How long should you keep the same ammo in your gun?

[ag1052]

Lets say you have a concealed carry handgun and you keep hallow point ammo in there for self defense. You use FMJ's for practice but you keep the more expensive ammo for personal protection. Odds are you will not need to use the gun but you have it just in case. Is there a length of time where it is recommended to change out the ammo? If it had the same ammo for a very long time could something go wrong? Im still pretty new at this but would moisture or something like that cause problems over time? How long before you should switch it out?

 

[Koinonia]

Most ammunition is pretty well guarded against liquid getting to the powder. Check the outside of the casings for rust - if you see a little bit forming, go to the range and shoot it, and replace it. Otherwise, I believe it'll be fine.

 

[Vaquero]

Most people worry more about the mag spring weakening.
The ammo should be fine unless you fall in a pool or something, it'll probably be fine even then.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

The mag spring will be fine if you're keeping it compressed all the time. Steel springs don't loose pressure from being compressed-they lose it from action (ex:dumping and reloading mags....a lot) wearing them down. Even then-buy good, quality mags and you shouldn't ever really notice this unless you do a lot of competition shooting, combat, or are at the range weekly.

 

[dustycorgill]

Most people worry more about the mag spring weakening.
The ammo should be fine unless you fall in a pool or something, it'll probably be fine even then.

Especially if its a GLOCK !!!!!

Sorry Vaquero.......couldnt resist.

 

[CrazedJava]

Depends on your ammo. Most quality self-defense rounds (JHP's) are not just brass and lead. I expect they'll be just fine for years depending on your climate/environment.

I do check my ammo. The range stuff I don't worry about but my home defense rounds are inspected fairly regularly since I don't use them at the range. Like someone else said, if I saw rust I'd shoot them and replace. Maybe in that order.

 

[Bitbanger]

I actually make it a point to occasionally shoot "the good stuff". Over the course of a year I'll go through maybe a box or two of the SD, if nothing else just to ease my mind that everything is still working ok and that the difference between the rounds isn't an issue (for the gun or me). Nice side effect of course is that ensures that anything that is loaded is no more than a year old. Of course I use standard FMJ for "normal" practice all the other times.

 

[Southpaw]

I actually make it a point to occasionally shoot "the good stuff". Over the course of a year I'll go through maybe a box or two of the SD, if nothing else just to ease my mind that everything is still working ok and that the difference between the rounds isn't an issue (for the gun or me). Nice side effect of course is that ensures that anything that is loaded is no more than a year old. Of course I use standard FMJ for "normal" practice all the other times.

I do the same.... when I get to the range, I will shoot off what is in my carry or house guns.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

At least once every 6 months. Especially carry guns. You will get all sorts of clothing and skin debris in the gun, among other things. This means clearing your gun each time. You should only chamber a round so many times, as there's always the potential for bullet setback. Compare it to a new round and if there's any significant difference in OAL, toss it in a container to dispose of or fire off on the next range trip. Also, I have seen at least one instance where a mag sat loaded to full capacity for a significant period of time, and for whatever reason, the shell of the top round deformed from the constant pressure against the feed lips. It basically left a minor flat spot or two on the shell which prevented chambering. Bottom line, don't let your stuff sit for long periods of time. Keep ensuring it's properly maintained, and cycle your carry ammo out ever so often accordingly. Plan on going through a couple boxes or more per year of carry ammo. Not a big deal.

 

[shortround]

Every three months, go to the range and shoot all the ammo in your carry mag + whatever you have left of that box.

Clean gun and lube gun thoroughly, and top off mags with fresh SD ammo.

1. You'll know what works in your gun.

2. Reload and carry on.

 

[jordanmills]

Unless it shows wear and weathering, I'll shoot it off and reload every six months. I should cut it down to three, though.

 

[Hoji]

At least once every 6 months. Especially carry guns. You will get all sorts of clothing and skin debris in the gun, among other things. This means clearing your gun each time. You should only chamber a round so many times, as there's always the potential for bullet setback. Compare it to a new round and if there's any significant difference in OAL, toss it in a container to dispose of or fire off on the next range trip. Also, I have seen at least one instance where a mag sat loaded to full capacity for a significant period of time, and for whatever reason, the shell of the top round deformed from the constant pressure against the feed lips. It basically left a minor flat spot or two on the shell which prevented chambering. Bottom line, don't let your stuff sit for long periods of time. Keep ensuring it's properly maintained, and cycle your carry ammo out ever so often accordingly. Plan on going through a couple boxes or more per year of carry ammo. Not a big deal.

This. I time my six month duty ammo mag dump around April and November. This is when watermelons and pumpkins get cheap. If it is cold enough, mix up a batch of generic jello in the pumpkins and set it out overnight.

 

[Shorts]

Lets say you have a concealed carry handgun and you keep hallow point ammo in there for self defense. You use FMJ's for practice but you keep the more expensive ammo for personal protection. Odds are you will not need to use the gun but you have it just in case. Is there a length of time where it is recommended to change out the ammo? If it had the same ammo for a very long time could something go wrong? Im still pretty new at this but would moisture or something like that cause problems over time? How long before you should switch it out?

I'm like the others, a couples boxes a year I guess. Never really kept a log but we've been cycling carry ammo for as long as we've been carrying.

As far as anything going wrong, the factor I consider most is the ammo feeding reliably. Often times I unload the gun to practice dry fire or methods. Since there is always one round in the chamber, a round is always getting loaded and unloaded. To head off dinging up a cartridge at the case rim or the mouth, even the JHP bullet, I end up rearranging the cartridges in the mag so the same bullet is not loading over and over again. Perhaps I'm doing more harm than good. Perhaps I'm doing more than necessary. My point is, this is another way to be aware of the condition of the ammo in the gun. Keep an eye on them that they are not getting banged up to the point they won't reliably feed or eject. Cycling ammo at the range puts that to bed.

 

[smittyb]

As stated, bullet setback is the main concern here. I keep my SD ammo for a long time, I don't like buying that expensive stuff. When I unload for range shooting I first clear the round from the chamber and set it aside. Then I empty the mag and keep those rounds separate. When reloading the mags, I put the previously chambered round in the mag first. This way you are not chambering the same round over and over, which is what will cause setback.

 

[Charlie]

At least once every 6 months. Especially carry guns. You will get all sorts of clothing and skin debris in the gun, among other things. This means clearing your gun each time. You should only chamber a round so many times, as there's always the potential for bullet setback. Compare it to a new round and if there's any significant difference in OAL, toss it in a container to dispose of or fire off on the next range trip. Also, I have seen at least one instance where a mag sat loaded to full capacity for a significant period of time, and for whatever reason, the shell of the top round deformed from the constant pressure against the feed lips. It basically left a minor flat spot or two on the shell which prevented chambering. Bottom line, don't let your stuff sit for long periods of time. Keep ensuring it's properly maintained, and cycle your carry ammo out ever so often accordingly. Plan on going through a couple boxes or more per year of carry ammo. Not a big deal.

Sig, are you recommending or suggesting someone fire ammo that the bullet shows setback? If the cartridge length is shorter than it should be, it increases the pressure greatly and could be dangerous. If someone notices one cartridge shorter than the others just like it, it should NOT be fired.

 

[benenglish]

If the cartridge length is shorter than it should be, it increases the pressure greatly and could be dangerous. If someone notices one cartridge shorter than the others just like it, it should NOT be fired.

If I notice a small setback (never had a major setback because I generally pay attention) of a bullet in a .45 round from an autopistol, I go ahead and shoot it out of my Ruger Blackhawk. Reasonable?

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Sig, are you recommending or suggesting someone fire ammo that the bullet shows setback? If the cartridge length is shorter than it should be, it increases the pressure greatly and could be dangerous. If someone notices one cartridge shorter than the others just like it, it should NOT be fired.

No, that's not what I'm saying. Sometimes you won't necessarily see setback from one or two chamberings, but you might see deformation of the open tip of a JHP from it slamming into the barrel hood upon chambering. I'd fire those rounds off after a few chamberings. Also, sometimes you can see some rounds have setback, but it's so minimal that we're talking like 90+% of the same OAL as standard. Not necessarily a big deal to shoot, depending on the type of ammo and pressure we're talking about. Bottom line, you need to know YOUR ammo and what will work. If you see significant enough bullet setback that your 9mm now looks like a .380, yeah you probably don't want to shoot that round. When in doubt, toss it.

Some calibers and platforms are more prone to setback occurring. .40sw and .45acp to name a few. Also, the 1911 platform pretty quickly causes it due the feed cycle. In a normal 1911 feed cycle, the round actually momentarily nosedives then jumps up at a steep angle, slamming into the feed ramp and top of the barrel hood. In comparison to platforms like a low bore axis striker-fired gun, or a H&K P7 for example, where the angle of feed is much closer to inline with the bore, a 1911 can wreak havoc on ammo.

 

[45tex]

When on the job, and ammo was stacked on the shelves. I shot the carry ammo every six months. Also I cheated and did not unload the guns before going to the range. The hide-out stayed hidden. Once ready to shoot I calmly drew the hide-out and emptied it. Then I knew if everything was OK with the hideout. No pre oiling or cleaning. At annual qualification I did not prep the gun. I wanted to know if I needed it, the weapon would perform. We were supposed to use carry rounds as a warm up, and I did. A lot of guys pocketed the good stuff and fired range loads. This routine served me for over 20 years. And was tax deductible. These days with nothing but a hide-out I switched to a once a year change over. Still shoot the carry stuff right out of my pocket. Its the closest to sure you can be, in my opinion. Have a relative that put down a home invasion with FMJ .45acp ammo that had been loaded in a revolver since WWII. He happened to be cleaning the gun for its owner when things went bad. The ammo was govt. contract stuff that was over 40 years old at the time. Its what he had when the need arose. He fired twice, both rounds flawless.

 

[Charlie]

No, that's not what I'm saying. Sometimes you won't necessarily see setback from one or two chamberings, but you might see deformation of the open tip of a JHP from it slamming into the barrel hood upon chambering. I'd fire those rounds off after a few chamberings. Also, sometimes you can see some rounds have setback, but it's so minimal that we're talking like 90+% of the same OAL as standard. Not necessarily a big deal to shoot, depending on the type of ammo and pressure we're talking about. Bottom line, you need to know YOUR ammo and what will work. If you see significant enough bullet setback that your 9mm now looks like a .380, yeah you probably don't want to shoot that round. When in doubt, toss it.

Some calibers and platforms are more prone to setback occurring. .40sw and .45acp to name a few. Also, the 1911 platform pretty quickly causes it due the feed cycle. In a normal 1911 feed cycle, the round actually momentarily nosedives then jumps up at a steep angle, slamming into the feed ramp and top of the barrel hood. In comparison to platforms like a low bore axis striker-fired gun, or a H&K P7 for example, where the angle of feed is much closer to inline with the bore, a 1911 can wreak havoc on ammo.

Do you handload?

 

[Charlie]

If I notice a small setback (never had a major setback because I generally pay attention) of a bullet in a .45 round from an autopistol, I go ahead and shoot it out of my Ruger Blackhawk. Reasonable?

I don't shoot short cartridges. That's just me. After handloading for 15 yrs. or so I just feel it's not worth it.