How long can I stock am ammunition for self defense

[ids555]

I have a 9mm CZ, I carry it daily for sd. I bought some mag full of Corbon DFX as may carry load. Here in the Philippines, firearms and ammo are costly, I usually go to the range with local range reloads. May thought is how many months can I stock these factory reloads and change them for new ones to ensure its reliability. BTW I had just tested 1 mag full of the DFX before I used it as SD carry ammo to test if it will feed properly. My other mag is loaded with local HJP brand of ammo. tnx in advance.

 

[Hawaiian]

In the box in a dry place, for many many years.

 

[308sc]

If I read right you are asking how often should you change out your self defense ammo so it will stay reliable?

It will be fine as long as it is not exposed to the elements on a daily bases. People still shoot ammo from the 1940's with no problem....but since your life is depending on it maybe swap it out once every 3-5 years

hope i answered your question right.....maybe someone else will chime in on this.

 

[cjw3cma]

Pricey or not.....

....ammunition in your SD gun needs to be reliable in YOUR weapon. For continued reliability verification I run my carry magazine about every six to eight weeks; but my carry magazine holds 7 rounds (1911 Gov't.) so I get (just about) three mags out of a box. I'd shoot at least 4 or so rounds - of your carry cartridges - every so often to just make sure everything is running right (pardon if you already do). Doing this makes me feel a bit more confident in my carry gun's operation with my choice of ammunition (CorBon Pow'RBall 165gr. / 1225 fps / 550 ftlbs. out of a 5" barrel - feeds like hardball and does what a hallow point is suppose to).

 

[SJ78]

Like others said they will last a long ! time if stored decently . I've shot some
Starfire's from 1992 that still work fine .

 

[EdLaver]

well rifle-wise, I shoot 7.62x54R surplus ammo from the 50's and 60's! Tokarev ammo too, so as long as its stored in a dry place it'll be fine.

 

[bannockburn]

ids555

If you can (and don't already do so), store your ammo in purpose built ammo cans. I still use ammo that has been stored in surplus U.S. military .30 and .50 caliber steel ammo cans for many, many years. Just keep your ammo in a dry location, and regularly rotate your SD ammo every couple of months.

 

[Country]

The military usually rotate their small arms ammo about every 7 years.
Its the brass case that is the prime limiting factor.
It age hardens. This can affect accuracy and case integrity after firing.
However some ammo will last much longer with no problems and some will not.
So I would say , keep your ammo dry and clean and in a cool place and get rid of it every 7 years in the tropics.

 

[gglass]

I package my 80 rnd boxes into 1 quart ziplock bags with a desiccant pack to maintain dryness. I then place it in the back of the freezer and wait for the STHTF.

desiccant packs - Those little dry packs that come with just about every electronic device and some medications that everyone throws away.

 

[ids555]

Tnx for your replies

Upon reading your replies, what will I do is to cycle my round in my carry magazines every quarter, I will fire the rounds and load new ones, to ensure its reliability for SD.I think this is practical enough to replace the ammo that cost $25/per mag(12rounds). Since my country is in a tropical region, humidity and weather is a factor. And if I have factory ammo purchased, I will make it sure that it will be stored in a dry coll place to ensure its will last for years.

 

[leadcounsel]

I think it's wise to cycle your self defense ammuntion at least yearly.

But I don't think it's necessary. Keep in mind that as long as ammo is cool and dry, it will last a century.

I've shot ammo made at the beginning, early and mid- 1900's that worked just fine and was reliable with no sign of problems - and this stuff was probably in no-where near as good of storage as we can store ammo in modern 1st world countries.

Use air tight ammo cans, silica, dehumidifiers etc. and you're ammo will outlive you.

 

[Javelin]

As posted above, ammo lasts for decades with 100% reliability. Some really good info that others have posted that is very valid. Here is a quick summary (some of which other posters have already touched on).

Things that can shorten your ammo's lifespan:

- Water, humidity, and excessive heat are the main factors that inhibit/shorten ammo life.

- Some of the newer primers that do not use lead plausibly could pose a shorter life due to the new primers corroding much more quickly (time will truly tell).

- Sealed primers will probably outlast you in terms of service usefulness and lifespan.

- If ammo is not properly sealed, powder can clump over time but this pretty much only affects accuracy due to uniformity of ignition and burn.

Suggestions on storing your ammo:

- In a cool dry place..... haha. Ok what does that mean? Go ahead and store it in your closet (ideally not your garage or attic). Ammo and guns like about the same temperatures as you do. Also, I recommend keeping ammo at least 8" off of the floor in case you have an unexpected pipe break or leak in the house.. which will probably happen at least once in your lifetime if it has not already.

- Try Keep your ammo away from excessive oils/petroleum products (including WD-40). Not sure why someone would spray their ammo down with oils. But it does present the potential to foul your primers should they not be sealed in addition to staining your brass and they will not be as smooth (sometimes brass casings even get a little *sticky* when handled too much with oils).

- A good idea is to buy those cheap air-tight $5 plastic ammo containers. Placing your ammo in there will assist in the *dry* process though I caution you doing this if you are placing your ammo in adverse climates (excessive heat and humidity) as they have the potential of sweating. Throw in some cedar chunks or silicon packs for good measure.

- And if you want your 12 gauge shells to keep for a long time then don't stack a bunch of ammo on top of your shells... this is common sense but I almost caught myself doing this the other day when I was stacking cases in the closet.

Hope this was not too wordy but its what I have learned over the years and has worked well for me.

 

[BikerRN]

The most I've kept one gun loaded was 5 years. Don't ask, I was broke and honestly didn't have the money to train or practice, as putting food on the table was more important.

With that said, I've fired rounds that were over forty years old with no problems. I prefer to change out my ammo every month, and usually do now that I'm financially solvent.

Stored in a cool, dry, non humid environment without temperature extremes, or fluctuations of more than 15 degrees F I fail to see why ammunition wouldn't last fifty or more years and still be reliable.

BikerRN

 

[wcwhitey]

Stored ammo in the box will last a long, long time if kept dry and away from severe temperature swings. It's the ammo in the gun that I always worry about. Repeated loading and unloading, being subject to a well oiled firearms. I have had dented casings and have seen sealant on the primers wipe away after checking. I qualify twice a year so at the very least I get fresh ammo in about every six months. I think that is a good practice. Bill

 

[CrankyOldGuy]

My understanding of the military regulations pertaining to the storage of ammunition is that it must be inspected every 5 years if stored in an humidity-controlled storage area, every 2.5 years in a temperature-controlled environment and every 2 years in a non-controlled storage area.

(I am not an expert in this field, and I believe these numbers come from a general regulation regarding the storage of any materiel with an 'indefinate' shelf life)

This is an inspection interval not a shelf life.

I fire and replace my carry ammo once a year, when I change my fire alarm batteries. It's cheap insurance, but probably not necessary. However $20 a year doesn't seem excessive, and I regularly fire a magazine of the ammunition anyway...to ensure it still functions reliably as my firearms age.

 

[faizi]

ids555
How is Armscor 9mm JHP ammonition for SD?

 

[outerlimit]

I still remember reading awhile back about an MG shooter that bought some ammo made back in 1903. Every single shot fired without a hitch.

 

[jeff-10]

I then place it in the back of the freezer and wait for the STHTF.

You freeze your ammo?