Can you tweak your ammo?

[winnre]

We all know we can tweak our guns within legal limits. But can we tweak ammo?

I used to reload and enjoyed testing out my own subsonic 223 ammo by changing powder amounts or bullet weights. All in a good day's fun, right?

On the other hand I can recall seeing lead semi-wadcutter pistol ammo where the owner had used a pen knife to carve a deep X into the head of the bullet. Poor man's hollow point maybe?

Another tweak I saw was a hollow point hollowed out deeply so there was hardly any lead at all. Then the empty space was filled up with black powder and topped off with a rifle primer pressed into the top of the hole. I'd be afraid to shoot it! Gimmick or danger?

And today we have Zombie Ammo.

Does anyone limit what you can and cannot do to ammo?

[Merc1138]

Umm... "zombie ammo" is regular ammo with a different colored plastic tip and a "zombie" box. There's nothing different about the powder, projectile, brass, powder, etc.

[gunn]

We all know we can tweak our guns within legal limits. But can we tweak ammo?

I used to reload and enjoyed testing out my own subsonic 223 ammo by changing powder amounts or bullet weights. All in a good day's fun, right?

On the other hand I can recall seeing lead semi-wadcutter pistol ammo where the owner had used a pen knife to carve a deep X into the head of the bullet. Poor man's hollow point maybe?

Another tweak I saw was a hollow point hollowed out deeply so there was hardly any lead at all. Then the empty space was filled up with black powder and topped off with a rifle primer pressed into the top of the hole. I'd be afraid to shoot it! Gimmick or danger?

And today we have Zombie Ammo.

Does anyone limit what you can and cannot do to ammo?

CALDOJ says that any explosive or incindiery ammunition is a destructive device. This includes tracers normally legal outside of CA.

http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/dwcl/12301.php

Outside of CA:
You didn't mention caliber but the BATFE classifies any ammunition with more than 1/4OZ of explosive or incindiery charge to be a destructive device with all the reporting and tax stamps that entails.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/guides/importation-verification/firearms-verification-nfa-destructive-device.html

Don't blow yourself up or more importantly (to me) please don't start a forest fire in CA. We have enough of them.

-g

[ClarenceBoddicker]

We all know we can tweak our guns within legal limits. But can we tweak ammo?

I used to reload and enjoyed testing out my own subsonic 223 ammo by changing powder amounts or bullet weights. All in a good day's fun, right?

On the other hand I can recall seeing lead semi-wadcutter pistol ammo where the owner had used a pen knife to carve a deep X into the head of the bullet. Poor man's hollow point maybe?

Ayoob says no if you use it for self defense. Juries don't approve of such things.

Another tweak I saw was a hollow point hollowed out deeply so there was hardly any lead at all. Then the empty space was filled up with black powder and topped off with a rifle primer pressed into the top of the hole. I'd be afraid to shoot it! Gimmick or danger?

100% illegal in CA. OK to do in some states. Not very safe & gunpowder won't do much. You can by proper made ones, they are called spotter rounds. Summit ammo used to sell them. Check out the original "The Day of the Jackal" movie with homemade Mercury filled dum-dum rounds. Cool Movie.

[Mr.1904]

Umm... "zombie ammo" is regular ammo with a different colored plastic tip and a "zombie" box. There's nothing different about the powder, projectile, brass, powder, etc.

I'm sure he's aware of this.

Interesting thread topic OP.

I personally do not reload so i will not be of much help.

[winnre]

Yea Zombie is manufactured but what if I decided to stick plastic from little melted army soldiers inside hollow points and do the same thing? Because a company thought about it first they no doubt have run it by legal.

[UBFRAGD]

Juries don't approve of such things.

Makes me wonder if my castle doctrine home invasion protection case would even get to trial if I filled deep HP's with military-strength opiates.

Forethought about the suffering of others, etc.

[BKinzey]

At best what ammo to use for self defense is like the 9mm Vs .45 argument. There are plenty of people on both sides.

I fall on the if it's legal to own it's OK to use in self defense. If you are in a situation where you need to use deadly force and have a baseball bat, a golf club, a samurai sword and a shotgun, generally the shotgun is going to be best. Do you really fear that in court the prosecutor will acknowledge deadly force was justified but you should have used the baseball bat because it was less lethal? How about if you chose the Samurai sword and lopped the bad guy's head off? Maybe you should pick the golf club because it is the least likely to be thought of as a weapon?

If the D.A. is going to charge me they will charge me with murder, not excessive deadly force. They could try to make me out to be a mall nijia wannabe with an arsenal of weapons. Wouldn't they for most of us?

I've chosen my defensive weapons based on they are the best tool for me for the job.

I concentrate on being justified in using deadly force and having the best outcome in the encounter for me. I want all the advantages, not just some.

Finally look for actual cases where the ammo used had an influence on the outcome.

[Merc1138]

Yea Zombie is manufactured but what if I decided to stick plastic from little melted army soldiers inside hollow points and do the same thing? Because a company thought about it first they no doubt have run it by legal.

That still has nothing to do with "zombie ammo", seeing as how there have been plenty of companies making ammo with plastic tips for years before someone drew zombie art on a package,