Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns What are you carrying in your CC gun....hand loads or factory?

Always factory. At least until all the ammo companies release their SD bullets for loading and I find way to seal my primers.

Do you guys think that if you carry factory and have to punch someone out that you are shifting some liability vs hand loads. Can just hear a prosecutor, yea he soured up the velocity and it was that extra velocity that caused the extra expansion and penetration that made the bullet penetrate both lungs and that's what killed the perp. A civil case would not be pretty.

I carry factory for the following reasons:

1) I hate reloading little pistol rounds and especially when quantity is involved

2) I have money, so I don't need to reload them


Everything in life comes down to time and money. I'm not a 'handgun' guy, I'm a rifle guy. As much as I consider rifles tools, I consider handguns the bottom of the tool box.

Speer Gold Dot in the 1911s, 255 SWC handloads in the .44 spec


(for much the same reasons Steelie gives -- I can hack loading up 100 rds at a time for the .44 but I can get Speer lawman .45s by the case wholesale)

I have always used factory ammo for carry. Right now it is all Gold Dots. The factories have proprietary powders that are designed around their velocity profiles and they also try to cut down on the flash.

Internet fable.

It's never come up in any court case I have even read about in these parts, let alone any of the trials I have been subpoenaed to in the last 20 years.

Most investigators couldn't spot a handload if they had been directed to look for them.

If I only shot a few boxes a year Maybe I would buy them of the shelf but I shoot a lot.Plus I like rolling my own.

Actually, it predates the Internet. First place I read of it was in the writings of Ayoob in the mid '80's, IIRC. I can't say one way or the other on the validity of the claim, but still haven't seen any citation linked to back it up in any discussion I've read (and I make it a point to read whenever it comes up ).

I generally stick to factory for serious use, because the brass is new and primers are sealed. I don't bother with either on my reloads. Not against using the reloads if that's all I have though.

I've been to federal court over use of force issues, twice.

I have no doubt that if you use handloads it would come up in court.
Just like it would come up that you used "bullet X" that were factory loads.
And just like they'd bring up that you carried a gun.
And just like they'd bring up that you used a gun.
And just like they'd bring up that you were even in the place that you used the gun.
And just like they'd bring up that you put the bullet where you did in the bad guy.

The point is that if you shoot someone your life will suck beyond all fathomable belief for a while (my cases took 4.5 years and I didn't even kill anyone). Shoot whatever you want. If you have to put a bullet in someone, the bullet you use might be brought up.....but so will everything else in your life. So just don't sweat it.

Plus all the comments you have made on this forum about shooting someone if they pucked with you

Factory Rem. in my J frame and in the two Glocks we just bought.. All the rest are handloads, due to the fact I mostly use them for hunting, and protection second..


Mojo, where did you get those .44 spl. 200 grain Gold Dots.. I have been looking for a couple boxes for months with no luck..

Factory Rem. in my J frame and in the two Glocks we just bought.. All the rest are handloads, due to the fact I mostly use them for hunting, and protection second..


Mojo, where did you get those .44 spl. 200 grain Gold Dots.. I have been looking for a couple boxes for months with no luck..

I shoot factory ammo in my CCW handguns.

Of course it is not going to be pretty.
You should be in better shape than the other guy.
My CC instructor says if it is a justified shooting legal expenses will be $10,000.
If NOT justified $40,000.
I would think the more you can afford to practice the more likely that you will be proficient enough to avoid collateral damage.
Survival is job #1.
You can sweat the details later.
whelennut

Factory ammo. I think I have Gold Dots in 2 mags and Golden Sabres in 2 more (not that I carry 4 magazines).

Back in 1991 John Farnam told me that it took on average of $90,000 and 10 years of your life to WIN after a shooting. That was in 1991; that's sobering.

Now he was talking a clearly justifiable homicide, for both criminal and civil. He was driving home the point that shooting someone really is the LAST thing you ever want to do.

Farnam's a man who's been around the block. He trained the NYPD, and countless other LE agencies. The Italian Cabirineri and a few high speed, low drag type TLA's (three letter agencies). And he has done a lot of expert witness testimony.

Methinks much depends on location.

Handloads here.

G17 9mm, 147gr XTP, 1100 fps

G22 40SW, 180gr XTP, 1000 fps

G21 45 ACP, 230gr XTP, 950 fps

Yep!