I've posted this question before but got no replies, so I'll try again: how does one determine the year of manufacturing for a pistol. I recently purchased a new 229 in .40 S&W, and although I'm aware it's a recently made gun, I'm just curious about its date of production. Also, I got a few boxes of Federal HS 135 gr (cheaperthandirt.com sells them for $11.49 for a box of 20 if you purchase five boxes, or $11.97 per box if less that five) and one box of 180 gr. After firing a few rounds on a range, I didn't notice ANY difference of how the gun behaved with this ammo as opposed to FMJ practice "no-name" factory reloads I bought at the range. The point is, I'll probably stay off practicing with expensive HydroShocks and keep them for self/home defense (I trully hope it makes sense). Thus, I need to ask you guys if there's any exparation date of any kind for ammo, a shelf life. Thanks a lot.
P.S. The 229 shoots like a dream.
P.S. The 229 shoots like a dream.