Carry Ammo Cycle

[dickmadison]

Hello all,

Please forgive me if this has been asked an answered, I couldn't find it. I have read that as long as ammo is in a cool and dry place, it will last for years. But I have also read that a lot of people cycle through their self defense loads that they normally carry in their magazines. I have read they cycle through it from every 2 months to once a year. What do you all recommend? Does the ammo in my magazines that I carry everyday need to be replaced at certain intervals and if so, why? Thanks so much.

DM

[Chuck Haggard]

We swap out duty ammo once per year at my job, this would be a policy I wrote so obviously I think it's a good idea.

I see no reason other than exigent circumstances to trade out ammo more often than that.

[Nephrology]

We swap out duty ammo once per year at my job, this would be a policy I wrote so obviously I think it's a good idea.

I see no reason other than exigent circumstances to trade out ammo more often than that.

by duty ammo how much do you mean per officer? is that just the issue mag's worth of ammo? how often is each round chambered in that year?

[ToddG]

Most people's belts aren't "a cool dry place." Carry ammo is subjected to frequent repeated temperature changes, humidity, vibration, etc. Nonetheless, odds are that for most people in most circumstances their ammo will last years if not decades.

Recommendations to shoot one's carry ammo every <insert period of time> have as much to do with verifying the gun still works and is in relatively proper condition in terms of maintenance as actual concern that the ammo has gone bad.

Another benefit to running through your carry ammo is to serve as a continuing function check.

[Chuck Haggard]

by duty ammo how much do you mean per officer? is that just the issue mag's worth of ammo? how often is each round chambered in that year?

Our basic load-out is what's in the pistol and two extra mags on the duty belt.

[LeeC]

How does bullet setback from rechambering rounds factor into EDC ammo life cycle? Lots of discussion on that, e.g. here.

I've recently switched from carrying Federal 9BPLE @ $0.40 /round to Federal P9HST3 @ $0.62 /round. With the 9BPLEs, I'd rotate the chambered rounds down farther into the magazine in the pistol when unloading/reloading for dry fire practice, to minimize the number of times I re-chamber the round. Then I'd shoot up the 15 round G19 mag on my first drills at the range, which happened about twice a week. With the cost of my EDC ammo now up by 50%, I'm rethinking that practice.

ToddG's point in the long discussion I referenced above, to the effect that shooting the one chambered EDC round at the range is an insignificant part of the total cost of ownership (range fees, practice ammo, transportation, etc), is well put. Now I'm thinking that with soft rechambering (lock slide back, insert round, ease slide forward and press closed), I will just rechamber the same top round a few times between range trips and then shoot it on the first drill. I'll check the cartridge height on the soft-rechambered round using a straight edge comparison to some new rounds, at least a few times, to convince myself first-hand that this practice isn't leading to risking a KaBoom. One box of EDC ammo per 50 range trips is a small slice of the pie. Plus, this strategy keeps the EDC ammo from getting too old, with a low cost of one round per range trip.

***EDIT: Subject should have read "Wear and tear from rechambering EDC ammo".

[JV_]

Now I'm thinking that with soft rechambering (lock slide back, insert round, ease slide forward and press closed)

Are you dropping the round in the chamber or using a magazine? A lot of guns are designed to have the round come out of the magazine, so it slides behind the extractor, rather than forcing the extractor around the rim. It can caused a chipped extractor.

[Chuck Haggard]

Are you dropping the round in the chamber or using a magazine? A lot of guns are designed to have the round come out of the magazine, so it slides behind the extractor, rather than forcing the extractor around the rim. It can caused a chipped extractor.

Exactly, a bad idea indeed.

[LeeC]

Are you dropping the round in the chamber or using a magazine? A lot of guns are designed to have the round come out of the magazine, so it slides behind the extractor, rather than forcing the extractor around the rim. It can caused a chipped extractor.

Yikes. Dropping the round into the chamber on Gen4 G19. Sounds like I should not do that.

[JV_]

Sounds like I should not do that.

With a Glock, I wouldn't.