Question about auto mags

[Osobuco]

Hi All - I have what may be a noob question but will keeping a magazine loaded over an extended period of time compress the spring such that the upward pressure on the last rounds in the mag becomes low and thereby negatively effect chambering? Just wondering

 

[fordmanchris]

Nope you will be fine keeping them loaded as long as you need to!

 

[sepe]

Just to reassure you, my grandpa brought back a Browning Hi Power from WW2. He wasn't much of a shooter, especially handguns. Probably only put a couple magazines through it and then left it loaded. Springs are still fine. I'd say that the last time that gun had any rounds through it was in the 50s.

The springs will wear from use, not just from being compressed.

 

[Lock n Load]

Just to reassure you, my grandpa brought back a Browning Hi Power from WW2. He wasn't much of a shooter, especially handguns. Probably only put a couple magazines through it and then left it loaded. Springs are still fine. I'd say that the last time that gun had any rounds through it was in the 50s.

The springs will wear from use, not just from being compressed.

Exactly, its the compression and decompression that wear out springs (magazine type).

And darn, I thought this was going to be about the .44 auto-mag !!!

 

[gunman41mag]

Hi All - I have what may be a noob question but will keeping a magazine loaded over an extended period of time compress the spring such that the upward pressure on the last rounds in the mag becomes low and thereby negatively effect chambering? Just wondering

I rotate my mags, I have them for 4 months loaded, then I unload the mags, & load the other mags

 

[redpitbull44]

I rotate my mags, I have them for 4 months loaded, then I unload the mags, & load the other mags [STRIKE]: yesway :[/STRIKE]

fify

 

[Marc]

lock n load beat me to it

 

[Bruno8pnk]

Its a good idea to unload and reload occasionally, maybe every couple of months, springs do loose their tension over time in a compressed state, due to work harding. You may not notice it but they do. I just changed out my Para springs, shot ok, but was surprised to see springs in that bad of shape.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

You won't wear out the springs that way...

But some poorly designed magazine bodies can be ruined by leaving them loaded to full capacity.

-J-

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

springs do loose their tension over time in a compressed state, due to work harding. You may not notice it but they do.

No, it doesn't.

Not with modern spring steel in modern magazines.

They don't "take a set". If you over-stress them, they certainly can. But not during normal loading levels.

Spring steel is worn out during USE. Not by sitting compressed.

-J-

 

[JetGirl]

Spring steel is worn out during USE. Not by sitting compressed.

This ^. And repped for posting CORRECT info.

 

[BlueEagle]

Excellent thread. I'd been wondering about this myself; you always hear about not leaving magazines loaded, and I figured it was something that didn't apply to "modern" handguns, or possibly just a fable from way back when. Thanks all.

For what its worth, I think I swap my carry magazines out every 2 months or so. I worry more about the rounds in the magazines than I do about the magazine, though, and swapping them into a different mag, (or shooting them all out of the current one,) either gives me a chance to inspect them, or test them.

 

[Bumsi]

What wears a spring out is the heat from the spring being compressed and then released. So if it stays in one position it will be fine. Heavy usage is what wears it out.

 

[defender14]

Good information in this thread. I have been curious about this.

I have read a few places where people recommend loading new mags when you get them to help make them less stiff, and to store new handguns with the slide open for the same reason.

Since this is a thread about magazines I will follow up the question of "is it harmful to the springs to keep magazine loaded" with "is it helpful to the springs to keep magazine loaded"

 

[ATM]

This article just needs reposted from time to time:

Magazine spring madness: 'creep' to your 'elastic limit' to un-earth the urban legend of 'spring-set' | American Handgunner | Find Articles at BNET

 

[BlueEagle]

And ATM gets nothing but net.

Thanks for the great article.

 

[Bendrx]

Perhaps a mod would add this info to the FAQ. Everyone reads the FAQ so it would be very proactive.

 

[Donnelly]

No, it doesn't.

Not with modern spring steel in modern magazines.

They don't "take a set". If you over-stress them, they certainly can. But not during normal loading levels.

Spring steel is worn out during USE. Not by sitting compressed.

-J-

That being said, last time I was out to the range, I brought my G19 and G26 along with some 15 round Korean manufactured KCI mags. One of these had been fully loaded with 15 rounds and left for approximately 4-5 months. That was the only mag I had problems with that day. Numerous problems with failure to feed. None of the other Korean mags gave me any trouble, nor did the 10 round G26 mag.

From now on, I will only be buying Glock factory mags.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

That being said, last time I was out to the range, I brought my G19 and G26 along with some 15 round Korean manufactured KCI mags. One of these had been fully loaded with 15 rounds and left for approximately 4-5 months. That was the only mag I had problems with that day. None of the other Korean mags gave me any trouble, nor did the 10 round G26 mag.

From now on, I will only be buying Glock factory mags.

That doesn't surprise me at all, actually.

And I wouldn't be all that surprised if a fully loaded full-size Glock mag wouldn't do the same thing.

The "super high cap" mags won't have problems with the SPRINGS from being loaded... But the side walls can and do swell. The upward pressure on the feed lips can also cause deformation there, too.

If I were inclined to leave any high-capacity magazine loaded fully... Well, I'd down-load by 1 round to help ward off the potential for swelling and feed lip issues.