Carry ammo is only good for about 6 months?
Carry ammo is only good for about 6 months?
Green Stamps to the OP for a helpful safety reminder. Thanks for sharing your story.
There is a train of thought, which I ascribe to, that your 'carry' ammo should be rotated out every 6 months, or so. Bullet setback, as noted by the OP, can happen from repeatedly chambering and unchambering a round. There is also the possibility of primer contamination from gun lubricants seeping in over time. Though to be honest, with modern ammunition I don't believe this is a significant issue.
And finally, one should practice with the precise ammo one is carrying... so every now and then dump the magazine down range and reload with 'fresh' ammo. It prevents any of the aforementioned failures, and gives you a chance to practice with the exact ammo you are trusting your life to.
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I watched a buddy unload/unchamber once and noticed his round was set-back that badly as well. I don't think he rotates the chambered round at all. I somewhat freaked out at how far it was set back and mentioned how dangerous this round would be to fire, but he didn't seem to think it mattered. I really hope he rotated it out by now...
I was wondering this as well. I see this as making the gun unusable, increasing the odds of a ND, and increasing the chances of damage to the projectile via set-back. My carry guns are loaded/chambered and in their respective holsters in the safe when I'm not wearing it. I usually only ever unchamber/rechamber to shoot target ammo at the range. To each his own though.
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I'll be shooting out all my carry ammo this weekend , while I'm doing the 6 month change out.
Ammo, mags and gun grease.
HOPEFULLY THEY STAY LOADED UNTIL I go back to the range
Hornady Critical Duty/Carry both have this issue as does Fed HydraShok.
I should say they have in my personal experience. Glocks seem to be harder on chambering than my HKs, but both brands of pistols in 9mm have caused set back with me.
Even in 45 I've had this issue. It's why I don't unload for any reason other than going to the range. And I always put that previous carry ammo into my range ammo and shoot it.
Also, daily unloading/loading causes spring fatigue which is more likely to bite you in the butt than a kaboom.
Something to chew on.
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I unload my carry and put the mag next to it in the drawer beside my bed. I am trained to snatch a loaded gun from a drawer, off a table, out of a tackle box or whatever from years of IDPA but think I personally would be better served with them lying side by side in the darkness. I can insert a mag and be looking down the sights much faster than waiting for a safe to unlock and then have the same concern about snatching a loaded gun in the dark. If you have ever tried to grab a loaded gun from a hard surface in a hurry you will know it takes a lot pf practice to do so safely and without triggering the mag release as it is pointing down on the Glocks I shoot. Oh how it would suck to release the mag trying to snatch up your gun for protection.
I can go from lying down flat on the bed to firing within 2 seconds. I KNOW my gun very well and have trained with it. I do not know my safe that well and have little time to train on it. It would only slow me down. I personally think a safe is just that. A SAFE place to store guns. Not a great place to store what you protect yourself with. How many of you have practiced opening your safe in the dark? Now think about doing it under a severe amount of pressure. I don't have small kids or visitors in my home either . That opens a whole new set of rules.
This is just what works for me. Everyone should practice these things and set up your defense system however it works for you and makes you feel well protected.
Last edited by november sunrise; 03-23-2017 at 05:23 PM.