Shells in Shotgun


JohnLM

New member
I have an Mossberg 590 for home defense. I have taken it to the range a few times just to get the feel and practice with it. Since this is my home defense weapon and I am not a hunter, My question is how long can you leave ammo in your weapon without firing it?? I keep a few rounds in for "Just in Case" Can I get some input please and THANKS
 

My question is how long can you leave ammo in your weapon without firing it?? I keep a few rounds in for "Just in Case" Can I get some input please and THANKS

Having ammo in your weapon is not going to damage it. I think you are just concerned about the magazine spring and this concern is brought up very often on forums. Many people say they've had magazines loaded for decades and they work just fine. Others say they like to rotate their magazines to let their springs "rest".

Your shotgun will be just fine loaded for as long as you want it to be. Most police cruisers keep their magazine tube on their shotgun full, without a shell in the chamber. They keep it that way for long periods of time. If you want to make yourself feel better, pull your shotgun out every month and cycle your rounds through it to prove your magazine still works fine.

Otherwise, do what I do... Buy a shotgun shell holder that attaches to your stock and put 5 rounds on that. That way your magazine does not "wear out" as some say it might, and you have shells ready to go.
 
I wouldn't worry about the spring. You should take your shotgun out and practice with it like any other gun that you rely on. If you start having problems, springs are cheap. If you are really worried get a spare spring now and put it away. Another option is to get an extended magazine which comes with a spring. If you ever have problems with the extended magazine you can always fall back to the original. Another trick is to load one round down. I don't know that any of this is necessary but there are lots of theories out there. I have tried most of them. Today I top off my magazines. For my shotgun magazine full, sidesaddle full, chamber empty as shotguns are not generally considered drop safe. If I had young kids in the house I might reconsider.
 
Correct order

I Have diffent shells in different order in my 590a1. It can start with bean bag, then move to buckshot, then slug. Depends on your personality. I don't bother with bean bag shells. I start with 00 buckshot for 2 shells, then slugs. I hope I never have to find out.
 
I had to downsize my load of my 870 from 00buck to 00buck managed recoil with my brothers girlfriend living here (she can actually shoot the managed recoil). The gun has stayed loaded since it was purchased and still feeds fine to this day.

JD
 
Mine has been loaded for over 5 years. Took it out yesterday and ran 20 shells through her to make sure everything was working..

No problem..Loaded back with 00 buck.
 
#9, 1oz slug, 00buck, 1.25oz slug, 00buck. The #9 is because the shot gun is most likely going to be used on a 0-legged criter at close range first.
 
:nono:
Your shotgun will be just fine loaded for as long as you want it to be. Most police cruisers keep their magazine tube on their shotgun full, without a shell in the chamber. They keep it that way for long periods of time. If you want to make yourself feel better, pull your shotgun out every month and cycle your rounds through it to prove your magazine still works fine.
:nono:

Having been a leo, one of my "pre-flight" duties prior to going on patrol was to cycle all the rounds out of the shotgun, inspect the weapon for any obvious defects, and re-load the weapon. This gave me the piece of mind that the mechanism for reloading is operational, and that the shotgun is ready for use when needed, NOT after a trip to the gunsmith. The most important part of that job was to return home for dinner after your shift.
 
I have an Mossberg 590 for home defense. I have taken it to the range a few times just to get the feel and practice with it. Since this is my home defense weapon and I am not a hunter, My question is how long can you leave ammo in your weapon without firing it?? I keep a few rounds in for "Just in Case" Can I get some input please and THANKS

There are a lot of variables to your answer.

If you are strictly asking “what is the shelf life of ammunition?” I’ve fired stuff that was 30 years old w/out malfunctions on M16 qualification ranges in the Army.

Personally, I replace my SD ammunition once a year.

If you want to know how long you can leave a gun loaded, there are all kinds of anecdotal stories about people leaving guns loaded for years and having them function perfectly.

Personally, I reload my SD magazines once a year.

If you want to know how often you should clean your weapon there are folks over on THR that have weapons that are decades old that they swear have never been cleaned.

Personally, I clean any weapon I fire right after firing and my HD weapons once a month regardless.

Can you be more specific?
 
My mossy 500 is always loaded in my home. I only shoot it maybe once a year but every now and then I'll unload it, give it a once-over, oil it, run some snap-caps through it, and then reload it with the real stuff (low-recoil 00 and slug). Anyone who's that worried about it can just replace the spring every few years.

I'll also blow-off my SD ammo every few years and get new stuff even though it can supposedly last for a couple of decades. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago I was in a small local gun shop buying some 12ga ammo for a trip to the range. They also had a couple of old boxes that they'd dug out of the back room and offered to sell to me for $2/box. The boxes were faded and beat up....if they'd told me it was 20+ yrs old I'd have believed them (nobody knew how long the ammo had been there). Took them to the range and shot them all off w/o a hitch.
 
I have fired 15 - 20 year old shotgun shells. A number of times. A few years ago (NO LAUGHING) shotgun shells were paper based wax coated affairs. Those "might" not have lasted that long. It would depend a lot of the moisture content of the storage area. Now, with the sealed plastic rounds, I can't imagine a problem. I still take my guns out and shoot enough to go through my ammo.

I also, use #6 game loads. Inside my house that would just about do it. It might not do the job on the first round, but I won't kill my neighbors with a miss either. That 00 buckshot, will go right through the walls of my house into the neighbors house. Now, if you don't like your neighbors? Well, that's up to you!
 
I reload my shot shells and have a couple of cases that I loaded some time around 1985 I recently bought a new trap launcher and decided to try them out. I had no issues whatsoever and keep in mind they were home loaded and factory ammo would even be less worrisome. They all fired perfectly. On a side note, it sounds like you haven't had much experience with the gun and if you plan on using it for home defense I would strongly advise you to get some formal training. You are fooling yourself if you think you'll be able to wake up in the middle of the night and successfully defend yourself or your family
 
I got a lot of GREAT input on this subject and I really appreciate it all. Thanks and I will be getting more training with my weapon.
 
50 year old ammo still works. Ask the military. I wonder how many tons of 5" shells the Navy has that are that old. Still goes boom when tested at Crane. Gulf War saw ammo used that came from WW II.
 
12 on my side and a 20 for wifey, both loaded with #4 buck, just her and I in the house and outside is brick, a 12 gauge slug may get though, but I doubt it, and if it did, it wouldn't have much snot left,
 
I shoot SD ammo every year. I keep my SD shotguns loaded with Winchester PDX1. I live in a brick house and have no children at home.
 
:nono::nono:

Having been a leo, one of my "pre-flight" duties prior to going on patrol was to cycle all the rounds out of the shotgun, inspect the weapon for any obvious defects, and re-load the weapon. This gave me the piece of mind that the mechanism for reloading is operational, and that the shotgun is ready for use when needed, NOT after a trip to the gunsmith. The most important part of that job was to return home for dinner after your shift.

Not quite sure what your point is and how it relates to my post. There is nothing wrong with checking your weapons, and I never said there was. I simply stated that of the police officers I have talked to and rode with, that is how they keep the shotgun and they do not check it before "flight". If you do, great.
 
Unless your house is damp and the ammo is coroding, its most likely just fine. Ive got a batch of 303 british from 1939. It still goes bang. I have my D shotgun fully loaded. Its just a Maverick 88 (basically a mossy 500) but its definatly drop safe. The spring in the bolt that bears on the firing pin is massive. But I also dont have kids and its locked up when Im not here.
 

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