Defensive rounds vs "offensive" rounds

Until recently I didn't know that, legally speaking, there is considered to be a difference between various types of ammo, with one being considered defensive and the other offensive.
It doesn't make much sense to me--if in a self-defense situation you need to use your firearm, what difference does it make what kind of ammo you use?
Anyway, I like me the Black Hills Honey Badger ammo. I am guessing these are not considered defensive rounds. If in a legit self-defense situation I were to shoot an attacker with honey badgers, would I be in some kind of legal trouble that I would not be in had I use more common types of ammo?

 

The only ammo I wouldn't use, pre-SHTF would be my own handloads. Some jury might be swayed my my limited knowledge or French (Meplat, ogive) and consider my 300 gr .42 Special load something I intentionally loaded to be "exceptionally deadly" when in fact I loaded it because it was what I had on hand to load an obsolete cartridge in a configuration that it was never meant to have. (Tapered straight case vs necked) I was just as amazed as everyone else when it hit the target at 100 yards, point of aim, point of impact. In a hundred year old revolver with the ergonomics of a wheelbarrow, it was a marvel of physics. I absolutely commented that even at low velocity, it would be like getting hit with a telephone pole. I'm sure that wouldn't play well with a jury.

I like Black Talons and zippy Corbon +P. I've carried Polish surplus subgun ammo in a TT33, but I was always conscious that it would definitely over penetrate and hit something behind the bad guy.

To me these definitions are simple. If I'm shooting ammo to defend myself, it's defensive ammo.
Offensive ammo is the ammo that someone is shooting AT me. I find that offensive.

 

"Offensive" rounds are for when you want to piss them off... "Defensive" rounds are for when they already are....

 

if you live somewhere and there are PD regs & rules for officers NOT to be using particular ammo >>> take note - that's the local mindset with an arrest & prosecution also - might not screw you ultimately - but they'll be using it to try f_____king you over with a jury .......

 

Doesn't matter. If you reload at all the state will try and claim you used reloads if it ever gets that far.

 

Speer was claiming their gold dot ammo was the most carried by law enforcement at one time.

 

I don't know anything about that ammo.
Your best bet is probably never reload and buy whatever is the most popular self defense ammo over on lucky gunner dot com.
Or figure out who is "most carried by law enforcement" currently.
Speer had it, then Hornady had it most recent one I heard was federal had it but that was before 2020 so could have changed.

 

Which is why my carry pistols are packing factory loads. Even when I was heavily into reloading and range shooting, my defense loads were always factory, just in case of a court case.

 

I learned to keep the partial box of commercial ammo that's in my carry magazines in a safe, so it can be used as evidence against such bogus claims.

 

I honestly don't know the difference either...seems sort of silly to me. I have always thought of Self-Defense rounds to be tuned to not over penetrate and open a larger wound cavity so hollow point or external hollow point. I use G9 (9mm) in everything I carry and if I hit it then I know it is going down. Also, it is made right here in North Idaho just a little way from me.

 

I have never heard of a differentiation. Sounds more like marketing.

 

If I'm on the sending end, it's "defensive". If I'm on the receiving end it is definitely "offensive"!

 

If they have to bring up what kind of ammo was used then they never had a case to begin with.

 

I'm glad you brought this up. My local range says that for shooting classes, all of your ammo must be factory. I still don't know if that means ammo made by the same factory that made your gun, like Sig, or ammo made by a major brand like Federal. Anyone?

 

Factory likely means not loose packed in a Ziploc.
I'm sure factory reloads are fine.

 

That almost always means commercial ammo - Remington, Federal, CCI, etc.
I carry Federal in my .357Mag Ruger Securitysix, Remington hardball in my Colt .45ACP pistol. I know hardball ain't best for defense, but the goblin ain't shrugging it off. And it's absolutely reliable.

 

I can see it really slowing a CCW class down when you have to deal with crap reloads. Squib rounds, failure to extract, and my favorite, reloads from guys that measure their powder with a kitchen spoon and/or never zero their scale.

Had half a revolver cylinder blown off by the guy that never checks the zero on his scale. Doesn't take much Bullseye to go from minimum to explosion.