Defensive Ammo- Expiration ???

[Pecos]

Im not sure if this was addresses so,Mods feel free to lock is needed.
Im just wondering. I have Hornaday Critical Duty in 9mm & SW40. I dont shoot these expensive jewels.
As a rule of thumb is there a limit on time I can keep these in my gun & Magizines? Does ammo go bad or stale?
Advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[Pecos]

I shot some of my .40 reloads from the late 90's, one at a time. They did good & were accurate.

[ajwakeboarder]

If you constantly load and unload your gun be careful of bullet setback.

[RJGold]

Ammo will stay good for a long time if it is kept dry.

I typically shoot a mag or two of my hollow point ammo when I go to the range and replenish as needed.

I quit doing that when ammo availability got crazy but I am back to doing it again.

My two cents...

[EEllis]

I hade some good Gold Dot and Hydra shock that I was using for carry ammo for years, not sure how long. When I eventually shot it I had all kinds of issues including FTF and feed problems. I cycle thru my ammo more often now.

[RPBrown]

I will rotate my carry ammo thru about every 6 months. That insures, to me at least, that it will still cycle through. A little expensive, yes. But can you put a price on your safety when you need it?

[Pecos]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
I'm thinking I will recycle my hollow points once a year to be on the safe side.

[carlson1]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
I'm thinking I will recycle my hollow points once a year to be on the safe side.

This is what I do.

[Pecos]

This will also get me used to my defensive ammo & how well my gun likes it etc.....
A box of 25 CD ammo is $22.00. well worth it!

[MoJo]

What a lot of people I know do is on your birthday buy a new box of carry ammo and shoot the stuff you are carrying.

eta: Pecos, I have a pretty good supply of M2 Ball (.30'06) that was loaded at Lake City in 1967 it still goes bang and hits the target in a decent group. 46 year old ammunition I would still trust my life to it.

[EEllis]

I think a lot of the difference is how the ammo is stored.

[RogueUSMC]

I think a lot of the difference is how the ammo is stored.

yep...

When I was in the service, we were regularly shooting ammunition older than we were. But that ammunition had stayed in foil wrap sealed in an ammo can...

[AlaskanInTexas]

Does ammo go bad or stale?

For me, ammo goes bad just after I shoot it. Up until then it is usually good to go no matter how old.

[Pecos]

It's funny! I havent re loaded pistal ammo sense the 90's I still have speer .40 bullets left over. Just the other day I unsealed the stuff & found about 20 rounds of .40 ammo I reloaded back then. Not know what to expect I just tried one at a time The 5 in the clip they were amaisingly accurate no jams or stove pipes!!!