Do You Keep Mag's Loaded or Unloaded

[seb5thman]

How do you keep your magazines? Loaded, unloaded, partially? I usually keep my mag's unloaded, but after a day at the range last week I decided to keep them partially loaded. I have three mag's that I am keeping loaded: 1-with 10 rounds, 1-with 15 rounds, and 1-with 20 rounds to determine if there are any feeding issues.
Anybody have any issues with keeping the mag fully loaded?

 

[Dragon88]

You can keep magazines fully loaded for as long as you want. Springs wear from cycles, not compression, so you aren't causing any harm.

Remember that deployed military, LEOs, etc. keep their magazines fully loaded every single day of the year.

 

[PHB]

I rotate my defense ammo mags out about ounce a year and have extra mags for range time,

 

[24spenser]

The military HAS to keep theirs loaded for obvious reasons, not to mention that their mags don't cost them personal $$.

As a LEO, I rotate my mags and keep the spares partially loaded. Same with my personal def pistols. I was always taught that full compression is not good over the long haul. Your 15-22 is not for personal def so I see no good reason to keep 'em fully loaded. You can always load them the day before you know you're headed to the range. Just my 2 cents.

 

[.45mtngun]

I rotate my mags on the guns for immediate use every 6 months. For the guns that i'm not carrying, but want for easy and quick access, I load them down by one if they seat easy with the slide foreward. If they seat easy with the slide foreward topped off, then thats the way they stay loaded. Carry mags are always topped off when in use. If for some reason you have to reload in a serious situation, more than likely you'll already be in slide lock so a topped off mag will work just fine. Hope this helps.

 

[olskool]

there has been mags loaded since ww2 that shot with no problems at all. thinking that keeping them loaded will hurt springs is bull. how about coil or flat springs in guns that have tention on them for 100 years and they work fine. like dragon88 said working the springs is what makes them weak. i rebuild transmissions some from the 50s and up to todays units, and the valve body in them is full of springs that never break.

 

[JJEH]

The self defense mags are ALWAYS loaded.

The other mags are unloaded.

 

[kbm6893]

there has been mags loaded since ww2 that shot with no problems at all. thinking that keeping them loaded will hurt springs is bull. how about coil springs in guns that have tention on them for 100 years and they work fine. like dragon88 said working the springs is what makes them weak. i rebuild transmissions some from the 50s and up to todays units, and the valve body in them is full of springs that never break.

Single stack mags like the .45, maybe. double stack mags are different. I keep my home gun downloaded by one round. 14 rounds of 9MM are enough for me. There are alwsys 2 opinions on this topic. I err on the side of caution and download by one.

 

[chuck s]

The only benefit in "downloading" magazines is you're carrying less ammunition... Good magazines (such as USGI M16 magazines) can be fully loaded for decades without problems.

But the question of the M&P15-22 magazines qualifying as good is still not totally determined.

-- Chuck

 

[Dragon88]

Magazines are made to work at their maximum capacity. You aren't stressing the spring by loading a 15 round magazine to 15 rounds, it's designed for it. By downloading a round, all you are doing is carrying one less round.

 

[Majorlk]

The military HAS to keep theirs loaded for obvious reasons, not to mention that their mags don't cost them personal $$.

As a LEO, I rotate my mags and keep the spares partially loaded. Same with my personal def pistols. I was always taught that full compression is not good over the long haul. Your 15-22 is not for personal def so I see no good reason to keep 'em fully loaded. You can always load them the day before you know you're headed to the range. Just my 2 cents.

Bad info. It is the flexing of a spring that causes problems. Fully compressed has no more effect upon magazines than being empty. I have mags that are only empty as long as it take to reload. Some have been loaded continuously for over five years.

 

[24spenser]

^ I prefer to not run the risk of potentially unwarranted wear and tear on these plastic mags. I'll load mine the day before or day of. Not to be confused with on-duty or self def pistols.

 

[photoracer]

You know when I bought my AR15-22 PC I was told to load the mags full for 24 hours to flex the springs. I took 3-25s with me to the Ruger Rimfire WC but while I was in NM I decided to get a couple more. The original 3 I loaded full for 24 hours the night before but the last 2 I did not bother to do even right before the event. Turns out it was just some urban legend in my book. All 5 mags performed flawlessly during the event.
But here in the Peoples Republic of Maryland it is supposedly illegal to carry loaded mags in your car, at least if they are in the same case as your gun. So I never load them before a match.