Ok I know this topic is not exactly "new", but I have a few questions about the responses I've been reading in other forums when people ask things like, what is the best carry ammo, and how often should you rotate your carry ammo, etc...
First let me explain my carry situation. I bought a box of 20 rounds of Corbon DPX 90 grain 9mm +P hollow points about a year ago. So I keep two 10 round mags full at all times, and one of them has a 115 grain speer gold dot +P at the bottom (cause I needed 21 to fill both mags and keep one in the chamber, in my chamber is the DPX). I also have a backup 17 round mag filled with Gold Dots (this one stays in my air conditioned apartment).
The two 10 round mags I have filled with the Corbon DPX have gone everywhere with me in the last year. They've sometimes been left in my car on hot days, and have been in pretty much every type of climate situation I've been in in the last year or so.
So every time I ask how long one should go before rotating their carry ammo, I get the same response, "Wel you should rotate it every time you go to the range, you should practice with it regularly". Well that sounds great and I wish I could afford to send $1.50 per round ammo downrange every range trip, but in reality, that's just not happening. I'm a full time college student who, like all others, lives on a tight budget. I reload 9mm and practice regularly with 115 grain FMJ's, and that is about all I can afford. I'd say lately I hit the range once a month or so.
Now with that being said, before someone else mentions it, I HAVE tested this particular ammo in my gun, and have practiced with it. I bought another 20 round box and shot 10 rounds of it one range trip, and 10 rounds a few range trips later. I noticed my accuracy was much more "spot on" with it than with my handloads.
Maybe that's besides the point, but my real question is how long should I trust ammo to be "good" when I carry it on my person all day every day? Will body heat be enough to deteriorate the propellants? What about occasionally being left in a hot car?
Just asking because not only can I not afford to rotate my carry ammo out every range trip, but as of right now, I can't even find any of it in stores anywhere.
I bought a 20 round box of 135 grain "low recoil" Federal Hydra Shoks 9mm's (they were marked for "Personal Defense"), about a month ago, with plans to replace my year old Corbon DPX with them.... Corbon DPX is top of the line ammo, and although I knew the Hydra Shoks weren't as good, I figured "they'd do". Then last night I got curious and decided to watch the You Tube ammo tests....well, all I have to say is FAIL. I will not be carrying this ammo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70m-69T7IGU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozms_hP5k8E
Idk what it is that makes them "low recoil" but I'd have to say that judging from this test and also the ones of the 110 grain 38 special rounds, "reduced recoil" also means "reduced velocity" which translates to "poor or no expansion". Basically these rounds are not much better than FMJ's. I have a box of those 9mm's and 2 boxes (20 rounds each) of the 38's. They are now part of the "SHTF" ammo collection.
So basically, until I can find some more Corbon DPX, Critical Defense, or Gold Dots, I'll be carrying my year old DPX's. I don't short change on my carry ammo, not when I am trusting my life with it.
So basically what I am wondering is, how long will this ammo stay "good"? If that is even a question that can be answered.
Another question, I've heard repeated chamberings can cause bullet setback, so now I pay special attention to which rounds have been chambered and which have not, and try not to chamber the same round multiple times. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this was important till after I had already chambered several of my rounds once or twice (you can see if they've been chambered because of tiny little scratches on the surface of the bullet). I've already measured all of them to be safe, no setback.
But I heard that repeated chambering can also cause primers to malfunction, leading to a misfire (just for clarity, rendering the round a "dud"). Something about the sudden movement of the slide when it pulls the round out of the mag and chambers it (like it knocks the priming compound loose, or something, I really don't know exactly). Anyone know anything about this? A misfire is something I definitely DO NOT want. Does anyone know if this would be an issue if I put the round into my guns (Glock 26) chamber manually (and letting the slide ease into battery, rather than just letting it drop with full force), rather than racking the slide and chambering it from the magazine?
Sorry for such a long post, just a bunch of questions I've had for a while and haven't had a chance to ask them all in the same place yet lol...help is appreciated.
First let me explain my carry situation. I bought a box of 20 rounds of Corbon DPX 90 grain 9mm +P hollow points about a year ago. So I keep two 10 round mags full at all times, and one of them has a 115 grain speer gold dot +P at the bottom (cause I needed 21 to fill both mags and keep one in the chamber, in my chamber is the DPX). I also have a backup 17 round mag filled with Gold Dots (this one stays in my air conditioned apartment).
The two 10 round mags I have filled with the Corbon DPX have gone everywhere with me in the last year. They've sometimes been left in my car on hot days, and have been in pretty much every type of climate situation I've been in in the last year or so.
So every time I ask how long one should go before rotating their carry ammo, I get the same response, "Wel you should rotate it every time you go to the range, you should practice with it regularly". Well that sounds great and I wish I could afford to send $1.50 per round ammo downrange every range trip, but in reality, that's just not happening. I'm a full time college student who, like all others, lives on a tight budget. I reload 9mm and practice regularly with 115 grain FMJ's, and that is about all I can afford. I'd say lately I hit the range once a month or so.
Now with that being said, before someone else mentions it, I HAVE tested this particular ammo in my gun, and have practiced with it. I bought another 20 round box and shot 10 rounds of it one range trip, and 10 rounds a few range trips later. I noticed my accuracy was much more "spot on" with it than with my handloads.
Maybe that's besides the point, but my real question is how long should I trust ammo to be "good" when I carry it on my person all day every day? Will body heat be enough to deteriorate the propellants? What about occasionally being left in a hot car?
Just asking because not only can I not afford to rotate my carry ammo out every range trip, but as of right now, I can't even find any of it in stores anywhere.
I bought a 20 round box of 135 grain "low recoil" Federal Hydra Shoks 9mm's (they were marked for "Personal Defense"), about a month ago, with plans to replace my year old Corbon DPX with them.... Corbon DPX is top of the line ammo, and although I knew the Hydra Shoks weren't as good, I figured "they'd do". Then last night I got curious and decided to watch the You Tube ammo tests....well, all I have to say is FAIL. I will not be carrying this ammo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70m-69T7IGU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozms_hP5k8E
Idk what it is that makes them "low recoil" but I'd have to say that judging from this test and also the ones of the 110 grain 38 special rounds, "reduced recoil" also means "reduced velocity" which translates to "poor or no expansion". Basically these rounds are not much better than FMJ's. I have a box of those 9mm's and 2 boxes (20 rounds each) of the 38's. They are now part of the "SHTF" ammo collection.
So basically, until I can find some more Corbon DPX, Critical Defense, or Gold Dots, I'll be carrying my year old DPX's. I don't short change on my carry ammo, not when I am trusting my life with it.
So basically what I am wondering is, how long will this ammo stay "good"? If that is even a question that can be answered.
Another question, I've heard repeated chamberings can cause bullet setback, so now I pay special attention to which rounds have been chambered and which have not, and try not to chamber the same round multiple times. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this was important till after I had already chambered several of my rounds once or twice (you can see if they've been chambered because of tiny little scratches on the surface of the bullet). I've already measured all of them to be safe, no setback.
But I heard that repeated chambering can also cause primers to malfunction, leading to a misfire (just for clarity, rendering the round a "dud"). Something about the sudden movement of the slide when it pulls the round out of the mag and chambers it (like it knocks the priming compound loose, or something, I really don't know exactly). Anyone know anything about this? A misfire is something I definitely DO NOT want. Does anyone know if this would be an issue if I put the round into my guns (Glock 26) chamber manually (and letting the slide ease into battery, rather than just letting it drop with full force), rather than racking the slide and chambering it from the magazine?
Sorry for such a long post, just a bunch of questions I've had for a while and haven't had a chance to ask them all in the same place yet lol...help is appreciated.
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