Quote:
Originally Posted by BabaBlueJay
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To shorten this down to a sentence, do you practice exclusively with defensive ammo or do you use a mix of defensive and target ammo?
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I can shorten it down to just one WORD,
NO!
You see people recommend this all the time but they never make a cogent reason for it, just excuses!
Do you really believe that you will know the difference in a defensive shooting situation? I can guarantee that you will not even hear the report or feel the recoil in an actual defensive situation. It is unlikely you will even know how many rounds you have fired!
There is absolutely no point in shooting expensive defensive ammunition for practice of any type. An argument could be made for using the same bullet weight as your defensive ammunition though.
The reason is that for any practical purpose you will not be able to tell the difference in either muzzle blast or volume or recoil. At distances where self defense use of a firearm is justifiable there will be no significant difference in point of impact between your defense ammunition and the most generic "range ammo" or preferably the cheapest alternate your own hand-loads. The truth is most people will not even see their gun's sights no matter how much they believe they will, so precise relationship between POA and POI means little most of the time. The majority of defensive shootings occur at only "across a telephone booth" distances.
So, using 124 gr. 9mm as an example, just practice with the less expensive ammunition and carry whatever you feel best serves your needs for defensive ammunition in your gun. Shoot enough of the expensive stuff to satisfy yourself that it is dependable in your gun and leave it at that. Save your money so you can shoot more.