I tend to hit a middle ground
Before I retired, under agency SOPs, I carried all factory ammo. We issued Speer Gold Dot HPs, and my sidearms shot it fine.
Since retirement, and being constrained only by good sense, I still prefer to carry a good factory load IN the sidearm, but am not bashful about carrying handloads as spare ammo.
In .45 ACP, I still carry factory 230 Gold Dot HP ammo, both loaded and for reloads.
In my snubbie .38s, it is a factory 158SWCHP, but frequently carry handloads in a speedloader or Bianchi Speed Strip.
I often carry a Model 65 S&W 3" with carefully assembled handloads - - 162 gr LSWC bullets cast from my old Saeco mould, over 7.0 gr of Unique in magnum cases. They clock an honest 1050 fps and are very accurate. This is a heavier load than .38 Spl +P, but more controlable and with less muzzle blast than full-house magnum loads.
Best,
Johnny