How much self-defense ammo....

[CalamityJane]

....do you fire through your semi-auto to make sure it will feed, eject, etc.. properly? I usually use either Federal American Eagle or a reload called Zero to practice with, but have read here that you should make sure that your gun will "like" whatever SD ammo you plan to use. So how much is enough to satisfy that test? 50 rounds? 100? more?

It's a .45 if that makes a difference.

Thanks.
CJ

 

[J.BELLINO]

I like to put 100-200 of my preferd SD loads thru after break in with 500-1000 of practice ball and use and test them in ALL your mags.

 

[mbartel]

It would also help to fire the handgun in both left and right hand. Also fire it in all positions too. Upside down, sideways (both sides), and a 45 degree angle. You don't know what kind of awkward position you might be in when you need to defend yourself. Whatever the SD ammo choice....run several boxes of it through the gun after the initial breakin period (200-300 rounds).
And I know this is a somewhat controversial topic, but I would stay with factory loads for my SD ammo. Every bullet you fire in a SD situation, will have a lawyer attached to it!!

 

[MCgunner]

200 rounds is the old salt wisdom, but the more the better. I like to actually use the gun in IDPA or other types of competition and never have a failure and gain confidence in the gun. I carry guns that I haven't shot in competition, of course, but an auto pistol that has made several shoots involving a hundred fifty rounds and fed every round and I've been able to shoot well, it's sort of like a deer rifle you've used for a decade and killed many deer, it just gives you confidence. That's why I've fired my Kel Tec P11 in competition. I think of competition as the proving ground as well as good practice. The P11 has 600 rounds or so in competition as well as all the range practice over 8 years. Those 600 rounds were with 115 grain bullets downloaded to lower pressures, but same bullet and OAL as my carry loads. I've fired probably a couple of hundred of my carry loads max in the gun. The KT is rated for a light diet of +P, not a total diet.

The more you use a weapon, the more you gain confidence. I don't feed it a steady diet of carry loads, but I know it'll function with 'em. It's never burped on anything 105 or 115 grain that I've fed it.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I don't have a set amount of defense rounds before I trust the gun.
Usually with a new gun, that I might use for defense, I fire a good bit of ammo through it. I shoot mostly my reloads but will try any other loads I have handy.

I've found if a gun doesn't like a particular load or bullet style it will let you know in a magazine or two and if a gun is a jam-a-matic it will quickly let you know that to.

So rather than shoot a hundred or two of expensive defense loads at one time, I'll mix in a mag or two during a shooting session. If the gun jams one time on a prospective defense load than I'll try something else.

The only important rounds you will fire are the first ones to come out of your defense gun when you need it.
What I do is preform a test whenever I'm going to practice with that gun.
It's probably been loaded and a round in the chamber, maybe for the last couple months.
I say to myself, "let's see if the gun would have worked", and I fire it empty of the defense rounds. Then I'll go about the normal practice.

Now you know that if you had needed it, it would have worked.

Or even as important, that it would have jammed when you need it.

 

[CalamityJane]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. I like the idea of mixing a mag or two of my chosen SD ammo in a practice session. I will most definitely shoot quite a bit of self-defense ammo through this gun, as I will be using it as a defensive tool.

Thanks again.