Nitrocellulose powders don't deteriorate as quickly when encased in a cartridge. Your Cor-Bon ammo should still be okay. However, if you'd like--shoot it up, and buy more. BTW, J.B.Hickok used to shoot up his loads every day, cleaned, oiled and recharged his Navy sixes (of course that was in the black powder days). You get the idea, though.
How long should you keep carry ammo?
- Thread starter Slappy McGee
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If it's for an autopistol it's time to put it in the practice bag after you've chambered it the third time.
Otherwise, it's good as long as it looks good unless it's been exposed to extreme temperatures (heat or cold). Then I'd replace it every few months to a year. Even though most premium ammo is watertight, I'd probably vote for chucking any that gets wet into the practice bag for your next range trip.
Otherwise, it's good as long as it looks good unless it's been exposed to extreme temperatures (heat or cold). Then I'd replace it every few months to a year. Even though most premium ammo is watertight, I'd probably vote for chucking any that gets wet into the practice bag for your next range trip.
Well, let's see here.....
My Winchester Silvertips ( 4 or so yrs old) have settled a bit cycling in and out of my Glock 30 wehreas my Black Talons bought in Maine 15 or so years ago have been just fine and currently reside inside my Glock 26.
My Winchester Silvertips ( 4 or so yrs old) have settled a bit cycling in and out of my Glock 30 wehreas my Black Talons bought in Maine 15 or so years ago have been just fine and currently reside inside my Glock 26.
That "settling" is called setback and it will increase the discharge pressure of the rounds when they are fired. If you can detect visible setback in a round it's probably safest take it to the range and throw it in their live ammo disposal. As little as 0.10" of setback in a 180gr .40 S&W round can double the chamber pressure. Other loadings & calibers will be affected to different degrees.
Once you've chambered a round 3 times in an autopistol it's time to put it in the range bag for your next practice session. By the time it's been chambered enough times to show visible setback (obvious without measuring tools) it could be dangerous to fire it.
I practice shooting my carry gun with the ammo I normally carry in it. I usually shoot 2-4 magazines from it every time I go to the range. That's once a week (every two weeks at most). Doesn't take long to go through a box of cartridges this way, so the question of "old carry ammo" is moot to me. It's probably been at the store longer than it stays in my possession.
The_Shootist
Member
Hmmmm
Usually a new couple of boxes of my carry ammo((mm Golden Sabre and .38spl standard pressure from Buffalo Bore) every 2 - 3 mos, the old stuff gets shot off.
No compelling reason to do so, just that every so often I familiarize myself with the characteristics of my CCw load while practicing mainly with Mnarch (9mm) or Ga Arms (.38 spl 158 gr +P).
Usually a new couple of boxes of my carry ammo((mm Golden Sabre and .38spl standard pressure from Buffalo Bore) every 2 - 3 mos, the old stuff gets shot off.
No compelling reason to do so, just that every so often I familiarize myself with the characteristics of my CCw load while practicing mainly with Mnarch (9mm) or Ga Arms (.38 spl 158 gr +P).
KBintheSLC
Member
Well, my CCW instructor told us to "shoot-out" our defensive ammo every 4 months... but only the stuff in the gun and mags we carry. The reason is that the little fragments of powder tend to break down into a fine dust from being knocked around in your pocket. This means less oxygen distribution in the powder and less of a positive burn.
However, the "shelf life" of ammo can be as long as 20 years if stored properly. This means they are in a sealed container with desiccant packets to absorb the moisture.
If those rounds were stored properly, they should be ok after 10 years. If you think they may have been compromised, you owe it to yourself to buy a new box.
However, the "shelf life" of ammo can be as long as 20 years if stored properly. This means they are in a sealed container with desiccant packets to absorb the moisture.
If those rounds were stored properly, they should be ok after 10 years. If you think they may have been compromised, you owe it to yourself to buy a new box.
Once a Year - More or Less
Well, good point on buying on your birthday. Or the anniversary of your first divorce, whichever means more to you
After moving a couple times, my ammo stocks got rearranged to where I couldn't keep track of it all (yeah). I started putting little inventory "dot" stickers on all new boxes of ammo with the last year written on the dot (2008 - '8" on dot).
Well, darned if I haven't found older stuff that should be fine carry ammo but for the fact that it's over 20 years old. That's fine (maybe), but the fact is that I've found some really old ammo that does start to deteriorate, so I try to shoot up the really old stuff at the gun range and carry stuff that's from this year or last year.
By the way, I've found plenty of rimfire ammo that's "dud" after 20-30 years, and I HOPE you're not carrying THAT as "carry ammo"
If my carry ammo were carried all the time (as opposed to the rest of the box of carry ammo sitting on the shelf) I'd probably refresh it way more often.
Well, good point on buying on your birthday. Or the anniversary of your first divorce, whichever means more to you
After moving a couple times, my ammo stocks got rearranged to where I couldn't keep track of it all (yeah). I started putting little inventory "dot" stickers on all new boxes of ammo with the last year written on the dot (2008 - '8" on dot).
Well, darned if I haven't found older stuff that should be fine carry ammo but for the fact that it's over 20 years old. That's fine (maybe), but the fact is that I've found some really old ammo that does start to deteriorate, so I try to shoot up the really old stuff at the gun range and carry stuff that's from this year or last year.
By the way, I've found plenty of rimfire ammo that's "dud" after 20-30 years, and I HOPE you're not carrying THAT as "carry ammo"
If my carry ammo were carried all the time (as opposed to the rest of the box of carry ammo sitting on the shelf) I'd probably refresh it way more often.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I have some Federal 158gr FBI load ammo that's quite old. I bought it at a show and when I tested it it shot fine. I would say it's well over 20 years old yet it shot like it was new.
That's for sure, after 10 years you do deserve a fresh box. After all, the old box won't go to waste since you need to practice with your carry load at least once a month. (I do so weekly)
Well, let's see. I have kept quite a bit of old PD ammo from many years ago that spent a year riding around in hot/cold patrol cars trunks. After that a lot of it was kept in my personal vehicle as backup ammo. Every now and then I'd shoot some to see if there was any problem with it. Not once could I tell any difference. I've heard the powder breaks down because of heat and/or vibration, and maybe it depends on the powder. I carried one 100-round container of backup 38 ammo in my car for 5 years, and it not only went bang, it was every bit as accurate as my new stuff. Bear in mind, this was when I was driving 30,000 miles a year, on some seriously neglected roads. The car was never garaged, so it got plenty hot in summer, and cold in winter.
At the PD we rotated our duty magazines every month, but used the same ammo for a full year, and sometimes longer. I never saw any indication it was any less potent after a year or better. In fact, I just shot up a few boxes of 38 ammo that was at least 15 years old, and had no problems, aside from some Nyclad ammo that seemed a little bit brittle. But it fired just fine.
As for testing ammo in wet newsprint, water jugs, or whatever......if that type of test is "useless", then so is ballistic gelatin. I use it to compare one bullet against another, apples to apples. Dry phone books are useless, but properly soaked newsprint makes an excellent test medium!
Papajohn
At the PD we rotated our duty magazines every month, but used the same ammo for a full year, and sometimes longer. I never saw any indication it was any less potent after a year or better. In fact, I just shot up a few boxes of 38 ammo that was at least 15 years old, and had no problems, aside from some Nyclad ammo that seemed a little bit brittle. But it fired just fine.
As for testing ammo in wet newsprint, water jugs, or whatever......if that type of test is "useless", then so is ballistic gelatin. I use it to compare one bullet against another, apples to apples. Dry phone books are useless, but properly soaked newsprint makes an excellent test medium!
Papajohn
I've tested premium ammo that I've had well over 10 years and had exactly zero problems with it.
Having a schedule for ammo replacement isn't the worst idea in the world as it is comforting--but I doubt if it is necessary.
Having a schedule for ammo replacement isn't the worst idea in the world as it is comforting--but I doubt if it is necessary.
Stevie-Ray
Member
Don't you rotate it? The ammo in my mags are the first thing to go at the range. Then the rest of the box. New carry ammo goes in the mags after cleaning. I don't know about the rest of you guys but the stuff I use for defense is what I use for practice in my carry weapons. How else would I know where it's going/how much recoil to expect/how well it functions in the gun? You certainly can't shoot box after box of WWB until you are perfect, clean the gun, and then load it with HydraShoks. I would hope you're at least firing off that magazine at the range.
As far as time goes, I don't think you ever have to worry about quality ammo going bad.
I try to shoot up/swap out my carry ammo once a quarter--I try to shoot my carry load at least that often, so I burn up what was in the mag and reload.
Some of the local police departments are carrying their duty ammo over from year to year due to budget concerns. I haven't heard of any problems with that practice yet (even though it makes me cringe), but I'll let you know if I do.
Some of the local police departments are carrying their duty ammo over from year to year due to budget concerns. I haven't heard of any problems with that practice yet (even though it makes me cringe), but I'll let you know if I do.
Stevie-Ray brings up a good point. Practice ammo is expensive, and may not shoot to the same aimpoint as your carry ammo...unless you handload. My practice ammo (in all five pistol calibers I load) duplicates the performance of my carry ammo, and I make sure it all shoots to the same point of aim. It's not that hard to do. And it gives you yet another excuse to take up handloading!
PJ
PJ
I will ussually buy a new box of PD ammo once every two months or so. Then on my next range trip I will shoot the old ammo that was in my carry gun and test out the new stuff and then begin carrying the new stuff.
I do periodically check for bullet setback.
I do periodically check for bullet setback.
The wise guy/tough guy answer would be "until a criminal asks for it".
I've been carrying for less than a year, but I do rather like the "replace and shoot on your birthday" concept.
Unfortunately I'm not wealthy enough to shoot tons of my defense ammo to make sure it cycles well.
Revolvers I don't worry about for obvious reasons. If I buy 20 rounds I'll shoot eight or 10 of them at the range to see what the recoil is like, or shoot eight or 10 of them into jugs of water to see them open up just for fun. I'll shoot however many I "don't need", leaving enough for the gun and a reload.
Same goes for autos. I buy enough to fill any mags I may carry +1, then shoot the rest. In an auto, I will buy an extra box or two to test reliability.
As far as an "expiration date" goes, it's not really an issue. A year is probably a decent time-frame even if you live in the Amazon.
I've been carrying for less than a year, but I do rather like the "replace and shoot on your birthday" concept.
Unfortunately I'm not wealthy enough to shoot tons of my defense ammo to make sure it cycles well.
Revolvers I don't worry about for obvious reasons. If I buy 20 rounds I'll shoot eight or 10 of them at the range to see what the recoil is like, or shoot eight or 10 of them into jugs of water to see them open up just for fun. I'll shoot however many I "don't need", leaving enough for the gun and a reload.
Same goes for autos. I buy enough to fill any mags I may carry +1, then shoot the rest. In an auto, I will buy an extra box or two to test reliability.
As far as an "expiration date" goes, it's not really an issue. A year is probably a decent time-frame even if you live in the Amazon.
Smaug
Member
I've had a box worth of Federal Hydra-Shoks in my Ruger P90 for 10 years now. I'm going to shoot it up, because the bullet is getting dinged up from being chambered, loaded, and unloaded. It may also be pushed back, increasing the pressure.
If you don't chamber the ammo, you can keep it for many years, at least 10.
If you don't chamber the ammo, you can keep it for many years, at least 10.
Encouraging?
Back in the 1990s I shot up a thousand rounds of .30 Carbine ammo which was FIFTY-some years old, kept loose in ammo cans. Granted, this Army ammo from the 1940's had sealed primers, and maybe sealed case rims too, though I could not tell about the rims.
ONE-hunnert percent reliable! Not a single failure, either to fire or extract. The fired cases showed nice, hot pressure on the primers. Myself, I would expect commercial ammo, stored clean and dry, to perform as well......................elsullo
Back in the 1990s I shot up a thousand rounds of .30 Carbine ammo which was FIFTY-some years old, kept loose in ammo cans. Granted, this Army ammo from the 1940's had sealed primers, and maybe sealed case rims too, though I could not tell about the rims.
ONE-hunnert percent reliable! Not a single failure, either to fire or extract. The fired cases showed nice, hot pressure on the primers. Myself, I would expect commercial ammo, stored clean and dry, to perform as well......................elsullo
You could keep carry ammo in use for 20-30 years and still be reliable provided you don't soak the stuff in Kroil or run it through your Easy Bake oven.
With that said, buy a 2 new boxes once a year. Shoot up the old, test one box for reliablility (in case the manufacturer's changed something) and keep the last new box for carry.
With that said, buy a 2 new boxes once a year. Shoot up the old, test one box for reliablility (in case the manufacturer's changed something) and keep the last new box for carry.
I shoot my carry ammo that is loaded in my magazine, once a month. That way it always gets rotated, and even at 10 rounds/month, a box of 50 rounds will still last me 5 months. The stuff is expensive, approaching $1/round, so I don't shoot a whole lot of it.
The stuff is expensive, approaching $1/round, so I don't shoot a whole lot of it.- Status
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