Reloaded ammunition for personal protection...

bryan

Bryan Armatys
Does anyone have any close or personal knowledge of a civil case arising from the use of reloaded ammunition in a "good" self defense shooting? I would think inflaming the jury would be the main goal of the prosecution, but showing that factory ammo is generally hotter than reloaded ammo would effective counter that point.
I don't have any real gripe with carrying factory ammo, but when I buy a firearm in a new chambering, I also buy brass, bullets, etc. and load for it from day one.
Is this really asking for trouble?
BA
 
Bryan,

this is one place where I feel that by far the easiest path is to buy a box of factory ammunition. I see no downside.

And no upside to handloads.
 
Does anyone have any close or personal knowledge of a civil case arising from the use of reloaded ammunition in a "good" self defense shooting? I would think inflaming the jury would be the main goal of the prosecution, but showing that factory ammo is generally hotter than reloaded ammo would effective counter that point.
I don't have any real gripe with carrying factory ammo, but when I buy a firearm in a new chambering, I also buy brass, bullets, etc. and load for it from day one.
Is this really asking for trouble?
BA

Your asking for big time trouble using your reloads in a personal defensive shooting. The prosecuting lawyer will try to chew u up six ways from Sunday.
 
Bryan,

this is one place where I feel that by far the easiest path is to buy a box of factory ammunition. I see no downside.

And no upside to handloads.

I see one downside, and that is, if you buy factory defense loads, they are exorbitantly priced and you should probably put a good 500 through the gun to make sure they function flawlessly before relying on them.

So, for a dissenting view, I believe the notion of handloads being vilified in court was speculation by Massad Ayoob. AFAIK, it has never actually happened in any court. Could it? Perhaps, but unless you did something like put poison in the tips, it would be an act of desperation on the part of the prosecutor.

I've carried both over the years and the availability of the bullet I want to use is normally the deciding factor.

GsT
 
Factory stuff, for sure.

For the same reason city and State attorneys never allow LEO's to use anything but factory ammo in their carry guns or tactical/SWAT long rifles.......
 
I was

a reserve deputy in my County's sheriffs office for 24 years. Back in the day when revolvers were the norm I carried a personal S&W model 19. The issued qualification ammo was 38 special. I always brought my own factory .357 158 gr HP and qualified with that, the same ammo I loaded the revolver with when I was in the patrol car.
 
there are two known case where reloads were brought up in the trial.
in one case it was a complete non-issue. in the second case while the prosecutor
made claims he had not data, when the defense offered to provide data the
prosecutor tap danced about not proof the loads in the gun were the sane as the data
set. so while it was introduced as an issue, in the end it was a non-issue.

i load and carry a duplicate of speer ammo for cost savings only.. no hot loads.
factory duplicates that cost less.

most of the noise on this issue is just that, noise. for nearly 20 years there was only one case,
and a few yrs back the second one came up. neither person was convicted.
 
factory loads

They said in my ccw class to carry factory loads. Lawyers tried to make it look like the handloads were loaded with one thing in mind, to kill, and some juries believed that. Carry factory loads and if they want to go down that road they can talk to Winchester, Remington, Federal lawyers. Doug
 
I always thought it was a good practice to know what the local LEO's had in their duty weapons and use that. I carried for many years as part of my job and our rounds ( HydroShocks.....dating me for sure..;) ) were a good round for personal carry as well.
 
there are two known case where reloads were brought up in the trial.
in one case it was a complete non-issue. in the second case while the prosecutor
made claims he had not data, when the defense offered to provide data the
prosecutor tap danced about not proof the loads in the gun were the sane as the data
set. so while it was introduced as an issue, in the end it was a non-issue.

i load and carry a duplicate of speer ammo for cost savings only.. no hot loads.
factory duplicates that cost less.

most of the noise on this issue is just that, noise. for nearly 20 years there was only one case,
and a few yrs back the second one came up. neither person was convicted.

Interesting info, but I wouldn't want to push things and be the third. Having been on the receiving end of defense attorney cross-examination/torture a few times, these folks make a living making mountains out of mole hills, and have no scruples.

"Regular ammo wasn't deadly enough for Mr. NRA. Nooooo....he had to repair to his ammunition bunker/armory in his basement and concoct his own 'Super Killer' brand of bullets to ensure my client, may he rest in peace, loving father of 9...loving husband of 4...did not survive and be able to testify truthfully as to what happened that night..."

BS...we all know it, but there is a legal opinion held by most attorneys that juries are comprised of 12 people who are not smart enough to get out of jury duty.

And really...why risk it? There is some great factory ammo out there that will more than suffice.

Justin
 
Never read or heard a case of reloads/factory.....in court. Making the case for or against or worse off. Hear BS! That's the worst.
How many folks carry a pistol/rifle in the truck? Go about their business on their property(Maybe 1000's of acres). Need to kill a coyote or deer feeding on their property. I bet most use reloads....Now ya got a 2 legged Predator....??? Do they switch ammo? Dought it? That happens a lot...
 
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SORRY BUT IN OVER 10 YEARS, more like 20 since ayoob STARTED THIS FAIRY TALE IT HAS NOT HAPPENED.
DO AS YOU CHOOSE IT IS STILL A FREE COUNTRY.

Interesting info, but I wouldn't want to push things and be the third. Having been on the receiving end of defense attorney cross-examination/torture a few times, these folks make a living making mountains out of mole hills, and have no scruples.

"Regular ammo wasn't deadly enough for Mr. NRA. Nooooo....he had to repair to his ammunition bunker/armory in his basement and concoct his own 'Super Killer' brand of bullets to ensure my client, may he rest in peace, loving father of 9...loving husband of 4...did not survive and be able to testify truthfully as to what happened that night..."

BS...we all know it, but there is a legal opinion held by most attorneys that juries are comprised of 12 people who are not smart enough to get out of jury duty.

And really...why risk it? There is some great factory ammo out there that will more than suffice.

Justin
 
Last edited by a moderator:
SORRY BUT IN OVER 10 YEARS, more like 20 since ayoob STARTED THIS FAIRY TALE IT HAS NOT HAPPENED.
DO AS YOU CHOOSE IT IS STILL A FREE COUNTRY.



Quote Originally Posted by Zebra13 View Post

Interesting info, but I wouldn't want to push things and be the third. Having been on the receiving end of defense attorney cross-examination/torture a few times, these folks make a living making mountains out of mole hills, and have no scruples.

"Regular ammo wasn't deadly enough for Mr. NRA. Nooooo....he had to repair to his ammunition bunker/armory in his basement and concoct his own 'Super Killer' brand of bullets to ensure my client, may he rest in peace, loving father of 9...loving husband of 4...did not survive and be able to testify truthfully as to what happened that night..."

BS...we all know it, but there is a legal opinion held by most attorneys that juries are comprised of 12 people who are not smart enough to get out of jury duty.

And really...why risk it? There is some great factory ammo out there that will more than suffice.

Justin

CMaier,

You can carry whatever-the-hell you want to...I don't care. I'm just offering advice, to those who want listen, based on having spent a considerable amount of time in courtrooms, and with attorneys. How much courtroom time do you have?

And thinking that it won't happen because it hasn't happened yet...well...that's just naïve.

It is a free country...and you can do as you choose. But choose wisely...


Justin
 
more than you might guess.
and i am doing the same, offering advice on facts not supposition .

CMaier,

You can carry whatever-the-hell you want to...I don't care. I'm just offering advice, to those who want listen, based on having spent a considerable amount of time in courtrooms, and with attorneys. How much courtroom time do you have?

And thinking that it won't happen because it hasn't happened yet...well...that's just naïve.

It is a free country...and you can do as you choose. But choose wisely...


Justin
 
Pretty sure it doesn't matter

The goal is very often to live. Having accomplished that, I don't think it matters much otherwise. On the other hand, I'm old and life imprisonment doesn't mean as much as it once did.
 
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