Does the spring in a magazine ever loose it's tension? If so what's a reasonable amount of time to keep it loaded and be confident in it being reliable? Should they be unloaded and reloaded periodically? How about maintainance? Anything that shoud be done?
Thanks,

Use the search function and you'll find the answers to your questions.

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

You will usually have feed problems if the spring has loss tension. You can purchase replacement springs for a couple of bucks or buy a new magazine.

Mag sould be kept clean inside and lubed, as for keeping them loaded, my mags are fully loaded when loaded. I dont worry about spring tension that much becouse i check my mags so often to make sure there still good, and if they do need replaceing i replace them. They were made for 11/15 rounds so they get that many, thats just me.

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Boomer Sooner

There are many misconceptions about magazine springs. If you load your magazine to full capacity and leave it loaded for a year, you are not doing any damage to it. You are simply using it as it was designed to be used. Springs wear from cycles, not from being left compressed, and they are damaged by over-compression. i.e., trying to stuff an extra round in a magazine beyond the designed limit.

Bottom line, your magazines will provide you with years, or more likely decades, of reliable service with little or no maintenance. Wipe the crud off them occasionally, clean the insides if you drop them in sand or water, and don't worry about it.

Could not have said it better my self.

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Boomer Sooner

Dragon88 summed it up pretty good. I wouldn't put any lube on the inside of the mag, clean and dry is what you want here.

Wolff supplies excellent replacement springs and even that company recommends storing mags a couple of rounds short of full.

Springs take a "set' when stored under compression, so new ones will always appear longer than used ones, but that doesn't mean the old ones are bad. Mags also collect a lot of gunk and residue and must be cleaned from time to time. Never use a wet lube, as it will only collect gunk worse. I use a dry lube spray, a quick, light application. Never had a mag issue myself.

I'm pretty sure that Dragon88 has it right. A good friend of mine came into possession of a loaded military .45 ACP magazine in the sixties. It had been brought back from WWI (that's one, as in won), along with a 1911 that disappeared in transit. I believe that it was given to him by the widow of the fellow who had transported it back to the States. It had been loaded for forty-some years. He stuck it into his own 1911, and fired all seven rounds. It worked just like Browning intended it to work.

When you begin to experience malfunctions, specifically on the last round in the magazine, that is probably indicative of a tired magazine spring.

Thanks to all who replied. What a great place this is to get all my questions answered----and I don't even have to get off the couch.

I always load 1 round short of a full mag but that is just me.

A lot of the newer magazine designs over compress the springs to get the most rounds possible in them. I have a USP that sits next to my bed that was bought new in 2006 and has less than 500rds through it, it's magazine has always been loaded, took it to the range the other day and it wont feed the last round now. Springs that remain in a compressed state for long periods of time can lose their stiffness. This also happens with valve springs in motors that sit for long periods of time. Real world facts.

I have owned my 6906 since manufacture. It has always been kept with a full magazine. Last time at the range, I asked my GS if he thought it was an issue with the spring..No..he said magazine springs become an issue when the firearm is used on a daily/weekly basis at a range. Shooting creates the issue, leaving it loaded doesn't.

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Firearms and Saltwater Fishing