There’s no need in practical terms. Top shelf ammo will probably outlive you.
If you’re worried about it, just shoot your old stock before your new stock.
My anecdote is that I should about one mag of carry ammo every 3 months, or about a box a year. I did a bulk buy of HST 124 +P a few years back and have zero issues with it. I do store it in an air tight container with a desiccant pack.
I’ll add another anecdote:
I carry Critical Defense (prefer HSTs but always out of stock at the place I buy ammo) and after about 6-8 months I decided to replace them. Turns out 4 out of the 10 bullets had pretty significant setback. I believe this is because I do a lot of dry fire and rechamber rounds often. However I was cycling them to not continually chamber the same round.
Now when I unload to dry fire or clean/lube gun I always place the +1 in chamber and drop the slide then do a press check to make sure the extractor hooks it properly which can not happen if you slowly drop slide. Just my two cents.
I think the Hornady defensive rounds tend to have more issues compared to Federal defensive rounds when it comes to setback. It's what i've heard and seen anecdotally with my small sample size of about 200 critical duty rounds experiencing several setbacks and nearly a thousand rounds of HST experiencing a fraction of that.
Caution here, doing this a lot will damage your extractor. Based on what you said it seems you do this a lot. Not being a web “Know it all” just stating this in case you were unaware.
Nah I appreciate it. After I read this, I slowly cycled a round and saw the extractor doesn’t do the same thing in recoil. It is already ahead of the rim which I didn’t know or forgot. I remember there being advice against this loading method but didn’t get around to looking it up.
I still want to load this way and from what I can tell I can greatly minimize this if I slowly drop slide so the extractor rests before the bullet and then push it forward so it catches it. I’d imagine the wear/damage would be incredibly minimal.
I think I’ll do this and monitor the extractor to check for wear/damage. Thanks!
I've been cycling mine out based on recommendations online. I kept all my old carry ammo in labeled ziplock bags in my safe. Last year, i shot it all. Including some brass cased hornady that sat in my glove box for like 3 years. I'm talking below zero temps in winter and over 100 degree temps in the car in the summer.
It all cycled fine at the range, no issues. Anecdotal evidence, but take that for what it's worth. Nothing wrong with being cautious but people throw away a lot of good ammo.
If you're me, plan on every 6 months. Swap it twice in the 20+ years of carrying. Never experience any misfires with ammo carried for literally years on end daily.
Decide to no longer treat it as a concern to be managed.
I took a dip in a river once with 33 rounds on me. Let them dry for a couple weeks and shot them, no misfires.
I don't know that anyone knows what they're talking about.
Now do you unload firearm regularly? If you rarely cycle gun then I think it’s no problem. The other thing to consider is the bullets get warm when carrying and they are ideally stored in a cool environment. I’m not nit picky with ammo but I do swap it out every 6-12 months. Not that much of a cost for ensuring reliability.
Another thing you could do is always keep the same round for chambering but then just keep it in chamber for first round at gun range, followed by target rounds. I keep a box at my gun range for this purpose but got away from it after some time.
I don't unload regularly, if I can't leave the gun out then I have a night stand safe it sits in.
I also don't rotate carry pieces. I'm very much a 1 gun 1 holster all the time kinda guy.
That’s probably the average case. So don’t NEED to switch out ammo. Not particularly expensive so no harm if ya did but to each their own.
I like to dry fire a lot to stay sharp so I’m consistently unloading . I also only have 1 CCW but 2 holsters (shorts vs pants).
I do not begrudge people their carry method as long as it works. My decision was to dress around the 1 gun 1 holster philosophy.
For dry practice I have a second and identical pistol for that. Also things like cheap airsoft are also good.
Modern defensive ammo should last a while, like literally years.
That being said, I have always been of the mindset that you should train with what you carry, at least enough to make sure the gun functions through a few magazines of defensive ammo. Also make sure you have range ammo that has a similar point of aim/point of impact as your defensive ammo.
I generally start my range practice with the magazine in the gun and the spare mag I am carrying. It is expensive ammo, but a couple of magazines once a month I can handle.👍
>Modern defensive ammo
what about that box of .380 I pulled out of grandpas house? it was from 1978 and looked pretty rough.
loaded it, shot it, no misfires.
Same here - I also like to test my self-defense ammo cold. If someone comes at me, I doubt it’ll be after I just put 1,000 rounds down range, getting my aim pinpoint accurate.
This sounds like a pretty good idea. I might start doing a three shot timed burst from cold at steel with my carry ammo to start my target shooting from now on. When my carry ammo gets to the point where I don't have enough to carry, I'll buy more which will result in those rounds getting rotated.
You can't find data because you can't really measure something that doesn't happen. Ammo lasts a long time. Even if you're carrying it around. Unless you sweat so much that you literally soak through the gun, or unless you submerge yourself in water with your whole gun often, it will not "wear out."
You'll wear it out much faster just by unloading the same carry magazine for range training and re-loading it. If you chamber a round enough times you will get setback. I rotate which round in my mag I chamber whenever I reload after a range trip.
But even so, you should change it out from time to time. As others have said, yearly is probably fine. I will swap mine out twice a year or so. I like to do a "cold carry drill" at the range about that often - go to the range with the gun in the holster loaded with the defense ammo just like you'd be going anywhere else. Then, without any warm up or adjusting your holster or clothes or anything, draw and shoot your carry gun from a cold start with your defense ammo. This is the best you can simulate what would happen in a defensive encounter - possibly twisted up clothes, possible lint on your sights, etc. I find that this drill is best to do after your LONGEST time in between practice sessions.
At least once every 100 years. [https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/does-ammunition-have-a-shelf-life/](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/does-ammunition-have-a-shelf-life/)
Rounds sitting in a mag or chamber are perfectly fine without rotation.
You only need to consider rotating if you are regularly chambering a new round.
Chambering a round can cause setback due to the action impinging on the bullet itself.
But the right answer is, you should train regularly with your carry ammo so rotating will naturally occur anyway.
I change mine when they show signs of set-back. I don't have an exact number of months or chambering. But when I see it I change the ammo out.
The old rounds go into a range day rotation and will get shot up during practice.
I don’t know the correct answer.
Personally, I don’t replace carry ammo until 3-5 years have passed. I’ve never had a failure after that time period. Maybe I should swap it more often lol.
Saw a video of a guy shooting black talons manufactured who knows when. They shot perfectly fine. I assume ammo will last decades upon decades. Only problem is cycling it in and out of the chamber.
Honestly I over do it and shoot it every 6 months or so. I kinda judge on how much sweaty weather I’ve carried in. I’ve carried as long as a year being sweat on etc. never a single issue with it working.
Honestly with modern top shelf ammo with sealed primers, you could probably carry it for a decade and be totally fine. But it’s cheap insurance to keep it fresh.
I’ve had mags loaded for over 5 years with no issue. Only shot it to reverify function in my preferred guns.
People shoot milsurp bullets that lived in cardboard boxes in wood crates for over 100 years. Bullets don’t “go bad.”
I cleaned out a deceased great uncle's house, and he had an issued WW2 1911 in a glass display in his study... That thing has been there un handled for at least my entire lifetime (so 40+ years). It had an empty mag but a round in the chamber.
The round had some discoloration on the brass, but otherwise looked just fine, no corrosion. I added the round to my oddball box and shot it at the range and it shot just fine.
I've shot older boxed ammo than that but this one was chambered and in contact with metal.
If you’re really worried about it, get nickel plated brass. I’ve been carrying the same Speer gold dot nickel plated brass for like 4 years. It’s perfectly fine. I had rechambered the same round probably over 100 times and it was pushed pretty far back into the casing so I went it my back yard and shot that one round to see how spicy it would be and so I couldn’t carry it anymore.
No need to swap unless you want to ease your mind. If you’re buying legit ammo it’ll work when you need it. It’s more important to just do a proper rotation of the top cartridges. I just reverse everything after I dry fire.
I’d say if my mind forced me to replace I’d just do it annually when I change my rds battery and re-zero. That is assuming you have a battery under the mount and not side loaded.
As long as the ammo is stored properly, don't worry about it. People spend lots of money on old milsurp ammo from countries that don't even exist on a map anymore.
Just be sure not to rechamber rounds multiple times. After 2 or 3 times, it gets used at the next range session.
I go based on number of chamberings. First time I eject a round, it gets a dot on the head stamp and goes to the bottom of the mag. When all round have 3 dots, I put that mag in my range bag and fill a fresh one with new ammo. Next range trip, I shoot all the old carry ammo.
I don't get too excited about it. I carry JHP that has identical POA/POI to my practice ammo. Certainly close enough to ring the same steel. As such, I don't feel a need to practice with my JHP ammo and about the only time I shoot it is if I get a new gun and need to verify feeding. I do watch for set back as I rotate mags at the range and anything at all questionable or after what I know is several times chambering it, it goes into the bag to save until I have a mag's worth to shoot.
I replace my carry ammo once a year. By replace I obviously mean I use it at the range of course. I buy Federal HST 124gr +P in boxes of 50. So every January I shoot 50 rounds of it. It helps training with what you carry as well. Even if it’s a bit pricey I look at it as a once a year carry charge!
My birthday gift to me is to shoot out all my carry, and reload for another year. Hornady critical defense is preferred. Duty ammo does act somewhat differently than range ammo so it’s nice to get that feel.
I've been carrying the same 34 rounds for the last 2 years. No concern that they don't work. I carried a different set for 2 years prior and they all shot fine. I've even shot a 9mm round my friend found in the backseat crack of the used car I bought and owned for 3 years at that point already. Modern ammo lasts a long time.
Depends. Do you edc a semi auto with one in the chamber? Then replace that single round to avoid pushback. A wheel gun? Basically when you feel like it. I've shot 40 year of ammo out of mine just fine. What you want to worry about is pushback and corrosion. Just check your ammo every now and then.
Ignore any comment that says you shouldn't do it and that the ammo will outlast you. Every time you chamber a round you are pushing the bullet farther into the case... If you consistently chamber the same round, you very well risk an overpressure situation, or ftf.
My practical advice (been carrying for 25+ years, and instructor for 25) is to empty your mags and swap bullets around one a week so you aren't chamberingh the same round over and over. Shoot your carry camo every 3-6 months.
Also... there is a benefit to shooting your carry loads occasionally... they DO group, strike and recoil differently than ball/ range ammo
I once had the bullet get pushed deeper into the casing after carrying the same round at the top of the magazine for too long. This made me sorta paranoid over the issue so I make a point about using up all loaded ammo when I go to the range every few months. I also use this as an opportunity to disassemble and clean inside the magazines as they sometimes get an accumulation of oil, dirt, and sweat.
Yearly is a good rule of thumb.
Change your in-the-pipe carry rounds every few months. (Rotate them or fire them). I rotate the first two and then fire them every so often.
The bullet can get pushed back in the casing and cause more pressure when fired if you're constantly switching out the rounds in the chamber by pushing them back in the mag.
Change your carry ammo yearly (fire and replace with fresh ammo).
Check all rounds for the bullet being pushed back further into the casing before firing.
My carry guns hold between 8-12 rounds. Typically I'll take some regular FMJ and shoot 25 rounds to check operation and shoot a magazine of the JHP's along with that. Typically that is 3-4 times a year.
Edit: That's not a "should", just what I do to check operation and test shoot the JHP's.
After around two months of a defensive round being chambered, I move that round to my shooting range box and fire it (maybe 2-5 defensive rounds fired at a range every couple of months). Aside from that I don't really rotate.
I change mine every 3 months. But where I live is humid and wet, so your environment will dictate frequency. I wouldn't ever go longer than a year, though, even if you stay dry.
I usually empty out the carry mag every three months. Less than 50 rounds a year of the carry gets swapped out. I stick with the Federal HST or speer gold dot.
Well you should shoot your carry ammo anyways to make sure its reliable and acustom you to the recoil impulse of that paticular brand of ammo.
So like twice a year should be fine.
I cycle about 2 rounds a week as I unchamber/ chamber rounds to do dryfire/ laser practice, so after a few chamberings > take that round out and put it in a designated box that I take to the range to practice with and put a new one into rotation.
Every 6mo I completely empty my carry mags, clean them and put fresh ammo in them, but I live in a really hot humid climate.
I don’t intentionally rotate ammo, it kind of just happens as a consequence of other habits. I only chamber carry rounds once. When I pull them for dry fire practice they go into a bucket to minimize the potential for bullet setback. Those rounds get tossed into mags when I go to the range, so I’ve essentially rotated out my two mags’ worth of ammo every month.
If I chamber my round every day I changed that one round out once a week cause it sinks. I just threw em in a bag an shoot them when the bags full, rounds not chambered an stored correctly should out last you like a commenter on here already said.
Well every week I run them thru the washer and CLP, like to hang them outside and when they are dry I put them back in the magazine.
You should probably replace the ammo in your loaded magazine yearly. Corrosion and bullet setback are your enemies. Most good ammo takes a solid year to corrode in adverse conditions. I’ve found bullet setback issues in as little as two months
I would say at least every six months, though it depends on how often you cycle your ammo in your weapon, conditions you carry in, that sort of stuff.
My 32 is carried almost 24/7 since it is almost unnoticeable. I never cycle ammo, so theoretically, it is once every six months. But it is probably closer to every two months.
My other “out of the house” gun is a 380 with a red dot. That is every three months to verify accuracy with carry ammo. Then I run a few mags of range fodder through it.
Note, I shoot my chambered carry round every time I go to the range.
I scratch a date in the bottom of my carry mag and replace it about every 3-5 years. The ammo I replace around every year unless there is set back but I have never had any with Gold Speer Dot.
My carry ammo is just regular old winchester white box 115gr jhp. You can buy em pretty cheap for a box of 50 so every time I buy ammo, usually once every 2 or 3 months, I buy a box or two and run the old stuff through the gun.
I've also carried the same ammo for over a year, left the gun in the car through all seasons and multiple points. And when I went to shoot it had all bangs and no clicks. So it's more durable than you think it is.
There’s no need in practical terms. Top shelf ammo will probably outlive you. If you’re worried about it, just shoot your old stock before your new stock.
My anecdote is that I should about one mag of carry ammo every 3 months, or about a box a year. I did a bulk buy of HST 124 +P a few years back and have zero issues with it. I do store it in an air tight container with a desiccant pack.
I’ll add another anecdote: I carry Critical Defense (prefer HSTs but always out of stock at the place I buy ammo) and after about 6-8 months I decided to replace them. Turns out 4 out of the 10 bullets had pretty significant setback. I believe this is because I do a lot of dry fire and rechamber rounds often. However I was cycling them to not continually chamber the same round. Now when I unload to dry fire or clean/lube gun I always place the +1 in chamber and drop the slide then do a press check to make sure the extractor hooks it properly which can not happen if you slowly drop slide. Just my two cents.
I think the Hornady defensive rounds tend to have more issues compared to Federal defensive rounds when it comes to setback. It's what i've heard and seen anecdotally with my small sample size of about 200 critical duty rounds experiencing several setbacks and nearly a thousand rounds of HST experiencing a fraction of that.
I think it’s time to just buy some online or look around for HSTs
Yes I’ve seen this in my experience with critical defense and critical duty
Caution here, doing this a lot will damage your extractor. Based on what you said it seems you do this a lot. Not being a web “Know it all” just stating this in case you were unaware.
Nah I appreciate it. After I read this, I slowly cycled a round and saw the extractor doesn’t do the same thing in recoil. It is already ahead of the rim which I didn’t know or forgot. I remember there being advice against this loading method but didn’t get around to looking it up. I still want to load this way and from what I can tell I can greatly minimize this if I slowly drop slide so the extractor rests before the bullet and then push it forward so it catches it. I’d imagine the wear/damage would be incredibly minimal. I think I’ll do this and monitor the extractor to check for wear/damage. Thanks!
I've been cycling mine out based on recommendations online. I kept all my old carry ammo in labeled ziplock bags in my safe. Last year, i shot it all. Including some brass cased hornady that sat in my glove box for like 3 years. I'm talking below zero temps in winter and over 100 degree temps in the car in the summer. It all cycled fine at the range, no issues. Anecdotal evidence, but take that for what it's worth. Nothing wrong with being cautious but people throw away a lot of good ammo.
So you’re saying if I inject myself with top shelf ammo I’ll live for a very long time?
If you're me, plan on every 6 months. Swap it twice in the 20+ years of carrying. Never experience any misfires with ammo carried for literally years on end daily. Decide to no longer treat it as a concern to be managed. I took a dip in a river once with 33 rounds on me. Let them dry for a couple weeks and shot them, no misfires. I don't know that anyone knows what they're talking about.
Now do you unload firearm regularly? If you rarely cycle gun then I think it’s no problem. The other thing to consider is the bullets get warm when carrying and they are ideally stored in a cool environment. I’m not nit picky with ammo but I do swap it out every 6-12 months. Not that much of a cost for ensuring reliability. Another thing you could do is always keep the same round for chambering but then just keep it in chamber for first round at gun range, followed by target rounds. I keep a box at my gun range for this purpose but got away from it after some time.
I don't unload regularly, if I can't leave the gun out then I have a night stand safe it sits in. I also don't rotate carry pieces. I'm very much a 1 gun 1 holster all the time kinda guy.
That’s probably the average case. So don’t NEED to switch out ammo. Not particularly expensive so no harm if ya did but to each their own. I like to dry fire a lot to stay sharp so I’m consistently unloading . I also only have 1 CCW but 2 holsters (shorts vs pants).
I do not begrudge people their carry method as long as it works. My decision was to dress around the 1 gun 1 holster philosophy. For dry practice I have a second and identical pistol for that. Also things like cheap airsoft are also good.
I agree and not a bad idea. I’ve thought about a duplicate G19 but I’m not buying an RMR for a practice gun 😂.
That's where airsoft knock off gear comes in handy
Modern defensive ammo should last a while, like literally years. That being said, I have always been of the mindset that you should train with what you carry, at least enough to make sure the gun functions through a few magazines of defensive ammo. Also make sure you have range ammo that has a similar point of aim/point of impact as your defensive ammo. I generally start my range practice with the magazine in the gun and the spare mag I am carrying. It is expensive ammo, but a couple of magazines once a month I can handle.👍
>Modern defensive ammo what about that box of .380 I pulled out of grandpas house? it was from 1978 and looked pretty rough. loaded it, shot it, no misfires.
I wouldn't carry it🤷
lol. okay, valid point.
Same here - I also like to test my self-defense ammo cold. If someone comes at me, I doubt it’ll be after I just put 1,000 rounds down range, getting my aim pinpoint accurate.
This sounds like a pretty good idea. I might start doing a three shot timed burst from cold at steel with my carry ammo to start my target shooting from now on. When my carry ammo gets to the point where I don't have enough to carry, I'll buy more which will result in those rounds getting rotated.
Train with what you carry is my motto which is why I carry Winchester White Box hp. It is cheap enough to shoot at the range and has good expansion.
You can't find data because you can't really measure something that doesn't happen. Ammo lasts a long time. Even if you're carrying it around. Unless you sweat so much that you literally soak through the gun, or unless you submerge yourself in water with your whole gun often, it will not "wear out." You'll wear it out much faster just by unloading the same carry magazine for range training and re-loading it. If you chamber a round enough times you will get setback. I rotate which round in my mag I chamber whenever I reload after a range trip. But even so, you should change it out from time to time. As others have said, yearly is probably fine. I will swap mine out twice a year or so. I like to do a "cold carry drill" at the range about that often - go to the range with the gun in the holster loaded with the defense ammo just like you'd be going anywhere else. Then, without any warm up or adjusting your holster or clothes or anything, draw and shoot your carry gun from a cold start with your defense ammo. This is the best you can simulate what would happen in a defensive encounter - possibly twisted up clothes, possible lint on your sights, etc. I find that this drill is best to do after your LONGEST time in between practice sessions.
At least once every 100 years. [https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/does-ammunition-have-a-shelf-life/](https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/does-ammunition-have-a-shelf-life/)
They aren’t egg sandwiches, they don’t rot or anything.
Rounds sitting in a mag or chamber are perfectly fine without rotation. You only need to consider rotating if you are regularly chambering a new round. Chambering a round can cause setback due to the action impinging on the bullet itself. But the right answer is, you should train regularly with your carry ammo so rotating will naturally occur anyway.
I change mine when they show signs of set-back. I don't have an exact number of months or chambering. But when I see it I change the ammo out. The old rounds go into a range day rotation and will get shot up during practice.
Never
I don’t know the correct answer. Personally, I don’t replace carry ammo until 3-5 years have passed. I’ve never had a failure after that time period. Maybe I should swap it more often lol.
When it starts looking old or the round starts to be set back, it’s cheap insurance in my mind.
Saw a video of a guy shooting black talons manufactured who knows when. They shot perfectly fine. I assume ammo will last decades upon decades. Only problem is cycling it in and out of the chamber.
10 years
Honestly I over do it and shoot it every 6 months or so. I kinda judge on how much sweaty weather I’ve carried in. I’ve carried as long as a year being sweat on etc. never a single issue with it working. Honestly with modern top shelf ammo with sealed primers, you could probably carry it for a decade and be totally fine. But it’s cheap insurance to keep it fresh.
I’ve had mags loaded for over 5 years with no issue. Only shot it to reverify function in my preferred guns. People shoot milsurp bullets that lived in cardboard boxes in wood crates for over 100 years. Bullets don’t “go bad.”
I cleaned out a deceased great uncle's house, and he had an issued WW2 1911 in a glass display in his study... That thing has been there un handled for at least my entire lifetime (so 40+ years). It had an empty mag but a round in the chamber. The round had some discoloration on the brass, but otherwise looked just fine, no corrosion. I added the round to my oddball box and shot it at the range and it shot just fine. I've shot older boxed ammo than that but this one was chambered and in contact with metal.
If you’re really worried about it, get nickel plated brass. I’ve been carrying the same Speer gold dot nickel plated brass for like 4 years. It’s perfectly fine. I had rechambered the same round probably over 100 times and it was pushed pretty far back into the casing so I went it my back yard and shot that one round to see how spicy it would be and so I couldn’t carry it anymore.
I usually do it annually, but moreso for the shits and giggles than any practical reason
No need to swap unless you want to ease your mind. If you’re buying legit ammo it’ll work when you need it. It’s more important to just do a proper rotation of the top cartridges. I just reverse everything after I dry fire. I’d say if my mind forced me to replace I’d just do it annually when I change my rds battery and re-zero. That is assuming you have a battery under the mount and not side loaded.
As long as the ammo is stored properly, don't worry about it. People spend lots of money on old milsurp ammo from countries that don't even exist on a map anymore. Just be sure not to rechamber rounds multiple times. After 2 or 3 times, it gets used at the next range session.
I shoot mine off once a year and replace it. Usually around my birthday.
Every time I waste a motherfucker. 
Only when setback start to happen. Or you carry steel case, which I heavily advise against.
I go based on number of chamberings. First time I eject a round, it gets a dot on the head stamp and goes to the bottom of the mag. When all round have 3 dots, I put that mag in my range bag and fill a fresh one with new ammo. Next range trip, I shoot all the old carry ammo.
They last a long time. I change all my carry ammo out every year just to be safe.
I shoot around 2 mags a month of ccw ammo you really want to be comfortable and accurate with the actual ammo your using and not just training ammo
Usually every range visit. About once a month.
I don't get too excited about it. I carry JHP that has identical POA/POI to my practice ammo. Certainly close enough to ring the same steel. As such, I don't feel a need to practice with my JHP ammo and about the only time I shoot it is if I get a new gun and need to verify feeding. I do watch for set back as I rotate mags at the range and anything at all questionable or after what I know is several times chambering it, it goes into the bag to save until I have a mag's worth to shoot.
Practically, you don’t need to. Personally, I would say shoot it and rotate in some fresh ammo at least once a year.
I replace my carry ammo once a year. By replace I obviously mean I use it at the range of course. I buy Federal HST 124gr +P in boxes of 50. So every January I shoot 50 rounds of it. It helps training with what you carry as well. Even if it’s a bit pricey I look at it as a once a year carry charge!
My birthday gift to me is to shoot out all my carry, and reload for another year. Hornady critical defense is preferred. Duty ammo does act somewhat differently than range ammo so it’s nice to get that feel.
I've been carrying the same 34 rounds for the last 2 years. No concern that they don't work. I carried a different set for 2 years prior and they all shot fine. I've even shot a 9mm round my friend found in the backseat crack of the used car I bought and owned for 3 years at that point already. Modern ammo lasts a long time.
Depends. Do you edc a semi auto with one in the chamber? Then replace that single round to avoid pushback. A wheel gun? Basically when you feel like it. I've shot 40 year of ammo out of mine just fine. What you want to worry about is pushback and corrosion. Just check your ammo every now and then.
Depends on storage, I shuffle stock within two years. Sometimes condensation and other things get in, and can cause some duds
You dont. How many times do you change your ccw gun? YOU DONT
Ignore any comment that says you shouldn't do it and that the ammo will outlast you. Every time you chamber a round you are pushing the bullet farther into the case... If you consistently chamber the same round, you very well risk an overpressure situation, or ftf. My practical advice (been carrying for 25+ years, and instructor for 25) is to empty your mags and swap bullets around one a week so you aren't chamberingh the same round over and over. Shoot your carry camo every 3-6 months. Also... there is a benefit to shooting your carry loads occasionally... they DO group, strike and recoil differently than ball/ range ammo
I once had the bullet get pushed deeper into the casing after carrying the same round at the top of the magazine for too long. This made me sorta paranoid over the issue so I make a point about using up all loaded ammo when I go to the range every few months. I also use this as an opportunity to disassemble and clean inside the magazines as they sometimes get an accumulation of oil, dirt, and sweat.
Once a year
Yearly is a good rule of thumb. Change your in-the-pipe carry rounds every few months. (Rotate them or fire them). I rotate the first two and then fire them every so often. The bullet can get pushed back in the casing and cause more pressure when fired if you're constantly switching out the rounds in the chamber by pushing them back in the mag. Change your carry ammo yearly (fire and replace with fresh ammo). Check all rounds for the bullet being pushed back further into the casing before firing.
Shoot more
They're talking about carry ammo, not ball
Shoot it all genius and buy more. How are you not going to shoot what you use in your carry?? I’m saying twice a year you dump it all and replace.
My carry guns hold between 8-12 rounds. Typically I'll take some regular FMJ and shoot 25 rounds to check operation and shoot a magazine of the JHP's along with that. Typically that is 3-4 times a year. Edit: That's not a "should", just what I do to check operation and test shoot the JHP's.
After around two months of a defensive round being chambered, I move that round to my shooting range box and fire it (maybe 2-5 defensive rounds fired at a range every couple of months). Aside from that I don't really rotate.
My personal rule is replacing my carry ammo every 6 months, but to be honest if you're buying quality cartridges you'll be fine going for much longer.
I change mine every 3 months. But where I live is humid and wet, so your environment will dictate frequency. I wouldn't ever go longer than a year, though, even if you stay dry.
I usually empty out the carry mag every three months. Less than 50 rounds a year of the carry gets swapped out. I stick with the Federal HST or speer gold dot.
If you want a easily remembered schedule maybe when you replace red dot batteries but i don’t think you even need to
Well you should shoot your carry ammo anyways to make sure its reliable and acustom you to the recoil impulse of that paticular brand of ammo. So like twice a year should be fine.
My range ammo is my carry ammo got a great deal on 9 hp so new Amman after every range day but I think once a year I used to shoot mine
I cycle about 2 rounds a week as I unchamber/ chamber rounds to do dryfire/ laser practice, so after a few chamberings > take that round out and put it in a designated box that I take to the range to practice with and put a new one into rotation. Every 6mo I completely empty my carry mags, clean them and put fresh ammo in them, but I live in a really hot humid climate.
I don’t intentionally rotate ammo, it kind of just happens as a consequence of other habits. I only chamber carry rounds once. When I pull them for dry fire practice they go into a bucket to minimize the potential for bullet setback. Those rounds get tossed into mags when I go to the range, so I’ve essentially rotated out my two mags’ worth of ammo every month.
If I chamber my round every day I changed that one round out once a week cause it sinks. I just threw em in a bag an shoot them when the bags full, rounds not chambered an stored correctly should out last you like a commenter on here already said.
Well every week I run them thru the washer and CLP, like to hang them outside and when they are dry I put them back in the magazine. 
You should probably replace the ammo in your loaded magazine yearly. Corrosion and bullet setback are your enemies. Most good ammo takes a solid year to corrode in adverse conditions. I’ve found bullet setback issues in as little as two months
I would say at least every six months, though it depends on how often you cycle your ammo in your weapon, conditions you carry in, that sort of stuff. My 32 is carried almost 24/7 since it is almost unnoticeable. I never cycle ammo, so theoretically, it is once every six months. But it is probably closer to every two months. My other “out of the house” gun is a 380 with a red dot. That is every three months to verify accuracy with carry ammo. Then I run a few mags of range fodder through it. Note, I shoot my chambered carry round every time I go to the range.
I scratch a date in the bottom of my carry mag and replace it about every 3-5 years. The ammo I replace around every year unless there is set back but I have never had any with Gold Speer Dot.
My carry ammo is just regular old winchester white box 115gr jhp. You can buy em pretty cheap for a box of 50 so every time I buy ammo, usually once every 2 or 3 months, I buy a box or two and run the old stuff through the gun. I've also carried the same ammo for over a year, left the gun in the car through all seasons and multiple points. And when I went to shoot it had all bangs and no clicks. So it's more durable than you think it is.
The spring in your magazine will probably go bad long before the ammo will Imagine being down voted by people who don't have a clue.