Reloading ammo

Mornin klmspider,
"It doesn't pay to stake your life on a reload!"
I gotta strongly disagree with that statement. Have you ever checked out store bought loads? Especially Winchester in the white box. The AOL of them very so much that it makes me wonder how much the powder is off. The reason we reload our own is to test and find out what the best bullet, powder, amount of powder and what the best AOL is for our weapon. That takes about a month to try everything to get your setup. Then you have the price with how many rounds you get for your investment. I get over 2800 rounds for under $150.00. I get good penatraction with my reloads so I know the effects of them. We get the same powder and primers as the the company's get. so I see no problem there.
I've never found a hot load that was better or even close to a medium load, and your weapon will show you what load you need by how close your pattern gets. If it ever came to my Wife's or my life being put on the line, Yes I'll trust my reloads.

Hobbles- I won't argue the point that a handloader can make a more accurate cartridge than the poorer factory loads. I'm sure you can. Not all handloaders can, or will be that careful and exacting. But, just as much to the point, a handloaded cartridge, used in self-defense, opens up one more prosecution area of attack on the user of the handload. They argue that you were either out-gunning for someone, and had the intent- or, may have made "extra-strength killer loads". No, this guy may reload, and practice a lot with my own reloads, but I don't need to give prosecutions another way to attack my self-defense claim!
Although I can get quite a few reloads from a case, I do realize, that my used-case reloads may not be in perfect size and strength, as is expected from virgin brass cases. That bothers me a bit.
If I felt I HAD to use my own loads in a self-defense setup, I'd start loading more expensive hollow-points, and use virgin brass. That alone would negate most of the cost advantage of my reloaded cast bullet/ used case loads.

Mornin klmspider,

Your comment "a handloaded cartridge, used in self-defense, opens up one more prosecution area" is a sad truth. It seems like the bad guys have more rights on their side in a lot of states. Heck, Kentucky had the "run away" law till 05 or 06. Now we can defend our self and our property. Before if a bad guy broke in the front door, we were suppose to run out the back door and call the police.
And your "Not all handloaders can" statement is also true. I have made a few mistakes when I first got into reloading. But now, with a few years behind me in reloading, I feel like my reloads are just as good and any store bought loads and better then some. I also feel like my reloads are the perfect "size and strength" for my weapon. That's one of the reasons why I reload. If your OAL is off then your POI will be too. If your weapon is shooting to high, like Bersa's do, you can make your OAL shorter to compensate for the sights. I don't want the hollow points for self defense. I like the blunt nose, kinda like a bowling ball, It don't have to be the fastest going down the lane to knock all the pins down.
I shoot with friends that practice aiming at the person silhouette, I aim at where a button would be on the silhouette. The old "aim small, miss small" theory. Kinda like when I deer hunt, I won't take a shot unless I can hit both lungs. And yes, more walk away than I take a shot at. I think that's because I'm to darn lazy to have to track them for a hour. I like it better when they just drop. I still get some that will run for 100 feet first, but then they don't move. Same goes for yotes, (They keep my ears warm when I'm riding, a western hat don't.)
Now I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying we have a different point of view, different style's and use different theory's. With that in mind, and we are ever together when the , you take the ones on the left.

Afternoon Keltyke,
I can see a prosecutor accusing me of carrying my weapon with "especially deadly" intentions. If I ever have to pull my weapon to protect my Wife or me, I do believe he would be 100% correct.
You aim for the BG's leg, I'm aiming for the 3rd button down.
The prosecutor is going to love me.
"Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6".

hobbles said:

Afternoon Keltyke,
I can see a prosecutor accusing me of carrying my weapon with "especially deadly" intentions. If I ever have to pull my weapon to protect my Wife or me, I do believe he would be 100% correct.
You aim for the BG's leg, I'm aiming for the 3rd button down.
The prosecutor is going to love me.

"Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6".

Click to expand...

Amen to that, my feeling totally.