Are you training with the right ammo? A common mistake many gun owners make while concealed carry training is not training with the ammo they’ll carry. Many shooters have a bad habit of training with a lower priced ‘practice ammo’ instead of the typically more expensive self-defense ammo they will end up carrying with daily. What I refer to as ‘practice ammo’ is anything designed to be frangible or any ammo with a full metal jacket. Even though practice ammo can be extremely accurate, it is designed for a different purpose than self-defense ammo.Target ammo is designed to shoot steel or rubber targets and punching holes in paper. On the other hand, a good self-defense ammo is designed to expand, mushroom and slow down when it hits the target creating the most damage as possible to organic matter.
Target rounds have a smooth closed nose, while self-defense ammo typically has a more aggressive hollow nose. The smooth rounds of the target ammo usually do not have any feeding issues; whereas, some firearms can have issues with certain hollow point style ammo. I have heard stories of people training all the time with only ball ammo and ending up in situations where their pistols malfunction due to their carry ammo. This is not a problem you want to learn about when your life is depending on your firearm performing properly.
I’m not saying that you should only fire those expensive self-defense rounds, most of us couldn’t afford that. Target ammo has its place in training and is far from sub-par, but you want to fire enough of your daily self-defense rounds to ensure you don’t have any issues when the time comes. A few extra bucks spent on ammo is a good investment considering the alternative.
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