Habits and Muscle Memory

 Operators are known for their good shooting. Are they “just good?” They are really not different than most of us. The difference is how much practice is involved. Marine Force Recon trains to the “brilliance in the basics” standard. It’s not glamorous and is not particularly entertaining to watch, but it hones their edge to a fine sharpness. Mastering little things like grip or presentation are little things. But when you master the basics, you can do more complex things like complex drills. Making things simply makes things easier in training and combat since we should always train like we fight and fight like we train. You can do simple actions in a complex drill. As long as the basics are simple and “memorized” they can make it possible to do complex things like handgun to rifle transitions and other more advanced, complex things.

Muscle memory can save you but if bad habits are committed to muscle memory, they can get you killed. For example, in Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s book “On Combat”, one officer recounts grabbing a pistol out of an assailant’s hands and then handing it right back to him. This bizarre action occurred because in training, the officer would always immediately hand the weapon back to his partner after he disarmed them in training. The officer fortunately survived his mistake due to the actions of his partner. Another example is in my own training. I had got into the habit of hitting the mag release when I finished shooting. There was nothing wrong with this initially. But when I was training with a fellow instructor, he noticed the habit. Without saying anything he had me do a combat reload in the middle of shooting a set. I executed it and he told me to stop mid-magazine. I did and hit the release. He said “I wanted to see if you’d do it and you did! Every time you stop or pause shooting you drop your mag.” Now I only had one shot in my gun. It was not a good habit, so I worked to break it. This is why it is important to not only practice simple motions, but also that you vary your training. Doing the same thing over and over again may give you chance to develop not so good habits like my mag release. Be as realistic as possible and do the basics repetitively but change up the drills.
One experience that an operator recalls is a hectic firefight in Afghanistan. This shows the power of instinctive actions and the importance of keeping your training as realistic as possible.
Hot, dehydrated, and tired, his team came under heavy fire while moving through a canal. He returned fire with my M4A1 and almost immediately began having malfunctions. It would later be determined that their ammunition was faulty, but despite fatigue and an adrenaline response, he was able to immediately diagnose several failures to feed and correct them in order to continue engaging the enemy.
His third malfunction was a double feed, which calls for switching ammunition sources. He had almost gotten the magazine in his drop pouch when he noticed one crucial detail; that he was using two magazines coupled together and did not need to pull a fresh one from his vest. He had never used coupled magazines during training and so his muscle memory response wasn’t an appropriate one given his change of equipment. In the span of seconds, he experienced both the good side and the bad side of muscle memory during a high-stress situation.
Make your training as realistic as possible by just not taking shortcuts in your training. Don’t tuck that shirt behind your holster for convenience on the range. Don’t change the way you would normally do things if going out in public armed.
Taking a real defensive course is a good start. Your concealed carry or basic NRA course is good for starters, but it is not defensive training. Taking a course helps with discipline. You won’t stop after 3 hours when a course is 6 or 8 hours. You’ll finish the course. Make sure it is good training. There are some great schools out there. I love Gunsite, the namesake of this blog. But there are also good instructors out there that can give you some good training. Seek them out and then develop your own training program. There are many good drills out there for defensive training.
Learning and practicing a defensive mindset and finding a good training regime can build muscle memory and make it easier if you ever find yourself in a real-world situation. Remember simple basics. Get some good training and into a training program before you decide you need a different gun or new gear. It will be worth it in the long run when it counts.

Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn

Magazine Maintenance: More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys

 Magazine maintenance isn’t really a hot topic among gun owners. People love talking about what they do and don’t do with their firearms, but their magazines are often forgotten. This is due, in part, to the idea that they don’t really need much care.

While that’s relatively true in comparison to guns, completely forgetting about the piece of equipment that’s solely responsible for feeding your firearm is a mistake that will eventually catch up with you.

 Cleaning your semi-auto pistol magazines is simple and not necessary very often unless the magazines get excessively dirty based on how you use them. This can happen from thousands of fired rounds or one tumble in dirt or mud. Most malfunctions caused by “dirty mags” will be due to foreign debris like dirt, small rocks, mud, and sand.

To give your magazine a cleaning, you’re going to have to disassemble it. Most magazines have five basic parts.

There is the base plate, the floor plate, the magazine shell (also known as the body), the follower, and the spring. With some guns, the follower and the spring are connected and can’t be taken apart, so don’t try to force the spring out of the follower.

When you bought your gun, you also got a manufacturer’s handbook with it. In that handbook, you’ll find detailed instructions on disassembling the gun and the magazine.

Follow the instructions, and you’ll be fine.

 

Magazines and guns are susceptible to the same kind of damage.  You need to get rid of dust and moisture. However, you won’t find any gunpowder residue in the magazine, so that makes it noticeably easier and quicker than cleaning your gun.

To get rid of all the dust, just scrub all magazine parts with an old toothbrush or a brush made for magazine cleaning.  You should also run a clean rag through the magazine body just to make sure it’s clean on the inside.

For most magazines, this is more than enough to keep them clean for a long time.

However, if you’re doing outdoor drills in a high-humidity area or if you drop your mag in a puddle, you’ll need to protect it from moisture as well. Experts recommend using an alcohol wipe to clean any would-be rust out of your magazine.

 

Once you’re done, all that’s left to do is reassemble the magazine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Put the mag back into your gun and make sure everything’s clicking just right. If it is, you’re good to go!

 

Since it takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes to disassemble, clean, and reassemble a magazine, it’d be great if you cleaned the magazine every time you shot your gun. 

But really, if you pay attention and clean them when residue builds up or when you notice they are dirty, you will be fine.

 

https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/magazine-maintenance-dos-donts/

Thanks to The Shooters Log and John Bibby for the Do’s and Don’ts

Magazine Maintenance Don’ts

So, what are the do’s and don’ts when it comes to magazine maintenance? Let’s start with the “don’t” list:

• Don’t attempt to deep clean the magazines without disassembling. You won’t remove much dirt or grit and the cleaning tools might get stuck or damage the magazine.
• Don’t just drop it in an ultrasonic cleaner—metal mags may come outstripped of paint; plastic mags and followers may not withstand the chemical bath (depending on chemicals).
• Do not use Simply Green on aluminum mags or mags with non-steel metal components—corrosion, damage of the metal and destruction of the mag may occur.
• Do not lube polymer mags—it only attracts dust and grime, as they are self-lubricating.

Magazine Maintenance Do’s

Now for the “do” list:

• Wear eye protection—a spring or follower to the eye is no joke.
• Confirm chemical compatibility with magazine components—standard gun cleaning products are normally safe.
• Have plenty of clean paper towels or disposable fabric cloth—for cleaning and lubing duties.
• Carefully disassemble the magazine, watch a video if you don’t know how.
• Carefully clean and inspect all components. Look for dirt, carbon, rust, weak spots, wear issues and spring tension.
• Replace all overly worn components–Magpul and others make repair/upgrade kits.
• Be sure to remove cleaner. Apply a light coat of oil to metal mags and apply non-evaporating/dry lube to spring components.
• Reassemble magazines. Generally, the reverse order of disassembly.
• Function check by handloading and manually cycling a full load of ammo–it should find binding or feeding issues

Smile, your job is done, and the magazine should last a lot longer based on a few minutes of work!

Magazine maintenance is not as important or talked about as gun cleaning and maintenance, but if can make a big different when you need your magazine to function perfectly.

Is it more fun than a barrel of monkeys?  Depends on your definition of fun...

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

When You Die What Happens to Your Guns?

 When you die who do you trust to deal with your guns?  Your reloading equipment?  Your shooting gear?

That could be a real problem for those you leave behind.  If there is no one in your family who is a gun nut, son, daughter or spouse, then what will happen to all that you have collected over the years?  I have a friend and neighbor whose father-in-law passed away.  His father-in-law had many guns and even more ammunition.  The mans widow had no idea of the worth of the collection.  She did know a local who owned an on again, off again, gun shop.  The shop owner wasn’t particularly dishonest, but he convinced the widow to sell him all the guns and ammunition in a lump.  I don’t know the details, but my friend said the price was ok, but not what she could have received if she sold the guns and ammo separately.  She let family members; children pick guns that they wanted then sold the rest.

There are several things you can do to avoid these problems.

1.      If the guns are guns you don’t shoot and you want to give them to a family member, do it now before there are any legal entanglements.  You can write a receipt for each gun to have a paper trail.

2.      Sell the guns you don’t use or don’t want in your collection.  Be serious about your evaluation and pick up some cash for ammo.

3.      Ammunition is a different story.  Get rid of ammo if you don’t have a gun that shoots it.  You can sell or give away ammo.

4.      Have a will.  It’s just good practice to have a will regardless of your age.  You can mention specific guns going to specific people or all the collection going to a person or family member you know will distribute or sell your collection to make the maximum amount.

5.      Write things down.  Some people keep a record of their guns and what they paid for them with each gun.  You can reevaluate each guns worth every few years.  This way your spouse or family will have an idea of the worth of your collection.

6.      It’s not just a good idea to have records of your guns for inheritance reasons, but insurance also.  I have a picture of each gun, a close-up of the serial number, and a written description.  If there is a receipt it is included in the package.  I also have a list of guns and where they need to go.  This way at the least my family will know my wishes.  If it goes different it’s OK.  Maybe one of my kids won’t want a particular gun or they have a memory tied to a different gun, then the will executor can make adjustments.

Make records of any accessories and gear you have too.  Scopes and red dot sights can be high dollar accessories.  Don’t forget reloading equipment, safes, or hunting gear.  Bows and their accessories should be included.

Mark your magazines so that they will be matched with the correct gun.

Keep a record of ammo and its location.  I’ve kept a running amount of ammo for many years even before the ammo shortages.  I shoot a lot, and I maintain a certain amount in each caliber.  I also keep a general idea of the worth of my ammunition so whoever wants to sell it will have an idea of its worth.

Keeping your guns, gear, and reloading or hunting equipment organized helps in the process of liquidating.  Be kind to your family.  Be organized. Write a will.  Keep updated records.  Doing these things will help if anything is ever stolen or there is a fire.  Keep a digital copy in a different place other than your computer.  It can be put on a stick and kept in a safety deposit box.  Even a locker at your job will work.

Doing these things will take care of your family and ensure your wife or children have an easier time if you’re not here.

Now, without getting religious, want me to tell you where you go when YOU die?...

Guess I shouldn't proselyte here.  

 

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

A Voice of Warning, Again...sorry

 I’ve been thinking.  A dangerous pastime, I know.  But the assassination of a debater who had different views than others has bothered me a little.  Now they’ve caught the guy and have determined he was acting alone.  I’m acquainted with violence.  I think I’ve seen, and been involved with, violence more than most people.  Because of this I have a thick skin and even a dark humor toward it.  But this particular political assassination was different to me.  I’m not really a Charlie Kirk fan.  Some of his debates I enjoyed but I didn’t really follow him. I guess his murder is indicative of our society and that’s what bothers me.  I feel that most people are good citizens.  Even when we don’t agree politically or religiously.  Some good natured ribbing or even name calling may be acceptable.  But this idea that if you’re different you’re wrong needs to change.  I actually can get along with someone who does not believe in God.  I don’t need others to confirm my beliefs.  I guess it’s the idea of someone disagreeing so much that they would kill another.  I don’t get that.  To some point I can understand someone getting so angry that they kill someone in a moment of rage.  But calm, calculated, killing of another human because of their beliefs concerns me greatly. In February of this years come these headlines:

Passenger Becomes Violent After Demanding To Know Where Mormon Passengers Were On United Airlines Redeye

On Sunday night, United Airlines flight UA1484 took off from San Francisco (SFO) for Chicago (ORD). But shortly into the flight, a man began acting strangely. He got up frequently and walked to the front of the aircraft. He got in the face of flight attendants. They argued. He raised his voice. He also demanded to know where the Mormons were onboard.

It’s not clear whether the passenger was a Mormon himself. Many members of the Church of Jesus of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), colloquially referred to as Mormons, do not drink alcohol (or coffee or tea, per the “Word of Wisdom”…) and this passenger appears drunk.

Then in Michigan a guy shoots and kills 4 members after ramming his truck into a chapel and setting it on fire.  And now we get this news story:

 LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The former Marine who opened fire in a Michigan church and set it ablaze last month was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the FBI confirmed.

I know it seems like I’m fear mongering.  It seems like I’m beating a dead horse.  But I don’t know what else to do.  The persecution of members is on the uptick.  In the military we call that a trend.  I don’t know what the guy was going to do if he found a “Mormon” on that plane in February.  But I don’t think he was going to give them an award for being good Christians!  Now he appeared drunk.  But he was also clearly violent.  You can’t carry a weapon on a plane, and you also can’t Run, Hide, Fight.  Well, maybe you could hide a little.  Or throw your soda.  But running is out.  Guys, we need to be aware.  We are being singled out as members of the Church by those who hate us and want to do us harm.  The only time it was this bad was when we were being run out of states.  The government and general population were against us with extermination orders and mobs.  At least for now the government will protect us.

How should we respond? 

Joseph Smith said:

“The standard of truth has been erected; No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:540.

Persecutions are raging. Calumny (false, defamatory statements) is defaming.  Joseph Smith understood all of what was to come, and the Church experienced all of these things.  Armies did assemble against the Church.

Only in the early days of the Church was there a worse time than now for members of the Church.  In answer we must be strong.  We should protect the Church with words of defense, but we should also be prepared to defend it and ourselves physically.  I know many members will talk to me about being a peacemaker.  I prefer peace.  I’ve been in war and believe me, I don’t want to do that again.  Being a peacemaker is fine until those wishing harm upon us or the Church bring the fight to us!  Do we die trying to be peacemakers?  Do we let evil win and just kill us all?  It’s not in my DNA.  I can’t do it!  Just as I can’t watch a man beat a woman on the street without intervening.  It’s not in me.  I’m not a hero or a crime fighter.  I’m just a guy.  I also do not believe my Father in Heaven wants me to just watch as bad things happen.

The reason I started this blog was to share with others what I have learned and hopefully learn from others.  But if you haven’t figured it out yet by reading my past posts, I believe in defending.  So let me say right here, learn how to defend.  Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, learn to defend.  I say the same to all as I say to members.  Learn to defend.  It doesn’t have to be a gun but learn to defend yourself and your family.  I recommend a gun.  But that’s just my preference.  One of the most important things we can learn is situational awareness.  Some shooting instructors don’t believe that, but I do.  Anyone can learn situational awareness.  Understanding and watching what is going on around you is something kids can learn.  Listening to your “gut” feeling or what I call the Spirit.  There is a book by Gavin de Becker titled “The Gift of Fear - Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence” that everyone should read.  It talks about how fear and intuition can be a blessing, trusting your instincts to keep ourselves and others safe.

My friends, these are the last days.  We know that persecution will increase to those who believe in Christ.  There will be horrible, unspeakable events.  We must remain vigilant.  We must care for each other and others.  We must defend truth and righteousness.  We must endure.  To do this well we must defend.  Find a good instructor.  Take classes.  Practice.  Play out scenarios.  Practice good situational awareness and operations security.  Do all this while serving others, being kind, and sharing truth.

I will try to keep my topics more diverse and not keep raising my warning voice.  I know I just wrote a post similar to this:

Persecution is Heating Up! October 8, 2025

I’ve addressed security at Church for many years.  I’ve also raised a voice of warning for some time.  But it is “Heating Up”

I don’t want to say I told you so, but I did in 2022.

“But this policy is a disaster waiting to happen. I predict it will happen one day.”

From “Bishops and Security: Comment Reply” Sep 9, 2022

This was in reference to the Run, Hide, Fight policy that the Church insists is the ultimate in latest security at church.  It failed 4 people on September 28^th in Michigan.  It will happen again because the policy is woefully inadequate. 

Please think about this, pray about this, and prepare!

 

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Tactical Reloads: Never Will You Need During A Fight

 This is a repeat article.  Posted in May 2016.  The reason it is being reposted is I've gone through this same experience several times.  It happened again yesterday and so I feel a need to repost.

As so many of my articles start, so it is with this one. I was at the range the other day…
I heard a guy one bay over getting frustrated with his training. He was shooting, reloading, and re-engaging the target. I watched him a second and then went back to my business. Apparently I shook my head while I was watching or something and shortly he came over. I’ve got to stop expressing myself without talking! He was very polite and waited until I was done with my set before interrupting. He asked if I knew anything about tactical reloads. I said I know that they should never be done during a fight, unless there is a break or shortly after the fight is done. He was furiously practicing a tactical reload that he would probably never do during a fight. During a fight you need ALL your bullets!
A tactical reload is where you change magazines before the magazine is empty. Basically you have a round in the chamber and you’re topping off the gun with a fresh, full mag.
I explained what I knew about them. He asked if that was something I felt should be done with speed. I answered not so much speed as accuracy! You must be sure the magazine is seated correctly or you will have only one round to shoot. I was glad to see a defensive shooter trying to train for the realities of a gunfight. I found out that this guy was a Border Patrolman.
I’ve seen it so many times. Someone who wants to practice with their concealed carry weapon steps up to the firing line and shoots a tight group with the perfect stance, grip, and aim. No movement is involved and they go home thinking they are training for the unthinkable to happen. Now I don’t really blame them, it was the way they were taught. Without any force-on-force training you would think that was enough training.
Shooting is different than a gunfight. Shootings are usually close, quick, and deadly. A gunfight involves bullets flying everywhere. This changes everything! Makes that pretty range with its yard markers, flat surfaces, and stands look pretty useless. Of course that’s not true. The stand and shoot method of shooting is what we all did to learn to shoot. It’s the perfect way to build muscle memory and work on bad habits. But it is not defensive training.
The best way for me to describe defensive training is movement.
When bullets are coming downrange and you are at the recipient end all bets are off. All you want is to get out of the way of those bullets. You may be hit, possibly in the hand. Most of the time the hands, or the gun, is what is focused on in a gunfight. In the force-on-force training I did almost all of my first hits were hands. It takes a very cool head who focusses on center of mass or head shots. So have you practiced slapping and racking with one hand? What about mag changes? You may not actually be shot. Bullet fragment, shrapnel, or even debris from things around you getting hit with bullets may incapacitate your hand or arm. Doing reloads in a second or less may have no bearing on the reality of your gunfight. I’m not saying you should not practice reloading quickly, I’m just saying more is required. This is good dry fire training. One of the reasons I like airsoft guns for dry fire is they are pretty close to the actual gun they represent. They have a removable magazine and are realistic to a certain degree.
Learning the basics of shooting standing still is fine, but the real difference between that and a gunfight is movement. Make sure the training you receive has movement involved in the training. It could be that the training is moving on the draw, after you shoot, while you shoot, or just finding cover, there should be moving involved. I guarantee that once you realize what is happening, hopefully right away, you will be moving.
Competition is usually different. It is the perfect world of shooting. You will never have to reload on the move. You will conserve ammunition, hit everything you aim at and get to cover to make the perfect tactical reload in preparation for the next step. Combat, whether military, law enforcement, or personal protection, is very different. Everything must be done on the move so everything must be practiced moving, especially reloads.
The difficulty with reloads in a firefight is focus. Under great stress you often have a tunnel vision. If you have this and need to reload it can hinder your focus on the threat. You can’t reload like you check your phone, head down focusing on the task. You must know what the threat is doing because your life depends on it. Making a simple reload must be in front of your face and looking at your field of fire and your threat. Do what you have to do and get back into the fight as fast as you can without losing sight of the threat. You can look through the trigger guard, or under it. Get in the habit of pivoting the weapon and not really changing the orientation of the gun. Make it a natural thing, not something uncomfortable. Make it with as few movements as possible for speed. The idea is to keep throwing lead at your attacker to stop the threat. A tactical reload, or whatever it is called this week, it goes by many names, won’t do you any good in a fight. You don’t need to conserve ammo but to get shots on target. Your life is in danger and you must defend yourself. Shoot until you are empty and then reload. Do this until the threat stops.
These two reloads should be practiced in every position you can think of. This is why I keep getting caught on the ground at the shooting range. You must shoot from every angle and position you can come up with. This can also be practiced with dry fire. I recommend a little of both. Learning to pop up, or around, cover, acquire the target, shoot, and pop back down is a process and has to be practiced. Doing all of this one handed is also another need.
The most popular one-handed reload is to use your knees to hold the weapon while you access your magazine. This can be done while standing, sitting or even kneeling. With a bit of effort, it keeps the muzzle pointed in the correct direction. Place the weapon between your knees, reload as needed and get it back in the fight. The nice part is that this method facilitates the use of either hand. If the slide is locked back, it can be placed into battery using the slide release. If not, running the slide may entail the use of a tire or even a crack in the wall. This is the very reason ledge sights are so common today.
Another one-handed reload seen with some frequency is the use of the lower leg while in a kneeling position. This generally accomplishes the same thing, and for those with large legs like me, it’s actually easier. This technique is a single-sided event, so practice on both sides. You can also place the weapon under your injured arm, especially if yours is only a hand injury. You can also use a waistband, your holster, a pocket or other parts of your clothing—just take the time to work it out.
Use your imagination when training for the actual shooting. When I took a combat driving course they had us shoot from various positions from a vehicle. It’s different so don’t just assume you will understand the challenges of shooting from a vehicle. Walk around a few vehicles looking for how you would manipulate your guns controls from behind the cover of a vehicle. Make sure you do these things several times dry first before going hot.
Mindset is the difference here. All gunfights are not the same. You’re an idiot if you think that you are the only one with a gun. You must train for a fight not something or anything else. Remember If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. Samuel Goldwyn of MGM said: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” The same goes for training, the more you train the luckier you get!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn

Carry Ammo Maintenance

 

The other day my wife caught me replacing ammo in her gun. Actually she didn’t really catch me she’s seen me do it before. She just noticed this time and asked questions. “How often do you replace ammo? Is the replaced ammo still good? What do you look for when inspecting ammo? Is there any other time you would rotate it?  What do you do with the replaced ammo?”
These were all good questions. I also have some other things I’d like to point out.
Defense guns and ammunition are special items. These tools you must have work when you need them. They should be what you consider the best. Or at least the best that you can afford. One of my home defense guns is a S&W auto compact 9mm. Would I rather have a Sig Saur or a Kimber? Sure. But I like my S&W and I am accurate with it. We have other guns of other calibers hidden through-out the house.
Anyway, I like to switch out my ammo in our carry guns and home defensive weapons every 6 months. This is just a conclusion I came to many years ago from experience. If you Google “rotate your ammo” you’ll find several articles and forum threads on this topic. I also consider what type of gun I’m keeping ammunition in.
The difference between a semi-auto pistol and a revolver is obvious. But not so much how each type of gun treats its ammo. With a revolver, your rounds are dropped smoothly into the chamber. Every surface of the ammunition, save the face of the bullet, is protected, and there is no high-impact insertion into the chamber. Autoloading pistols have a tendency to beat the daylights out of the first couple of rounds in the magazine. When the gun is loaded, the first round is slammed rather violently into the chamber. The second round is subject to the slide’s movement over its case, and if you load and unload frequently, these two probably get cycled in and out of the chamber more than once.
The “revolver or auto” question also pertains to any spare ammunition you carry. With extra mags for a semi-auto, all of the ammunition in the magazine is protected by the magazine body with the exception of the first round. If you carry a revolver, things are a bit different. If you carry spare rounds in a Speed Strip in your back pocket then after a month or two, the rounds on this strip are discolored and usually one or two of the cases is at least a little dented. If you carry speedloaders in belt holders (or magazines in magazine pouches), the ammo will probably not age as quickly but can still eventually encounter issues from exposure moisture and debris.  If you get caught in a rainstorm or fall in a pool change out your ammo.  Wet ammo can dry out but I would not want to use it in my carry weapon.
The next question you should be asking is, “How do I store the gun?” Is the gun a nightstand pistol that rarely leaves the bedside table? Is it a daily carry gun? Do you load and unload it daily? Your answers here may dictate how often you should rotate your ammunition. If the gun never leaves the bedside, the ammunition could probably last pretty much indefinitely. Because it is not exposed to sweat, humidity, temperature fluctuation, and daily handling, the ammunition should last much longer than ammunition in a carry gun. If you are like me and you check the condition of your firearm every time you put it into the holster, the ammunition in it can become a little worn and should be replaced more frequently.

You should inspect your ammunition occasionally. When I pull the rounds out of my gun, I am looking for some specific indicators that it should be replaced. First, I’m going to look at the bullet itself. Some discoloration from handling is normal, but alterations in the shape of the bullet are not. Did it get slammed into the feed ramp and is now misshapen as a result? This is probably a good indicator that the whole cartridge has suffered some abuse, and the change in shape may impact the bullet’s performance. If the bullet is deformed, replace those rounds.
Next, you should look at the position of the bullet in the case. A condition called “bullet setback” can occur when pressure is repeatedly applied to the bullet – from chambering and rechambering – and forces it backward into the case. This can compress the powder and create dangerously high chamber pressures, and ammunition exhibiting significant bullet setback should not be fired. If the bullet is set back, replace those rounds. Federal, Remington and Winchester all recommend that cartridges should not be chambered more than twice before being discarded. I usually shoot the rounds unless the setback is significant or there is other damage. (I reload so I have a bullet puller. I’ll pull the bullet and re-use the case if it’s not damaged)
Next, you should inspect the case. Non-nickel plated brass cases may be discolored. Some mild discoloration isn’t reason to remove them from duty, but corrosion is.
I then inspect for deformities, especially the kind that would prevent the round from feeding reliably. These include dents or slight bulges in the case or deformities around the case mouth. I find this to be most common with revolver cartridges carried in reloading strips. I carry these in my back pocket, so each time I sit they are liable to impact with whatever I am sitting on. If cases are badly corroded or deformed, get rid of them.
What do I do with the ammunition that comes out of the rotation? I shoot it. There is some value here, other than just an expensive range session. It also gives me confidence in my ammunition.
I admit this does cost a little money. For me, it’s totally worth it for the peace of mind in knowing that my ammunition will go “boom” when it has to.

The following story is by John Boch from The Truth About Guns

 https://concealednation.org/2017/09/why-you-should-rotate-your-carry-ammo/

Years ago, a retired cop at the police union building where I worked knew I taught guns on the weekends.  He asked a favor:  His niece found herself detailed to Darfur, Sudan (or a similar less-than-desirable destination) in her job for the State Department.  Knowing the city’s reputation, she and her hubby both thought it wise to seek out some pre-deployment training on the Beretta 92. They knew the Marines there would have M9s.  If things went badly, they hoped to acquire a Beretta or two from the security contingent.  In their minds, the Beretta surely beat a sharp stick.

So, Clyde, a retired University of Illinois police lieutenant, asked if I could spend a day with them.  Clyde himself trained plenty of cops in his day with guns.  Wisely, he sought outside help to teach family members.

He joined the niece and her husband – both novices to shooting for a Saturday at the range.  After an intensive day of training, they felt a lot better.  We started with the gun basics and firing the first shots.  From there, we covered movement off the “X”, communication, learning to shoot around barricades, malfunction drills, and much more.  Clyde pretty much stayed out of the way but complemented what I taught them nicely with his real-world experiences.  By the end of the day, the pair fired 250 rounds and laid in a fairly decent foundation in skill sets using my guns for the cost of ammo, lunch and a steak dinner for me.

At the end of the day, we shot recreationally.  The woman asked her uncle about his .357, the same gun he’d carried for a million years at UIPD and later as a part-time security guard at an off-track betting facility.  He pulls out his S&W from his duty belt.  Then he carefully lined up his sights and squeezed the trigger.  “Click!”

Some say there’s nothing louder than a “click” when you expect a bang, or a “bang” when you expect a click.  I’ll never forget that look of abject horror on his face.  “Ho-leee [bleep]!” he said, shaking his head, looking at that old workhorse.

He had fired that gun defensively more than once in his career.  In one instance in the late 60s, while pulling up on a shooting in progress on campus, he came under fire from a carload of Black Panthers.  He returned the favor, emptying a cylinder on them.  He learned about twenty years later he hit a couple of them around the edges.   On this day though, three of his six cartridges failed to fire from that cylinder, including the first two.  His reloads worked fine from his belt.

While he regularly cleaned his revolver, he did not regularly rotate his defensive ammo.  He admitted carrying those hollow-points for at least a couple of years.  I have little doubt that excess lubrication spoiled those rounds.  Excess oils in revolver cylinders will work into the cartridges through capillary action and neutered the primers.  Just another reason not to overlubricate chambers of revolvers or semi-auto pistols.

Caring for your carry gun and ammo is an important thing that can bring you great peace of mind and make a difference.  Don't forget to change out that ammo!

Semper Paratus

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Burn