How often to change out personal protection ammo

[ugoleftillgorite]

So, clearly, ammo that is kept away from moisture can survive for decades with little ill effect. On a daily carry gun in humid Oklahoma, though, with constant exposure to sweat and the occasional elements, how frequently do you change out your personal protection ammo? The reason I ask is I had a veritable mag of squibs after 2 years of carrying it around. I was carrying Hornady TAP PD and there was so little energy left that they didn't cycle the action and sounded like a Hollywood silenced round. The stuff isn't cheap enough to justify rotating it into the shooting schedule every month, but then again the thought of carrying rounds that might literally bounce off who I was shooting them at scares the crap out of me. Just wondering what your personal experiences/thoughts were.

 

[oneof79]

So, clearly, ammo that is kept away from moisture can survive for decades with little ill effect. On a daily carry gun in humid Oklahoma, though, with constant exposure to sweat and the occasional elements, how frequently do you change out your personal protection ammo? The reason I ask is I had a veritable mag of squibs after 2 years of carrying it around. I was carrying Hornady TAP PD and there was so little energy left that they didn't cycle the action and sounded like a Hollywood silenced round. The stuff isn't cheap enough to justify rotating it into the shooting schedule every month, but then again the thought of carrying rounds that might literally bounce off who I was shooting them at scares the crap out of me. Just wondering what your personal experiences/thoughts were.

Kinda like motorcycle helmets, how much is your head worth. If it isn't worth much buy a cheap helmet.

 

[Honeybee]

Even with the humidity, if your ammo hasn't turned green yet it should be good to go.

 

[Clay]

6-8 months is all I will trust a round to carry unless its in the box inside my house, then I dont worry about them until many years goes by.

 

[ugoleftillgorite]

Fully agree oneof79, and that Hornady TAP is plenty expensive. However, there is a difference between buying a $500 helmet and buying that same $500 helmet twice a year for fear that they are "wearing out." I'm just curious if anyone else has noticed weak rounds due to carrying them. I'll probably start doing a 6 month cycle, nonetheless.

 

[indi]

So, clearly, ammo that is kept away from moisture can survive for decades with little ill effect. On a daily carry gun in humid Oklahoma, though, with constant exposure to sweat and the occasional elements, how frequently do you change out your personal protection ammo? The reason I ask is I had a veritable mag of squibs after 2 years of carrying it around. I was carrying Hornady TAP PD and there was so little energy left that they didn't cycle the action and sounded like a Hollywood silenced round. The stuff isn't cheap enough to justify rotating it into the shooting schedule every month, but then again the thought of carrying rounds that might literally bounce off who I was shooting them at scares the crap out of me. Just wondering what your personal experiences/thoughts were.

WOW! thats a very scary thought. Make a criminal feel like superman, hopefully they'll jump of a roof after this thinking that they can fly. But seriously, i have never encountered this problem. Never even thought that this would be a problem. Did the rest of the ammo from that same box shoot fine? Maybe it was a BAD batch. I have some federal hydroshock and speer gold dot that have been sitting in my safe for the last two years, and for about 5 years before i had a safe they were my defense ammo. Ill dig them out and see if i have any problems with them. Ill get back to you guys with results on if they went pop or BANG!

 

[Rod Snell]

The stuff isn't cheap enough to justify rotating it into the shooting schedule every month

Just wondering what your personal experiences/thoughts were.

I kinda go overboard on closely inspecting and shooting defense loads I carry, and it can get a little expensive, that's the rub.
On the other hand, I've seen ammo taken out of others' guns that was corroded and one even had a cartidge with the powder leaking out.
A derringer that had been carried loaded for years had to have the cartridges driven out.

So what I suggest is based on the human psychology that anything we don't do at least every year we tend to totally forget about, you know, like the smoke alarm batteries. And guns don't beep to remind us.
So if once a year, maybe in your birth month, you shoot the loads you have in the gun, expecially those that have been cycled in semi-autos, you'll at least never be carrying ammo more than a year old.

Added: The ammo that has been properly stored away from vibration and humidity in the box obviously is going to last far longer, decades even, without problems.

 

[David2012]

I carry Hornady Critical Defense in my Glock 19, 23 and LCP... I usually inspect the Magazine & ammo for dirt, lint & excessive tarnishing of the brass every month.... and sqeeze off a round every 8-9 months.. if it goes bang with full power, then I am comfortable that the rest of the rounds in the mag are good too. I then add a new replacement round to the bottom of the stack in the mag.

For those new to shooting or carrying... do not wipe your ammo down with a oily rag or spray it with WD-40 or any thing to prevent the brass from tarnishing... over time, some of that stuff can penetrate the seal around the primer or the bullet crimp and affect the powder. Just wipe the ammo down with a clean dry cloth. If you want to keep your brass shinny... just wash your hands to remove body oils from your fingers before handling the brass. My carry ammo stays just about as clean and shinny as the day I first put it into the mag.

 

[ugoleftillgorite]

Yep, the rest of the box was still good. And I do inspect the ammo every month or so, it didn't look funny whatsoever. And my centerfire ammo never sees any sort of cleaner/lubricant. Its interesting that you should mention vibration, though. I do ride a motorcycle consistently, do you think that vibration from that could have any effect on the potency?

 

[David2012]

Only thing I can imagine about how vibration might affect your ammo would be if the vibration shook the powder out of the primer.. so you didn't get a good inital blast to set off the main charge.

When seated on your cycle, the bullet is pointing down... and the powder vibrates out of the primer over time.