What is the maximum amount of time that Duty Ammo is good for?

[usmarine0352_2005]

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There really isn't a place for this question so I'm posting it here. Firstly, I'm not looking for the "Recommended" amount of time you should use duty ammo before you change it out, I'm looking for the maximum amount of time you can use duty ammo before it is changed out.



I thought that in the right conditions ammo should never break down and can be used forever.



The reason I'm asking is because we were issued or bought patrol rifles for use on our police department and they issued everyone 60 rounds of ammo. I have a total of 6 mags, which would be 180 rounds. When I asked for more they said no, it wasn't in the budget. I can understand that since our department and almost all other law enforcement departments have had rough times for quite awhile with no end in sight. I was told we need to purchase our own ammo if we want more then what's issued.


It's Federal LE ammo and fairly expensive. It doesn't help that my room-mate recently lost his job and money has been tight for awhile.


I would like to buy my own ammo, but will need to keep it as long as possible without replacing it. It will be inside magazines (not the rifle unless I need to chamber a round), which will be in a soft case and either in my locker or trunk of my squad, so the ammo will not be exposed to the elements at all.




1.) How long can this ammo last without being changed out?




2.) When should I empty the magazines and let the springs rest and how long do they need to rest for? (ex: Like once a month for 1 day).



.

 

[rule303]

Your ammo will last indefinitely as long as it is kept dry. As far as the mags being loaded, you will probably get several opinions. Tests have been done that show that the springs only wear from being cycled, but most feel better rotating them out on occasion. I have personally seen mags that were loaded for decades, that still work OK.

 

[zxcvbob]

Load them up and leave them alone. The ammo will last longer than you will. The springs will last longer than you will if you don't be flexing and unflexing them all the time. Load 29 instead of 30 if it makes you feel better (so the springs won't be max-compressed)

Can you use cheaper ammo for you spares?

 

[BleysAhrens]

I think they would last several years. Realistically, years and years from what I have read about ammo. Maybe buff them every once in a while with some fine steel wool. But I'm no expert in this kinda stuff..

 

[beatcop]

Questions like this are usually addressed by the firearms instructor at your academy or agency.

-ammo may last indefinetely if kept dry, free of oil, not chambered and cleared continuosly

-there is no rest cycle for mags, they are either good or not. LE mags are loaded and stored in your gun & pouches for years and years.

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

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I've heard that magazines only wear out with constant loading/unloading and not while loaded.



Does anyone have a study and link for this?
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[Larry Ashcraft]

^ What he said.

I have sixty year old ammo that works just fine.

Springs don't need to "rest". A quality spring can remain compressed for decades with no ill effects. What wears a spring out is constant compression and decompression.

How long does that take? Think of a pickup truck and how long the leaf springs last. A few decades of constant use might eventually wear the springs out, but compare that to the amount of use your service auto gets.

 

[[email protected]]

Truth is nothing last forever.... eventually it will all be bad... from what I understand you will never need to worry about that time.... at least in this lifetime.

 

[Zach S]

1) Indefinitely. I'm 30 years old, and have fired ammo twice my age. As long as its kept dry, you're good to go.

2) Springs don't need a rest, they just need replaced, and 90% of my magazines have the original springs. I've wore out maybe 1% of them, and the other 9% came with wore out springs (dirt cheap surplus M16 magazines).

 

[LiquidTension]

I feel your pain. My department hasn't given us new duty ammo since 2007. While it's true that it should last longer than I do, the fact is that I actually shoot my duty gun regularly, which means that my duty ammo has been chambered multiple times. I rotate which rounds are chambered to try to avoid excessive bullet setback.

 

[GRIZ22]

which means that my duty ammo has been chambered multiple times. I rotate which rounds are chambered to try to avoid excessive bullet setback

Ammo in proper storage is good forever as has been said. However, I would have bought some of the issued ammo long ago and swapped it out. Loading and unloading the same rounds not only can cause bullet setback but other issues as well.

The agency I worked for qualified quarterly and old ammo was shot up during quals leaving everyone with ammo being carried no longer than 3 months. I realize not all agencies are willing to pay that cost. If my employer didn't pay for fresh ammo to be rotated on a regular basis I would.

 

[chhodge69]

to your questions:
1) indefinitely, assuming ideal conditions. If it stays in the magazine and stays dry and free of oil it will fire 50 years from now. If you cycle it frequently you might see setback in the rounds being chambered repeatedly - I've had it happen with pistol cartridges. If you're concerned get some cheap calipers and check the OAL now and then.
2) never - steel does not creep. If it did it would not be a suitable material for bridges or buildings. You CAN over-compress a spring and bend it but it happens right away, not over time.

 

[kimbernut]

68 year old.30 Carbine

I'm still shooting .30 carbine headstanped LC 42 through LC 52 and a small amount left of Eau Claire steel case from the same era and '67-69 LC .30-06 Spgfd. It still shoots and chronos fine.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

If not physically damaged through repeated chamberings and unchamberings or corrosion, not stored in temperature/humidity extremes, etc., it should be "good" for decades.

 

[napjerk]

100 years.

 

[lemaymiami]

Here's how I handled that topic years ago when I routinely carried a separate closed bandolier of 00 Buck and slug rounds for my shotgun. Every two or three years, all the ammo was removed from their pouches (they were protected inside each pouch and also inside each cardboard carton of five (with the bottom cut out of each box for quick access). Each round was visually inspected for any signs of water damage or corrosion (down in south Florida that's routine maintenance in my opinion), then carefully cleaned off with a dry cloth, reloaded in each cardboard box, then replaced in the bandolier. With an auto pistol or patrol rifle I'd do the same - but probably more frequently.... Alternating between high humidity and air conditioning is a recipe for moisture.
Hope this helps. By the way... never use any WD40 anywhere near cartridge primers. Over time, in my area, there were primer failures as a result... Just keep your loads dry and clean until needed or expended and replaced.

 

[JohnBiltz]

Since this is your patrol rifle, I'm guessing its not chambered. You could probably retire with that ammo and magazines but I would not recommend going that long. If it is chambered then its a different story. With an AR you not only have to worry about bullet set back but every time you chamber, the free floating firing pin will dent the primer of the chambered round. Over time you are denting that round's primer a lot. The military got a little concerned about this with our long duration conflicts going on although I don't remember it causing any accidental discharges. But you have already been carrying that rifle longer than they do.

 

[HavelockLEO]

count yourself lucky, well as far as carrying more ammo than youre issued, I mean. I'm one of the only guys in my department qualified with a rifle thats not on the SRT team. As such I'm limited to 60 rounds....PERIOD.....I keep them in three MAGPUL twenty round mags, one in the rifle, two in a thigh rig.

As far as the rotation of service ammo, we carry the same ammo all year, then use the issue(old) as practice ammo for qualification, that includes rifle, pistol and shotgun.

Like I said cout yourself lucky, the only one of the three I can have about any amount of ammo for is the shotgun, dont ask me why, thats just how it is.

 

[clem]

Rotate your duty ammo every year.

I'm sure that your life is worth more then the cost of a box of ammo.

 

[foghornl]

Recently fired some WWII-vintage ammo in my Springflield Armory "GI-45". every round went BANG!, and cycled the action as designed.

Stuff is darn near 70 years old, so your duty ammo will probably 'out-live' YOU..

 

[orionengnr]

Well, I bought some 1940s vintage 9mm Euro stuff back in the late 90s. I am still shooting it (wish I'd bought a whole lot more at the price).

Bottom line...well-manufactured ammo will still go bang after you and I are in our graves.

Now if you are chambering and ejecting it multiple times...all bets are off. It may go bang or it may go BANG!

 

[clem]

The reason I say every year for carry ammo is that oil and/or other stuff might contaminate the primer and/or powder.
I would replace my carry ammo every year and just shoot up the old stuff.

 

[scythefwd]

I have ammo that is over 60 years old for my garand. You will probably retire before your ammo goes bad.

 

[Bill_Shelton]

I talk to my friends sometimes and ask them if they invest in Gold or Silver...and they usually say...NO! This response it OK with me because if you don't understand investing in these metals, then it is a mind-wracking and confidence-destroying way to make a buck...or to save a buck due to inflation.

Nevertheless, most of these guys say they invest in Guns and Ammo - and so I am not worried about them. Guns and Ammo properly cared for will last a lifetime, and act as an incredible hedge against "Dollar Devaluation" (i.e., inflation) - and my friends are doing very well financially! And they enjoy the process for they know their ammo and guns will outlast them.

I hope this inspires you - please don't be needlessly afraid of ammo degradation.

Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[clem]

The question is:

"What is the maximum amount of time that Duty Ammo is good for?"

I have lots of other "long term" storage ammo, too.