Ammo magazine mantenance?

[Guest Hound]

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 :up: Semper Fi Frightful

With the peices of crap I was issued I never kept more than 25 in them.  Pretty sure some of them may have been older than I was.

[Guest tnpaul]

All I know is I have seen two mags. that where keep loaded not decompress.

[van37725]

Single stack mags, like the 1911 mags, last a very long time. Double stack pistol mags  wear the springs out faster. I rotate my mags every 2-3 weeks when not shooting regularly. I've had the same springs for over 5 years. Anytime your mag doesn't engage the slide stop, replace the spring.

Van

[Mike.357]

I still keep my clips loaded except for .22's

 

 

B)

[Garufa]

Double stack pistol mags  wear the springs out faster.

 

How's that?

[Guest DixieLandMan]

I keep my clips loaded all the time but my magazines, I rotate.  I had one fail at a most inappropriate time and swore that would never happen again.

[teecro]

What about the valve springs in your car? Think about it!

[Ugly]

What about the valve springs in your car? Think about it!

Valve springs are beefier and travel less though. I have been changed by this topic and am not worried about mag springs anymore, unless they come from Korea or are for a finicky Kimber. Edited June 26, 2014 by Ugly

[tnhawk]

Unless it becomes a problem, I won't concern myself with anything other than keeping ammo to keep my magazines filled.

[jriv9]

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.

I have researched this as well and seems that cycling is what wears springs out.

[JustEd]

Have seen a few YouTube vids on this (so now i am an expert).

Seems the dominant opinion is that it probably won't hurt the mag spring or mag housing unless they are poorly made.

Yet, most also recommend emptying the magazines so that each gets some empty time.  Emptying could be either use at the range or manually unloading and the re-loading them.  Personally, I doubt this makes much difference...a good mag should be ok for a year or so.

With all that said, I keep my Sig P365 mags loaded a round short of capacity because they are so tight when topped off.  But that is just me, Sig hopefully designed them to be reliable when topped off.

Almost no one I have heard preaches doom and gloom about leaving mags loaded for a reasonable amount of time (year or so).

[DWARREN123]

Magazines can be kept loaded for long times, it is the loading and shooting that puts wear on the spring and follower.

I rotate my mags ever six months or so and SD about ever year.

[chances R]

I have seen more problems....for me....with worn and/or dirty followers, both in 1911s and M&Ps

[tnhawk]

On 2/7/2010 at 9:12 AM, tnhawk said:

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.

Ten years later, same answer

[tnhawk]

On 2/7/2010 at 9:12 AM, tnhawk said:

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.

Ten years later, same answer.

Ed Brown has a magazine exchange program for 1911 magazines.  All of mine still function, but I've got a few cheap mags I'll exchange for ED Brown mags at $10 each.

[No_0ne]

On 6/26/2014 at 3:45 PM, teecro said:

What about the valve springs in your car? Think about it!

Since we're resurrecting this old thread, for those who think there's any validity to this analogy: automobile engine valve springs are cycled 100's of times per minute, at high temperatures.  If you do this to your mag springs, yes, they will wear out faster.  Otherwise, keep them loaded, forever if you want ...

[Garufa]

Magazines last forever...until they stop working.  Then you have to question whether you dropped one and the feed lips got bent, if there is so much fouling inside it causes friction on the follower, or if the spring is really worn out. 

How many people have legitimately worn out a mag spring?

[DO-TN]

 

So who is gonna call the gun manufacturers and tell them they are wrong?

[chances R]

Maybe why both are out of business ?

 

[Dirtshooter]

I routinely see the analogy of a car engine's valve spring and the spring in a magazine for a firearm. Engine valve springs are quite a bit larger in diameter and hardly a comparable spring.

[Twenty2-Two50]

On 2/6/2010 at 9:50 PM, 56FordGuy said:

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.

So true! I contacted some manufacturers & they said exactly what you said, "Cycling a spring 'hurts' it more than storing it compressed." One manufacturer said the same about the firing pin/action spring leaving a pistol cocked. 

 

[Sleep profit]

I leave my mags fully loaded as I was told Cycling hurts a spring worse than it being under tension.    I have never had an issue.  And I have heard gun guys use the term magazine and clip interchangeable I just roll with it  

[JW3Percent]

 

 

Edited January 24 by JW3Percent
Added 2nd video

[Jeb48]

I may have already posted this sometime in the 13+ years this thread has been around but here goes. I have a Hi Standard .22 pistol I bought in 1969, I left it with my Father when I moved off to a communist state after college expecting to only work there a few years to pad my resume and ended up staying because I liked the job. 30+ years later I finally got around to getting a carry permit which was required to own a hand gun in that state and brought the Hi Standard home. I left it with 2 loaded magazines and my Dad never shot it and I got it back that way.  Shot fine.

I, like several on here, leave my magazines loaded in the safe, including .22. 

Edited January 25 by Jeb48

[chances R]

I keep a small ammo can of loaded AR mags loaded for emergencies.  Nothing is slower and bad practice as trying to load mags when you need to be shooting.  Also I keep them downloaded in case of a needed speed or tac reload. Fully loaded mags can be difficult if not impossible to insert with a closed bolt.