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Old 02-08-2013, 12:11 PM
rogerf rogerf is offline
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Being retired, somewhat anal retentive, and with time on my hands I conducted a survey of various manufacturer's and vendors asking each if mags should be left loaded or unloaded. Here is a summary of the results:

Bushmaster-have 4 mags and rotate 2 each week.

Colt-have two or more and rotate loading every 6 mo.

DPMS-it won't hurt to leave them loaded.

Magpul-leave loaded, compression cycles wears them out

Ruger-don't leave loaded unattended, rotate mags monthly.

S&W-leaving loaded wears them out, it takes years however.

Taurus-ok to leave loaded, compression cycles wears them out

Windham-keep them loaded, not a problem.

I myself have a model P85 9mm Ruger with Blue Glaser and Black Talons in a mag with a few compression cycles for 20 years now and it works fine. I guess this debate will go on indefintely.
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Old 02-08-2013, 12:21 PM
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I'm following the theory the compression cycle theory. Seems to be the majority opinion.
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Old 02-08-2013, 01:54 PM
Dikinalaska Dikinalaska is offline
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+1 for weakening by cycling. Best analogy I've heard is "If leaving them compressed wears them out, how do coil springs on vehicles stay the same height while left unattended for years? If a constant load weakened the springs, all these vehicles would be sitting on the bump-stop." Lot of other variables there, but concept makes sense to me.
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Old 02-08-2013, 03:48 PM
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Leave them loaded, won't hurt them at all.
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Old 02-08-2013, 09:47 PM
rojodiablo rojodiablo is offline
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Originally Posted by Dikinalaska View Post
+1 for weakening by cycling. Best analogy I've heard is "If leaving them compressed wears them out, how do coil springs on vehicles stay the same height while left unattended for years? If a constant load weakened the springs, all these vehicles would be sitting on the bump-stop." Lot of other variables there, but concept makes sense to me.
Leaf springs in a car DO settle over time. You have to remember, the sitting height on the rig will drop equally if it is a car or smallish SUV. It's not very noticeable as the drop is gradual.

On a heavy work pickup truck, the settling becomes much more pronounced. If you see an ol truck, they usually wind up a bit stinkbug after a lot of years. The heavy engine weight droops them, and the rear is oversprung to handle heavy loads in the bed. Well, after 20 years sitting unloaded, the rear had so little weight in it, the springs barely settled at all, while the fronts will settle a lot more.
The ride is much more telling, as an old truck's front end is like a Barcalounger, and the rear is like a springboard.

Rotate the mags out annually-ish.
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Old 02-08-2013, 10:46 PM
Dikinalaska Dikinalaska is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rojodiablo View Post
Leaf springs in a car DO settle over time. You have to remember, the sitting height on the rig will drop equally if it is a car or smallish SUV. It's not very noticeable as the drop is gradual.

On a heavy work pickup truck, the settling becomes much more pronounced. If you see an ol truck, they usually wind up a bit stinkbug after a lot of years. The heavy engine weight droops them, and the rear is oversprung to handle heavy loads in the bed. Well, after 20 years sitting unloaded, the rear had so little weight in it, the springs barely settled at all, while the fronts will settle a lot more.
The ride is much more telling, as an old truck's front end is like a Barcalounger, and the rear is like a springboard.

Rotate the mags out annually-ish.
You're talking about leafs, I'm talking about coils. Like in the '70 chevy we recently replaced in a rebuild. Couldn't tell difference in height between the stock 1970's and the new ones we put in.
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Old 02-09-2013, 12:08 AM
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My dad's pistol he had brought back with him from WW2 has been mostly loaded from 1945.. Other then firing it a few times every 5 or 10 years just a mag or two, sometimes i get sentimental and do fire a few boxes through it but the mags springs seem fine. Fries 100% functions 100% as do my other bottom feeders. Rifles oh, sporting rifles too all my 30 rounder mags are loaded too .. oh by the way the pistol is a Beretta 1945 .32 Also have a Colt Officers mod. that has been loaded since I got it in 1995 no issues but that I do shoot a lot more... I keep all my mags fully loaded in my hand guns, Never had a issue.. I see no reason to change now.. my vote is load them up and leave them.. My guess is that leaving them unloaded would work just as well but then there not useful if needed!! It's usage that wears them out IMO. George

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Old 02-09-2013, 12:14 AM
flyer91 flyer91 is offline
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One should always take the up most care of their mags.
So much so that they look new ..... even after long service.
That way you can safely swap them for some inattentive poor soul's new ones at the range.

This is known as "Flyer's deviant to Magpuls law".
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Old 02-09-2013, 08:40 AM
Dad1 Dad1 is offline
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[QUOTE=rojodiablo;137002386]Leaf springs in a car DO settle over time. You have to remember, the sitting height on the rig will drop equally if it is a car or smallish SUV. It's not very noticeable as the drop is gradual.

On a heavy work pickup truck, the settling becomes much more pronounced. If you see an ol truck, they usually wind up a bit stinkbug after a lot of years. The heavy engine weight droops them, and the rear is oversprung to handle heavy loads in the bed. Well, after 20 years sitting unloaded, the rear had so little weight in it, the springs barely settled at all, while the fronts will settle a lot more.
The ride is much more telling, as an old truck's front end is like a Barcalounger, and the rear is like a springboard.

Rotate the mags out annually-ish.[/QUOTE

Unless the vehicle is stationary for its entire life the leaf springs are being cycled. Wouldn't that explain the settling?
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Old 02-09-2013, 11:31 AM
rojodiablo rojodiablo is offline
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[QUOTE=Dad1;137003064]
Quote:
Originally Posted by rojodiablo View Post
Leaf springs in a car DO settle over time. You have to remember, the sitting height on the rig will drop equally if it is a car or smallish SUV. It's not very noticeable as the drop is gradual.

On a heavy work pickup truck, the settling becomes much more pronounced. If you see an ol truck, they usually wind up a bit stinkbug after a lot of years. The heavy engine weight droops them, and the rear is oversprung to handle heavy loads in the bed. Well, after 20 years sitting unloaded, the rear had so little weight in it, the springs barely settled at all, while the fronts will settle a lot more.
The ride is much more telling, as an old truck's front end is like a Barcalounger, and the rear is like a springboard.

Rotate the mags out annually-ish.[/QUOTE

Unless the vehicle is stationary for its entire life the leaf springs are being cycled. Wouldn't that explain the settling?
Yes, and I also realized my post stated leaf spring. I meant to say simply spring. Any spring under a tension load is going to settle. While we do cycle vehicle suspensions, my post was more to illustrate that the load on the spring WILL compress the spring, and it will settle.
There are a lot of equipment we work with that are on isolator springs that actually do not vibrate and sit static. Big springs, and medium size springs- and yes, the old ones do settle. Rooftop AC systems that for a design criteria are on springs, when the unkit is pulled, the new identical springs are longer. Same coil spread, same coil dia. and same coil wind. They settle, and there is no real perceptible movement of these systems. (They are isolated because of the nature of the plenum drop below, and how they are not solid attached almost anywhere for seizmic reasons.)
In the end, a loaded spring will settle. Maybe not enough to cause malfunction in whatever is being pushed or pulled by the spring- but their effective spring height will be reduced, and their spring rate over time will drop. The smaller the spring, and the longer the spring action, the greater the loss of action over time if cycled or left fully compressed. Less than fully compressed, and it becomes a math game in percentages.
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