EDC Ammunition Expiry Date

[PTsalas]

Hey guys, was just wondering how often you cycle through your EDC ammunition?

As it tends to be quite expensive, the temptation might be to keep it for a long period of time.

What do you think would be a safe period before shooting it out and replacing it with fresh ammunition? 6 months, 1 year?

[Ds J]

The serious folks recommend every three months.

And, when utilizing a new batch, one should test 50 rounds.

It also depends a little on your area, the amount of moisture (humidity, sweat etc) there is.

[Nyt Ryda]

How long is a piece of string ? I'm also worried about lint/dust build-up and how often I re-chamber the same round and that's usually the cause when you see an article about dead carry ammo which is usually about a cop who re-chambers the same round every morning, etc.

For my EDC/carry gun I don't re-chamber the same round more than 2 times, and I buy two boxes of 147gr Rangers once a year and shoot out the old stuff.
Would obviously decrease the interval if any of my carry ammo doesn't go bang.

Some over-the-top precautions I do as well :
- I clean and lube after every range trip with my carry gun, just don't overlube or get lube in the places you shouldn't.
- I will take the chambered round and first round of my magazine and wipe it clean with a patch as they're often dirty from being loaded after the range trip.
- I load my carry ammo using nitrile gloves to minimize the sweat and skin oils that can get on the ammo.
- And one not over the top precaution, take your barrel out and make sure they drop in fine if you don't have a case gauge.

[PTsalas]

How long is a piece of string ? I'm also worried about lint/dust build-up and how often I re-chamber the same round and that's usually the cause when you see an article about dead carry ammo which is usually about a cop who re-chambers the same round every morning, etc.

For my EDC/carry gun I don't re-chamber the same round more than 2 times, and I buy two boxes of 147gr Rangers once a year and shoot out the old stuff.
Would obviously decrease the interval if any of my carry ammo doesn't go bang.

Some over-the-top precautions I do as well :
- I clean and lube after every range trip with my carry gun, just don't overlube or get lube in the places you shouldn't.
- I will take the chambered round and first round of my magazine and wipe it clean with a patch as they're often dirty from being loaded after the range trip.
- I load my carry ammo using nitrile gloves to minimize the sweat and skin oils that can get on the ammo.
- And one not over the top precaution, take your barrel out and make sure they drop in fine if you don't have a case gauge.

Thanks for the detailed reply. So basically you will go through 2 boxes per year. Is the issue regarding the chambered round strain on the cases?

Just as an extension on the question, not related to ammunition but still relevant to the discussion:
How often do you cycle your magazines and do you carry your magazines fully loaded plus one?

[Steven001]

Thanks for the detailed reply. So basically you will go through 2 boxes per year. Is the issue regarding the chambered round strain on the cases?

Just as an extension on the question, not related to ammunition but still relevant to the discussion:
How often do you cycle your magazines and do you carry your magazines fully loaded plus one?

I rotate annually, shoot out the old mag and backup mag, replace, and carrying your mags fully loaded does not wear the springs, springs wear when you use the mags, when you put the springs under tension and then under no tension... I make sure that my carry mags and gaming mags are marked


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[Nyt Ryda]

Thanks for the detailed reply. So basically you will go through 2 boxes per year. Is the issue regarding the chambered round strain on the cases?

When you chamber a round it slams it in, doing this repeatedly can affect the primer compound. It can also cause bullet setback which can increase the pressure.
Don't think of avoiding this by dropping the round in with the slide locked back and then slowly lowering the slide on the round as it messes with and can damage the extractor.

Just as an extension on the question, not related to ammunition but still relevant to the discussion:
How often do you cycle your magazines and do you carry your magazines fully loaded plus one?

Carry mags are separate to my range mags. I baby the mags I carry, so no dropping. I only shoot them when its time to replace carry ammo, but I will inspect them occasionally for dust buildup.

Started off with all my mags at one round less than full capacity for a while because the last round was a pain to get in, and then loaded them back to full capacity.
There are some merits to carrying your spare mag with one round less than full capacity though, as it makes it easier to seat the spare mag when the slide is forward.