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View Poll Results: How often you change your ammo out a year/more | |||
once month | 7 | 11.86% | |
once quarterly | 8 | 13.56% | |
once six months | 12 | 20.34% | |
once year | 10 | 16.95% | |
over a year | 22 | 37.29% | |
Voters: 59. You may not vote on this poll |
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January 24, 2013, 12:03 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: January 9, 2011
Location: Land of the Free
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When do you swap out your carry ammo and carry magazines?
I usually swap out my carry ammo once a year, and my magazines every 18 months or so, but it got me thinking that I should change my ammo twice a year and magazines once a year.
This would build my supply of SD HP rounds to have extra on hand, and more reliability of my rounds. Though I have tested 12-13 month carry ammo and never had a FTF, I think its just good habbit now to start changing every 6 months/seasons. Change in May, Then in October. Same goes with my magazines, more will be on hand. I only carry my carry magazine with HP's and the spares are FMJ's, saves on money. PLEASE, when you vote, state what option you voted for, poll open for 365 days from tonight, thanks! |
January 24, 2013, 12:04 AM | #2 |
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Join Date: May 22, 2011
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When I can FIND defensive ammo again, I would like to start following a regimen that you've described. Sadly I'm not sure when that'll be .
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January 24, 2013, 12:05 AM | #3 | |
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January 24, 2013, 12:18 AM | #4 | |
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Quote:
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Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness |
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January 24, 2013, 12:24 AM | #5 |
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Join Date: April 16, 2011
Location: Georgia
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I carry a 642 most of the time and I will shoot the ammo in the cylinder on my range trips when I finish up the range ammo for the day. And then replace it with new ammo from the box. I do this not because I fear ammo failure, but because it is just easier to shoot what is at hand.
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January 24, 2013, 12:36 AM | #6 |
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Well, when ammo was readily available I would generally shoot a magazine of carry ammo about once a month, but now just shooting the practice stuff.
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January 24, 2013, 04:34 AM | #7 |
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Join Date: December 15, 2005
Location: AZ
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I don't really follow any set pattern. I have had the same ammo in my 220 for over a year. Ammo doesn't seem to really go bad from my experience just because its in a gun. Now for piece of mind if something happened to compromise the integrity of the ammo I may shoot it up.
I can see rotating magazines to reduce the wear on the springs. I think I may start doing that since I'm down to two semi auto pistols. |
January 24, 2013, 05:17 AM | #8 |
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Join Date: February 4, 2012
Posts: 1,273
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I voted once every 6 months but...
Thats more of an estimation. I really haven't been carrying long enough to establish a pattern on switching out my carry ammo. As for my mags, since I chamber a round from them when I get ready to go out and reload the mag when I get home, I get a feel for how tight my spring is. If it starts to get loose, then it's time for me to look for new springs.
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January 24, 2013, 07:59 AM | #9 |
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How long do you think it'd take a mag spring to see wear? If stuffed full of ammo and never unloaded?
I've had mine loaded up since October so I'm sure I'm fine, but I have been curious about this. |
January 24, 2013, 08:27 AM | #10 |
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Join Date: December 22, 2004
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At 25-35 bucks a box I usually wait for the exposed copper jackets to turn green.
I do shoot off the ammo from my LCP & PM9 a little more often because they're carried iwb and sweat is a small concern. Never had any of it fail, so that is probably a waste too. I readily toss any that shows signs of set-back. Last edited by Dashunde; January 24, 2013 at 08:33 AM. |
January 24, 2013, 09:29 AM | #11 |
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Join Date: April 25, 2012
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I don't rechamber the same round again for my SD ammo. I put a new round in the magazine and rack the slide to chamber a round in the barrel. I then put the chambered round in my range bag and shoot them off on my next trip to the gun range.
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January 24, 2013, 10:55 AM | #12 |
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No specific time for me, just whenever I shoot the gun. The first mag is whatever I'm carrying, then after that I shoot with practice ammo.
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January 24, 2013, 11:36 AM | #13 |
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I don't ever change my mags out. After much debate and research I have come to the conclusion that a quality magazine can stay loaded for quite some time without issue, it's the constant loading and unloading that's going to wear out mag springs if anything. I dedicate my mags for either carry or range and I have a couple just waiting that don't get used for anything until something happens to another mag.
As for ammo, it's a good idea not to continuously re-chamber the same round so I avoid that. But my carry ammo is probably a couple years old and there's no reason it should work as intended. Maybe in a few more years I'll change it out, I want to go to a heavier bullet anyway but it's what I could get.
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January 24, 2013, 12:18 PM | #14 |
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Hoss and I are at opposite ends of this teeter-todder.
Carry ammunition is expended during just about every range visit and replaced at the end of the visit. Magazine springs are a bit spiffier than std. They aren't much conceren. Neither are they compressed enough to contain eight rounds in a seven round tube. Bulk range fodder is a different animal. salty
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January 24, 2013, 02:46 PM | #15 |
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You should add Never. That is how often I change them out.
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January 24, 2013, 03:34 PM | #16 |
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Once every 10 years....maybe. Ammo doesn't go bad under normal conditions. And springs don't go bad just from being compressed. But if it makes you feel more confident... It's your money.
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January 24, 2013, 03:45 PM | #17 |
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They have found old 45ACP mags from WWII still fully loaded and they fired without missing a beat. This is a non-issue.
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January 24, 2013, 07:51 PM | #18 |
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Same carry ammo and same mags for the last 3 or 4 years now.
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January 24, 2013, 08:01 PM | #19 |
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I shoot them up every 2 to 4 weeks so it gets fresh ammo when I reload the gun.
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January 24, 2013, 08:05 PM | #20 | |
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Quote:
__________________
Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness |
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January 24, 2013, 08:18 PM | #21 |
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I tend to swap out my carry about once every two months, but on occasion may go as long as six months if my schedule interferes.
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QUANTITATIVE AMMUNITION SELECTION |
January 24, 2013, 08:37 PM | #22 |
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Anually or bianually - once every two years, not twice a year - depending on how much it gets loaded/unloaded.
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January 24, 2013, 08:58 PM | #23 |
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I'll add that out of curiosity I gave this a quick test...
30+ years ago my dad traded my gramps a 38spl with a few boxes of various ammo, (FMJ, JHP & Bird shot) I recently inherited that same .38 along with its ammo, all still in the same boxes my dad gave gramps. Gramps wasnt much of a handgun shooter... I picked 3 rounds out of ten in one of the flat plastic boxes... all 3 fired. Most all of this use-it-or-lose-it nonsense is from "experts" who worry us about humidity, sweat, drenching it, old primers, blah blah... or from those who are on the payrole of some ammo manufacturer. I bought a 4.5" angle grinder the other day... its instructions stated to use ONLY So-and-So brand of grinding disks or "severe injury or death may result". Burning up good ammo just for the sake of replacing it with new is the same variety of crapola. |
January 24, 2013, 11:33 PM | #24 | |
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January 25, 2013, 01:25 AM | #25 | |
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Depends how often I am loading and unloading my gun with the ammo. When the case rims start to get chewed up from cycling or enough rounds start showing signs of setback it's time to switch them out. I always put these rounds aside rather than shoot them so I have a little stash of the expensive SD ammo put aside. Usually about 3 times a year ill switch them out.
Quote:
For those who don't know what bullet setback is, when the round hits the feed ramp while chambering it pushes it back into the casing. Pushed back enough and it increases pressures, and sometimes to dangerous levels. The higher pressure the round the more cautious you should be as it can spike dramatically. Last edited by Dragline45; January 25, 2013 at 01:33 AM. |
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