Spring compression & magazine function

usnrlcdr

May 05, 2003 16:41

Will keeping the magazine always full eventually cause the magazine spring to compress and therefore cause feeding problems? I have a number of mags and I usually keep them full; however, maybe I should rotate them a bit. I'm pretty new at this so I'd love to know from some folks like LEO's and others who obviously keep things topped off if over a period of time this is a problem. Thanks for the help.

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  redcedars

  May 05, 2003 17:32

  Hi Guy:
  
  This subject has been beaten to death here on many occasions. Cruise through the older threads and you are bound to find several threads on this subject. Modern high quality springs usually don't take a "set" unless they are over-compressed. Nevertheless it does happen sometimes, and is more likely in lesser quality magazines. Last time I saw this problem it was a hi-cap double stack mag for a Llama .45 which sat fully loaded in a drawer for something over a year. (No, it wasn't mine.)
  
  I have three mags for my most commonly carried semi-auto, and I routinely rotate mags, two loaded, one unloaded, so that any particlular mag is loaded for two weeks and then unloaded for a week. Some folks would say that is a waste of time, but otherwise where is the harm? It might prevent a misfeed at a critical moment.
  
  I know plenty of folks who like to keep mags loaded for extended periods will not keep them filled to capacity, like keeping only 20 or 25 rounds in a 30 round magazine.
  
  redcedars

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  rsnyder55

  May 05, 2003 20:37

  I have a Colt 1903 my grandfather loaded for my grandmother in 1942, just before he went overseas. She packed it in a chest because of the kids at time and forgot about it. In 1979, when we were moving her, we came across it. It was still loaded.
  
  I stripped the gun down and cleaned it and took it to the range. The magazine fed without a problem after being loaded over 30 years.
  
  I wouldn't recommend it. Personally I rotate my magazines and ammunition about every month or so at an IDPA shoot.

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  Python

  May 06, 2003 09:24

  usnrlcrd;
  Generally speaking it is a good idea to rotate magazines
  to give the spring a break. being under constant compression, will in time weaken the spring. What this time is depends on several things, not the least of which, is initial spring quality. As a previous poster discribe, some spring will tolerate this for decades, while others will not go a year.

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  Matt45

  May 06, 2003 20:18

  Mostly, how long the spring will hold up being loaded is pretty much in direct proportion to quality of the materials used.
  
  Having said that, I still rotate my duty/carry mags at least every two months or so, but as often as I go to the range, I load and unload them more often than that[:D].
  
  
  
  Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
  
  People
  Eating
  Tasty
  Animals

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  Laredo Lefty

  May 06, 2003 21:55

  I keep a set of range mags and a set of duty mags, since the range mags get dropped all the time.
  
  My dept works 4 ten hour days, so I unload the mags at the end of each week or two to give them a rest for 3 days. They are Glock mags and have good quality springs, and have never failed to function.
  
  Some of the guys I work with leave their mags loaded for months at a time and dont have any problems either.
  
  As previously noted, it depends a lot on the quality of the springs.

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  barto

  May 07, 2003 09:08

  I compare it to jacking your car up when not in use so the springs dont collapse.
  [^][^]barto
  
  I didn't do it and I got witnesses!!

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  usnrlcdr

  May 09, 2003 16:58

  You mean I shouldn't jack up my car when it is not in use--especialy when the gas tank is full? Seriously, I appreciate all the advice. I did do the search Red suggested I should have done in the first place (newbie brain cramp! sorry--won't happen again) and the overall consensus seems to be that while spring set shouldn't be a problem with quality mags, rotation once in awhile makes sense and certainly doesn't hurt. I'll probably just number the mags and keep the carry mag topped off and move through them sequentially after I shoot. Seems easy enough. Thanks all, now I've got to unjack the car so my wife can run to the store for milk.

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  jet

  May 10, 2003 17:39

  I've noticed mag-sag in cheap hycap double stack mags where the sides of the mag puff due to low riggidity.

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