Most all gun manufacturers say "no reloads". Basically because they have no control over how hot people reload their own ammo. Improperly loaded ammo can easily surpass the SAAMI pressure standards for a given cartridge and it's those standards the gun manufacturers use to design and test their products against.

Theres nothing wrong with "rolling your own". Reloading will usually be cheaper than buying factory ammo, especially if you shoot some of the more exotic/powerful calibers. And the reloader has the ability to Tailor loads to his particular weapon to get the maximum possible accuracy the gun can make.

Beware using ANY reloaded ammunition for personnel defense. It sounds crazy, but there have been a number of cases where a home-owner shot and killed an armed intruder and the home-owner was found guilty, sent to prison, and sued for every dollar he'll ever get! The reason??? He used hand-loaded ammunition, which the dead guy's attorney claimed was "custom loaded to kill his client". I other words, it showed the home-owner intended to kill whoever would break into his home, which makes it a pre-meditated murder. The experts all agree, if you want to keep your butt safe and out of prison, use only factory-loaded ammunition in your personnel defense gun. Doesn't matter if it's the nastiest, most wicked and devastating load in existence, so long as it's a publicly available, commercially loaded round, your *** is covered.

Now regarding +P ammo, your best bet is to contact your firearm's manufacturer. Some guns are rated for +P ammo, some are not. Generally speaking, any pistol or revolver with anything but a steel frame (i.e. aluminum, magnesium) shouldn't have +P loads regularly run through it. Most polymer-framed pistols like the Glock, Springfield XD and Smith & Wesson's M&P are reinforced with steel and are OK to use +P ammo in. Just remember, running +P ammo through any gun, even if it's rated for it, will accelerate the wear. This isn't a problem unless you are one of the luckily few that has the time and money to blow 1000 rounds through your pistol every couple of weeks.

My best advice? If you shoot a lot or shoot an expensive caliber (my .300 Weatherby can cost as much as $80.00 for 20 factory loads), buy your reloading equipment and load away. I load my .45 with plain old 230 grain FMJ bullets for punching paper and pop cans. For the defense, I keep it loaded with store bought 200 grain Speer Gold Dots.

Happy Shooting!!

 

Thanks for the response. You answered every question I had perfectly. I think I may have to look at getting some reloading supplies.

 

No problem. Oh, I forgot to mention. The .45acp and .45 auto are indeed the same critter. In fact the "acp" stands for "automatic colt pistol". Not to be confused with .45 Colt, which is a classic revolver round. It's longer than the .45acp and has a large rim around the base of the cartridge. There is also a .45 GAP out there. It stands for "Glock Auto Pistol". It is a bit shorter than the .45acp. but is not interchangeable, even if you own a Glock. Always use the same ammunition that is stamped on the side of the gun's barrel.

Most re-loading sets come with a manual, but if yours doesn't, get one and follow it to the letter. Re-loading can be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby, but it can turn disastrous in a hurry if you don't know what you're doing and pay attention.

 

Ok, that is what I thought on the 45acp and the 45auto. What do you think about this loader (lee classic loader kit) to see if I like the reloading?

 

I've never used the Lee Classic Loader, though from what I understand, it's pretty fool-proof. It would be a good way to see if re-loading is something you'd like to do without breaking the bank. Then if you decide it's something you'd really like to do, you can upgrade to a larger, more capable set-up.

 

I like my DILLON 550 It's an excellent reloader.

 

I started with an RCBS Rock Chucker master kit 20 years ago. Still going strong!

 

Sweet. I'll have to run back out to cabela's and see if they have any of these in stock or if I have to order online. Now to find the reloading charts. (What am I getting myself into). Thanks guys!!

 

Cabella's should have reloading manuals there. They can be a bit pricey, around $30.00 or so, but are packed with valuable info other than the actual reloading data/recipes like cartridge design, powder burn rates, primer identification (boxer or berdan) proper case preparation, bullet ballistic coefficient and sectional density, etc.

Speer makes a very comprehensive manual, along with Hornady and several others. They are a godsend to re-loaders, both novice and experienced.

 

I just recently purchased a Springfield XD-45 and couldnt be happier. This however is not a cheap gun, $550. I also picked up a taurus PT111, 9mm for $270, Fun shooter, smaller and cheap to reload. I guess its all in what you prefer.