EDC Ammo maintenance and storage

[CurtisJ]

So I have been carrying for a little over a year, though only in the last 6 months have I switched from owb to aiwb. Usually in a kydex black point, but sometimes in a minimalist trigger guard clip. I can already see the toll it takes on the cleanliness of the gun to carry daily, T-shirt lint, dirt, etc. my question is more about ammo. How often do you change the ammo in your edc? I don’t unload it at night, I only unload when doing dry fire (once or twice a week tops) and even then I have separate magazines dedicated to practice so I am only cycling the 2 live rounds in and out of the chamber. I keep Federal 9mm HST in my carry and i can see some discoloration on the bullets that have been loaded and unloaded several times. Is mositure an issue? Should I be cycling to fresh ammo on the regular anyway? And last question, is there any problem with keeping a mag in the truck with this heat? Thanks for any advice

[was21]

Heat is an enemy of primers and powder ...but.... after 40 years out here in the desert I have not experienced problems with leaving ammo in a hot vehicle over long periods of time.

As a gunsmith I have seen the greater dangers of lube contamination with excessive lube used around the chamber area.... wheelgunners moreso.
The biggest problems I see on a regular basis are rounds that are repeatedly downloaded and rechambered causing bullet setback in the case.... this WILL drive pressures up when fired!
I DO NOT recommend shooting rounds with bullets set back.

otherwise , what I do/recommend is after rechambering a few times or after 6months/year
I will fire off that mag of carry ammo.

One other system is .. after rechambering a round a few times is to move that one to the bottom of the mag.... a sharpie mark on the primer will help keep track of rounds that have been cycled down...... by the time you cycle that process through a 15-17 round mag would be a good time to use them up in a training cycle. FWIW

keep chamber clean and dry.... wipe down the round occasionally and drive on.

FWIW
YMMV

[Boogieman]

I'd be more concerned about bullet setback, usually caused by repeatedly chambering the same round, than I would about moisture. Never had any problems with leaving ammo in the car, it's usually out of direct sunlight as well.

If you're curious, there was a "test" some guy on the internet performed on the effects of moisture on ammunition. In order to accelerate the effects of sweat, he ended up pissing on the rounds and examining from there lol.

[792mauser]

Having had ammunition sitting on the dash in the truck while it got to 185.

1: Don't leave it out in the sun.
2:It getting hot WILL raise pressure.
3: As long as it isn't on the edge of high pressure already it should be ok..
4: I shoot and refresh my carry ammunition twice a year.
5: Stop fooling around with loading and unloading your ammunition. Get into the habit of thinking it's always loaded. If you don't fool with it you can't get setback or shoot the floor.
6: Since it's a carry piece in a holster, it shouldn't be getting filthy. Clean it when you change your ammunition.

7:Stop fiddling with it. Unholster at the end of the day and secure it. Re holster the next morning or whenever.

The less you fiddle with it the less chance of an accident and bullet setback.

[Uskub8890]

Agree with above, the bullets do get set back. Would not worry about tarnish but moisture could get thru the primer or bullet seals eventually.

[CurtisJ]

I appreciate all the great advice here, I really like the idea of keeping track of the bullets that have been chambered several times by marking them when a sharpie and rotating to the bottom of the mag. I went ahead and shot through the carry ammunition that i had been using, and started fresh. Hopefully i can keep better track of what has been cycled through and avoid the setback issues i was having. Appreciate all the input!