How OLD is your carry ammo?

[DC1711]

I shoot up the carry ammo once a year and then load with the latest and greatest ammo I can find. Yes I do read the reports from all of you aboput the ammo performance.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Is that ammo corrosive? If so, how do you clean afterwards?

I clean my guns with Break Free and Hoppes Elite. Butches Bore shine on Rifles. Not sure about corrosive as I do not give them a chance to corrode.

 

[4x4strongman]

Thoughts on - multiple reloads and unloads of carry ammo?

 

[hammerd13]

Thoughts on - multiple reloads and unloads of carry ammo?

Generally speaking, I keep unloads/reloads to a minimum on my edc.

When I load my edc, I will drop a round into the chamber (by hand) then ease the slide forward until it locks up properly. Said another way, I don't let the slide strip the round from the magazine. After the chamber is loaded by hand, I'll insert the magazine firmly and verify it's seated with a tug. The reasoning behind this procedure is that every time the slide loads a round into the chamber, you run the risk of bullet push-back...especially after multiple rechambering of the same round. Bullet push back can result in increased chamber pressure and generally bad results.

Another concern with chambering the same round over and over is that the extractor can chew up the extractor groove on the round. This could result in poor extraction in extreme cases when the round is actually fired.

 

[Rice2130]

I try and change it out every few months.

 

[maxwelhse]

Another concern with chambering the same round over and over is that the extractor can chew up the extractor groove on the round. This could result in poor extraction in extreme cases when the round is actually fired.

Whenever I unload my EDC, I re-stack the mag to put the guy that came out of the chamber at the bottom of the mag. I like to cycle the mag every now and then anyhow just so it has a chance to move, shake the lint out, etc.

 

[Tombs]

I tried running my defensive ammo after it sat in the gun for a year through daily carry.

Every round went down range just as well as it did when I bought the ammo and zeroed for it. I'm not sure there's much to worry about unless it's getting corroded or oil saturated due to over-oiling your firearm.

Of course, that doesn't account for the biggest problem. Some people will rechamber their ammo for some weird OCD reason. That absolutely is a no-no, and any round that has been chambered needs to go in the junk bin.

Whenever I unload my EDC, I re-stack the mag to put the guy that came out of the chamber at the bottom of the mag. I like to cycle the mag every now and then anyhow just so it has a chance to move, shake the lint out, etc.

You're putting a defective round at the bottom of your magazine. You may need that round some day, so I suggest you don't do that anymore.

Once it's chambered, shoot it or throw it away.

 

[Viking Fires]

I try to swap out my ammo every year. Once I get the new ammo I usually shoot the old carry ammo and I’ve never had any not go bang. The company i work for makes us trade out our carry ammo every 6 months. Seems like a waste to shoot 50 rounds of HST at paper, but we use our old carry ammo on the bi-annual qualification and then get fresh ammo to reload all our mags.

 

[Magyars]

Still using up my surplus. View attachment 89364

Nice piece

 

[mbkintner]

You're putting a defective round at the bottom of your magazine. You may need that round some day, so I suggest you don't do that anymore.

I'm not denying setback exists but calling a round that's been chambered once "defective" seems like a strong choice of words. Is there a measurable difference in OAL of a round that's been chambered once or twice?

 

[Dean C.]

I'm not denying setback exists but calling a round that's been chambered once "defective" seems like a strong choice of words. Is there a measurable difference in OAL of a round that's been chambered once or twice?

There should not be with a properly manufactured bullet. Normally I agree with Tombs just chamber a round once then if unloaded I would just toss it in my "special range ammo" stash. But with defensive rounds being borderline impossible to find right now I am just monitoring OAL and ensuring I don't chamber the same round more than 2/3 times max.

Also random side note is dropping the round in the pipe and then sending the slide home not bad for the extractor or is that just a 1911 thing?

 

[Drail]

Rechambering a round over and over is a Very Bad Idea. The factory only intends for it to be chambered one time and fired. That's all. Call any of them and ask - they will tell you to NEVER rechamber rounds. Rounds that operate at high pressures can setback and blow a gun. THAT is NOT an Internet theory. Don't take that chance. Chamber a round once and leave it in there. If you cannot do that for whatever reason then consider using a revolver. Factory ammo is total crap today. All of it. The imported stuff is the worst. If YOU handload YOU can easilyu build rounds that will never set back. Ever. NONE of the factories do because they JUST DON'T CARE about you. Ask them. Ammo does not "go bad" over time like canned food. It is pretty much "forever" unless you store it in a Mason jar full of motor oil. I have cases of ammo I handloaded in 1990 which have been stored in an unheated garage and they all fire perfectly every time. Dropping a round into the chamber and then dropping the slide on it is also A VERY Bad Idea. Some gun designs must feed from the magazine but some can be directly chambered. Do you know which kind you have? If you're not sure then only feed from a magazine.

 

[Trevelayan]

On my main carry gun, about 3 months. Halfway to my regular replacement interval. On my home defense guns, I'm guessing a couple years - They don't get replaced nearly as often due to the controlled environment.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Let's see...
I'm 52, started carrying at 21.. 31 years old
Actually, I change out every year

 

[DadSmith]

My carry ammo gets changed once a year. It gets tossed into the tumbler a few times because it gets tarnished and the brass starts to look tarnished. I've been slowly moving to nickel plated brass which helps a lot for carry ammunition. I work outside year round the hot and cold weather and sweat it does a job on brass cases and copper jackets. I clean my edc weekly because it collects so much dust and dirt even riding iwb.

I dropped a reload defense round out on my pistol range during the summer. It got rained on laid in the grass for about 3 months. I ran acrossed it picked it up tumbled it clean took it out and it shot just fine. I do not use sealants. Makes me wonder if they are really needed.

 

[foszoe]

I've never worried about how old it is. I just shoot the chambered round when I swap mags from SD to practice.

 

[jaymark6655]

I write the date on the box and then save the empty box. After a year, I download the ammo and put it back in that box and replace it with new. I then save that old ammo in case of emergency.

 

[Expat]

With the price and availability, it is going to be older than usual for awhile.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Well I "had" sixteen loose rounds of JHP, some of the old Star Reloading, and Win silvertips in 9mm, one round had a light primer strike mark on it, it wasn't old carry ammo but I visited my sons property in Washington Indiana and you go off his deck, down by the pond, find his dead target tree, and cut loose.
All sixteen went BOOM on target out of a Gen 3 G-15, as new in the box I got off of Gunbroker.com.

AHHHH just getting to shoot something, even old ammo was nice.

 

[Magnum314]

I tend to agree with many on here. I live in the country and have my own "range" so plinking often. I don't always shoot up my more expensive defensive carry ammo, but at least a few times a year, I do empty the mags downrange. Not overly worried about it in between those times and to some of course, that's excessive, to others not enough.