What is the max life of your carry / HD ammo?

[robertvarner]

I usually only carry it for a year or two. If you unload and load the rounds a lot, the bullet will get pushed into the brass. I don't think I've ever heard of a failure from this, but it could potentially increase the pressure.

It's mostly the top round that gets the bullet pushed back. Maybe just swap that round out and add another in.....

Just a thought.

 

[oremike]

It's mostly the top round that gets the bullet pushed back. Maybe just swap that round out and add another in.....

Just a thought.

What are you all doing to push the first bullet back? Loading and un loading and cycling the round in and out of the chamber? Why for is this a thing? My guns are loaded or they're not. I don't mess around with the maybe sometimes.

 

[Covey06]

What are you all doing to push the first bullet back? Loading and un loading and cycling the round in and out of the chamber? Why for is this a thing? My guns are loaded or they're not. I don't mess around with the maybe sometimes.

It really seems to depend on the angle of the feed ramp.

 

[solv3nt]

I usually carry the gun for a month, then it gets stripped and cleaned. If I swap carry guns, it gets stripped and cleaned. It takes a lot of reloading to get it to push in, but over time it can. I rotate the top two down periodically as well.

 

[bradsteen]

You can also check this for yourself pretty easily. Start with a fresh box of defense ammo. Measure the height of each round from base to tip. Load your carry pistol as you normally would. From that point forward each time you unload and reload the pistol, measure the heights of each round. After a few times you will probably see one or two rounds getting noticeably shorter than the rest.

 

[P7M13]

It really seems to depend on the angle of the feed ramp.

Didn't watch, but depending on your crimp, you can experience bullet setback or have your OAL lengthen.

I usually only carry it for a year or two. If you unload and load the rounds a lot, the bullet will get pushed into the brass. I don't think I've ever heard of a failure from this, but it could potentially increase the pressure.

Check out my Kaboom post from 2016 or so. Poor crimp, bullet setback, magazine in pieces at my feet. Ever since then, I've been absolutely rigorous about crimp and verification of it.

 

[robertvarner]

It really seems to depend on the angle of the feed ramp.

It definitely does. My two 1911s have steeper feed ramps than my other handguns. That is where I've experienced more force in getting a round into the chamber.

I also don't waste my time criticizing what other people say. It's not worth the effort. Everyone has a reason for what they do or say. That's what makes this forum so valuable. You can learn something from anyone.

 

[solv3nt]

Didn't watch, but depending on your crimp, you can experience bullet setback or have your OAL lengthen.


Check out my Kaboom post from 2016 or so. Poor crimp, bullet setback, magazine in pieces at my feet. Ever since then, I've been absolutely rigorous about crimp and verification of it.

Wait, how many guns have you blown up?

 

[oremike]

After watching the video I can see where some might load and unload their firearm enough to cause bullet set back. A simple enough solution for me at least would be to shoot that round or two off the top of the magazine once in a while.

 

[clanhanson]

Man, I'm glad I don't live in the land of Knockon, uhhh Knochly, uhhh where you do.

Haha. I'm in SW MT so it's typically more mild with peaks and valleys here and there. Back in ND I once experienced -70 with wind chill. People (usually elderly) would freeze to death in their homes yearly and every parking spot had a plug for a block heater.

Temp swings are hard on ammo and powder tends to become more acidic more quickly (thus increasing pressure). I try to rotate defensive ammunition yearly but I tend to forget and just use what's on hand.

Knöchelschlepper translates to "Knuckledraggers"

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Back when my home defense gun was a Uberti copy of a Colt 1860 Army Revolver...
The "max life" of carry / hd ammo was a month.
I shot this revolver a lot to get good with it...to include our monthly club shoots.
Where I would practice with it...clean it...and then re-load it...and repeat the following month.

A lot of powder and ball was shot through that revolver....
At that time it was the largest caliber handgun I owned...and the one I shot the best with..so a home defense gun it was.

Not sayin' that I would recommend doing as I did , with so many other choices out there...
Just sayin' that I used what I had...and got good with it.
Andy

 

[dangerranger60]

What are you all doing to push the first bullet back? Loading and un loading and cycling the round in and out of the chamber? Why for is this a thing? My guns are loaded or they're not. I don't mess around with the maybe sometimes.

Awhile back we had a local cop that unloaded and reloaded his guns every day. Every time he entered his home, he unloaded his gun. This came to light when he cleared his gun and the extractor rim was so chewed up the round would not eject. The range master asked if it had been dropped in a garbage disposal? At that time duty rounds were counted. So he had been cycling the same round everyday for a year. The range master gave him an extra box of duty ammo and told him not to cycle any one round more than 10 times. DR

 

[parallax]

good lord!, i was digging around last night and found some M80 ball ammo from 1975 ..gonna take it to the range this week and see what happens. if i die ANDY54HAWKEN gets all my toys. Edit: Shot up that m80 ball ammo all good It actually grouped nicely at 200 yards. Using AR-10 carbine Trijicon 3x scope

 

[UNO]

There's a new app where you enter humidity, climate, # grains, astrological sign, tolerance for spicy food, and color of your refrigerator and it tells you the exact time you should rotate ur ammo.

Seriously though I'm the same as others above, when I think it's about time and I think of it. I don't pay much attention. I do pay attention to what ammo it is through. Federal HST, Speer gold dot, hornady critical defense or critical duty are all top teir for me for handgun self defense. I should probably pay closer attention to the little NA sidewinder mini revolver 22 mag cuz it's rimfire. But it only gets carried as a backup or when I can't carry anything else.

View attachment 1814255
They just sit undisturbed in the gun or speedloaders most of the time. Never had a failure to fire with quality 22 mag ammo but it is rimfire so not to be trusted as much as centerfire imo.

2D09E8C3-7DEF-4A29-85FA-6D0C068E03F3.jpeg

• ilikegunspdx
• Jan 11, 2023

P.S.what do you guys use for 300BO and .556 self defense loads?

Underwood ammo controlled chaos for both. By far the most devastating rounds I've seen for these calibers

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Where did you get the LRM speed loader? I like that. I carry one or the NAA 22m all the time as a last ditch tool.

The name of the speedloaders is revision CV. Looks like they are available on Amazon and eBay and probabaly company website. The photo below shows the old version with red on the back like I have as well as the new version.

However, keep in mind that I use it on a sidewinder which has a swing out cylinder just like a s&w double action revolver. It works slick for those. I have never tried it on the kind where you have to remove the cylinder to reload.

 

[Olderguy]

I really don't worry about it. Some years ago I chronographed some of my fathers 30-06 ammo from the 1950's. Every round fired and were within 200fps of my new ammo.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I really don't worry about it. Some years ago I chronographed some of my fathers 30-06 ammo from the 1950's. Every round fired and were within 200fps of my new ammo.

I've been amazed at Swiss military cartridges from the 1980's. Incredible accuracy through k31 and k11s.

 

[DunRanull]

Back when my home defense gun was a Uberti copy of a Colt 1860 Army Revolver...
The "max life" of carry / hd ammo was a month.
I shot this revolver a lot to get good with it...to include our monthly club shoots.
Where I would practice with it...clean it...and then re-load it...and repeat the following month.

A lot of powder and ball was shot through that revolver....
At that time it was the largest caliber handgun I owned...and the one I shot the best with..so a home defense gun it was.

Not sayin' that I would recommend doing as I did , with so many other choices out there...
Just sayin' that I used what I had...and got good with it.
Andy

You betcha! In my early college days my defense gun was a Ruger Old Army. It was fired often enuff to know it inside and out and what it would do. With both ball and home-cast round nose... It was big and bulky and powerful and I still regret trading it off...

 

[Kruel J]

You guys change your ammo?

Haha I don't. I also don't load/unload my EDC very often. At the range I drop the mag and chambered round to switch to practice ammo. Last time I was done shooting I loaded the EDC mag and round and continued carrying as usual. No cleaning or otherwise. No worries here.

 

[greydog111]

Maybe unload the mag fully and rotate the top chambered round to the bottom. Then once every two-three months shoot em all! I e never experienced a slug being pushed further than it should be. Buy a cartridge OAL die to hand check them if continuednworry persists. I think I paid a small amount each for the eight calibers I reload in my Dillon

You should fully examine each round of your carry ammo each time you load the magazine and chambered round too!