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How long do most of you hang on to your carry ammunition? I usually shoot inexpensive(?) Monarch ammo when I got to the range. For carry I have some Fed-Prem JHP and a handful of Black Talons that might be concidered elderly (5-10 years). When does the age of ammunition begin to compromise reliability? If it makes any difference, I shoot 45s.

When I read the title I thought you were going to ask what Chas carries in his 1911!



Sorry.

Jason

jbirds1210 wrote:When I read the title I thought you were going to ask what Chas carries in his 1911!



Sorry.

Jason

I looked in order to get a few "tips" myself!

Flintknapper/55 yrs. old.

jbirds1210 wrote:When I read the title I thought you were going to ask what Chas carries in his 1911!



Sorry.

Jason

Ouch! That's just cold jbirds1210 (but funny!!)

Keith B wrote:

jbirds1210 wrote:When I read the title I thought you were going to ask what Chas carries in his 1911!



Sorry.

Jason

Ouch! That's just cold jbirds1210 (but funny!!)

Your carry ammo is kind of like smoke alarm batteries. You want to change it out before it goes bad.
I try to change mine once a year. $12 -$17 a year is a small price to pay for reliability. You could put a few rounds of carry ammo in your glovebox and just leave it there for 5-10 years. I bet it would still go bang, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

If you carry OC spray it's a good idea to replace it yearly also. The propellant degrades and it won't squirt, but the OC will still burn your eyes.
Regards, OE

When I started shooting again last fall, I had some 38 special, 357 magnum and 22 long rifle ammo that was purchased around 1970. It all worked just fine.

CAVEAT: The ammo had always been stored in an air-conditioned building and suffered no contamination of any kind. I used it all as "range ammo", so the only thing riding on whether it fired or not was "practice/fun", not self defense.

When I first inherited my dad's old .45, he had a magazine load of lead round nose ammo that must have been almost as old as the gun. I fired it the first time I went to the range. Other than being dirty, it worked just fine. I gave the gun a good cleaning afterward.

The longevity of any ammo is not about time. It is about the conditions under which the ammo is stored. I have ammo that dates back to Aug of '43 and it still shoots just fine. Ammunition should be stored in a climate controlled environment at ALL times. What kills ammo is moisture coming in contact with powder and/or primer.

As for PD ammo I used to rotate it out ever January but for the last few years I've been doing it every OTHER January. So far no problems because I store my ammo as per above. No guns or ammo should be stored in a garage, shed, or rented storage facility that is not climate controlled.