Does Anyone Load Their OWN S.D. Bullets?

[painter]

I should also add that not only do I load my own personal defense ammo, but I also use hollowpoint bullets that I cast myself.  Apparently, I am a SuperVillian mastermind bent on global dominance according to Massad's court theory.

...and I personally like you for just that.

[1SOW]

wobbly:

N340 under a 124 or 147gr is really nice. When I practice my SD shooting, I just load some Berrys up with that.

You and I are both addicted to VIT.  My second try was with n340 and it appears to work very well, but 5.7gr is almost touching the base of a Zero 125GR JHP (.356)  at 1.142".  5.6grs may be enough though.
I just wondered what other powders are favored..

[jwc007]

  1.  I can't afford to practice with commercial  S.D. ammunition.  2. Without adequate practice with both the pistol and ammunition used for self-defense, a shooter may do more harm than good if the need arises. 

I can't afford to practice with Commercial SD Ammo either, but I can bump up some reloads to similar energies, using much less expensive Bullets for practice.

For instance, the CCI 124 grn +P Gold Dot exits the barrels of most of my 9mm Pistols around 1180 fps.  6.8 grains of HS6/W540 gets a 124 grn Surplus FMJ to do the same thing.

The CCI 200 grn Gold Dot exits the Barrel of my .45 Witness at around 900 fps.  I have a loading that propels a Berry's 200 grain Flat Point at about the same velocity.

I put a couple of hundred of these loads thru my Pistols every year for adequate practice.  All of my other loads use commercial ball equivalent loadings so the added energy is not quite as much a surprise.

Now,  what powders have you SD loaders found to be effective?   

Generally, it's whatever safely gets me the Velocity I want with low to no muzzle flash.

HS6/W540, Alliant Green Dot, and Unique for the 9mm
( I rarely use Unique anymore and have none on hand, but it served me very well in the past)

Alliant Red Dot for the .45 ACP and .38 Special

Alliant Blue Dot and HS6/W540 for the .357 Magnum

  Apparently, I am a SuperVillian mastermind bent on global dominance according to Massad's court theory.

Hmmm?  I think I might have your Mugshot here:

[jameslovesjammie]

I'm actually probably closer to Dale Gribble than Stewie or Dr. Evil.

[gianmarko]

unfortunately, that in the newspaper and in at least some courts will be described as "homemade explosive bullets"

in europe there are some idiotic laws that prescribe "proportionality" in self defense.

that basically means that you cannot shoot someone who enters your house armed with a medieval sword and two axes...

now, you -> might <- get away with shooting the knight with commercial, round nose fmj ammo, but the prosecutor will make shreds of you if you have shot the bastard with self-made expansive bullets, which will be described as above. in fact, you are not even supposed to use lead bullets here.

i have even read expansive bullets described as "dum-dum" by some dum-b journo.

it all really sucks, but this is what happens when you let idiots climb to the top...

getting off topic, some years ago a guy who was into law enforcement told me that the best combination for home self defense was a pump shotgun with 1 or 2 rounds loaded with plastic bullets and the rest buckshot. obviously the trespasser didnt stop with the plastic bullets and unfortunately had to use the lead ones...

 

I should also add that not only do I load my own personal defense ammo, but I also use hollowpoint bullets that I cast myself.  Apparently, I am a SuperVillian mastermind bent on global dominance according to Massad's court theory.

[kobus]

if you have to protect yourself and/or your loved ones against an armed attacker and the law requires you to shoot a warning shot first .....  make sure the first is somewhere between the left ear and the right ear and a second one into the ground in front of the feet.

[Wobbly]

Apparently, I am a Super Villian mastermind bent on global dominance according to Massad's court theory.

Here's the REAL Jamie....



And here's the "James Gang" all dressed up with the glint of evil intent gleaming in their eyes....




Be afraid. Be very afraid!

[jameslovesjammie]

unfortunately, that in the newspaper and in at least some courts will be described as "homemade explosive bullets"

in europe there are some idiotic laws that prescribe "proportionality" in self defense.

that basically means that you cannot shoot someone who enters your house armed with a medieval sword and two axes...

now, you -> might <- get away with shooting the knight with commercial, round nose fmj ammo, but the prosecutor will make shreds of you if you have shot the bastard with self-made expansive bullets, which will be described as above. in fact, you are not even supposed to use lead bullets here.

i have even read expansive bullets described as "dum-dum" by some dum-b journo.

it all really sucks, but this is what happens when you let idiots climb to the top...

getting off topic, some years ago a guy who was into law enforcement told me that the best combination for home self defense was a pump shotgun with 1 or 2 rounds loaded with plastic bullets and the rest buckshot. obviously the trespasser didnt stop with the plastic bullets and unfortunately had to use the lead ones...

Lyman has been making Hollowpoint bullet moulds since the 1890's.  Cramer (who later became Saeco) has been making hollowpoint bullet moulds since the 1940's.  Hensley & Gibbs from somewhere in the 1930's.  They even make a tool to turn your case trimmer into a hollowpointing fixture.  I highly doubt that I am making any more of a "homemade explosive bullet" than anyone who came before me.  It isn't like I'm putting depleted uranium cores in them (I don't need THAT much penetration anyway!).

Dum-Dum rounds are different.  They are when you take a bullet and cut a X on the top of it with a hard knife.  The purpose is to aid in mushrooming, similar to a hollowpoint but with a standard bullet.  Dum-Dum's and Hollowpoints are illegal for war because of the Hauge Convention, but not on the street.

Again, I don't really think it matters if I am shooting someone with a dum-dum, hollow point, or conventional bullet...the fact is that I am shooting a 130, 160, 180, or 230 grain projectile at 700-1250 feet per second.  I am looking to take a life to save my own (or my family), and that is it.  Killing someone is killing someone, no matter how you slice it.  It is something that I hope I never have to do, but if an attacker or intruder is willing to risk their life to hurt my family...they have made their decision.  For them, they decided it is worth risking their own life to break in or make an attack.  Castle Law states rule.

[1SOW]

Thanks JWC. 
HS-6 was 'next' on my list to try.  n340 looks like a winner, but HS-6 is some cheaper and likely to be more available locally.
I'm just using my normal stock of Zero 'target' 125JHPs for now--beats a round rock .

Having the "right" to defend yourself is a major responsibility as was sampled on these posts..  Declining the right "fought for" by others is not an option.
 

[Wobbly]

WSF is a perennial favorite.

[Shadow T]

1SOW, I wouldn't worry about the cost per round using the N340. You'll get over 1200 rounds from that pound of powder. Should be enough for load development, practice and any Bad Guy, should that be necessary. 

[1SOW]

Shadow T, you probably didn't realize I'm O.C. about shooting anything I've got that will go bang,  AND one .177 rd that just goes phhht.

1 pound of powder is just a teaser.

[johnnyrees]

Guys when your family is threathend by an intruder you use what ever it is you have to ,be it a hollow point bullet like you guys or a hollow point cricket bat/hockey stick like us Aussies.....what ever it is, what ever the law....family comes first

[RandyP]

Just to chime in with my opinion, if I shoot someone and it is a 'good' shooting, my ammo du jour will not matter. if it is deemed a 'bad' shooting? my ammo choice will be the very least of my worries.

I have a .380 pistol by my side as I write this and honestly have NO idea exactly what brand, style bullets are in the magazine other than they are ones I have tried at the range and they function well. I do recall there is a mix of hollow point and FMJ, but beyond that they could have been made by at least a half-dozen different manufacturers and could include some of my plated reloads in FMJ.

Any ammo I end up using in self defense automatically becomes my SD ammo. I accept the notion that a reliable hollow point bullet is a 'preferred' style, but I do not feel unprotected if I'm carrying all FMJs.

[1SOW]

Any ammo I end up using in self defense automatically becomes my SD ammo. I accept the notion that a reliable hollow point bullet is a 'preferred' style, but I do not feel unprotected if I'm carrying all FMJs

I tend to agree with that, with the proviso that a neighbor across the road may be in jeopardy from any soft hits or misses.
The last piggy built a brick house and it didn't blow down, but the first two piggies weren't mindful of 9mm rn bullets. 
Just saying.