Should You Cycle Out Your Carry Ammo?
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If you cycle it or not, you should at least clean out the lint or dust every couple months or so.
I thought the lint helped keep out the dirt.
@@TreeCamperaktually dirt keeps out the lint. 😂
I'd say if you're not practicing with your carry ammo, you're do it wrong...and if you're carrying and not practicing, you're doing it wrong.
Dust bunnies in there lol
This! Lint and dirt will absolutely stop your firearm. My EDC gets cleaned ones a month simply because I have had it not work when needed due to everyday lint and dust!
Raccoons in my cornfield had to be removed. Pull my sidearm, out the Lazer on them. 1 shot jam. Fix the issue, jam. It jammed every round.
Took it in the house and pulled it apart, Absolutely nasty with lint and dirt!
Clean your sidearm every morning and practice with it at least every month.
I found a box of 9mm ammo from 1974 cleaning out my late grandfathers estate. took it out back and tested it out, 48 years in a tool box and worked just fine. don't think a couple months or years in my magazine will do much harm
It might hurt your magazine if it's a rifle mag and made of polymer. Plastic doesn't tolerate pressure trying to deform it for years. It tends to deform.
Right! I have ammo I have stored for 25 years and it's fine. I still cycle out ammo every 6 months or so. I also change mags out 1x per week. Mag springs can fail and plastic can warp. And of course I clean dust out 1x per week. That's not alot of maint. And be sure everything works if ya need it.
The main reason to cycle ammo is to practice.
It does too! I just tested mine due to this video. My first round that stays in the chamber hang fired. It actually just smoked. Never went off. This was 1 year old ammo.
I thought what you thought all my life. My jaw dropped when This happened today. Old ammo should always work. Ammo you carry everyday has different stress. It's worth checking
Unless you factory in heating and cooling causing the cartridge to breathe. Ot salty sweat creeping into the case. A deck of cards on a shelf or in a safe will last hundreds of years. Now, put that same deck of cards in your pocket for a year. See what the difference is.
I live in Chicago so i keep all my guns loaded either next to and under my bed. Makes it easier to carry as well just pick up, press check and go.
When I go to the range, I always fire a few from my carry set up just to make sure everything works. It builds confidence that my carry will work if I ever need it.
I used to do that, now I keep a brand new (but tested) magazine just for carry and the rest for plinking. My confidence goes that it is clean and newer, thus should work better than the one full of sand and worn out.
I cycled out my carry ammo once a year, in both my carry guns, in the gun and the back-up magazines. Started years ago, when shoot quals with the Sheriff's department. We shot the old carry ammo out of all duty mags and put fresh ammo in at the end. I have stuck with that habit.
This is my favorite way, ai have to where I live
@@deputygunner same. I swap out all my optic batteries at that time as well
My agency did same. I retired after 25 years and continue to do this yearly with my carry guns.
This is how I cycle mine out as well. Run it and make sure it works as you thought it would.
What I have done is use the carry ammo in the pistol when I go to the range, which lets me know that what I had in the pistol and the pistol would function as expected. In 40 + years, not one single time, did the pistol and the carry ammo fail to function. So, in modern pistols with modern quality ammo, it's been a non issue in my experienced even if you're going to the range every few months give or take. Having said that, lint, dirt, etc, can get into the pistol and a regular check/function check and lube is essential. If loading and unloading regularly, best to rotate the ammo in the mag so same one is not used as first to experience set back.
The way i prevent set back (unload frequently due to dryfire) is that i will always reload the gun with the top round from the mag but after i will remove the mag and unload 4-5 rounds, loading them back in with the last chambered round earlier. That way you are not always swapping the same 2 rounds.
I also shoot a mag or so of carry ammo every 6ish months to verify zero and to practice with that actual round.
The way I’ve been avoiding bullet set back is instead of ripping the slide back and letting it go like it owed me money to chamber a round and also locking slide to the rear and releasing the slide stop to chamber a round I just started doing a “controlled feed” by racking back the slide and the easing it forward essentially riding the slide and it’s been working great so far and I have been chambering the same round that way for the past few months with no bullet set back observed. I have been doing this with a full-size Walter pdp that has been giving me way worse bullet set back than my other polymer striker fire guns. Give it a try brother
@@rick0161 sorry for the ignorant question, but what caliber round, and I assume self defense round?
@@Fr_dG I should’ve mentioned it, Hornady critical duty- 9mm 135 grain
If you’re asking this question, it says you’re not practicing enough. I run my carry magazines through first when I get to the range, then practice ammunition, then reload with more carry ammunition before I leave. Pretty simple
Most people don’t want to buy expensive carry ammo every week/month.
@@MikeS309 don't want / cant afford.
@@MikeS309sounds like they need to help us push the 2a agenda harder and decrease ammo prices through dilution
Bro my carry ammo is not cheap we got millionaires in chat apparently💀
Me try shooting to shoot 460 S&W on a regular basis
In my opinion and experience, you can use carry ammo for years as long as it's a quality round. Especially if you're not constantly exposing the ammunition to adverse conditions. I also recommend getting a few magazines for each of your carry weapons just for range purposes. That way you're not downloading and reloading your carry ammo.
agreed!!!! I purchased several spare 9mm magazines for my Sig P320 and what I did was, is that I took the 2 17-round magazines that originally came with the gun and filled them with my preferred carry ammo and added one 21-rounder on top of it with carry ammo as well. Plus, the two extra 21-rounders I set aside specifically for range usage.
No, periodically clean lint and debris. Ammunition will be fine, even if it sees harsh wet or environments. Ball or Flake powder doesn't degrade with time or agitation and will ignite reliably loaded in a cartridge.
Very odd, here in south west FL i have had ALL major ammo manufacturers pistol and rifle ammo degrade within 5 years when not stored properly where I live. If it is stored properly or used yearly( my standard) i do not have carry or cache ammo fail, only if left out for years.
I love how much love the 19x gets on this channel.
I love mine. It’s fully customized though but thought about buying one and just putting an optic on it.
We shoot our duty ammo at range qualifications once a year and are then issued new duty ammo on the spot. That’s also when I shoot and reload off duty carry ammo. However, vast majority of the time I carry duty weapon when off duty.
I am able to get the 50 round of boxes for 1st responders & they cost a lot less that way. A few years ago when agencies were switching from 40 to 9mm I was able to get boxes agencies returned, brand new ammo still, just sat on a shelf for a while. I could get a box of 50 for $24 or a box of never issued stuff for $27, so over the course of a few years I bought several hundred rounds of Critical Duty. I shoot the stuff in my gun when I go the range. I also run my ammo through a Lee factory crimp die to help avoid set back.
I have a 1 year limit for loaded mags just because it makes me feel good to put "fresh" ammo into my carry guns lol...Also when I swap the ammo out I shoot the ammo that was in it for the last year to see if it would have worked ok if I needed it...knock on wood Ive never had a problem...
Storytime: This past summer I was on a kayak that overturned in freshwater. G45, full mag +1, full spare mag, underwater for 30 to 45 minutes. Was afraid to trust the ammo for self defense for fear of reliability issues. To my surprise there were zero malfunctions with those rounds. If it were to happen again I would still take them out of service but it was good to know that they would still go bang if they needed to before I got home to swap them.
I cycle out mine about once a year. I toss it in a jar and when I build a new 9mm AR/PCC I use them to test feeding mixed with FMJ’s. I’ll also test new guns with them to see which ones are finicky feeding ammo. I simply watch for sales around the holidays this time of year and buy a few boxes and swap it out, or at least the top 2-3 rounds.
I had the same mag in a handgun for about 7 months, took it to a range and fired off said mag. Flawless. So Yes because you should train, but no if you think it Wont work after some months or even a year or two. It will, remember that ammo you buy if its new production is still a year old at that point. When you buy a 2022 anything guess when it was made? 2021 or 2020. Sometimes, they'll do something special where they produce a run of special vehicles that get released 3+ years after their production because they want to launch it alongside a design change for their regular models but they dont want their new star to take the spotlight from potential buyers of their current prod. Auto industry comparison to ammo industry here so, not directly relatable but in terms of production dates and run times I've got a feeling im at least Close to right.
Yes, carry ammo should absolutely be sold in 50 round boxes as the norm! As for the rest of the video... my policy is this: I don't want to die due to my being stupidly cheap. Yes, carry ammo is expensive, especially these days. But, I'd rather spend $100 or so every 6 months to a year in order to be SURE that when I have to pull that trigger, my self defense tool will go bang properly. I also replace the springs in my mags every two years, on a rotating basis (half this year, half next year). Springs are also cheap insurance. I'm so glad I decided to do this last year when I bought a brand new factory Smith and Wesson mag for my then carry piece and had the spring snap in half when I tried to load it for the first time. Do you really want to trust your life to that cartridge that you've cycled through ten or twenty times, with the chewed up rim on it, that's been probably soaking up some oil around the primer pocket for a year - or two?
Well like I said before I found out the hard way if anything's coming out of the round don't use it😅
Like anything the answer is it depends. I have Federal 124 HST from 2012, the other day I was curious so I shot 15 rounds, ran perfect. Check your ammo, if it’s corroding or beat up replace it. If it looks pristine it’s most likely fine. Ammo manufacturers trying to sell their products will always tell you to buy new ammo every year
I love Federal HST. It's in all my handguns. Make sure after a few months of carrying, Make sure the projectiles are still solid in the casing. I found quite a few over the years that seem to loosen up and I can actually pull them out by hand.
I agree Eric. I hunted with a guy this past weekend 4 days straight he chambered the same 7mm rem mag so many times in the course of that hunt that the bullets case was seriously deformed. I told him to ditch that round and explained why and he said that hadnt even occurred to him.
Yes, I rotate every year or so. The old stuff goes in a zip loc bag. There is often different types, brands. I end up taking this mix mash to the range and load them randomly and they normally all feed okay, even mixed up.
Ive left reinforced polymer AICS magazines (MDT) loaded and it actually caused the lips to creep and open up, which changed the feed angle and caused rounds to pop out under handling. It didnt take that long. So be wary of that, may be manufacturer specific.
Small point of order……defensive ammo usually comes in 20 round boxes as he went on to say. If you need 42 rounds that is three boxes and more likely to be close to $60 unless you are buying in bulk. It is also good to shot/cycle a few rounds or more when replacing with new Ammo to make sure you did not get a bad “lot” of new ammo.
never tolerate dinged up old ammo. My self defense situations have always required sub MOA accuracy at long range. my last self defense shooting was at nearly 800 meters. I simply can't risk my life with a dented slug
What caused you to take an 800 meter self defense shot?
@@navchaps3449sarcasm possibly.
😁 long range self-defense is a great example of why you need to cycle your ammo. my nickel plated 1858 pietta requires daily Maintenace, especially with over 300 rounds a week being fired from it. i frequently have to cycle the hollow points so i won't have to worry about the misfeeds from the magazine. Great video Eric.
@@navchaps3449I assUme they are defending against inhuman aggressors, possibly defending inhuman friendlies. It is legal in some municipalities to shoot known varmint species without a license if they are threatening livestock. "Threatening" is often given a broad interpretation in many situations.
Bro that’s sniping not self defense
I appreciate your content Eric, I have been watching for several years now, keep it coming!
In Bosnia I found an ammo box of ak mags that were about 30 years old loaded. They were solid rust. They still cycled fine when shot. Just be careful. Some old loaded ak mags were explosive. Those don't fire well. Not that you have to worry about that in the USA.
So I change out the first 2 rounds ( number 1 mag ) every 6 to 8 months and all other mags full year round…. Just watch for that round to set back
Absolutely change it out. I live in hot Florida and work outside 7 days a week and often swet like a pig. I have had 2 what I call near miss fires in 6 years. The first was a neighbors dog trying to get through my gate to attack my dog. I shot 1 45acp round into the ground, and it was about 1/3 power and didn't cycle. The other was a rattle snakes in the yard. It was about 1/4 power and didn't cycle. This was during covid when 45acp didn't exist. So after about 6 months of sweat they failed. Before I clean my edc I will often go to the berm and empty a mag from canceled shooting a fast drill cold. Tells me if the ammo is good and shows my how I perform cold not under stress. And let's me know if the pistol is ready to shoot. If you don't sweat a lot, it is probably much less of an issue. But would you risk your life on it?
I cycle mine out every few years
Dude, I didn't recognize you in the thumbnail at all. Good on you to put in the work. The channel name is why I am watching.
You forgot to mention being in a colder environment and going from the cold to a warm place the ammo will sweat and collect moisture in the powder and primers....just my 2cents and ❤your content and glad to see you again, happy Thanksgiving 🎉😊
If you load and unload every day, I recommend you use a separate mag to load your chamber. That way you can just leave your carry mag completely full until you cycle out the ammo in it, saving a bit of wear on the spring.
Absolutely do so!
When I went to renew my CCW, I was most surprised when my pistol went “bang, pop, pfffft, bang, click, bang.” It appears the primers on the ammunition had somehow gone “stale.” Perhaps it was my gun oil (Breakfree). Embarrassing on the range; unforgivable on the street. Only by regularly reloading with “fresh” ammo can you prevent this. Only by pulling the trigger can you test for this - yet another reason to practice, practice, practice.
I used to shoot mil--surp ammo from the 1950's in my Enfield. I still have some. Worked great and not one misfire. My pistol carry ammo is at least one full decade old, if not two, and I recently shot a few magazines without a single problem. Most recently I've sent one stripper clip through the wash cycle. I'm just going to use a bullet puller hammer to see if they're good. Don't want a squib to make extra work for myself.
To prevent set back simply keep 10 in the magazine. First, Load the 11 first through the top like you would insert a laser bullet, closet the chamber, then insert the magazine. Easy, no setback, because the bullet is not being slammed up the feed ramp repeatedly.
Missed the poll but I do cycle it out. There's always alteast one dedicated mag for it. Every 8 months or so it'll get used at the range.
Sierra had a selection of 147 grain 9mm hollows that felt fantastic.
Practice with what you carry; it's a great opportunity to cycle out your carry ammo. If you can't afford to practice with it, get cheaper ammo - one center-mass hit with a JHP that only expand 20% over bore is better than two misses and a wing shot that expands 65% in gel.
If you are using quality ammunition depending on how much temperature change your firearms face 2 years is fine as long as the brass case is crimped and still visually in good condition you should be okay. I've shot 8+ year old critical defense that was stored in a humid basment and it still functioned prefectly with no noticible loss in ower. For carry ammo it is 100% worth spending a little extra on something with a good crimp around the projectile. Even just cleaning your 2-3yr old carry ammo is also an option as long as you make sure the brass and primer arent compramized in any way it should function as intended.
We had to expend our service ammunition every Range qualification. It was highly recommended to also use factory fresh ammunition in your back up pistol.
Salt, Snow, Rain and humid environments will certainly cause an issue with the primer just like solvents and oil.
If you carry, always clean the pistol and inspect the ammunition. You will be surprised how dirty a pistol will get sitting in a pocket holster.
I take my carry pistol off in the holster and put it in the safe barrel down still in the holster. Once a month I clean all the lint and garbage that has piled up being between two shirts and every other month I strip it down, clean and re-oil it. The round that is ejected out gets a mark on the back of the rim with a Sharpie, when it gets 5 marks, it gets taken out and put back in the box for practice. I run the mag in the pistol, a spare on me, and a second spare in a carry pack that I take sometimes, the rounds get cycled from all 3 of those mags over time, so essentially, if I take the 12 times per year I automatically eject the rounds and figure twice that to do other stuff like shoot it or dry fire (although, I usually dry fire with my competition pistol which is the same platform) I replace about 5 rounds per year and recheck zero with them. Cheap insurance.
I would agree with inspecting defensive ammo periodically.
I love the 50 round boxes too and they are cheaper per round.
Steel magazines from the manufacturer are a must! ✌🏾
If you are afraid of damaging the round Itself by loading and unloading it manually drop the first round down the pipe drop the slide and insert magazine
When I remove my ammo, say for cleaning or whatnot, I cycle the top round usually with the second round, to prevent that setback issue. Other than that I dont really cycle my ammo, that said, It may be wise, when possible to occasionally shoot your carry ammo, especially if its a different grain weight than your range ammo. So every few years maybe shoot your mag and reload it with a fresh set of your daily ammo. I dont suspect a spring issue or setback will ever be an issue then, and if you're really worried about it, replace your mag every 10-15 or 20 years.
I had some 3 year old Federal 147 LE hydra shok, and I can literally pull the round out of most of the cases by hand. I didn't have any issues firing it, but I was really surprised that happened with Federal hydra shoks. I now carry 124 hst, and I can tell they're sealed way better than just 3 years ago.
The lot number on the 50 round LE boxes of HST is printed on the inside of the box on the end folds/flaps.
I didn’t know that’s why they nickel plated ammo. Nice! Thanks brother for the vid 🫡🤙
It hasn't happened to me but a fellow hunter hadan issue with a shotgun shell that he'd had carried on hunts for a couple of winters that didn't ignite the powder when he needed it to and basically the shot dribbled out of the barrel and the deer carried happily on. Luckily he realised that something was wrong and checked the bore and didn't do a double load.
I only change my ammo out every few months. Mostly I will put that ammo in an ammo box and label the brand etc. When I get a new potential carry pistol, that ammo get ran through it for testing. The big thing that I watch is set back before I reload after being at the range. And as you noted, carry ammo is not cheap!
Before watching- I mark my rounds everytime they’re chambered, 5 chambers goes to the bottom of the mag. Once all rounds have been marked 5 times, rinse them out and repeat. I’m emptying the gun to dry fire 3-4 times a week
You should cycle it out annually. Or more frequently if necessary. For all the reasons you described. At DPD, we did the 4th quarter quail with the duty ammo, and then were issued new ammo. For all of your carry guns: rifle, shotgun, and handgun. Then, you know how it shoots too. Although we had a vendor that made our practice rounds with the same loads at duty. I still do it today. ❤️🇺🇸
In country, we dumped and reloaded our mags at least twice a month. Carry ammo here, I change it out based on how much I carry. I usually cycle it out at least yearly.
Repeatedly chambering the same round in an AR-15 can lead to the primer no longer igniting when it's time to use it. The AR-15 has a floating firing pin that impacts the primer when a round is chambered, and it leaves a shallow dent. Too many impacts will cause the primer to fail.
I typically will put my defense rounds into my chamber once. After I rack that out for dry fire or whatever, it goes into my practice bin. I've been doing this for a 5(?) years and it seems be overall the best solution for me. It also avoids all bullet setback issues.
when I go to the range, I use the three magazines I have for home defense and carry so I am practiced with that ammo. Then I use a bunch of range ammo. After I get home and clean the weapons I used that day I reload the magazines with my defense ammo thus keeping them cycled and refreshed.
I empty out at a minimum once a month all 50rds.... Use 45 ACP 230 FMJ Ball..... By shooting it with practice drills.... Wilson Combat full-size with x300 surefire light and 7x mags with 7x rds plus one in the chamber. And yes I've carried that setup for over 15 years.
Another reason to shoot your carry ammo on some frequency.
Is to verify your carry ammo, and training ammo shoot to the same point of aim.
While I keep fresh, high quality defense rounds in my carry guns and rotate the mags on a regular basis, I'm not afraid to use the older stuff if need be. The oldest ammo in my inventory is some Lake City 7.62 from 1959 that functions just fine. If I had to fight with it tomorrow, I wouldn't bat an eye.
I find that sending the slide forward slowly when racking a round,instead of using the slide release, reduces setback on my carry ammo. I cycle out the round once there’s visible setback. When at the range, I mix in the setback carry rounds with range ammo just to see what happens. Never had an issue.
When I think of cycling your ammo, I think of rotating it through mags. I try to keep double the amount of mags I carry, and every two weeks or so unload the full mags then put them in the empty mags. The real problem is that I keep buying mags lol. A few dings on your ammo might affect the accuracy a bit, but within 25 feet (where most pistol engagements happen) I wouldn't worry about it. I would say it's more important to "cycle" your ammo every month or so, and by that I mean buying a box of ammo and going to the range with your carry ammo to practice with it. Stay sharp. Great advice, great video, thanks.
You missed the point
@whousa642 no I didn't. You might have though.
@@chadwickemcphearson The ammo you unchambered becomes unreliable or even dangerous. you are missing the point.
@@whousa642 Well just because I didn't talk about that specifically doesn't mean I missed it. I wanted to emphasize that if you're really cycling your ammo properly, that specifically wouldn't be an issue. You'd have, at most, maybe a few scrapes along the side of the case or dings on the actual bullet part of the round, nothing more.
Avoiding the problem of springs losing their tension, as I mentioned, can be solved by having double the amount of mags you normally carry, so you can switch them out every so often. It just really helps to have extra mags.
I always do once a year and his has proven to show which ammo I should NOT have been carrying!!!! I had the Hornady zombie ammo, which was just rebranded critical duty, in my carry pistol for a year. Show a box of it, no issues, filled me mags, carried it. At the end of the year I go to shoot it out and like 5 out of 40 rounds did not go off!!!! Of those 3 fired and restriking the primer on them, 2 of them never went off!!! It put a really bad taste in my mouth for Hornady, so much that I stopped buying/using their ammo for a decade. I have since bought some of their .308 hunting ammo, but am staying away from their self defense stuff... Anyone else have problems with their stuff??? I've always heard it's top notch but found out for myself that no company is perfect...
1998, in inheriting a .22LR pistol, a Charter Arms 1952 snubnose "Saturday night special." I also acquired two 500 rds bricks also 1952 vintage. To say the least, I took it all to the range and a field day shooting it off, with no precision, just bang away. Astonished, I made it through without the pistol blowing up in my hand AND VERY few that didn't go bang. RISKY? You bet your ass, down right scary.
Solid primer.... Didn't even notice the pun.
There is a big difference between ammo carried every day and ammo stored. If it is carried every day, it should be rotated out at a minimum of every six months. Now that depends on the weather conditions. In a high humidity area I would definitely rotate. In a dry desert area maybe not so much.
Great timing as I just found some old hydra shoks from my old carry pistol. Some have the little posts broken off, and the casings are crimped as compared to what they're producing now. I believe they are 135 grain version version from the mid-90s. No doubt they'll work, but like you said... it really isn't worth taking the chance with your life. Appreciate the video, as always. God bless brother
I learned about cycling defensive ammunition probably close to a year and a half ago and I've been trying to make a point of doing it every 6 months. Plus it's refreshing to see rounds in the magazine that don't look so dirty and oxidized, nothing like seeing a shiny nickel plated or brass casing with a bright clean copper jacketed round on top again 🙂
Almost forgot to say, Federal HST for the win 😁
I have run an experiment a number of times over the last decade on multiple handgun magazines. I can confirm based on multiple handgun magazines (9mm and 45 ACP, Springfield/Taurus/Kahr) that keeping a magazine fulled loaded/compressed without cycling it for 2-4 years, that the magazine absolutely does shorten by a number of inches, depending on the gun and brand of spring. On multiple guns after 2-4 years, I pulled the springs and compared to brand new OEM and aftermarket springs, and the compressed (never cycled) springs do shorten, sometimes by a lot. It's because of this that I change my springs out every 2 years. I started doing this after going out to shoot a magazine that was compressed and never cycled for about 5 years, and it would not feed correctly and kept getting jammed. Don't believe me? Load a magazine, leave it alone for even just 1 year, and compare to a new magazine of the same brand. Will that magazine still feed properly? Yeah, likely. But after 2-3 years I would not trust it and since springs are so cheap and easy to change out, I just change them.
that doesnt make any sense. there is no wear on compressed springs, the wear comes from the action of the stretching
I generally replace the ammo for carry every two years with fresh ammo. The old ammo I use to go to the range and verify the ammo works with a particular weapon. I clean and oil all my weapons at least 1 every 6 months for every time I take a particular one to the range. I am trying to get to the range at least twice a month. I am trying for once per week.
Just take your carry TOOL to the range and verify zero with the mag you have been carrying on a schedule. I do monthly. Then reload that mag, make it your spare, and load the spare you were carrying in your TOOL. This rotates your carry ammo, and verifies the condition of your carry TOOL as well every month.
I normally spend a few mags at the range of practice ammo BEFORE I do the carry mag as I am packing up to leave, making it the last thing I do, so I don't mess up my zero while practicing. And I reset zero (and verify) if required as the last thing I do before I head home.
To date I have only had my zero off once (bumped sight, broken actually) in over 2 decades with my current carry TOOL, but that could have been a horrific surprise if I had used my TOOL in a life or death situation. BUT I have found a change in point of impact due to changing my carry ammo, which required resetting my zero. Either way, you do you. This has been my experience, yours may vary because we are not living the same lives.
I have noticed the first round, the one that gets chambered over and over, does tend to be less accurate OCCASIONALLY. Very likely it is due to being compressed as Scott said in the video. Plan accordingly.
EXACTLY! I do the same but I actually start with my carry ammo and mag when I get to the range. I like to practice cold as if I were in an actual event where I needed to use my tool. I want to make sure it works flawless as I’ve been carrying it the past week holstered. I go to the range every Saturday usually. I will usually shoot my carry mag with defense ammo plus the 1 in chamber then range ammo and one more mag I’d carry ammo before packing up. Go home clean then reload with carry ammo
capitalizing TOOL every time kinda makes you seem like a TOOL
I carry a revolver, and I cycle out my carry ammo for it monthly. I do a lot of practice just in my living room(dry fire, and reloading drills), so I will end up loading and unloading my revolver very often. I swap out the ammo from my speed loaders as well as the 6 rounds i keep in the cylinder every month at the range. I dont like when the copper doesnt even look like copper any more and its all black from being handled. I know that doesnt effect the function of my ammo, but i dont want to take any chances with ammo thats been handled very often.
bullet set back is definitely a problem. I saw this happening on my ammo... researched it and decided to test the set back ammo to cycle it out of service. they caused failures to eject and stove pipes. one round actually caused a stove pipe jam that I needed a nylon hammer and pliers to unjam on my 1911A1 45acp. They were hollow points. yeah if you see set back don't use the ammo. make sure you don't use the same round each time you chamber that plus one. Also it pains me to see people dropping a round in the chamber and then dropping the slide and forcing the extractor over the cartridge rim. you are asking for an extractor failure if you do this IMHO.
Something I noticed in consideration of swapping out that constantly loaded top round, the extractor rim of the cartridge gets worn (nickel plating gone). Pretty good chance the round will fire when needed, but what if that rim wear causes an extraction issue and failure. It may be the only shot you get. I would like a couple more.
just shot 5 .357s from a box my stepdad bought in 1989.❤what a blast!
Those rounds start looking questionable after a while and I'm sure it isn't a issue but the projectile starts pushing further into the casing
If you live somewhere that truly sees all 4 seasons, I swap it out every year. Going from 100 degree summer to close to single digit temperatures in the winter can have some negative effects on powder itself
The round that gets chambered many times will start to seat too deeply into the casing, measure it compared to the others and that's super dangerous
Got caught in a rain storm with my pocket pistol, didn't stop working when i got back to the truck realised water proof pockets had filled with water soaking my ruger ... I didn't feel confident the rounds would function so I replaced them . on the next range day four out of 14 rounds were ridiculously weak one barely pooped out and just bounced off the ground 30 feet in front of me no where close to the plate . I always cycle out my ammo .
I remember seeing something about rounds that keep being chambered over and over being shorter over time because the round gets pushed into the casing.
Remember that marcus lutrell team never quit ammo? Huuuge hollowpoint. 2 chamberings would get you over tenth inch of setback. Use a cannalured round like hornnady for that chamber round then you can monitor setback by viewing the ring of dots.
Youre right about all that.
In my setup the hornady critical defense suffers from more setback with fewer re-chambers than others such as hst 🤷♂️
@timg7627 oh wow. I've never had hornady ammo set back. I use it crit defense and critical duty as my chambered round so I can make sure the cannelure is still visible. Mags full of hst
Every 6 months i cycle out my carry ammo, also ckeck relieve my mag once a week and clear any dust bunnies the build in barrel
Im glad u made this one. Ive been wondering. I know they last a long time. I shot some stuff my dad had laying around since 88. It shot fine.
I think he is talking about rechambering
It might not be critical, but I cycle out my carry ammo every 6 months, as well as replacing the flashlight and optic batteries. Overkill? Probably. Is it cheap insurance? I think so. I’ve just always tried to maintain a high level of maintenance and care for my life saving equipment.
I rotate it out once a year because…..why not? First, you get some reps with your carry ammo to make sure your carry ammo is still cycling good and you get to check your point of aim/point of impact at any given distance. Second, I’m not that cheap.
If it sits in a car much you might want to cycle it more. Not had a problem with good carry ammo, but low end tulla the bullet creeped out of the casing a little (not completely out) after sitting in a car for a few years in a vacuum sealed bag as a “just in case” box. Would not feed correctly with the cartridge being longer than spec.
My department switched out fresh ammo once a year. I do this with all my carry ammo. You can't go cheap in a life or death situation imho!
Grandfather's old shotgun in the closet may have the magazine spring damaged by rust due to being older than snot and sitting in a closet that has a draft from the attic leaking into it.
No ,I still shoot 38-357's I loaded in the early eighties...
Which is your favorite pistol for self defense & why?
When I was working my department changed our duty ammo once a year.
I got 2 mags if 10mm magtech loaded for at least 3 years went to range shot one mag kept one. Wen to shoot some s&b 10mm I bought bunch of light primer strikes glad I saved one mag if the magtech.
I do by shooting it at the range monthly along with training ammo, then new ammo goes in after training and cleaning.
I love old-fashioned steel revolvers! Great tools....
I fired some 357 I had since 1998. Worked fine
There’s a difference between ammo being stored inside compared to ammo that’s getting corrosion from sweat and all kinds of elements
I cycle out every year. I shoot the old ammo. Had my first misfit this year on some Hornady defense rounds. Was genuinely suprised. Its never happened before.
Ammo will store for decades. I use ammo, sometimes, purchased more than 30 years ago and it works properly.
That's right I shot ammo from the 50s even from the 80s that's 40 years as long as you don't see anything coming out of it
I always manually feed my chambered round in. Close the slide then insert the magazine
Everything has an experation date. I rotate ammo and magazines. Never leave any loaded for too long.
Get some education and training.
After a few days the round in the tube gets tossed in with the range ammo and replaced. I’ve never experienced a round that’s been cycled a bunch of times not firing. That said, my 1911 extractor will deform the case rim a bit every time you clear the chamber.
Since I began using Normotim, my anxiety levels have significantly decreased.
Cool video, great question & answer. Very informative
I cycle my carry pistol, so I will rotate the rounds through the mag so I don't chamber the same 2 rounds. I try to shoot my carry at least once a month and I will shoot the mag I've been carrying. I know I am competent with my carry ammo but it makes me feel better seeing it.