Magazine Storage - Loaded or Unloaded?

[mtgeorge]

I am a proud new owner of a 15-22 and cannot wait to shoot it, hopefully this weekend. Been spending hours on this site, learning a ton!

For periods of time when you're not shooting (weeks), do you keep your mags loaded or unloaded? I wasn't sure if its necessary to 'exercise' the mag sping to help reduce/prevent jams?

[Dezfan]

Loaded.

What good is an empty mag?

[Xtasy]

Originally Posted by Dezfan

Loaded.

What good is an empty mag?

I guess it still hurts when your forehead gets hit by the empty mag

[Shooterjgs]

Loaded... always loaded...

[Buckskinner]

No matter. Springs don't get weaker by being compressed, they get weaker by being used. If I were to choose one I would say have them loaded, because that is what they are meant to be.

[OliRage]

Loaded and ready for action.

[Jyezahn]

Loaded and ready to spit lead.

[515DSM]

Unloaded and ready to be legally transported in the same case as my gun to the range. The M&P45c near the bed is another story. I wouldnt count on your .22 to knock down any intruders in the hallway at night.

[battlegraduate09]

I wouldnt count on an intruder having the nuts to stick around after looking at the barrel of a 15-22. They arent going to shine a light on the side of the weapon to see what caliber it is. In my opinion, if they had any manhood or self respect they would be out there working for their own stuff instead of taking somebody elses. So once they see your armed, tables are turned. A single pump of a shotgun would make most turn and tuck tail. No bullets fired.

Anyways, to answer the original question they are always loaded. No matter the caliber or weapon.

[Dezfan]

Originally Posted by 515DSM

Unloaded and ready to be legally transported in the same case as my gun to the range. The M&P45c near the bed is another story. I wouldnt count on your .22 to knock down any intruders in the hallway at night.

I agree my 15-22 isn't my first line of home defense for sure.

My 870 is.

That said, any criminal seeing me with my 15-22 in hand isn't going to stop and ask himself, "is that a real AR15"?

I'm also comfortable with the fact that 30+ rounds of 22LR at close range should inflict enough damage to give me the upper hand.

[pmbspyder]

Loaded always

[515DSM]

While i agree with all of you i would just rather not have some guy bleeding out screaming in my house for my entire family to hear. You don't shoot a deer with .22 you should give the same respect to a human being regardless of their presence in your house. Just my thoughts.

[Jyezahn]

Originally Posted by 515DSM

While i agree with all of you i would just rather not have some guy bleeding out screaming in my house for my entire family to hear. You don't shoot a deer with .22 you should give the same respect to a human being regardless of their presence in your house. Just my thoughts.

F that. If the person doesn't respect me and my family enough to stay the hell out of my house, (who knows what kind of "respect" they'd show, if I'm not able to defend myself and my family?) the only respect I'll give them is a nod after they're laying on the ground, dead.

[gr8smiles]

Respect....if you are breaking in my home, I'll show you respect. I won't stop shooting until I've paid my last respects. I ain't shooting until you are down, I'm shooting until you are dead.


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[Col. Plink]

The screaming would be fine. And actually, the bleeding out would be OK too. My wife wants to get rid of the carpet and put in hardwood floors.

[Doc Robin]

The mags for home protection are loaded. The range mags are not; I go to a state run range that prohibits loaded mags except on the firing line. I check out the other shooters while loading the mags on the line. With so many first time firearms owners it is an advantage to check them out.

I do rotate mags for my concealed carry and home defense weapons about once a month. 2 loaded for each and 2 that are not.

Bill

[WilsonFlyer]

Mine are always loaded -1.

They're almost worthless as a brick, even loaded, and my guns are worthless as sticks.

All the guns in the safe are loaded, FWIW, but only one handgun, one shotgun and one LR are chambered and only my wife knows which ones they are.

[yugowego]

Loaded... I hate having to load them at the range

[team sidewinder]

Always loaded.

[rem06]

While i agree with all of you i would just rather not have some guy bleeding out screaming in my house for my entire family to hear. You don't shoot a deer with .22 you should give the same respect to a human being regardless of their presence in your house. Just my thoughts.

that is by far the most rediculous reply i think i have ever heard! LMAO

LOADED! 25rds hammered into an INTRUDER! YUP!!!! or someone trying to take your or your loved ones life. DUH!

or OH,im sorry, let me get my bigger gun...

unreal?

[Gopher Slayer]

Originally Posted by Dezfan

Loaded.

What good is an empty mag?

It's as useful as an empty staple gun or a cordless drill with no battery.

[987girl]

all weapons loaded and chambered, magazines are loaded and ready to go in our household.

[ChopperBill]

Blade in my pocket knife. Bullets in my mags.

[Delos]

I hate to be a bother. But we really need some logic herein.

Springs do get weak under compression - but it takes a long time and depends on the quality of the spring. Why is it that no-one makes a gauge that you can push down inside a magazine to measure how weak it is getting?

Blood cannot be cleaned up until after the forensics (lab people) come to check it, hopefully at least the next day. (Cleaning up a crime scene is verboten) Meaning you really do not want much blood on good floor or expensive carpet because it will dry there.

Every Perry Mason show my wife ever watched the District Attorney was wrong. So I am very worried about being the first guy accused. I want any crime scene to be so obvious that even the DA in Perry Mason reruns could comprehend the possibilities.

And any bullets going into other apartments or houses tend to cause expensive lawsuits.

All that said - it appears one needs some control of how much the assailant bleeds (minimum necessary force). A 22 rimfire hollow point is not likely to leave an exit hole which helps.

Lots of cartridges in the magazine means you might be able to stop firing after one shot, or you might need many if he is wasted on drugs and/or crazy.

You people are going to force me to unload my 12 gauge full of BB shot and lock it up. One of those new fangled 15-22 rifles is sounding better and better.

[Jyezahn]

If it means me and my family are alive, then I don't care how much blood is on my floor or walls. That can always be cleaned up. You only get one life. Defend it as if... well, your life depended on it.

[Buckskinner]

Spring will wear more when loading/unloading than if left compressed. They will be damaged if compressed more than what they are designed for or if they are stretched. So moral of the story is don't sweat it, leave them loaded unless pulling the trigger.

[ARGH]

keep one mag loaded for home defense. load them with cci velocitors. at close home defense range, and especially indoors engaging in halways and rooms, the 1400 fps 40 grain hollow points will rip the intruder apart and you don't have to worry about overpenetration or blowing out your ear drums or going blind from muzzle flash at night.

[515DSM]

Im in no way saying that blood is an issue or that i wouldnt use deadly force all that i am saying is that relying on a .22 for self defense is not only ineffective but by choosing a .22 over a larger caliber round is unethical.

Handgun Cartridge Type ..................... Hatcher Rating
.45 ACP jacketed hollow point 230 grain ...... 60.7
.40 S&W jacketed hollow point 180 grain ....... 59.4
9 millimeter jacketed hollow point 147 grain ... 39.9
.380 Auto jacketed hollow point 95 grain ..... 18.3
.22 Long Rifle jacketed hollow point 40 grain ... 4.2

[Shooterjgs]

Thread got a little side tracked here... but defending my family or loved ones I would even use a baseball bat... don't know how many fps that is and don't care how inhumane or unethical it is when it comes to defending my family...

[Jyezahn]

Originally Posted by 515DSM

Im in no way saying that blood is an issue or that i wouldnt use deadly force all that i am saying is that relying on a .22 for self defense is not only ineffective but by choosing a .22 over a larger caliber round is unethical.

Handgun Cartridge Type ..................... Hatcher Rating
.45 ACP jacketed hollow point 230 grain ...... 60.7
.40 S&W jacketed hollow point 180 grain ....... 59.4
9 millimeter jacketed hollow point 147 grain ... 39.9
.380 Auto jacketed hollow point 95 grain ..... 18.3
.22 Long Rifle jacketed hollow point 40 grain ... 4.2

Sorry, I have to disagree with a .22 being ineffective and unethical. .223 is not much larger and is considered to be pretty darn effective and humane by the Geneva Conventions. Albeit, a .223 has a lot more powder, the hole is still pretty small and expansion is minimal compared to a .22. That being said, I'll take ANY projectile (yes, even a GBB airsoft) over yelling and harsh language to defend myself.

ON TOPIC: That is why I leave my magazines loaded. I also leave my M&P 40c in condition 1 and magazines fully loaded. So whenever someone comes in, I have 200 rds of .22 and 35 rds of .40 JHP ready to go.

[Scopes]

I imagine we have some older vets here who could answer this question accurately. My guess would be keeping them loaded and NOT using them would have an effect due to the spring compression over a period of time. But none of us do that, so the point is moot.

[Jyezahn]

I'll say this, the longest I've personally ever had a magazine loaded and left alone is just shy of 26 months. I had two fully loaded 30rd mags for my issued M-16 that I ended up not turning in after deployment due to paperwork mix-up. I forgot about them for a while, found them and took them on a deployment two years later and was able to fire them off without a hitch while deployed.

[Scopes]

Originally Posted by Jyezahn

I'll say this, the longest I've personally ever had a magazine loaded and left alone is just shy of 26 months. I had two fully loaded 30rd mags for my issued M-16 that I ended up not turning in after deployment due to paperwork mix-up. I forgot about them for a while, found them and took them on a deployment two years later and was able to fire them off without a hitch while deployed.

Well that answers that.

[Rundover]

The answer is loaded, all of them. I do not discriminate. Every gun mag is loaded so I can deside which is the best defence in a home invasion. One intruder may see a 45 wheres three might see a Glock More than three might be up against a 15-22 with multiable LOADED mags because I am fare and believe each deserves an equal amount of justice. So if someone breaks in they have no respect and therefore they get no respect. If it isn't loaded it's stolen, don't be a victim.

[richeyo2]

All my mags for all firearms are loaded & ready to go....Only mags not loaded are the ones still new in package.

Never had a problem related to leaving mags loaded in the past. ever.

[rhinoh]

I've got mags that have been loaded 38 YEARS and still work fine!
All my mags for all my weapons remain loaded 24x7.
Oh and "respect" for a bad guy? Get real.

[CrazyFingers]

Originally Posted by Scopes

My guess would be keeping them loaded and NOT using them would have an effect due to the spring compression over a period of time.

You would guess wrong. Springs wear out from repeated compression/decompression cycles, not from static compression. I don't know why people think this. There are so many examples of other products with compressed springs that work fine after long-term storage or disuse, but for some reason people think that magazines are different.

[Garand Man]

+1 on the last comment...
Continual/Continuous spring compression does nothing damaging to a spring... have had mags loaded for years...no problems ever....

Loaded mags... the only way to fly.!!!!!!!!!! otherwise you mad had well just throw them at your adversary.!!!!

Paul

[rem06]

Thread got a little side tracked here... but defending my family or loved ones I would even use a baseball bat...

WHAT? A BASEBALL BAT? GOOD GOD THAT WOULD HURT AND MAKE THE INTRUDER SCREAM!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT ETHICAL!!!

my 12guage 1187 with 00 Buck is ETHICAL!!! DUH! that wont wake up the children and he wont scream either!@
thats ethical ! LMAO!

the winner tells the story! and lives!

[mcweb13]

Michigan transporting loaded mags is considered transporting a loaded gun . So my range mags empty i have two mags coupled together in the rifle for home defense (waiting for my pistol to cone in). I live in a small apartment with two babies so i dont need the deafining sound of a shotgun going off. And for you who say a .22 isnt a good home defense round thats bs. Im pretty sure 25 40 grain hollow points to sumones chest will do.

[CrazyFingers]

Originally Posted by mcweb13

And for you who say a .22 isnt a good home defense round thats bs.

.22LR is not a good self-defense round.
It's better than a pointy stick, and solid is better than HP (penetration).
This topic has been beaten to death. Please check some of the other dozens of threads for further information.