How long do you keep your defensive handgun ammo?

Michigander08 · Jul 8, 2018

I have one box of hollow-point ammo. It must be 15 years old. I keep rotating the rounds in my handgun magazines just in case.

Do you go to the range firing them and buy a new box or keep them? There isn't any expiration date on ammo that I can think of.

Biggfoot44 · Jul 8, 2018

Properly stored ammo is good for a long time, longer than your lifetime .

Ammo that is carried / keep ready to use has a life span . Traditional LE protocols call for 6-12 month replacement. Actual usable lifespan is probably long , but variable , and this is ammo for which 100% reliability is needed.

Short answer - You need a fresh box of defensive ammo .

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Jul 8, 2018

Keep it stored properly and it will last indefinitely. What changes over time is technology...the effectiveness of new designs may improve...or not. Marketing will keep you wanting to buy the newest and latest. Shoot up your oldest stuff and replace it with the newest. We have to keep the manufacturers in business.

MaxVO2 · Jul 8, 2018

****I've shot .357 Magnum defensive ammo recently that my dad bought at Bradlee's back in the 1980's. No misfires, hangfires, etc.. the ammo shot great out of a model 586 Smith & Wesson.

pbharvey · Jul 8, 2018

I’ve got spare mags with some ammo that’s probably 25-30 years old.

Biggfoot44 · Jul 8, 2018

On the other hand , back in the day when private sales were a thing , I purchased a gun from a friend that had been his regular BUG . It came with the carry ammo , that have been in use for a cpl years .

Out of curiosity , I fired it over the chrono . It didn't all fire, and has wide vel spread on those that did .

knastera · Jul 8, 2018

I would say the life depends on whether the gun it is loaded in is one you carry or one that sits in a bedside safe for home defense use. For the former, the one year rotation makes sense because it is subject to changes in heat, humidity, and depending on how you carry, sweat and other moisture. The latter is sitting in a climate controlled environment that is no different than the rest of your stored ammo, so I would treat it as such. YMMV.

Name Taken · Jul 8, 2018

If you aren't constantly chambering and unloading a round I'd trust it for years.

The ammo that gets chambered and unloaded I keep for a year. I'm sure it is good for much longer but for 25 bucks I get peice of mind. I rotate the carried ammo to the "stash" pile.

hogarth · Jul 8, 2018

Name Taken said:
If you aren't constantly chambering and unloading a round I'd trust it for years.

The ammo that gets chambered and unloaded I keep for a year. I'm sure it is good for much longer but for 25 bucks I get peice of mind. I rotate the carried ammo to the "stash" pile.

I mark the back of each round that has been chambered. After each gets two marks, it goes into the practice pile. The forces the round is subjected to can cause setback and/or break apart the inner portions of the primer w/o you ever knowing about it. Definitely not worth it.

Docster · Jul 8, 2018

Just like medications; keep in cool, dry area and they will be good indefinitely

spoon059 · Jul 8, 2018

I shoot a M1 rifle. Lots of people were fortunate enough to buy surplus ammo from the 50's and 60's. They are still shooting that ammo today. Be careful about constantly chambering the same round, or else it should last for a very long time. I keep my handguns loaded at all times, I don't constantly unload and reload.

jrwhitt · Jul 8, 2018

Each time I go to the range I fire the mag in my carry gun and replace with the backup mag. New rounds are loaded into the backup mag. So I cycle through my defensive ammo on a regular basis.

RetiredArmyGuy · Jul 8, 2018

I shoot my commercial defensive ammo every 4 to 6 months. Although it will last a lot longer I like to make sure my magazines, firearm and ammunition function properly and I am accurate and comfortable shooting with my defensive weapon. I shoot my defensive weapon monthly but normally use practice ammo I have reloaded.

Biggfoot44 · Jul 8, 2018

Note to OP - As seen in this thread, different opinions on best practices , but in any possible interpretation, it isn't 15yrs .

Jimbob2.0 · Jul 8, 2018

Ive shot ammo over 100 years old without a problem. That said I like to rotate out my defensive ammo every couple years, just use it for testing to ensure function with HP etc then replace. If they start restricting the kinds of ammo civy's can have my attitude may change.

Michigander08 · Jul 9, 2018

Thank you all for good advice. This particular handgun is just for home defense purpose and the ammo has never been outside exposing to heat and humidity. However, I think it is a good idea to replace it anyway with newer ammo. I'll move them to the practice pile.

G O B · Jul 9, 2018

Ammo in a carry piece should be refreshed every month or so. Use that for practice ammo. The banging, and such that a carry piece gets will degrade the ammo. If you carry rimfire, change ammo daily.

Blaster229 · Jul 9, 2018

More solutions for something there never was a problem.
A "fresh" round is not a substitute for a better malfunction drill. Unless you're storing your carry pistol or spare ammo in a sauna, you'll be fine.

alucard0822 · Jul 9, 2018

More than likely modern sealed ammo will last decades, but can get beat up with repeated chambering, or if oil gets into it. I like to shoot my carry rig and a spare mag as it sits on my belt every few times I go to the range. It has never failed, still practice malf drills, and while I use cheap FMJ for the bulk of practice with it, I usually go through a couple boxes of carry ammo a year, so fresh ammo every couple months. More to do with my practice ideology than any perceived fault with the ammo.

OLM-Medic · Jul 20, 2018

hogarth said:
I mark the back of each round that has been chambered. After each gets two marks, it goes into the practice pile. The forces the round is subjected to can cause setback and/or break apart the inner portions of the primer w/o you ever knowing about it. Definitely not worth it.

I hand drop my round into the chamber and push the slide forward with my hand to pick up the rim with the extractor.

I doubt this would cause setback.

Still I rotate mine here and there on the mags I'm actually carrying with.

Never had a problem...even with rain soaked Gold Dots.

How long do you keep your defensive handgun ammo?

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