I thought about posting this in the reloading forum, but thought it might get a little more exposure here.

I just listened to an interview with Massad Ayoob about "Lethal Force Aftermath" from 2013. As usual, he was insightful.

One thing that he stated really surprised me regarding the use of hand loaded ammo for self defense, and GSR evidence in particular, during a trial if you defend yourself and go to trial because of it.

He stated that "Historically, the courts have not accepted the gun owners word for what ammunition was...exactly what load was in the gun. The Prosecutor could say, 'Well, ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, he literally manufactured the evidence. How do we know he didn't make his one special death bullet with it's own unique characteristics that was designed to throw the detectives off the trail of truth?' And I have yet to see a case where the courts have accepted, for gun shot residue testing purposes, the word or the records of the citizen who used it."

Interesting stuff and something to consider if you reload. Hear the interview here and skip ahead to about 57:20 to the relevant part. The entire interview is worth listening to though.