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Factory or Handloads?

How Many Carry Factory vs Hand Loads


  • Total voters
    29
The state of Florida requires security officers, body guards, armored car guards, private investigators who are licensed to carry only factory ammunition for duty. I train those guys for their license. Police departments have similar rules. It's about reliability, and guarding against overpressure in the firearms.

I also know about the extent of research done by the FBI on effective handgun ammunition, and I know I am not smarter than the people who spent millions and years developing that stuff. Plus I have killed enough hogs with factory defensive ammo to have confidence in it. Hornady Critical Duty, HST, Sig V Crown, and others have what it takes to get the job done. Hornady 45 acp Critical Duty and Sig V Crown 10mm are especially potent in my experience.

Also in Florida if your use of force is justified under Chapter 782 or Chapter 776 of Florida statutes, you are immune from lawsuit and prosecution. Your state may or may not have similar immunity laws. If your use of force is questionable and does not qualify for immunity, they might try to use what you had for breakfast against you. What you say in public, or what you say on public internet sites could be more harmful that anything.

The shysters can argue anything the want, but ultimately the idea that you are going to be exposed to greater liability for using a handload in self defense is nonsense. If the use of deadly force is justified, whether you use a .22, a 9mm, a 12 ga, or an F350 is only secondary to the question of whether it was reasonable and necessary.
 
I will add one little caveat to the fact that I carry manufacturer ammo in my carry guns. In the event of some crazy situation, which I hope to NEVER be a part of, I have added a single hard cast lead projectile as the last round in each of my magazines. In my thinking, if 10 rounds of 10mm going 1200 fps can't stop whatever I'm shooting at, then a single 200 grain lead projectile might stop whatever threat I am facing.

Is that weird?
 
Today you might not be able to get factory ammo. I do reload. If I have to use reloads I would make sure that the case & bullet match. Such as Speer Nickle Plated case & Speer Gold Dot bullets. You could use Hornaday, Nosler & several other brands.
 
Considering most personal injury and other money-grubbing categories of lawyers rank just above an amoeba I would expect one to play that factory vs. handload trick, as well as any modification that one would have on their firearms.

My .02
I think it could go both ways. You built special instant death loads or you bought loads specifically for killing. Either way it is their game. I carry factory loads because I bought them before I started reloading XTP's. I tend to make my reloads lighter to reduce through body shots. That is my reasoning. I have had reloads go burp and factory loads do the same.
I do plan on carrying reloads in my Hellcat. I did in my 40 shield. I sold the shield to get the Hellcat and have a lot of 40 XTP's for my Hi-Point carbine.
 
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