Shooting the ammo you carry

[BenGoodLuck]

I'd like to get an idea from people how often they shoot the ammo they carry. I bought 20 cartridges of Hornady Critical Defense ammo based on the dealer's recommendation. That's what I keep loaded in my Glock 30 and what I plan to carry everyday when my permit arrives. But when I go to the range, I unload that ammo and shoot regular ball ammo because it's cheaper. Based on what I've read, it makes a lot of sense to shoot the ammo I carry every day to make sure that I can handle it, that it feeds properly and so I can get used to its characteristics. Please share your experiences and opinions on this issue.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Justified]

Every couple months I blast off whatever rounds I have been carrying around for 2 reasons
1)Practice with the +p+ loads as they do handle ever so slightly different then ball
2)Because I dont want the same defensive rounds sitting in there for ever (like keeping a condom in your wallet-truth you will prob never use it but you still have to put a fresh one in from time to time) because of dirt, sweat, etc getting all over the rounds.

MHO

[Harryball]

You should shoot it to make sure it works in your weapon. I shoot my EDC ammo up three months. It retains my confidence in it, and my weapon

[ZX9RCAM]

You should shoot it to make sure it works in your weapon. I shoot my EDC ammo up three months. It retains my confidence in it, and my weapon

This!

[SFury]

I was always taught to shoot your gun with the round you were going to use with it. I've seen firsthand how different bullet weights, cheap vs higher quality rounds, have different trajectories from the same gun.

It's a philosophy that has worked well for me.

[ChrisMia]

Most definitely a good idea to shoot your carry ammo - I for one don't trust a firearm for EDC until I've put 100 or so rounds of carry ammo through it without any hiccups, and that's in addition to 200+ rounds of cheaper FMJ range ammo. A bit expensive? Perhaps, but if I'm spending hundreds of dollars on a gun to safekeep things that I consider priceless (i.e. myself and my loved ones), an extra $100-$200 on ammo testing is an insurance policy/peace of mind exercise that's well worth the cost IMO.

Every firearm I ever intend to use for SD/HD will go through the following procedure:

0-150 rounds: doesn't exist as anything but a range gun to me
150-200 rounds: comfortable enough with reliability to keep in the nightstand alongside standard HD firearm as a backup if SHTF
300 flawless rounds: comfortable enough with reliability to carry

Of course, my opinion is free and worth what it costs.

[mlr1m]

Something to consider is the abuse the ammo you carry inflict on the weapon you use it in. Many light framed carry guns were never meant to be fired constantly with full house loads. I remember in the 70's a gun maker warning people not to use the hot 158 gr 357 loads for target practice as the newer alloy framed guns would not stand up to them under constant use.

Michael

[joker1]

Due to the cost and unavailability of good SD ammunition in my neck of the woods I don't shoot much SD ammo at all. I shoot alot of target/range/ball ammunition when practicing and competing. I did shoot a couple of magazine worth of my carry ammo to verify function. Someday I'd like to be able to afford more Golden Sabres or Gold Dots to practice with but for now it's whatever Wal-Mart has on the shelf. Yes I know I could buy online, it's just hard to justify it right now.

[SpencerB]

I have shot some of my self defense ammo before but I don't have the income to be shooting it off regularly, I do occasionally though..

[retsupt99]

Depending upon the firearm, I do occasionally shoot some of my carry ammo.

[TSiWRX]

As with many of the others here, I also like to "prove" my firearms, using my chosen SD/HD ammo. I'm a bit excessive and compulsive, so I like to put 100 rounds of those rounds down-the-pipe as soon as the gun's reasonably "broken in," and after that, I pretty much ramp as quickly as reasonably possible (and that does include my finances) to the 500-round mark. I know, that's excessive, but it gives me peace-of-mind.

I do tend to shoot my carry ammo a bit, but mostly - especially for high-round-count classwork - I tend to stick with range-fodder.

With SD/HD ammo, I'm mainly looking for:

(1) me knowing the firearm/ammo's POA/POI, and being comfortable with its recoil characteristics
(2) me knowing that the firearm will feed and fire flawlessly with the ammo
(3) me knowing what the muzzle blast is like - including low-light

[ArkhmAsylm]

-
I shoot up my stored mags on my monthly range trips. I keep 2 Glock mags (17x2+1) of my +P+ 127gr T-series & 3 Kel-tec mags (7x3+1) of my 147gr T-series ready to go. I was shooting off about 50 rounds of each when I first started using the Winchester Ranger to ensure proper operation & consistency, but at .48 cents a shot I decided to cut down after going through a case of each.

It's money well-spent knowing my ammo will likely perform if needed for SD.

[glockman10mm]

I used to carry factory ammo, but like many here, I scoff at paying ridiculous prices for ammo. I found my solution years ago by reloading. I can put together ammo meticulously assembled and tailored to my specs.

But the best part is I can shoot as much as I want and it's the same thing I carry.
I can load 50 rounds of premium ammo for half what a 20 round box of factory costs.

If I use lead bullets, which work as well as anything, I can load a box of 50 rounds of 45 acp or 40 S&W for about $ 7.00.

[Knightrider]

If I shot what I carried all the time, my 9mm and .38 would be broken once per year as my carry ammo in both are +p+. With that being said, I shoot it once per year to change out to my new carry ammo. That isn't including the times through out the year that I may let a round or two go from time to time.

[rammerjammer]

I wish I could afford to shoot my carry ammo more often but I rarely shoot my carry ammo.