Almost all of my practice ammo are my own reloads. 9mm, .40, and .45 I load pretty close to the spec of my carry ammo...I'm shooting it through autoloaders, so I want reliable function, and I frankly can't feel the difference in recoil impulse between my reloads and the Federal HST or Sig VCrown that I'm carrying for SD, nor is there a noticeable POI shift between them out to 50 yards.

Rifle and revolver ammo is a different story. I load most of my .38 to non +p levels, and I shoot a lot more of that than .357 Mag. There is a noticeable POI difference for those. My pistol-caliber leverguns are zeroed for these lighter loads since they're predominantly paper-punching, but if I take them out hunting or into bear country, I re-zero them for hotter stuff.

.30-06 only gets shot through the Garand, so it is loaded to M2 Ball spec. .45-70 is loaded to the high-end of trapdoor levels with a 405 gr bullet. .223 and 6.5 Grendel are loaded to essentially commercial spec, with accuracy loads developed for a couple of specific rifles.

I guess my answer is: "it depends."

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
There is a HUGE difference in how shooting a revolver with .357 magnum or plain jane .38 specials feel. On your normal auto loading pistol calibers, I feel almost no discernable difference between regular fmj range ammo and a good JHP in recoil.....a little bit, but not worth mentioning except in maybe a pocket .380.

I agree here. With autopistols unless you reload and/or mess with recoil spring weights, the difference in performance and feel and value of practice between defense loads and practice ball is negligible

I think, anymore, the most important reason to practice with defensive ammo is to simply verify that it runs in your gun and all the magazines you have for it. And to also verify that the defensive ammo shoots to the POA/POI that you expect.

Otherwise there's no reason to go to the expense of shooting hollowpoints for practice. Then again, I run standard 124gr HST 9mm, no +P or "Hot" self defense ammo so 115gr and 124gr FMJ feels the same to me to practice with.

I believe in shooting a box or 2 of the expensive stuff when you pick up a new gun or pick out a new load. Then, after 6 months or a year of carrying a couple magazines of defensive ammo I'll shoot those 2 mags for practice and reload fresh ammo into my carry guns.

My two carry calibers are 9mm and 38 special. Neither caliber is particularly punnishing in terms of recoil so it's not difficult to train like I fight. My under bed gun is a G23 in 40. I recently took it to the range, and I'm now measurably slower with 40 caliber than I was just a few years ago. My 40 days are numbered.

For handloads, I load midrange loads almost always, and shoot those weekly at my home range.

When I shoot at work, our indoor range requires us to shoot non toxic or clean fire ammo. It's very dirty, with moderate recoil (heavier than my handloads), and decent accuracy.

Once a year, during qualification, we fire our duty ammunition. Federal 180 grain HST. It seems hotter, cleaner, and more accurate than the other two that I mentioned.

Virtually never. But I carry either a G32, G19 or a G43x, so my experience mimics yours in that respect. A little regular practice with .357SIG (or .40) and I'm comfortable.

I reload for all my guns, so I can adjust the load for a specific purpose. As I do not find recoil “pleasurable”, I load most of my 357 Magnum, 41 Magnum, and 45 Colt(Ruger Blackhawk) to a mid level for fun. My semi- auto loads are usually somewhat below factory(Ranger 127+P+ in 9mm, 165 HST or Gold Dot in 40S&W, and 230 HST in 45 ACP), but are not “wimpy” loads either. I basically agree with jljones in that the process is what is important in achieving the desired results. If all I shot was factory JHPs, I would eventually develop a flinch, as well as being broke. But with milder loads, I can concentrate on trigger squeeze and sight alignment(process) to achieve hits on target(goal). But I also usually shoot a magazine or two with factory equivalent loads, as well as one or two weak hand, just for practice. And I shoot a lot of 22LR for the same reasons. So shoot whatever floats your boat!

Great thread Sigfreund - I would practice with 9mm self defense ammo 100% if it was not substantially more expensive.

Thanks for the responses and comments. The number of higher percentage replies was greater than I anticipated, so I’m always learning something new.

For 25 years I have always used practice loads that mimic my carry loads. And I always shoot a minimum of 2 full magazines of my carry load and my last magz at the range before I leave. Most of the time I shoot a full box of my carry load at the end of a range trip.

For me, I can find Speer Lawman and such a low price point, in bulk, and shoots cleaner than most rounds that I figure it’s a no-brainer. Haven’t tried any of the Federal Syntech or other lead-free rounds to see if they make any difference.

I shoot (friendly) competitions in DFW and if you've never done it I can tell you when you're focused in the moment you won't even notice the recoil. I normally shoot my P320C in .357 Sig and aside from the muzzle flip which you just react to and compensate for it has no real impact, pardon the pun, on my shooting. My squadmates hate it cause the concrete sidewalls make for quite the concussion blast but I don't even notice when I'm shooting.

Occasionally I'll shoot my P229 in 9mm and same thing, I usually use cheap ammo like Independence aluminum case or WWB. When I run my carry ammo through it, +p Gold Dot, again don't notice much difference. I'd say more practice with cheap(er) ammo is def better than less practice with carry ammo.

I prefer to do lots of shooting with "range ammo", but when I am shooting for record, that is trying to actually sharpen my combat/defensive skills, I use the actual ammo I will carry on the job. I feel that as LEO and as a long time trainer, I want no difference in my muscle memory and POA/POI in real life. The difference can be substantial, particularly in 9mm and .38 Special/.357 magnum. As mentioned previously .357 Sig. .40 and .45 ACP training ammo is usually close in recoil/blast to full duty ammo; BUT POA/POI can differ radically and in my particular work environment there are lots of things that do not react well to bullets, but are sometimes frequently populated with very unfriendly folks who seem to be always packing heavy. Therefore precision bullet placement could be critical, as well as predictable reaction of said bullet to various other elements.
In any case, it is always a good idea to know exactly what your ammo can do, and will do if placed properly; and a very large part of that placement is training with the actual ammo you will use "in real life".