While we surely want our training ammo to simulate what we carry for self-defense or duty use, we don't need to clone Hydra-Shok, Gold Dot or SXT factory loads to have good stuff to train with. So what if the velocity is a little less or the point of impact off by an inch or two? If we use the same bullet weight as the duty load, it should be close enough.

The exception to this will be found at the outer limits, where the maximum velocity believers dwell. It is not practical to try to match velocities of things like the .357 Sig or the super light .40s with cast bullets because of the likelihood of severe leading.

This caution also applies to Glock shooters, who are told not to shoot lead in their pistols. This warning is largely due to the polygonal rifling and might also be applicable to any barrel of that type, although in this case rigorous cleaning and moderate loads seem to suffice.

When we talk about duplicating factory ammo for training purposes, it turns out that we really do not need to interpret that very strictly. The real key is whether or not the individual shooter can discriminate between relatively small changes in velocity and recoil.

I always thought that average shooters would be able to tell the difference between, for example, standard and +P loads, but I did a blind study with a group of shooters who were randomly given 1911 pistols loaded with either standard or +P loads and asked to tell which was which. Eighty percent could not. If that is the case, I can't help but wonder if our training ammo really has to be exactly the same.

I am a big fan of cast bullets because of their significant economy, but we often hear that one should not shoot them in automatic pistols. However, with the exception already mentioned, modern pistols are very tolerant and function well over a very broad range of weights and velocities.

You may remember when the gospel was that we must use lighter recoil springs in 1911s if we wanted to shoot target loads, but I routinely shoot loads equivalent to the bullseye ammo of years past, and the guns run just fine.

One genuine concern is to find a load that shoots to the same point of impact as our duty ammo, and that can be an issue since most "service" weapons have fixed sights.

I've known intuitively that in most cases this isn't hard to do but set out to document it at the range. I chose to use three representative duty guns--S&W M&Ps in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP--and appropriate duty ammunition: Federal 124-grain Hydra-Shok in 9mm, Winchester 180-grain SXT in .40 S&W and Remington 230-grain Golden Saber in .45 ACP. Then I arbitrarily selected starting and maximum loads for comparable cast bullets in each caliber.

There was no load workup here. I just took data and let velocity fall where it wanted to. None of the guns malfunctioned with the lighter load, nor did any show signs of leading.