USP full size 9mm. Good year-round carry pistol?

[LazarusLong]

Not to mention the fact that a company that manufactures millions of rounds is going to offer more consistent performance and reliability than anything you can cook up in your basement, no matter how much love and attention you put into it. Reloads are great for range time and hunting, but not something you want to bet your life or the life of someone you care about on.

[Wolvee]

Your body size doesn't matter. i've heard skinny guys and fat guys say the same thing, "I can't carry a full size cause...". It's Bull. What matters is how you carry, what your system it is and how committed you are to carrying. The only exception I can think of is the Mk23. ...but if you're truly committed, you'll find a way.

[CGuns1]

Climate and what you wear (outdoor weather and temperature) will also have a vote...So consider that.

[LazarusLong]

Commitment, not climate, should have the deciding vote. I spent a couple days last week at a popular Florida amusement park in khaki shorts and a t-shirt...with my P30L carried in front. It was well into the 90's all week down there but I still had my pistol all day every day. You can do it if you decide you can.

[USPc_4_life]

Creativity and committment--well stated Laz...its all about the holster, the position, and the clothing options--of course carrying in a position you aren't 'programmed' to draw from isn't as helpful for reaction time, BUT it beats going in armed with harsh language...

[Blazer-6]

A piece of advice for you, sir....DO NOT CARRY 'CUSTOM' RELOADS--EVER!...off the shelf defense ammo is all Mas Ayoob recommends...2 VERY important reasons: 1) Criminal Scientists can pull the Lot # off your defense ammo and cross check ballistics as well as factory specs and load data to confirm and corraborate event specifics (powder residue make-up...fragment types...metallurgy etc.) Which back you up with scientific facts if ever you have to use that gun in defense 2) it prevents a bloodthirsty Liberal DA from painting a picture of you building some crazy illegal ammo for the sole purpose of finding somebody to shoot with it...remember 'a jury of your peers' is unlikely to be anybody who knows anything about modern firearms, reloading, defensive ammunition, or ballistics data....they know what a bunch of idiotic lawyers and TV and hollyweird 'teach' them....

Smartest thing you can do, for anyone who carries lawfully, is contact your local sheriffs office and carry the same brand they do--its pretty hard to argue your ammo selection when the bailiff is armed with the same thing....

thanks for the concern uspc, but don't worry about me. i don't live in the states (a fact that sometimes makes me glad, especially after what you explained) i am an infantry officer and i live in a third world nation where there is a communist insurgency. My loads are not "RE"-loads, theyre just loads. new brass, choice powder, choice heads. i made them one by one like you would precision rifle rounds, and ive tested them thoroughly. my sights are adjusted for them as well. they are 180 gr JHPs @ 1135 fps. theyre a little hot but i trust my loads more than shelf ammo because ive read even the best factory ammo do weird stuff. it kinda helps me psychologically that i really saw how each one was made. just me maybe :) cheers

[Blazer-6]

Not to mention the fact that a company that manufactures millions of rounds is going to offer more consistent performance and reliability than anything you can cook up in your basement, no matter how much love and attention you put into it. Reloads are great for range time and hunting, but not something you want to bet your life or the life of someone you care about on.

I am sorry but i really have to disagree with you. ive read kabooms happen with winchester factory ammo. ive seen a squibb with a cor-bon.
I weigh powder in an analogue scale for each round. i measure every cartridge for length one by one. Ive chronoed a batch of 10 custom loads and they were all within 1 foot per second of 990 FPS (989, 990, 991) except one @ 986. Ive shot in a competition (reloads) where i failed to make major but all my 7 chrono rounds were either 919 or 920 FPS. my latest trial SD load, all 5 rounds clocked exactly 1100 FPS. my best 10 shot group from 25 yds. measured 1.1". I have never ever seen factory ammo do all this. these custom loads aren't reloaded brass. and they're not mass produced.

it all takes an analogue scale, a caliper and a single stage press, maybe you could try it yourself (at your own risk though). get a relatively slow premium powder like VV N340, good primers like fiocchi or win, good JHP heads, top quality new brass like starline. be totally OC with your powder and OAL measurements, crimp consistently. go for a mid to high pressure load. Chrono your loads against a box of well known premium factory ammo, then rest your handgun and check for groups. you will see the difference and maybe begin to believe in yourself :) and not to mention void your warranty.

this forum discourages the discussion of handloads. I am not encouraging anyone here to do what i do. I am merely justifying why i think what i do is not as stupid as some people think. As for legal concerns, may i remind everyone that i am not from the states which i think grants me a bit more liberty in this respect. also FWIW i am in the profession of arms.

As for my warranty, it seems to be more expensive to send a single pistol to Germany from here than to just buy a new one.

[Echo2]

thanks for the concern uspc, but don't worry about me. i don't live in the states (a fact that sometimes makes me glad, especially after what you explained) i am an infantry officer and i live in a third world nation where there is a communist insurgency. My loads are not "RE"-loads, theyre just loads. new brass, choice powder, choice heads. i made them one by one like you would precision rifle rounds, and ive tested them thoroughly. my sights are adjusted for them as well. they are 180 gr JHPs @ 1135 fps. theyre a little hot but i trust my loads more than shelf ammo because ive read even the best factory ammo do weird stuff. it kinda helps me psychologically that i really saw how each one was made. just me maybe :) cheers

I was involved in the investigation of many shootings, fatal and non-fatal, over many years. As an investigator and a participant. Factory vs. handloads was never an issue. Critical to the decision as whether or not to file charges, is justification on the part of shooter.
Not to say it couldn't become factor in civil litigation, but again the issues of justification and self-defense carry much more weight.
There is no difference between a composite and wooden ball bat, or steak knife as opposed to a K-bar when used as a weapon in homicides.

[osageid]

@ blazer, I could not agree, more! I too reload due to the volume I shoot. Heck using brass that I have reload 8 times on a progressive Reloader I can keep fps within 10-15 , way more precise than factory. I suspect that my consistency wi th Oal is key as factory ammo seems pot luck with Oal!!

[orfeo]

wait long enough and those pics of the member here with the full size USP down the front of his suit pants will appear... forget what kind of rig that was... I don't see how anyone one can sit with that set set up, especially if they're driving

Heh heh, heh heh. . . I wonder who that was?