With the cost of ammunition steadily decreasing, it is a good time to talk about what to do with bad or faulty ammunition. During periods of increased unrest, such as natural disasters or other national emergencies, stockpiling ammunition makes sense, just in case. However, at some point we need to have a system for how to manage used, abused and just plain, bad ammunition. A lot of this is preventative, meaning, taking care of the ammunition stockpile as well as carry ammunition can avoid some of these pitfalls. There is still the out-of-the-blue faulty ammunition which requires a contingency should it happen in a defensive gun use, but that is for another article. Below are five tips on how to create a system to manage defensive ammunition and damaged rounds.
- Proper storage
- Inspection and observation methods
- Proper handling of defensive ammo
- Best practices and avoidance
- Proper disposal or removal
Store and Protect Your Investment for Longevity
If you are not aware, defensive ammunition is more costly than practice ammunition. You can review previous articles for reasons why, but the fact remains it is an investment and we want to protect our investment. Early on, you may have a few loose rounds that builds to a couple of extra boxes, to ultimately a case of premium defensive ammunition. The more you invest in ammunition, the more you are inclined to safeguard your investment through proper storage. The simplest way may not be the best way depending on your home situation. If you have small children in the home, you may have legal requirements to follow. Denying access to unauthorized individuals should be priority one. However, should your home be less restrictive, you may store your extra ammunition in a cool, dry location such as a spare closet. I did this for years and it helps ensure your ammunition is kept in the best condition for long-term storage. Even if you have small children, you can use the various military surplus ammunition cans to physically secure and deny access. Ammo cans, as they are called, are designed for long-term storage and portability in mind. Using a small padlock can secure the lid from opening and ensure your ammunition stays dry. Lastly, store these containers in a climate-controlled location. Extreme heat and cold can both shorten their life span. If at some point your defensive ammunition grows, you may consider investing in an ammunition locker. Nothing more than a built-out metal storage chest, it helps organize and keep everything easy to grab when necessary. If you’re an avid hunter, your hunting ammunition should be safeguarded in the same manner.
Carefully Examine Each Round Before Use
When you purchase a box of defensive ammunition and before you put it into service, you should conduct a visual inspection. You may even consider a physical inspection if you want to go way down that rabbit hole. A visual inspection starts by removing the ammunition tray from the shipping container. Place the tray on a flat, well-lit surface and look at the primers. You are looking for anything that looks odd or out of place. Some examples would be primers that are either not fully seated and not flush to the surface of the case rim. Or primers that are sunk in too deep or deeper than other primers in the box. These could be prone to ignition problems and used only in emergencies. You may even find a few rounds with no primers, primers inserted sideways or even backwards. These are pretty obvious and should be immediately discarded—see suggested disposal options below. Once you’ve completed the visual inspection of primers, remove the number of rounds you will load into your defensive magazine. Don’t forget the one that goes in the chamber. Many defensive firearms come with a 15-round magazine, plus one in the chamber for 16 rounds total. Lay them end-to-end on a flat surface and step back. Each round should be the same height. If you find one noticeably taller or shorter, remove and only use for emergencies. These could have feeding problems or worse. A bullet sunk too deep into the casing could create the conditions for a catastrophic failure where the bullet fails to leave the casing and the pressure spike is beyond the structural integrity of the casing and firearm. As for the physical inspection, I know plenty of old school lawmen who would remove the barrel from their duty pistol and one at a time, drop a new duty round into the barrel. They were checking to make sure it seated properly and dropped free when the barrel was rotated upside down. Probably a little overkill, but when you place your life on your gear, maybe it is worth the extra effort.
Considerations for Storing Loaded Firearms
At some point you will need to unload your defensive ammunition from your carry pistol. There are a lot of reasons you would need to do this; some examples are routine cleaning, target practice or long-term storage. The first thing to consider is can you reduce the frequency you unload the defensive ammunition? Maybe. The biggest abuser would be those who unload their defensive pistol at the end of the day. A major reason for this action is safety—there is an idea that the unloaded firearm is safer. This is partially true if proper unloading procedures are followed; then the firearm is rendered safe. It is when the procedures are not followed that the firearm is not considered safe. With time, shortcuts turn up that remove the safety net and increase the risk of a negligent discharge. A good solution is purchasing a small, firearm lock box. These come in many different sizes with modern access options such as biometrics. They can be secured to a hard surface, out of sight or reach until needed. While the initial investment may be costly, the peace of mind is well worth the price.
This would greatly reduce the number of times defensive ammunition is unloaded. What remains are the times where unloading is required. At some point the pistol will need cleaning or will be used for regular practice. What then is the best option? A suggestion is to come up with a simple system to mark the ejected rounds. My system is to take a permanent marker and place an index mark on the rim. When I reload this marked round into the magazine, I will first download approximately five unmarked rounds, then load the marked round, followed by the unmarked rounds. Once a year, I download and reorganize all carry magazines. I take the rounds with three marks and place them in my practice ammo pile. I load rounds with two marks at the bottom of the magazine, followed by rounds with a single mark and leave the unmarked rounds to be loaded last. Any additional rounds needed come out of the manufacturer’s box. Whatever the system, create something to minimize unnecessary unloading, and when unloading, do so safely.
Basic Guidelines for Minimizing Problems
Whenever possible, avoid unnecessary handling of firearms which includes unloading defensive ammunition. It increases the chances of negligent discharges and unnecessary wear and tear on the equipment. It might be difficult to understand why, but it is really an odds game. The more you handle a loaded firearm, regardless of the reason why, the higher the chances of a negligent discharge. Kind of like the more you play with fire, the more likely you are to get burned. While each individual has different circumstances and needs, safety should always be considered a top priority. If the firearm is stored in a safe, you may ask yourself if it is necessary to unload prior to storing. No, the whole purpose of securing the firearm is to deny unauthorized access; therefore, unloading is an unnecessary action. A better approach when transferring from concealed carry is to remove the loaded firearm and holster together. Removing the holstered firearm ensures the trigger is protected. A major criterion for a good holster is adequate retention and trigger protection, meaning, the firearm should not accidently fall from the holster, it must be purposefully removed. The trigger and trigger guard area are enclosed within the holster thereby making it difficult, if not impossible, for something—anything—to gain access and inadvertently move the trigger to the rear. Storing your loaded firearm in the holster in your safe will greatly reduce the chances of a negligent discharge when you decide to conceal carry. Another good idea is to have a spare set of magazines for regular practice or training. These magazines get the lion’s share of use and abuse. This helps ensure the carry magazines stay in the best condition. It then becomes unnecessary to unload magazines loaded with defensive ammunition. Instead, remove and store them in a range bag prior to starting the practice session or training class. This includes safely ejecting the chambered round and following the marking procedures outlined earlier. Once your practice or training is completed, remember to safely load back up with your defensive ammunition before hitting the road.
What To Do With Clearly Damaged Rounds
Once a year I collect all my defensive ammunition ejected over the year—the marked rounds. Those with three marks are now for training use only. I use them to check the point of aim/point impact shifts or to confirm the zero on my red dot optic. Or just to be reminded of the recoil impulse, which is typically different from regular practice ammunition. Even then I need to inspect them to make sure they are not damaged or unusable. Signs of damaged rounds could be bullets set back or bullets with cuts and dings. Brass cases need to be inspected for similar damage. If there is a doubt, then it is better to err on the side of caution and plan to properly discard the round. There are a couple options for discarding damaged rounds. Hobby reloaders can safely dismantle the damaged round and recycle the individual components. Not everything is reusable, but they are great resources. The next option is local firing ranges. Many times they will have a dud or damaged round receptacle. You can anonymously deposit the rounds and know they will be safely discarded. Some police departments have similar options and if not, could make recommendations.
It is hard not to add wear and tear to defensive ammunition when it’s being used. For example, ammunition loaded into a carry pistol that is worn on a regular basis. The key is to limit the wear. When possible, remove the obvious patterns that can lead to damage. Start by understanding proper storage guidelines.
- Keep the ammunition investment in a cool, dry location away from unauthorized personnel.
- Come up with a system to inspect and observe the ammunition prior to putting it into service, along with routine usage.
- Limit the amount of unnecessary handling of both defensive ammunition and loaded firearms.
- When necessary, have a method to identify used rounds.
- Contemplate storing the carry firearm in a holster to protect the trigger.
- When the collection of damaged rounds reaches a certain point, consider reloader friends or anonymous drop boxes at local firing ranges.
Following these guidelines ensures the best use of the defensive ammunition investment in the safest manner possible.
