Defensive ammo

Cycle however often it makes you "feel" happy.

Doing it once a month seems silly, given the ammo in question has lived longer than that surely just getting into your hands.

One could look at all the examples of WWII and Korean War surplus ammo that runs like a champ.

My personal experience was with Winchester 22lr ammo left in our New England unheated garage for 20+ years. 1 fail to fire out of 50. That could have been the result 20 years ago too, who knows.

Replacing every 1,2,3,4, or 5 years seems reasonable.

I do so about every 1 year, but only with rounds that have been rotating through my magazines.

DATA: is there any?
If the military has a "issue by" date on ammo like 9mm or 5.56, that would be a great guide to go by. Does anyone know if there is such a thing? I've read that they were issuing ammunition in theater from the late 1960's during the Gulf War.
 
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I do have a Colt 1851 Navy that I shoot every week, and reload.

I keep the chambers and caps sealed with beeswax. I go out back every Saturday morning and chip away at a dead stump a few paces down the trail near my house. I go home, and it's six cast .375 round balls over 25 grains of FFFG blackpowder, Remington no. 10 caps on last, and a couple teaspoons of melted beeswax seals the deal for the next week.

I keep it up on the hutch, "just in case". Most think it's an old antique put up for display purposes, but I know it's ready to rock and roll if called upon. :cool:
 
I worry far less about the shelf life or age of the ammo as I do the "push back" factor. My general rule is, if the gun is not in my direct control (holstered on my body) there is no round in the chamber so I may load/unload two, three, even four times a day. I have monitored a few rounds after several cycles in and out of the chamber and found very little change but I know mileage may vary from one to another, so here is my system. I put a line accross the end when I take it out, and another the next time. When it has an X on it it goes farther down in the magazine. When every round in the mag has an X, I replace them all with new and put them in a bag for the next range session. Its not scientific and its no big deal if its not totally consistant, be it makes for reasonably regular rotation of the ammo and allows for some occasional range work with the defensive ammo. ;)
 
According to the Federal Premium website under faq ammo has a shelf life of 10 years if stored properly.

My defensive ammo will be cycled out long before because Ill have shot it at the range within weeks or months. I dont see the purpose of just letting a sporting firearm sit unused. If I own it, its going to be used. If it sits than its either a collectors piece or about to be sold.
 
My defensive ammo stays in the magazine for about a year. The round in the chamber is a generic HP loaded from a separate magazine.
 
I was bear hunting this year with ammo I reloaded 25 years ago. I have had black power pistols charged for five years and all chambers went bang after I had dropped it in a puddle.

I have two dozen CCWs to chose from on any day so I aint cycling ammo that I know will be fine for my great nephew when he is sixty.....he is seven now.

I work up my practice loads and deffensive loads so that they have the same point of impact and I make sure each works in each gun and then use practice ammo because it is much easyer to clean a bit of lead from hundred year old guns then copper.
 
Well I shot off my 2 mags worth today. Every round went downrange with zero problems. I took advantage of some good prices and bought 100 rounds of defensive ammo, and plan to cycle it more frequently. Probably gonna go for cycling twice a year.
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Why change out SD ammo? You proved the point that ammo as some have stated does not have a shelf life. Personally I think changing out ammo is a waste of time. I have reloads that are over 5 years old and WOW they still go bang after ALL that time. I'm so lucky I'm going to buy a lotto ticket:rolleyes:
 
defensive ammo

Hello, I recommend that you turn over your defensive ammunition every year. Every quarter or six months when you shoot start shooting 5 rounds or so, for verification.
 
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