EDC ammo swap out

[Onward Allusion]

In these days of summer, how often should one swap out their EDC ammo? Talking about mouse caliber / pocket carry centerfire - .32ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm, 38 Spl - not 22LR.

Anyone worried about heat, sweat, & humidity negatively impacting their EDC's ammo? I back pocket carry and the office is not a problem, but out and about in 90+ degree weather for extended periods...

 

[Certaindeaf]

It should last a good long while as long as it's not battered out of spec etc.

 

[theCovertone]

As a personal rule, anytime I hit the range I shoot my SD ammo that has been loaded in my carry guns. This serves as a test to see if the gun would have ran reliably if i had to use it. This way I also get some practice with my carry gun/load.

If you don't make it out to the range often, I would try to clean (remove moisture/salt) on a regular basis.

 

[Mikey Idaho]

Each time I go to the range I use up whatever is in my carry magazine, but not for the reason you listed. I am just paranoid about bullet setback after chambering the first round over and over.

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[HoosierQ]

Not sure I'd classify 9mm or 38spl as "mouse caliber". Probably not .380 either...but what do I know.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Not necessarily "mouse" but pocket carry caliber as well. Lots of folks pocket carry 38 Spl & 9mm ala LC9, PF9, J-Frames...etc...

.380 ACP is DEFINITELY a mouse caliber, however, there are some who think any caliber less than centerfire rifle is a mouse caliber.

 

[Telekinesis]

I typically don't worry about it unless my gun is soaked at the end of the day. Most modern ammo is pretty good about not becoming compromised by water or other liquids. Several years ago I decided to play around a little and left various rounds of ammo submerged in things like oil, water, and salt water for a week, and then took them to the range and to see how they worked. Not one of them misfired.

I have even pulled a few bullets and dumped the powder on a few cases and filled them with different oils so that the oil would be in direct contact with the primer. Not one failed to go off when chambered and fired. I'm much less paranoid about my ammo since doing these (less than scientific) tests, though I still rotate my carry ammo occasionally.

.380 ACP is DEFINITELY a mouse caliber, however, there are some who think any caliber less than centerfire rifle is a mouse caliber.

Well, there we have it. 9x19 is definitely not a mouse caliber, but 9x17 is. We FINALLY have the definition down to a 2mm variance. Care to comment on the 9x18 to further refine our definition?

 

[heron]

If you carry in a pocket, without a holster, you should at least periodically clean the gun and its magazine of pocket lint or other debris. The ammo won't suffer from a little heat and humidity, but gunk in the mag can stop the gun from feeding. Same precaution for revolvers.

 

[mdauben]

I like to shoot off my carry ammo every 6 months, but 12 months is probably closer to average. If I don't see evidence of corrosion of set back of the ammo, I don't worry about it.

 

[psyopspec]

If it's an autoloader, the ammo won't likely come in contact with sweat. As stated above, even if it did the chances of harming the ammunition are small. Think about it; between your sweaty carcass and those rounds you have: a solid layer of clothing if you wear underwear, the material of the pocket, a pocket holster, a layer of steel/polymer for the body of the gun, and another layer of metal for the chamber and the magazine itself.

Of course sweat can be caustic, so it is a good idea to give the gun a daily wipedown with an oily rag if it's been exposed to sweat, but the ammo should be fine all season and much more.

 

[Just One Shot]

Each time I go to the range I use up whatever is in my carry magazine, but not for the reason you listed. I am just paranoid about bullet setback after chambering the first round over and over.

I have a simple solution for bullet set back. I load my carry mags full of my SD ammo minus 1, I then top it off with a round of ball ammo.

I keep and eye on the top round and when I notice set back I simply replace it with another ball round saving my expensive ammo for when/if I need it.

It goes without saying that you should always test fire the ammo you decide to carry to make sure your carry gun will actually feed, fire and eject it before trusting your life to it.

 

[Johannes_Paulsen]

I usually fire off whatever magazine is in the pistol whenever I go to the range.

 

[Drail]

As long as you gun is not dripping with so much oil so that it comes in contact with the primers your carry ammo will last pretty much forever. It doesn't go bad just from being in hot or cold or sweat. But some oils will penetrate deeply enough to get under the primer. Check your breechface regularly and keep it clean and dry.

 

[ChCx2744]

I only rotate ammo when I take them to the range. I don't necessarily shoot off my good SD rounds, because I've already function tested the ammo type readily over the years. I usually just jack out the chambered round, mark the base of the casing with a Sharpie and put it in my "once loaded" tray. Then I go to town with whatever cheap range loads I buy. I usually only let the rounds be chambered twice and all the "twice loaded tray" rounds will eventually get shot as range loads. My carry guns have never had any malfunctions. Under any circumstances. Ever.

 

[gp911]

I fire it off a couple times a year, just because I have this unfounded concern that I may ignore it and somehow my ammo won't work and I'll regret not checking on it more often. Gives me peace of mind, but totally unnecessary.