How do you go about picking the best bullet weight for a combat gun? Unlike precision rifle, minutes of angle aren't going to matter, and you're going to be shooting well outside of the inherent accuracy of the gun/ammo combination. So, is it important to fine tune your load the way you would do with rifle?

Self defense ammo is a topic that spurs endless debate. It's all about the trade off between expansion and penetration, a lighter faster bullet is going to expand faster, whereas a slower heavier bullet is going to penetrate deeper. Which is more effective is a matter of opinion.

So if I'm just punching holes in paper it shouldn't make a difference?

So if I'm just punching holes in paper it shouldn't make a difference?

 

Some argue that you should practice with bullets of the same weight as your self defense ammo of choice as the recoil characteristics will be the closest that way, personally though I just use whatever is cheapest.