Many handgun owners reload, but is it wise to count on that ammo for defensive carry? Jason Hanson says “no.” READ WHY
Jason Hanson
During war, one of the most common tactics used to fight the enemy is to disrupt their supply lines.
During the Vietnam War, U.S. soldiers did this in a different way than just simply stopping supplies from getting to the enemy.
This specific operation, code named “Project Eldest Son,” was carried out by U.S. Green-Beret patrols, who captured enemy ammunition stashes that were typically 7.62 X 39mm ammo cartridges, which were used in the AK-47’s regularly carried by Communist forces.
Once the U.S. captured the ammo stashes, the cartridges would be disassembled and then put back together with different components.
For instance, the powder in the cartridges was replaced with a high explosive powder that would generate five times the pressure in the firearm.
The high explosive powder inside the cartridges would typically cause the AK-47 receiver to explode sending bolts and pieces of the gun backwards towards the person holding the rifle.
Once the sabotaged ammo was ready to go, U.S. forces would return the ammo to the stashes and would usually put one bad round in a container full of good rounds.
Basically, this would put doubt into the enemy’s mind regarding the safety and reliability of their ammo.
In addition, most of the Communist forces ammo was coming from China so this also was done so the enemy would question the ammo they were receiving from China.
The fact is, our firearms are obviously worthless without ammunition that works.
I’m sure you’ve heard how many gun activists want to make ammo harder to come by and there is no question that depending on where you live, it’s becoming more difficult to walk into your sporting goods store to buy ammo.
This has led to a continuing growing popularity of reloading your own ammo. Now, I know people who have done this for years and are very good at what they do.
On the other hand, I have a family member who spent countless hours reloading thousands of rounds, only to find out the powder was a little off and the ammo was unusable.
This is why if you reload ammo you have to take your time and know what you’re doing. This is not something you want to watch one YouTube video about and then think you’re a pro who knows it all.
So, if you are considering getting into reloading ammo, keep in mind the factors below and make sure you invest the time to do it right.
Reliability.
As I mentioned, I had a family member who reloaded his own ammo and was slightly off with his measurements.
Of course, no one is perfect, but the thing is, the big ammo manufacturers clearly have numerous safety inspections in place that make their ammo much more dependable, which is why quality ammo rarely has any issues.
Cartridge gets weaker.
Unless you keep your eye on every cartridge you use for reloading, you never know how many times the cartridge has been reloaded. The more you reload a cartridge, the weaker it will become over time.
Essentially, as it becomes weaker, it will be more prone to failure and malfunctions.
Legality.
I realize this is a big “what if,” however, if you were ever involved in a self-defense shooting would you really want to explain your reloaded ammo?
Again, I realize this is a stretch, but it is one more thing an aggressive prosecutor or civil attorney could use to try and blame you for what happen. During a trial, the best thing you can do is show the court a box of ammo from the manufacturer and say contact them with any questions.
When it comes to ammo, some of my favorite brands are Speer, Hornady, Remington, Winchester, and Federal. These are all quality and dependable brands that won’t break the bank.
I do realize a lot of folks reload ammo for the huge savings cost. If this is the case, I see nothing wrong with reloading rounds for simply target practice at the range or shooting with friends.
However, I would not use reloaded rounds in my self-defense weapon and I would spend the extra money to make sure you have a reliable round when your life depends on it.
Jason Hanson is a former CIA Officer and New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life. To get a free copy of his book, click HERE
