Ammo magazine mantenance?

[Guest Randy]

How long should you keep an ammo clip full? What are most routines for keeping clips form wareing out the spring? Do you leave a clip empty and rotate with other clips? I searched the post and could not find any thought on the subject.

[Krull]

clips i would say you can keep full forever---- magazines springs can wear out over time----just depends... i had a browning hp magazine i kept full for 2 years once and it still works fine....

[Mike.357]

I like to keep all my clips full except for my .22's. Dunno why:dunno:

[Guest 10mm4me]

First of all, I think you are referring to a magazine, not a clip. And secondly you should not keep all of your mags loaded all the time. I have 8 Glock 19 mags. I have 2 loaded at all times. Every month I rotate the ammo from those 2 mags to 2 different mags and so forth. Every 2 years I replace The mag springs. This might be excess but mag springs are cheap and I don't wanna find out the wrong way that my mag springs are worn out. A good test is as long as your mag locks your slide back on an empty chamber, your mag springs should still be serviceable.

[56FordGuy]

There are clips, and then there are magazines. In any case, it should not damage either one to keep them loaded. Springs wear from being cycled, not from being compressed.

[Guest dougmcfalls]

I have researched this myself. I have found that with modern, quality magazine springs you can load them up and keep them loaded. A spring will soften a little but will hold up a long time. The spring doesn't weaken by keeping it compressed. The spring weakens by compression and release. So the spring in a loaded magazine will last much longer than a spring that is loaded and unloaded often. Magazine springs are cheap and easy to replace. Keep a spare magazine and a spare magazine spring. I believe in loading them up and keeping them loaded.

[Guest dougmcfalls]

Here's a good link for you. www.gunsprings.com . These guys are the best.

[Guest Randy]

Sorry I did mean magazines.

[smopoim86]

It should not damage either one to keep them loaded. Springs wear from being cycled, not from being compressed.

+1

[JeffsSig]

Randy Welcome to the forum here.!!

Do not let the “technical group” get you down. I am sure they mean no harm and they also knew what you mean by “clip”.

Do not be scared to ask any questions even if you do not use the right terms. Some guys like myself tend to get off topic.

How long should you keep an ammo clip full?

As long as you want to.

What are most routines for keeping clips form wearing out the spring?

You cannot stop wear. Just use them and buy new ones, as you need them

Do you leave a clip empty and rotate with other clips?

I load as I need the mag and shoot . By doing so they will fall in a natural rotation.

[dats82]

I agree. Loaded mags at a relatively constant temp are not going to wear out. The only time a loaded mag will wear out the spring is with large fluctuations in temperature, but you do not need to worry about this.

[Guest JimmyJ]

Hi:

After my Father (former Army) passed away we were going though his belongings and found six GI M1911 .45acp military magazines fully loaded with seven rounds of GI FMJ ammo. These magazines had been loaded for 30 plus years. Using Dad's issue Colt M1911A1 pistol we fired these six magazines with negative problems.

Jimmy

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

All I can add as another new guy is that I've been told and it makes sense is that if you have more than one identical mag to find a way to number or mark them so that if you do have a problem it is easier to remember which mag it was with. It also lets you keep track of how old each mag is, or at least which is older vs which is newer.

And Welcome to TGO.....I have throughly enjoyed my short time here, And have learned a lot. I hope you have the same experience

[Sams Dad]

Consistent compression of a spring does not make it wear. The compression and decompression or movement of the tempered material, or the movement of the molecules is what causes the breakdown of the microscopic structure of elements.

In laymens terms,, load em up and keep em loaded as long as you like. You will be long gone in a pine box before you have to worry about single compression breakdown of tempered spring steel.

[Guest gcrookston]

On several occasions over the years I've come accross magazines that have been loaded for 4, even 5 decades that functions properly. I've also come across new mags with springs that were worn out after only a few hundred uses. With good, high quality magazines I have no problem leaving them loaded for years. Eventually they will weaken, but not often in our lifetimes.

[tnhawk]

I've haven't replaced a magazine spring in over 30 years of shooting. I rotate the use of over 20 1911 mags. The only maint I give them is cleaning occasionally.

[Chief07]

Thanks.

[enfield]

Let's make a sticky out of this one. This is one of the perennial questions.

[my82cam]

i cleaned a colt 1911 for a friend that bought it in 1972, loaded the magazine and never shot the gun. gun was dirty!!! cleaned the gun up, took it to the range and shot the magazine that had been loaded for almost 40 years!!! worked just fine!!!

[Shima]

Let's make a sticky out of this one. This is one of the perennial questions.

I thought about making it a sticky, but it really belongs in the ammo or accessories subsection, not the handguns. Maybe I'll move it there and that moderator can make it a sticky.

[Guest 1817ak47]

my $.02

I have a dedicated range mag for each pistol as I have notice wear on the plastic followers of some pistols. so when i range shoot I only load and unload 1 mag. I have them marked by putting a piece of masking tape on the bottom side that sticks out. that way my other ones stay fresh and ready, theoretically at least

[TNcitizen22]

I have a 1911 magazine my grandfather had kept loaded for over 30 years. The mag spring has never been changed, it still works flawlessly.

[NRA]

There are clips, and then there are magazines. In any case, it should not damage either one to keep them loaded. Springs wear from being cycled, not from being compressed.

what he said

[Guest Frightful1]

56Fordguy is right. Springs deteriorate from being cycled, not from long term compression. (If it is a decent spring) Granted it has been a while, but the D.I. @ P.I. jammed it into our heads "Mag full minus one" He checked it too. The "minus one" thing I never understood unless it was just the cycle the weapon thing, and I never had another D.I. say it.

[GoneBallistic]

[quote name='Frightful1' timestamp='1353875375' post='850517']
56Fordguy is right. Springs deteriorate from being cycled, not from long term compression. (If it is a decent spring) Granted it has been a while, but the D.I. @ P.I. jammed it into our heads "Mag full minus one" He checked it too. The "minus one" thing I never understood unless it was just the cycle the weapon thing, and I never had another D.I. say it.
[/quote]Same here. Except they went from minus one to minus two. The reasoning for this is that the cheap and worn out metal mags you were issued at PI will sieze up occasionally if they are loaded with a full 30 rounds. That's why I run PMAGS Semper Fi Frightful