"Old" ammo and LEO only ammo

dkpeppard · November 6th, 2009, 12:27 PM

I friend of mine just gave me a box of Federal +P+ that he ordered from Cheaper than Dirt about six years ago. I appreciated the gift, but am concerned about a few things:

1. The age of the ammo, being 6 years old.
2. The box says "for Law Enforcement only."
3. I thought I heard somewhere +P is ok, but +P+ can be dangerous in your firearm.

The age of the ammo is at least 6 years old. Is the ammo still ok to use or should I dispose of it? I currently have fresh Corbon +P that I use for self defense/home defense.

The Federal ammo I was given says "for Law Enforcement only." What happens if I am in an SD situation and use this ammo? Will I get in trouble for using "Law Enforcement only" ammo? I would think it would be ok to use since it was purchased directly through Cheaper than Dirt, but I wanted to get some opinions. The notation on the box has me concerned since I am not LEO.

I have two Glocks, a generation 2 G19 and a generation 3 G26. I thought I heard that you needed to be careful with any +P or +P+ as it can be very hard on your firearm. Will +P+ hurt my Glocks?

Thank you in advance for your feedback on this ammo.

Landric · November 6th, 2009, 12:47 PM

First, six years is nothing really. Provided the ammunition was not stored underwater or something like that, it should be fine. If you are concerned, fire a few shots and see how it does.

Second, it is marked LE only because it is loaded to pressures higher than the industry standard. There is nothing special about the ammunition other than that. Federal and other manufacturers simply didn't sell the stuff on the open market because of the increased pressure. There is nothing illegal about carrying LE Only marked ammunition, and it would be unlikely to be an issue any more than any other ammunition available. The fact that you used LE ammunition might even help your case in the event of a trial.

Third, 9mm Glocks are built to use 9mm NATO ammunition, which is loaded hotter than our +P+. You will probably increase wear slightly on your Glock if you shoot +P+ instead of standard pressure ammunition, but it is not something that is going to break your gun in a few shots.

If it were me, I'd be comfortable carrying LE marked +P+ ammunition even if I were not an LEO.

That said, the ammunition isn't magic. It doesn't do anything that any other high velocity 9mm JHP won't do. Your CorBon ammunition probably offers the same level of performance.

dkpeppard · November 6th, 2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landric

First, six years is nothing really. Provided the ammunition was not stored underwater or something like that, it should be fine. If you are concerned, fire a few shots and see how it does.

Second, it is marked LE only because it is loaded to pressures higher than the industry standard. There is nothing special about the ammunition other than that. Federal and other manufacturers simply didn't sell the stuff on the open market because of the increased pressure. There is nothing illegal about carrying LE Only marked ammunition, and it would be unlikely to be an issue any more than any other ammunition available. The fact that you used LE ammunition might even help your case in the event of a trial.

Third, 9mm Glocks are built to use 9mm NATO ammunition, which is loaded hotter than our +P+. You will probably increase wear slightly on your Glock if you shoot +P+ instead of standard pressure ammunition, but it is not something that is going to break your gun in a few shots.

If it were me, I'd be comfortable carrying LE marked +P+ ammunition even if I were not an LEO.

That said, the ammunition isn't magic. It doesn't do anything that any other high velocity 9mm JHP won't do. Your CorBon ammunition probably offers the same level of performance.

Landric, thanks for the quick and detailed response. It is much appreciated.

varob · November 6th, 2009, 01:50 PM

No, this ammo is no good. Send it to me promptly so I may properly dispose of it.

dkpeppard · November 6th, 2009, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varob

No, this ammo is no good. Send it to me promptly so I may properly dispose of it.

LOL, ok,

Sky Pilot · November 6th, 2009, 01:53 PM

Bless you, Varob, I needed a good chuckle!
Thank you for that!
(insert broad and toothy grin here!)

TX-JB · November 6th, 2009, 03:45 PM

You can still get this loading from Federal. I recently bought a bunch from ammunition to go. It's one of my favorite loads, used to carry it as an LEO. It's a classic load that's been putting BG's down, with great reliability, for a long time...

dkpeppard · November 6th, 2009, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TX-JB

You can still get this loading from Federal. I recently bought a bunch from ammunition to go. It's one of my favorite loads, used to carry it as an LEO. It's a classic load that's been putting BG's down, with great reliability, for a long time...

Good information. Thanks!

Majorlk · November 6th, 2009, 04:09 PM

I have ammo, both commercial and handloads, that is close to 30 years old - still shoots just fine. There's WWII ammo floating around that still shoots.

Properly stored, the "shelf life" of ammunition is measured in decades, not years.

Most LE-only markings are manufacturer's sales gimmicks and do not necessarily indicate any difference in performance over "civilian" ammo. There "may be" differences where the ammo lot is/was a contract purchase for a specific agency, but most of the time, not.

dkpeppard · November 7th, 2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majorlk

I have ammo, both commercial and handloads, that is close to 30 years old - still shoots just fine. There's WWII ammo floating around that still shoots.

Properly stored, the "shelf life" of ammunition is measured in decades, not years.

Most LE-only markings are manufacturer's sales gimmicks and do not necessarily indicate any difference in performance over "civilian" ammo. There "may be" differences where the ammo lot is/was a contract purchase for a specific agency, but most of the time, not.

Thanks for the clarification.

November 6th, 2009, 12:27 PM	#1
dkpeppard Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Denver, CO USA Posts: 117	"Old" ammo and LEO only ammo I friend of mine just gave me a box of Federal +P+ that he ordered from Cheaper than Dirt about six years ago. I appreciated the gift, but am concerned about a few things: 1. The age of the ammo, being 6 years old. 2. The box says "for Law Enforcement only." 3. I thought I heard somewhere +P is ok, but +P+ can be dangerous in your firearm. The age of the ammo is at least 6 years old. Is the ammo still ok to use or should I dispose of it? I currently have fresh Corbon +P that I use for self defense/home defense. The Federal ammo I was given says "for Law Enforcement only." What happens if I am in an SD situation and use this ammo? Will I get in trouble for using "Law Enforcement only" ammo? I would think it would be ok to use since it was purchased directly through Cheaper than Dirt, but I wanted to get some opinions. The notation on the box has me concerned since I am not LEO. I have two Glocks, a generation 2 G19 and a generation 3 G26. I thought I heard that you needed to be careful with any +P or +P+ as it can be very hard on your firearm. Will +P+ hurt my Glocks? Thank you in advance for your feedback on this ammo. __________________ Glock G19 - Generation 2 (our first) Glock G26 - Generation 3

November 6th, 2009, 12:47 PM	#2
Landric Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 430	First, six years is nothing really. Provided the ammunition was not stored underwater or something like that, it should be fine. If you are concerned, fire a few shots and see how it does. Second, it is marked LE only because it is loaded to pressures higher than the industry standard. There is nothing special about the ammunition other than that. Federal and other manufacturers simply didn't sell the stuff on the open market because of the increased pressure. There is nothing illegal about carrying LE Only marked ammunition, and it would be unlikely to be an issue any more than any other ammunition available. The fact that you used LE ammunition might even help your case in the event of a trial. Third, 9mm Glocks are built to use 9mm NATO ammunition, which is loaded hotter than our +P+. You will probably increase wear slightly on your Glock if you shoot +P+ instead of standard pressure ammunition, but it is not something that is going to break your gun in a few shots. If it were me, I'd be comfortable carrying LE marked +P+ ammunition even if I were not an LEO. That said, the ammunition isn't magic. It doesn't do anything that any other high velocity 9mm JHP won't do. Your CorBon ammunition probably offers the same level of performance. __________________ -Landric "The Engine could still smile...it seemed to scare them" -Felix

November 6th, 2009, 01:50 PM	#4
varob Distinguished Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,273	No, this ammo is no good. Send it to me promptly so I may properly dispose of it. __________________ Don't believe what you hear and only half of what you see! -Tony Soprano

November 6th, 2009, 01:53 PM	#6
Sky Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Lorain County, Ohio Posts: 642	Bless you, Varob, I needed a good chuckle! Thank you for that! (insert broad and toothy grin here!) __________________ "Deine Papieren bitte?" or "ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ !" (Choose only one) NRA Life "I bark at no man's bid. I will never come and go, and fetch and carry, at the whistle of the great man in the White House no matter who he is." -- David Crockett

November 6th, 2009, 03:45 PM	#7
TX-JB VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Sugar Land, TX Posts: 3,142	You can still get this loading from Federal. I recently bought a bunch from ammunition to go. It's one of my favorite loads, used to carry it as an LEO. It's a classic load that's been putting BG's down, with great reliability, for a long time... __________________ *"We're in Texas....Things are different here."* *NRA Life Member*

November 6th, 2009, 04:09 PM	#9
Majorlk Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Naugatuck, CT Posts: 839	I have ammo, both commercial and handloads, that is close to 30 years old - still shoots just fine. There's WWII ammo floating around that still shoots. Properly stored, the "shelf life" of ammunition is measured in decades, not years. Most LE-only markings are manufacturer's sales gimmicks and do not necessarily indicate any difference in performance over "civilian" ammo. There "may be" differences where the ammo lot is/was a contract purchase for a specific agency, but most of the time, not. __________________ An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Robert A. Heinlein

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