Managing you SD Ammo supply

[Calier]

How long does factory ammo last? Practice ammo I shoot through with no problem, but HD/SD ammo is expensive. My SD ammo just sits around in my nightstand gun. How do you guys manage your self defense ammo supply and how frequently do you "practice" with your SD ammo?

[vino68]

Proper storage is important. Google that as there many articles covering the topic both here and elsewhere.

[JagerDog]

[Sir Toast]

Yup. Two months max. I'll pay for you to ship it to me and I'll dispose of it properly . . . . for the sake of the children, of course.

[user120312]

Don't know about these days but back when I was a kid it wasn't uncommon to find ammo cans around with WW2 era ammo in them and we'd routinely run it through guns we had that were of the correct caliber. Best find was a number of cans of belted .30, had to buy a rifle for that. Found those down in the slough when it was dry in the summer. No idea how they got there, maybe training ops. Looked WW2 era so the ammo would've been 20-25 years old at that point. Still shot fine.

I'm not a hoarder so usually burn and turn, buying small amounts periodically. Cool and dry but nothing special on storage other than not everything in one location/dwelling.

[Calier]

Looks like so far only people you don't buy SD ammo for their HD guns are responding...

[Calier]

Don't know about these days but back when I was a kid it wasn't uncommon to find ammo cans around with WW2 era ammo in them and we'd routinely run it through guns we had that were of the correct caliber. Best find was a number of cans of belted .30, had to buy a rifle for that. Found those down in the slough when it was dry in the summer. No idea how they got there, maybe training ops. Looked WW2 era so the ammo would've been 20-25 years old at that point. Still shot fine.

I'm not a hoarder so usually burn and turn, buying small amounts periodically. Cool and dry but nothing special on storage other than not everything in one location/dwelling.

Thank you for the thoughtful reply!

[sirgrumps]

Assuming you keep you SD ammo in the house, not under sunlight, next to the heater, the dishwasher, or the washing machine, it should be good for your lifetime.

As the other op said, there is still WWII ammo being sold and shot today. There is also mil surplus ammo from desert countries, circa the 80’s being sold and used today. That ammo is typically neglected and stored poorly, in the heat, out in the open, and it goes bang 90% of the time.

As for accumulation, I would use a suggestion my friend gave me. Buy one box of 20 every month or a box of 50 every other month or so. That way, when the supply is lean, like today, you will have plenty. And when the supply comes back, restart the purchasing. He’s in a free state, so he also buys a standard cap mag for one of his firearms, be it a rifle, pistol, or shotgun, every month or so. He sold several for a huge profit during the many panic buys in the last decade or so. You never know when another opportunity like freedom week will occur.

Also, once a year, shoot a mag or two, just to get used to the recoil and flash.

[Calier]

Another thoughtful post, thank you!

[The War Wagon]

how frequently do you "practice" with your SD ammo?

Whenever I buy a box of DIFFERENT (never shot it before), I buy an extra box, and practice with it, next time at the range.

[the86d]

I usually bought some SD/HD ammo about 1-2x a year for the last few years before the background check kicked in, as I don't WANT to pay an additional tax now...

After 3-4 years I would burn the stuff in the HD mags, but not lately.

I usually run 124gr in my 9mm, and it is loaded about med-high for the loads, not max, but should be close enough for practice. The M9 shoots them all about the same with all ammo, but the SR-9 pops a bit more due to the light weight with the HD/SD stuff.

I read that if popping ammo into the chamber of a semi-auto feed system, you can, over time, set the bullet back... causing higher pressures.

[Cowboy T]

It's good to keep a box of 100 SD rounds around, just in case. In my case, they're factory rounds. As others have said, ammo doesn't really go bad. What I do is shoot some rounds first, then come up with a reload that duplicates that load's ballistics and feel, as closely as I can. This way I'm practicing with quality (yet inexpensive) reloads.

Every once a year or so, I'll shoot a cylinder or two of the factory rounds in a few guns, just to check my reloads. If the differences are basically nil, then I go back to shooting the inexpensive reloads and keep the factory brass for my next ammo run.

It usually takes me about 5 years this way to go through a 100-count box of factory loads.

[the86d]

I generally don't shoot FMJ factory ammo, but hold it...

Hell I still have a few hundred untouched 115gr Federal from Walmart I got like 2012, in the ammo can, but I DID load some fun-sticks, and happy-cap mags up with it, when AntiFa was a few miles from my home...

[Tanner68]

My management and practice regime for SD ammo is very fundamental. Don't ever buy any. All my basic and readily available range ammo is my SD ammo. Simple and done. Don't have to worry about rotation, function, and all kinds of concerns I don't need.

[Thoughts]

Keep the ammo away from heat (temperature fluctuations in general) and humidity, and it should be fine for decades. Keeping it away from strong light is good to reduce any temperature fluctuations.