Magazine Rotation

[lildave40]

I have searched but can only find old post about rotating your magazines. I have a xd mod 2 that came with 2 mags. Should I keep the magazine fully loaded +1 and if so for how long? Also how long is the ammo good for? I am using TRD hollow points 9MM.

[twomillenium]

The old info is still good, under normal conditions ammo will last longer than people. Your main interest should be that the ammo shoots well and cycles in your particular carry. Shooting carry ammo for practice every three to six months would be more than adequate. NOTE! Do not change brands or types of carry ammo without make sure how it shoots in your carry.

If it still is a concern, I will give you an address where you can send you old carry ammo bi monthly and I, eh, they will dispose of it for you.

After rereading your post I saw that it was about magazines, The springs in the mags do not get weaker because they are compressed but from the use of the mag. (compressing and then decompressing) If spring becomes weak in a normal lifetime it would be IMO defective. I did replace springs in some mags but that was because I added capacity to the mag and the last round tended to not load. I have never had to replace a spring because it wore out and I have shot Thousands of rounds. I do try to have five mags per gun, but that is just me.

[MechAg94]

I have never rotated magazines. I have never had a problem because of it. Magazines that worked well before still work well. IMO, buy OEM mags or known good quality mags in the first place. I have heard people talk about rotating mags ever since I started visiting gun stores. I've heard gun store clerks tell people that and seen it mentioned online. I never saw any reason to do it. IMO, the main thing to avoid is overloading your mags though most mags won't let you do that.

Ammo can last quite a long time if kept in cool, dry conditions. That said, I try to shoot off my carry ammo occasionally. It confirms function with my self defense ammo and gives me confidence of the accuracy and function of my pistol.

[Jusme]

I have searched but can only find old post about rotating your magazines. I have a xd mod 2 that came with 2 mags. Should I keep the magazine fully loaded +1 and if so for how long? Also how long is the ammo good for? I am using TRD hollow points 9MM.

I carry an M&P 9 full size, I have three mags, I keep two loaded, and one unloaded and switch them out once a month, that way no magazine is loaded for more than two months. I put a small number 1-3 on the bottom of each one and rotate them. If I am going out of town, I will load all three, but then begin the rotation again when I return. I am planning on getting a fourth magazine so that I can keep three loaded at all times. I don't know if it makes that much difference as far as mag spring life etc.., but that's just my system.

[MechAg94]

This may be one of those 9mm versus 45 debates, but I thought if you are not overloading the spring, it shouldn't have a life you would be likely to reach unless you should hundreds of rounds per day and neither should it be an issue leaving it compressed with a full mag. It is a function of compression cycles, not time in compression. At least, that is how I look at it. It certainly doesn't hurt anything if that is what you want to do.

[Bitter Clinger]

I have never rotated magazines. I have never had a problem because of it. Magazines that worked well before still work well. IMO, buy OEM mags or known good quality mags in the first place. I have heard people talk about rotating mags ever since I started visiting gun stores. I've heard gun store clerks tell people that and seen it mentioned online. I never saw any reason to do it. IMO, the main thing to avoid is overloading your mags though most mags won't let you do that.

Ammo can last quite a long time if kept in cool, dry conditions. That said, I try to shoot off my carry ammo occasionally. It confirms function with my self defense ammo and gives me confidence of the accuracy and function of my pistol.

[Soccerdad1995]

I agree with the other responses. Basically, this is not really something you need to worry about. When I go to the range with my actively in use guns (night stand, car, or carry), I leave the carry ammo in the gun, and load every other mag I have for that gun with FMJ, then I shoot everything, including the carry ammo. I actually have a little routine of grabbing a box or two of ammo, and loading the mags while I am waiting at red lights during the drive. The exception would be if I am breaking in a gun, or function checking after a modification where I will shoot all FMJ, or a higher proportion of carry ammo, respectively.

One word of caution. If you are in the habit of unloading your carry weapon regularly, try to limit the number of times that you chamber and eject the exact same round. Repeated chambering can cause bullet setback which can be dangerous.

[lildave40]

I agree with the other responses. Basically, this is not really something you need to worry about. When I go to the range with my actively in use guns (night stand, car, or carry), I leave the carry ammo in the gun, and load every other mag I have for that gun with FMJ, then I shoot everything, including the carry ammo. I actually have a little routine of grabbing a box or two of ammo, and loading the mags while I am waiting at red lights during the drive. The exception would be if I am breaking in a gun, or function checking after a modification where I will shoot all FMJ, or a higher proportion of carry ammo, respectively.

One word of caution. If you are in the habit of unloading your carry weapon regularly, try to limit the number of times that you chamber and eject the exact same round. Repeated chambering can cause bullet setback which can be dangerous.

Thank you for this information and I never thought about limiting the rounds being ejected. What is a bullet setback?

[Middle Age Russ]

What is a bullet setback?

Bullet setback refers to the bullet being pushed back further into the case than it was when originally manufactured. Each time the cartridge is stripped from the magazine, the bullet strikes the feed ramp surface as the cartridge moves toward and then into the chamber. Each time it does this, there is a potential for the bullet to "set back" a bit in the case, shortening the overall length of the cartridge and leaving less space for the propellant. Enough setback will change not only how the cartridge chambers, but also the pressures generated when it is fired -- and can cause a catastrophic failure of your gun if the pressures are too high for it to handle.

[lildave40]

What is a bullet setback?

Bullet setback refers to the bullet being pushed back further into the case than it was when originally manufactured. Each time the cartridge is stripped from the magazine, the bullet strikes the feed ramp surface as the cartridge moves toward and then into the chamber. Each time it does this, there is a potential for the bullet to "set back" a bit in the case, shortening the overall length of the cartridge and leaving less space for the propellant. Enough setback will change not only how the cartridge chambers, but also the pressures generated when it is fired -- and can cause a catastrophic failure of your gun if the pressures are too high for it to handle.

WOW! Thank you for the education. Going to the range this weekend and Disposing the rounds accordingly.

[Middle Age Russ]

Lildave40,

It is pretty easy to see whether a given cartridge is showing any setback. Just set two cases fresh from the box on their bases on a flat surface and then put the questionable cartridge next to them. Using another flat surface on top, see if any space appears between the top of the bullet on the questionable cartridge and the bottom of the flat surface above it. Essentially you are measuring overall case length relative to the "control" case length of the "fresh" rounds.

[Syntyr]

WOW! Thank you for the education. Going to the range this weekend and Disposing the rounds accordingly.

Bullet setback leads to increasing pressures. Beyond a threshold (which varies according to a lot of factors like age of weapon and is the chamber fully supported etc) can lead to a kaboom.

[TexasJohnBoy]

On the topic of setback - How many times do you allow a cartridge to be chambered before removing it from rotation to become target ammo? Right now I only chamber a round once, then when I clear it, that round goes into the box to go to the range. Not sure if I am being too cautious...

[LucasMcCain]

I had never heard of bullet setback. Good to know. I rotate out my defense rounds from time to time, but not on a regular cycle or anything.

As far as magazine rotation goes, I would just mention that it is a good idea to service your magazines whenever you clean your weapon. Take them apart, clean them, and stretch the spring back out from time to time. Magazine maintenance is an often neglected part of keeping your weapon in proper working order, and it can easily lead to malfunctions if not done for long periods.

[MechAg94]

On the topic of setback - How many times do you allow a cartridge to be chambered before removing it from rotation to become target ammo? Right now I only chamber a round once, then when I clear it, that round goes into the box to go to the range. Not sure if I am being too cautious...

Maybe....maybe not. If you want to do that to be absolutely sure, go ahead. It is your time and ammo and it certainly doesn't hurt. If you are unloading the pistol daily, that might be the safe way to go. However, you may just want to get a pistol safe and store it loaded.