FMJ Ball For Self Defense?

[DBC]

For the record, I do not advocate FMJ in a defensive handgun for many of the reasons you all have brought up.  But as I said, my buddy seems quite convinced that it is the best choice, and I wanted to see what others thought.

My concern is that his primary consideration seems to be cost.  He says he wants to train with the same ammo he carries, and of course who can afford to train with premium defensive ammo all the time?  For starters, I doubt many police departments (if any) train with their carry ammo.  I know my department didn't.  I think you shoot some of your carry ammo, so you know how it shoots, and use training ammo the rest of the time.

I personally would not want to be asked in front of a jury why I chose the ammo I used in a shooting, and have to answer, "because it was cheap."

[tombogan03884]

For the record, I do not advocate FMJ in a defensive handgun for many of the reasons you all have brought up.  But as I said, my buddy seems quite convinced that it is the best choice, and I wanted to see what others thought.

My concern is that his primary consideration seems to be cost.  He says he wants to train with the same ammo he carries, and of course who can afford to train with premium defensive ammo all the time?  For starters, I doubt many police departments (if any) train with their carry ammo.  I know my department didn't. I think you shoot some of your carry ammo, so you know how it shoots, and use training ammo the rest of the time.

I personally would not want to be asked in front of a jury why I chose the ammo I used in a shooting, and have to answer, "because it was cheap."

I think you have much better sense than your buddy.

[TAB]

Fwiw. The 1st mag full of ammo at the range is my sd ammo.  It cost me alot more in gas to go to the range then it does in ammo.  That mag cost me alot more then my ball reloads. But still very cheap compared to every thing else.   If I was worried about it. I would load fmjs to simlar levels as the my sd ammo and shoot that. 

[tombogan03884]

Fwiw. The 1st mag full of ammo at the range is my sd ammo.  It cost me alot more in gas to go to the range then it does in ammo.  That mag cost me alot more then my ball reloads. But still very cheap compared to every thing else.   If I was worried about it. I would load fmjs to simlar levels as the my sd ammo and shoot that. 

TAB, I agree with what you posted, since that also rotates your SD ammo giving you relatively fresh ammo in your carry gun.
My question is "do you carry reloads for SD or did you mean that you would adjust your reload practice ammo to match factory SD loads ?

[Solus]

If you have access to a chronograph and are a reloader, you can have it both ways.

Clock your chosen SD round to get a good average and accuracy test.

Then find a cheap bullet of the same weight and load to that same velocity and accuracy.

I know the ballistics of a ball 230gr .45ACP round and a JHP 230gr .45ACP round will be different, but that difference will be negligible at any reasonable SD range.

The recoil and sight picture will be virtually the same allowing you to practice with the cheap hand loads and still get the same 'feel' as your carry load.

[Sponsor]

[tt11758]

I run one magazine of my SD loads when I go to the range, then follow up with the cheaper FMJ rounds.  As Tom mentioned, that helps rotate the stock of SD rounds, and that one magazine for my 1911 costs me less than $10.  Hell, even I can afford that.

[TAB]

Tom no reloads for sd.   I carry either golden sabres in my commmander or gold dots in my delta elites.  Bumping up my reloads to those levels would be easy.   I just don't see the point in it.   

[MikeBjerum]

As long as we are on practice and reloads:

When I practice I will actually use a download.  The purpose of this is to reduce the possibility of developing a flinch based off recoil, and it reduces fatigue during training that may stretch out over a longer period of time.

When you actually get under the stress of self defense I will not associate squeezing the trigger with a harsh recoil, and the adrenaline rush will mask the higher felt recoil.

I do this in hunting practice and in USPSA practice.  When the timer goes off or the animal is in the crosshairs you feel nothing and you hear very little.  All that is there is the confidence that I can perform at the level I need to perform at.

[tombogan03884]

Tom no reloads for sd.   I carry either golden sabres in my commmander or gold dots in my delta elites.  Bumping up my reloads to those levels would be easy.   I just don't see the point in it.   

That's what I thought, reloads for SD, especially in unfriendly Ca could leave you open to accusations from some liberal prosecutor.

[TAB]

Thats actually the last thing I am worried about.   i am worried about a click, not boom.   both gold dot and golden sabre have been around for a long time .  While they might not be the latest ands greatest, they have a long track record of giving bad guys a very bad day.