fredj338
Member
I am well aware of setback, always give my students a heads up about checking it but that is a single rd, not a mag full. Ammo or bullets dont shift in the mag from carrying it.
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Poll: Self Defense/Carry Ammunition Rotation
- Thread starter robrossk
- Start date
I am well aware of setback, always give my students a heads up about checking it but that is a single rd, not a mag full. Ammo or bullets dont shift in the mag from carrying it.
fredj338
Member
Not really a good analogy. Air leaks from a tire constantly, ammo doesnt really break down unless conditions are hatsh & even then takes years.
fredj338
Member
I have had the odd round left in a pocket get washed in the washng machine & even dried in the dryer. It still went bang. Ammo is pretty waterproof. The friction fit of primer & bullet doesnt allow moisture in.
Answer me this. Is your "fresh" ammo generally from the same box as the "not fresh" ammo, or is it always from a new box purchased within the last year because you at some point fired all the ammo from the box now deemed "not fresh?" Asking for a friend . . .
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sigp220.45
US Veteran
I've heard hundreds of times that ammo will last if stored properly, usually defined as a "cool dry place".
There used to be an FBI regulation that every assigned vehicle (called a Bu-ride or Bu-car in the parlance) had to have a box of service handgun ammo in the glove box. This was checked once a year and the box was dated and initialed for no reason other than JEH said to do it sometime before 1972.
One year I volunteered to check all the ammo boxes, and also convinced the division primary firearms instructor to replace all the ammo with fresh ammo. He could not have possibly cared less, but humored me.
Almost all of the boxes were .38 Special 158 grain LSWCHP, with a healthy smattering of Federal 147 grain +P+ Hydra Shoks. Even guys that had 9mm guns had .38 ammo in the glovebox, since no one in the history of the Bureau had ever actually needed that ammo, except to get past inspection.
The PFI told me to shoot it up, so I did. I retired 20 something years later, and I still am.
Some of that ammo was ten years old then, sitting in cars that got to over 100 degrees above to well below zero. Then I had it in various garages and unheated out buildings over the years, in climates from Montana to New Mexico.
It always works fine. I don't think it matters how you store ammo.
There used to be an FBI regulation that every assigned vehicle (called a Bu-ride or Bu-car in the parlance) had to have a box of service handgun ammo in the glove box. This was checked once a year and the box was dated and initialed for no reason other than JEH said to do it sometime before 1972.
One year I volunteered to check all the ammo boxes, and also convinced the division primary firearms instructor to replace all the ammo with fresh ammo. He could not have possibly cared less, but humored me.
Almost all of the boxes were .38 Special 158 grain LSWCHP, with a healthy smattering of Federal 147 grain +P+ Hydra Shoks. Even guys that had 9mm guns had .38 ammo in the glovebox, since no one in the history of the Bureau had ever actually needed that ammo, except to get past inspection.
The PFI told me to shoot it up, so I did. I retired 20 something years later, and I still am.
Some of that ammo was ten years old then, sitting in cars that got to over 100 degrees above to well below zero. Then I had it in various garages and unheated out buildings over the years, in climates from Montana to New Mexico.
It always works fine. I don't think it matters how you store ammo.
Inquiring minds want to know!
I buy my fresh ammo at Whole Foods along with kale, only on Wednesday though, 10% senior discount.
I buy my fresh ammo at Whole Foods along with kale, only on Wednesday though, 10% senior discount.
I get mine in the candy isle.
SuperMan
Member
"Some of that ammo was ten years old then, sitting in cars that got to over 100 degrees above to well below zero. Then I had it in various garages and unheated out buildings over the years, in climates from Montana to New Mexico.
It always works fine. I don't think it matters how you store ammo."
..that is very interesting...a friend of mine who is a doctor had the exact opposite happen.
He had a Glock 9mm of some sort stashed in his car as he could not CC in the hospital. Don't remember the brand of ammo but but after a year of +100* heat and -10* cold...most of the magazine failed to fire...
He then started taking the gun into the house every night and shooting off the ammo every six months.
I change out the ammo in my two primary carry guns every 6 months to a year. Usually burn one batch of it off during the annual LEOSA qualification in the fall or during an outdoor combat or IDPA shoot during the late spring or summer. So far in 30+ years of doing this there have been no failures to fire...
Bob
It always works fine. I don't think it matters how you store ammo."
..that is very interesting...a friend of mine who is a doctor had the exact opposite happen.
He had a Glock 9mm of some sort stashed in his car as he could not CC in the hospital. Don't remember the brand of ammo but but after a year of +100* heat and -10* cold...most of the magazine failed to fire...
He then started taking the gun into the house every night and shooting off the ammo every six months.
I change out the ammo in my two primary carry guns every 6 months to a year. Usually burn one batch of it off during the annual LEOSA qualification in the fall or during an outdoor combat or IDPA shoot during the late spring or summer. So far in 30+ years of doing this there have been no failures to fire...
Bob
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Chief Wiggums
Member
pre-covid (3-12-2020) 2X a year
post covid (current) no plans
why ?
$$$
practice / training frequency remains at weekly.
the purpose is to keep the tools sharp & its fun
post covid (current) no plans
why ?
$$$
practice / training frequency remains at weekly.
the purpose is to keep the tools sharp & its fun
I was thinking about the 38 spl158LSWCHP+P+ when I wrote that. A few years ago I read an article about movement of ammo in mag, from being carried in mag holder, pocket. Supposedly the constant movement of the body "could " cause some shifting? Did not believe it but decided I would look at my mags, and found one where the cartridges appeared stuck 4th round down. Was this from movement or incorrect loading by me?? I cleaned, marked the mag, reloaded it and carried it multiple ways, fanny pack, pocket, briefcase, backpack, etc. I have never found another mag that shifted, and the one that I "carried" never shifted, so maybe there is no need to reload mags every month. I have just gotten into the habit of doing it, much like looking at every round before it goes into a mag, since I have found some factory ammo with damaged, deformed cases new out of the box. I notified companies about it. Be Safe,
ContinentalOp
Member
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I was taking a firearms course back in the 90s at a police range. The instructor was the rangemaster. He related an interesting anectode. Somewhat related. Back when LAPD issued the Beretta 92, their motorcycle officers had an unusual problem. 92 mags have a little crease on each side where it transitions from double-stack to the feed lips. Apparently, the vibrations from riding the motorcycles caused the rounds to rotate inside the mags, scoring the cases. They had case failures when the rounds were fired. Motor officers were instructed to inspect and replace the rounds in their mags regularly.
ggibson511960
Member
In my 60 plus years of shooting everything you can name, I have had exactly three cartridges fail to fire; A soggy paper shotgun shell, a .22 LR without priming compound, and a .45 ACP that I thoroughly fouled with resizing lube. My expectations remain unchanged. The only reason I can think of to fiddle with cartridges or magazines is to make sure that the first one in a magazine stack has not corroded and stuck to the feed lips.
If I take an EDC or HDG to the range then I'll use up it's ammunition and load newer ammunition. Otherwise, I just leave it all in there because I don't worry about its age. I have dated factory ammo from WAY back, dates that I wrote down on the boxes - it all shoots just fine.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
My practice has been to shoot up my carry ammo every 6 months and replace it with fresh ammo. Never had a problem doing that until the last 10 years or so of political nonsense driving the ammo business into the ground.
While I used to purchase a couple of boxes of fresh factory carry ammo routinely, once per year or so, now I purchase a case at a time and that will keep me going for 10 years at a time.
I still try to shoot every week. I still "roll my own" reloads with home-made cast bullets, and I load most handgun calibers by the thousand at a time. No substitute for regular practice.
While I used to purchase a couple of boxes of fresh factory carry ammo routinely, once per year or so, now I purchase a case at a time and that will keep me going for 10 years at a time.
I still try to shoot every week. I still "roll my own" reloads with home-made cast bullets, and I load most handgun calibers by the thousand at a time. No substitute for regular practice.
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