use self defense ammo or practice ammo

D

Doc Holliday 1950

New member
I'd like everyone to weigh in and give me your thoughts about when you go to your range to practice technique and accuracy, do you use your carry quality SD rounds or the "Plink" stuff and of course WHY?

Real Important Here. This is your SD carry revolver I'm asking about. The one you always carry and this is the one you're practicing with.

Sorry I've been occupied for several months and just moved back down to the Yankee Doodle side of South Florida. Delray Beach area. Left here 18 yrs ago and kind of stayed a bit longer than anticipated. Nashville was very good to us and we hated to leave but my old lungs needed to be somewhere else. I'm Looking for a descent range here. Any ideas??

Thanks everyone.
 
Last edited:
Practice mostly with FMJ (your Plink) rounds, but occasionally with self defense ammo. There's a slight difference, but at close range I feel very little difference in the two. Considering the difference in price, I don't see a lot of advantage of constant practice with the actual SD ammo.

As to why, it's cost, and availability. I have a lot of fmj that cost 1/2 or less of the SD ammo.
 
Last edited:
I shoot cheap ammo for practice Then I shoot at least 1 cyl or mag of my SD ammo to end . +P a little different than cheap plinking ammo. :D
 
One of the joys of revolvers is knowing that your SD ammo will function, without the feed cycle issues a semi auto may have.

The only revolver I carry normally is a Colt Agent, and my practice ammo is standard velocity 158gr swc handloads. Carry ammo is factory 158 HP, so I don't feel a need to do more than confirm that it will hit roughly the same point of impact at short range.

And, I'm CHEAP, so wasting an expensive (factory) HP on range paper, when a cast slug handload does exactly the same thing goes against my better judgement.

I do it with semis, to ensure the load will work in them, but in a revolver, its a no brainer. ;)
 
I reload for 15 cents a round.
My carry ammo is a buck and a quarter a round.
No contest. I shoot a box or two a year of the factory stuff and about a thousand rounds of practice ammo. I carry Buffalo Bore 158 gr FBI load, and reload 158 gr plated for practice.

Best,
Rick
 
If you're busy focusing on the target rather than the gun, you won't even notice any difference in ammo.
Might as well use the least expensive stuff for practice.
At least that's been my experience.
 
I load my ammo on a progressive press and I buy bullets 5,000 at a time if I don't cast them myself. I have at times bought 25,000 at a time, but that is rare today.
I always buy primers by the case and in most cases I buy 10 cases at a time.

I can no longer buy these qualities as much as I'd like for 2 reasons.
#1 I can't find them to buy and #2 I can't afford to buy them at today's prices as much as I could 15 to 30 years ago.

I shoot hard cast bullets in all my handguns for practice and in my field/hunting handguns, I shoot hard cast at game too.

Shooting ammo in large quantities is not the only way to become a good marksman, but it is the most fun way.

I have not found that the point of aim and point of impact between cast and jacketed bullets is enough different to worry about in any of my 9mms or in any of my 45 autos. I do see a small difference in the 44 magnum and the 357 magnum, but that is not a problem because my magnums all have adjustable sights
 
Before I got into reloading, I would typically shoot a cylinder or two of my premium SD/HD ammo and a bunch of any cheap factory FMJ I could find.

Now that I reload, I don't have to compromise. I can produce a load that's similar to the premium SD/HD stuff at a fraction of the cost and shoot as much as I like.
 
Range fodder, either lower cost ready mades, or even cheaper roll your own for the range. Quality factory SD ammo for carry.
Run a few of the carry rounds through at the range occasionally.
The difference in point of impact is virtually undetectable at normal SD range.
 
The difference in point of impact is virtually undetectable at normal SD range.
Click to expand...

I would point out that while this is usually true, it MAY not be. There are exceptions, and it is prudent to determine if your gun & ammo combination falls in the usual range, or not.

One drastic exception I have personally seen was a .357, that shot .38s to perfect point of aim, but .357s more than a FOOT off, at 30 FEET!!! :eek:

(and, it was a fixed sight gun)

its uncommon, but it CAN happen, so check, to be certain.
 
I would use the same weight bullet in my practice (cheap) ammo as my SD ammo. Point of impact and similar recoil would be my main goal concerning the two loads. Keep the good stuff for carry, no need to waste it on paper.
 
Think in terms of a Nascar guy practicing with regular gas instead of whatever is used on race day.
You should always practice with the ammo you intend using for carry. It's not about any difference in point of impact. It's about the relative felt recoil and the physics that goes with it. Using the cheap factory FMJ ammo isn't the same as over priced premium SD/HD ammo. Mind you, the cheap factory FMJ ammo will do as well as the over priced premium SD/HD ammo if your pistol shoots it well.
 
Before I got into reloading, I would typically shoot a cylinder or two of my premium SD/HD ammo and a bunch of any cheap factory FMJ I could find.

Now that I reload, I don't have to compromise. I can produce a load that's similar to the premium SD/HD stuff at a fraction of the cost and shoot as much as I like.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^Yup^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Ill shoot enough defense ammo to ensure that it will function reliably, other than that it is all the cheapest FMJ for range time that I can find. The cheap steel cased stuff is reserved for my Saiga and Mosin.
 
I too reload and just shoot the same for practice that I use for SD/HD. For the majority of SD/HD scenarios, as long as bullet weight is the same, POI should be similar also. It's not like you're hunting and taking 70-100 yard shots. You are shooting COM @ 1 yard. While I would always suggest shooting your preferred SD/HD rounds enough to verify their reliability in your firearm and that they do indeed impact the same as your practice rounds, I doubt if you will find much of a difference @ legitimate SD distances.
 
If you are shooting you SD firearm at least monthly, and you should, fire at least 5 carry rounds per session. You will quickly learn if there is a difference in point of impact. That's 60 per year or at $1.50 a round $90 a year. Pretty cheap life insurance! It also ensures fresh carry ammo. Oh also make sure to shoot at least a box of 50 inexpensive rounds per month. More is better. You will also quickly learn what type of practice ammo shoots close enough to your carry ammo. The old NRA PPC 600 is sixty rounds and was to be shot monthly by law enforcement personnel as a MINIMUM to add to their training.
 
I don't see the difference SD vs practice. Shoot what I load, and load what I shoot. Try to get out monthly to shoot a few rounds down range with the CC gun. More than that with my other revolvers of course.
 
I shoot my carry ammo exclusively. For a while, I was working on my trigger-release proficiency, and I decided to shoot low power stuff. It was a mistake ... fairly quickly, my carry rounds started to feel harsh (whereas before, they felt normal and fine), and I didn't like that. So no more low power ammo for me.
 
Out of my SD/HD revolver I shoot my reloads at the range; why waste quality ammo killing paper? I just use a recipe that is pretty close to my SD rounds in terms of felt recoil.
 
Truly one of the great benefits of reloading is a shooters ability to tailor loads that adequately mimic his defense carry loads. In the case of my wife's .38 Special I've come up with a hand cast 158 gr LSWC with the same recoil as her 125 gr JHP Golden Saber CC loads. That's a nickle a shot vs what, a buck or so for boutique CC ammunition. Impact points are close enough (~1") out to 10+ yds that the LSWC's are our first choice for an afternoons practice. Rod
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top