loaded close to 20,000 rounds of .45 acp, 2000 rounds of 9mm, 1500 rounds of 7.62x39, 3000 rounds of 5.56/.223, 6000 rounds of .308, 2500 rounds of 6.8. There are a lot of folks who've loaded 10 times more than I have.

Out of all my loads, I have had 1 round that wasn't right. I have pushed pressures in some, as you will do in working some of them up, but function wise, and in the actual settled upon loads, there has been 1 in all of that.

Contrast that to factory bought ammo. I have had a multitude of issues with almost every caliber listed even in good brass cases loads from good American companies. Many, many times the Russian and other steel cased stuff has had issues, and even some of the Com Block brass stuff as well. I have even had high dollar defense ammo have issues with FT fire, or noticeable problems before I chambered or loaded it. I think all of us have. I trust myself more to load for my life, than someone loading for a paycheck.

Ayoob needs to stop his spiel with this nonsensical argument, because he is only hurting those that carry their own by giving this type of bullshit legs due to his "supposed " credibility.
The larger portion of this country that carries lives in municipalities that wouldn't have a clue as to what you shot a guy with to begin with. Most wouldn't think of it, or even send it out to a lab to be checked. Unless you have some absolute weird Hollywood plot type situation, no one would ever even consider it.

I have loaded SD rounds for a few years now and I am quite sure that if I ever have to use my weapon in a SD situation I am quite sure they will take my gun and I will wind up in Court and the Prosecutor will try to portray me as some type of Rambo bullet making maniac I will be able to prove without doubt that my rounds are loaded well withing safe operating limits and are equalivlent to Factory rounds but even after it's all said and done I am quite sure I will be out a large sum of money defending my safety and justifying my decision to the trigger.

If you are worried about it, by all means carry Factory Ammo.
Speaking of "take the chance" you may want to also think about your choice of firearm as well. After all, if the Prosecution can make you look like a "nut job" because you handload he can also make you look like a "nut Job" depending on your choice of firearm.

"Ladies and Gentleman of the jury, this is the 45 caliber handgun Mr. X use to kill poor Leroy. That's right a 45 caliber, the biggest baddest handgun caliber made. Mr X has several other handguns in smaller more friendly calibers like the 9mm. For those members of the jury that do not know what a 9mm is, it's this tiny little guy I hold in my hand, it is also what many Law Enforcement Officers across the county use. Oh, I'm sorry, You can't see this tiny little bullet, here I'll come closer and pass it around, don't drop it though, we may never find it it the carpet.

When Mr X armed himself that night he did not take his smaller more friendly 9mm, NOOOO, he took the biggest baddest handgun he owned. He new that if he was going to shoot someone his massive 45 caliber would do the most damage and without a doubt kill his victim instantly. He did not arm himself that night to protect, he armed himself to KILL.

If only Mr X would have taken the smaller 9mm for protection instead of his 45 for the sole purpose of killing his victim, poor Leroy might still be alive today."

There how that for a bull shit scenario. That said, if that nut job Ayoob was preaching this crap there are those would certainly by into it.

Mas is not full of shit on this. Mas' course is about CYA in court. There is a valid reason to not carry handloads. When using factory loads the evidence specs is documented by the manufacturer. There are documented cases of DAs/prosecuteors calling handloads more lethal and rambo-like mentality etc. It's in several cases. It's also come up in civil cases frequently. It has complicated things for a DEFENDANT that was involved in a justified shooting in self-defense.Yes, it's BS and untrue of course, but it's how some prosecutors think in anti-states where they'll do anything to get guns out of the law abiding citizen's possesion. Why go through the possibility of that complication - especially in an anti-state, when the ammo specs could be on the box stub in your safe if anyone ever wants to know what you shot with? It's not a question of whether the handloads are better, worse, more or less reliable. It's perception and image. And remember, in states like MA, NY, CA, IL etc., people don't know anything about guns and use of lethal force - except they're icky. That includes DAs and some cops and most of the population.

It's to protect yourself from unscrupulous attorneys with a personal agenda against the 2A. It's not about the performance of handloads. As it is, I shoot them often, I keep them in the AR and I stack them deep for SHTF. I just carry factory loads, in my pistols on the street. That's the gun(s) that are more likely to see action and come into scrutiny.

But to say a man is full of shit for forwarding information about what has actually happened in courts is dim. The info is there about what has happened to some people - you decide.

-JC

Take it to GD.

For the "i know my own quality" crowd....

Yeah, from the point where the components come into your possession.

But before that? I don't know how old my stuff is, how it was stored, etc. How do I know the primers i'm buying weren't tossed as a partially defective lot and somehow ended up on the shelves anyway?

And your response should be, I taylor make my ammo because it is cheaper and more accurate than factory mass produced ammo. My handloads are accurate and by using them I can actually hit what I am aiming at, less chance of injuring an innocent bystander. Most of the LEO I know have a very difficult time hitting what they are aiming at, mainly because of their choice of inaccurate Super Hot Self Defense ammunition.

I'm not going to dig through buried notes, he has and it's there if you want to see it. And I don't think it's ever turned a good shoot bad. But any complication - in civil or criminal court is bad. I will consider removing possible problems that can create even small complications, not the far end possibility of a conviction / ruling against me. Any possibility of any evidence being questionable costs more money.
Why bother? You can get up there and tell them this or that or anything being the professional witness that you are. But the manufacturers have already done it and have better lawyers.

I want to avoid any complications, it's complicated enough sometimes. You do what you want. It's not a bad idea to avoid possible problems, no matter how remote.

-JC

What do you carry?

Here's the article they're talking about

Daniel Bias case

Read it to the end and draw your own conclusions.

I have wondered this as well. Zero malfunctions on my reloads, thousands. A few malfunctions with "quality" commercial, many with commie surplus.

I have commercial loaded in my carry gun because my reloads are FMJ.

I have heard more than one defense attorney say that if you are going to CCW, you really need to call your local sheriff's office or PD and ask what round they issue for duty and then carry the same.

Supposedly saves a lot of headaches down the road.

Do you think that notes written by the defendant are going to be acceptable in court? That's like trying to use the defendant's diary saying he was at home watching TV on July 8th as evidence.

Not speaking for S-JD, but I've used this data with success (comes from Hodgon's 2011 Reloading annual magazine).

158 gr. XTP

C.O.L = 1.580"
Case length: 1.285"
Primer: Winchester Small Pistol Magnum

Winchester 296 powder

15.0 gr. @ 1418 fps (28,600 CUP) to 16.7 gr. @ 1591 fps (40,700 CUP)
(10" test barrel with 1:18.75" twist)

I've gone up 16.5 gr. and it worked nicely in a S&W Model 19 w/ 6" barrel. XTPs are very accurate and consistent bullets.

I know of the case, but I was only a little sarcastic. I meant what I said, If you are worried about what ammo you carry then you better worry about what firearm and Caliber you carry as well.

Eh, I had a feeding problem today in one of my reloads. I think I had a sizing issue. Or maybe I didn't seat the bullet far enough.

One failure in 200 rounds I can live with for range use.

I like Packing's loads which are more aggressive than my own.

The 125gr XTPs get 12.5gr of Blue Dot on a CCI Small Pistol (non magnum) primer
The 180gr XTPs get 10.5gr of Blue Dot on the same primer.

Both are loaded in Speer or Starline Nickle cases.

I carry either a G26 or one of my J-Frames (442 & M60), and occasionally both. I carry almost daily. I have other handguns that aren't concealed carry guns too. I shoot reloads through the AR often and wouldn't hesitate to carry them in it if need be. The Glock doesn't like them (the ones I have at least). I have some .357 loads that are just great and super accurate and I carry them in the wilderness. I don't own a press. I have a friend that loads and we get together a few times a year and roll some. I've never had an ammo related failure in the .223 loads in over 2K down the tube. When I get a press and kit .223/5.56 and .357 will be what I get it for. And I'm looking forward to the day when I have space and $$ to start loading.

-JC

I have never once had a bad primer for reloading. I have run across many bad primers in factory ammo though.

Hand written and computer notes are used to prosecute people all the time. Using them for defense should be as easy but it isn't.

What an excellent post.