View Full Version : What is the maximum amount of time that Duty Ammo is good for?
There really isn't a place for this question so I'm posting it here. Firstly, I'm not looking for the "Recommended" amount of time you should use duty ammo before you change it out, I'm looking for the maximum amount of time you can use duty ammo before it is changed out.
I thought that in the right conditions ammo should never break down and can be used forever.
The reason I'm asking is because we were issued or bought patrol rifles for use on our police department and they issued everyone 60 rounds of ammo. I have a total of 6 mags, which would be 180 rounds. When I asked for more they said no, it wasn't in the budget. I can understand that since our department and almost all other law enforcement departments have had rough times for quite awhile with no end in sight. I was told we need to purchase our own ammo if we want more then what's issued.
It's Federal LE ammo and fairly expensive. It doesn't help that my room-mate recently lost his job and money has been tight for awhile.
I would like to buy my own ammo, but will need to keep it as long as possible without replacing it. It will be inside magazines (not the rifle unless I need to chamber a round), which will be in a soft case and either in my locker or trunk of my squad, so the ammo will not be exposed to the elements at all.
1.) How long can this ammo last without being changed out?
2.) When should I empty the magazines and let the springs rest and how long do they need to rest for? (ex: Like once a month for 1 day).
1) Your ammo will last indefinitely if you keep it in a cool dry place. The heat and cold of riding in the trunk of your car is less than ideal for long term storage, but you're probably fine for at least a couple of years. One way to gauge the ammo's condition is simply to look at the brass. The more tarnished it looks, the older the ammo is getting. If your ammo was sitting someplace for a zillion years but yet the brass didn't tarnish, then you have at least a bit of confidence that nothing else corroded or degraded either.
2) You don't need to unload your magazines to "rest" the springs. Ever. Truth is, springs only wear out when they're being cycled. Compressing and relaxing over many cycles is what wrecks springs - same principle as breaking a paper clip by bending it back and forth repeatedly.
jonconsiglio
08-12-11, 21:22
Springs don't rest. They wear from loading and unloading, not staying loaded. That's been proven time and time again, though many still question it.
Duty ammo, when stored properly, will become outdated before it's unusable. Under ideal conditions, that means decades. I would personally change it at least once a year, if not twice a year, especially if it's exposed to the elements. I'd check my ammo once a month or more, depending on exposure, but you weren't asking for "recommendations".
Looking back at your post, you said it would be in a soft case with no exposure. In that case, it'll likely outlast your departments use of that particular ammo.
Springs don't rest. They wear from loading and unloading, not staying loaded. That's been proven time and time again, though many still question it.
Duty ammo, when stored properly, will become outdated before it's unusable. Under ideal conditions, that means decades. I would personally change it at least once a year, if not twice a year, especially if it's exposed to the elements. I'd check my ammo once a month or more, depending on exposure, but you weren't asking for "recommendations".
Looking back at your post, you said it would be in a soft case with no exposure. In that case, it'll likely outlast your departments use of that particular ammo.
Who did the testing, is there a link to it?
COVERBUSTER
08-12-11, 21:58
Been pecking away at a case of Lake City '54 30 cal for 2 years , not a single FTF.
Now, IF the rounds are bouncing around in a vehicle, does the powder break down and change the burn rate?? Might take more than a week or two. Months maybe. Just something to noodle on .
Springs don't rest. They wear from loading and unloading, not staying loaded. That's been proven time and time again, though many still question it.
That has been beaten to death so many times I thought that myth finally died.
That has been beaten to death so many times I thought that myth finally died.
Oh no, it is alive and well. I have seen people argue it with a metallurgist about it. " but when I bend my hanger it stays bent":rolleyes: Sigh
Scotter260
08-12-11, 23:01
A one sample example.
I had 10 30-round mags loaded with '06 5.56 TAP in an Eagle chest rig that I kept on the passenger floor of the squad which of course put it in fairly close proximity to the heater vent. I'd bring it home every night and would sometimes leave it in a vehicle in my attached garage through sub-zero winter nights and sweltering humid summer nights.
I started trimming the number of mags in the rig down to four as I realized having 10 was silly. I'd burn through a mag every 6 months or so to verify that it was still adequate. Last year I finally decided to completely cycle out the old ammo in those remaining four mags. The entire 300 rounds was from the same lot and I didn't have a single issue with any of it. I'm more aware now and won't be waiting that long for the next rotation but I'd say that ammo experienced some drastic extremes and still held up. Again, just a sample of one, just relaying my experience as it pertains to your question.
jonconsiglio
08-12-11, 23:06
Who did the testing, is there a link to it?
There's a few. I'll Google it tomorrow and see what I find. I've done it myself a number of times with extra mags with no issue. Actually, my Brother-In-Law's wife had a Colt SP1 in storage since the late 70's. It had two loaded mags with it. He shot them and other than being some corrosion and the gun itself sticking until the lube worked in, it worked. The followers were the old black ones that weren't self leveling in any way, but the springs were still good. I believe there was 26 or 27 in each mag.
I'll post back tomorrow if I find some links.
Centerfire ammunition seems to hold up for a very long time. Last weekend I burned up some 1974-vintage .30-'06 ammo with no problems. I can't say the same for rimfire ammo, however. I had some .22LR that had been left in a basement for about ten years, and when I shot it I ended up with a couple of squibs that got stuck inside the bore.
Animal_Mother556
08-13-11, 01:59
For what it's worth, I had a TON of Turkish 8mm that was dated 1932. Shoots through the K98s with no problems whatsoever.
To the OP, just so you can be on the safe side, just cycle the ammo you carry on duty every year. I dont know about your dept, but mine requires that I qualify with my rifle every 6 months with duty ammo, so that takes care of the cycling of my ammo.
OP, I have a stockpile of self defense ammo in .40 and .45 that stays in my master bedroom closet on the highest shelf available. I have no doubt that ammo will be good when I'm 70.... which is a long ways off. As to the ammo in my two to three magazines that I carry everyday I will usually shoot that within a years time. It gets hot in Georgia and concealed carrying a pistol that gets hot and sweaty and humid day in day out I'm sure is not the best environment for pistol ammo. I'm sure it would be fine after 10 years of carry by why take a chance.
As to magazines being loaded, as long as they are loaded they will be good indefinitely. Its the actual cycling of the magazine that trashes the spring. Over loading a magazine as well. For instance trying to stuff 31 rounds in a 30 round AR mag.
Storage, storage, storage.
That will determine it more than anything else. I have hundreds of rounds of first-rate, 1939 dated German 8mm ammo that was (judging from the marks on the crates it was stored in) captured in North Africa by the British, sold to the Turks, and then stored in an obviously dry, stable location in Turkey before being shipped to the US around 2002 as surplus. It looks like it was produced last week, is the most accurate of many types of 8mm I own, and has been 100% reliable.
Fast forward to current times. As other members have already noted, your duty ammo will become eclipsed by the 'next big duty ammo' trend long before it will actually go 'bad.' All it takes is a change in personnel in acquisition to move from one given maker/type/bullet weight to another.
Do your part, and the ammo will stay 'good' for a very long time.
Pat
I'm still working my way through some 45ACP and .30-06 ammo I got several years ago. GI ammo, circa 1945. I just shot some M882 and M855 that had been in actual use since the late 1980s.
Current production duty ammo should be rotated. However, unless it's subjected to temperature extremes it could remain in service long after you retire.
The big variable of concern isn't product degradation, it's product defect. The latter can only be found through test firing and rotation.
I've fired 30-40 Krag ammo that was made in 1898, but well stored, and it shot just fine.
I have also seen Hornady .223 carried in the back on a patrol car trunk form two years given numerous fails to fire due to dead primers.
I cycle my carry ammo out at least once per year. Gives me more of a warm-fuzzy that my guns will go bang when I need them to.
Heat cycling ammo will cause the primers to become unreliable over time. I left a magazine of ammo in my truck over the course of a year, and we have some hot summers. The next spring I took that mag out and fired it. Two of the rounds didn't ignite when fired.
I've had ammo sitting under my bed for like 7 years. I broke some out the other day and ran it with no issue.
In terms of leaving mags loaded, there is more possibility of casings getting out of round. This is from being pressed tightly against one another in a tight mag. Downloading mags can help this. I have some Speer Gold Dot 185 gr +P in .40 that has been in fully loaded in 3 Glock 22 mags for about 4 years. It has not had this problem. I unload the ammo every couple of weeks to use the mags at the range. I had some Federal Hydra Shok 135 gr. rounds in a G27 mag that was about .08" out of round after the same amount of time, but it was never unloaded. It shot fine, though.
Who did the testing, is there a link to it?
Check out any textbook for solid mechnics and look for the chapters on springs.
Winnie the Poo
10-09-11, 14:51
Ammunition is frequently amazing. My unit museum dredged up a S&W revolver and several boxes of .38 S&W 200 grain ammo to go with it. It was wartime production and we didn't have a single failure to fire over fifty years latter. I've personally used German wartime production 7.92x57 with no issues, yet found split case necks on 1950s Yugo product.
Modern Nato spec 5.56 with sealed necks and primers is incredibly durable. Able to sustain immersion in water and multiple chamberings without bullet setback.
As many have already said, good ammo in the storage senario you give should last many years.
This following is a copy of an article from American Handgunner talking about spring myths:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_163_27/ai_99130369/
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