It gets discussed fairly often in various threads about defensive ammunition but not often in a dedicated thread like this one.
I am not aware of any actual court cases where the use of handloaded ammo was an issue, but personally would not want to be the first test case. I am sure that there are plaintiff's attorneys out there who research these things and may be eager to bring the matter up under favorable (to them) circumstances. Why give the opposing counsel anything extra to use against you in court? Having said that, if the shooting is ruled justifiable, you would probably be OK and if it is ruled unjustifiable, you will have worse things to worry about.
Back in the days when good defensive factory ammo was rare, reloads might have been worth carrying. Today, however, the factories are putting out excellent ammunition and there is no ballistic or terminal performance advantage to reloaded ammo for defensive purposes.
Another factor is that, honestly, many reloaders do not produce handgun ammunition that is as good as they think it is. If one round in 50 has a high primer or a bulged case, Murphy's Law will place that round under the firing pin when the fur starts to fly.
I vote for factory ammo only for serious social purposes. But it's a free country.
Last edited by wildhobbybobby; 11/19/12.
