Interest in extra capacity, lifetime magazine springs?

[MassiveOverkill]

How many of you would buy/replace your magazine springs with something that would last the life of you/your gun? In addition to a flat wire spring greatly outlasting a stock round coil spring there are other benefits:

Compressed height should be much less, which means you should be able to get +1 mag capacity without having to replace your follower. For those that don't need an added round, it should be easier to load the last few rounds it should be easier as you're not fighting that almost-binding increased tension with stock springs.

Uncompressed tension should be greater than stock, so on that last round, you should have more pressure than stock to engage the slide lock. More consistent pressure throughout the range of the spring.

 

[Protocall_Design]

What guns are these made for and where do we get them?

 

[MassiveOverkill]

I bought a flat wire buffer spring for my AR 15 and noticed that David Tubbs also makes them for AR 15 magazines: Shooting Illustrated | David Tubb's AR-15 Flatwire Magazine Spring I've already asked David if he could make them for the Shield, but he says he has manufacturing subbed out (I don't know why this would matter, just tell your manufacturer what you need). Wilson combat makes them for the 1911 but nothing for the Shield: Flat-Wire Spring/Follower Kit | ETM 8rd. .45 ACP Full-Size-http://shopwilsoncombat.com/

I was going to contact them but their website is buggered: Contact – Wilson Combat

I'm willing to have them made if none of the available manufacturers will do so........I think there's a good potential in the subcompact market.

 

[kstud]

Personally, I don't think there's going to be a huge market for aftermarket springs.

The overwhelming majority of firearm owners are not enthusiasts and many purchase firearms without ever firing a round.

Additionally, SW along with other firearm manufacturers offers lifetime warranty (magazine included) and I feel more comfortable sticking with OEM products.

What you are describing is similar to Magguts springs for the Shield with some variations.

In regards to difficulty loading, a $30 uplula universal loader completely solves that issue.

+1 round is a nice addition but I don't know if that's enough to sway a large number of people to switch springs from OEM to after market.

 

[Shield9mm]

mag springs are not on my priorities, when they get old I would just sell them for cheap, and buy new ones.

 

[JAREDSHS]

lets see---I started shooting hand guns in 1955, I don't think I have worn out a spring yet.....,.

 

[robertrwalsh]

It is very hard to wear out or set a magazine spring. Colt has some .45 magazines they loaded back in the 1920s just to test this (so I am told by a gunsmithing instructor who used to work for them). Every couple of years they break one out and shoot it to check for function. So far there have been zero failures. Also it is not uncommon to find a pistol or even a SMG laying around in Europe that was around loaded since WWII. So far the ones I have heard of (maybe three or four) that have been tested also worked just fine.

If it makes you feel better, change them. Just don't loose any sleep over it.

 

[Dave Nowlin]

Actually I have converted all my 1911s to flat wire recoil springs. My Sig 938 also has them. I would be interested in a flat wire mag spring. I once had a boss who had a full auto Mac10 that wouldn't function properly I got him a new mag spring and it worked fine. Mag springs do fail. They get weak over time and sometimes have problems bringing the rounds up as fast as the gun cycles. In fact Bill Wilson recommends 160 to 185 grain Barnes bullets for 4 inch and shorter 1911s. He wrote an interesting article about it. I carry 160 +P Barnes in my 45 Shield.

 

[RobzGuns]

My oldest semiautomatics are a WWII issue P-38 and a 1989 G19. they are both still using the original springs (both recoil and mags).

It seems like most (if not all) modern day springs pretty much are 'lifetime' springs (for most Non-Competitive shooters).

 

[walkin' trails]

Then we'd need lifetime followers and magazine bodies. I don't know enough about the designed to say that flat wire would last longer in magazine applications. What kills an otherwise good spring is the regular cycling If you shoot a lot, you will wear them out, along with the rest of the components that make up a magazine. The closest to lifetime springs I've found so far come from Wolff. I have yet to need to replace one.

 

[McE]

Don't let all these debbie downers persuade you away from the idea of making something totally unnecessary.

The market is full of **** that no one really 'needs', and that's where marketing comes in. As long as you can convince enough people there's a benefit to your product, whether real or theoretical, you'll have a customer base.

 

[MassiveOverkill]

Toolguy and Dave Nowlin, would you be interested in being beta testers if I can make this happen?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Finding LIFETIME mag or recoil springs may be possible for some guns and impossible for others... Spring life is probably more dependent on the mag's design than the spring's design.

Note: the following comments are based on extended discussions on other forums, where experts (including a couple of metallurgists) have provided data, links to technical websites, and their own knowledge to the discussions.​

I'm not an expert, but have compiled their comments.

Wolff Springs on their website (Gunsprings.com) talks about a spring's elastic limits, which is the point beyond which the spring loses the ability to function properly) and how that affects spring life and begins to rapidly deteriorate (through micro-fractures in the metal. (This happens with almost ANY material, not just metal: wood, rubber, glass, etc. It's just something you may notice more often in steel -- when springs lose their ability to do work.)

A 1911 7-round mag, when fully loaded, isn't close to being fully compressed, and not close to it's elastic limit. Those mags can be kept loaded for 70+ years without a problem. An 18+ round high-cap mag spring, when the mag is fully loaded, is probably at or near it's "elastic" limit.

WORKING a spring can cause wear. Leaving a spring compressed can (but not WILL) cause wear. In either case, it depends how close to the springs elastic limit the spring is, when compressed (either while working, as in a recoil spring, or when stored or carried, as with a mag spring.) If a spring never gets compressed to its elastic limit (as in the 1911 7-rounder, mentioned above), it can live a very long life. If the spring is greatly compressed (and reaches or exceeds that design limit), as is the case with some hi-cap mags -- and mag and recoil springs in very small high caliber guns, the spring may not live as long.

Leaving a hi-cap mag fully loaded can accelerate spring wear with some mag designs, but not all. (Wollf Springs recommends down-loading a round or two for long-term storage with hi-cap mags.) Mags from WWII 1911s have been left fully loaded for many decades and continue to function properly.

Your best bet: shoot your gun regularly, and when you start to notice mag-related issues (sometimes feeding problems), install new mag springs. (If it doesn't fix the problem, it wasn't mag springs! ) The gun maker or Wolff Springs generally will have what you need.

 

[Radco]

I am not worried about spring life ,but a extra round at a good price would be nice You never know how well it will work till you try it

 

[Arik]

lets see---I started shooting hand guns in 1955, I don't think I have worn out a spring yet.....,.

This is how I see it. While I haven't been shooting since 55 I have yet to wear out springs and some of my rifle mags have gone through wars and conflicts. Still keep on going. Springs are the least of my concerns

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[joe44va]

Quite a few years ago, at least 10, I bought a belt with 30 carbine 15 round mags in it. 4 of them were full. I don't know how long they sat in the owners basement loaded, nor did he. Headstamp was 43. I shot two mags and they worked fine. I've never had a mag issue related to the springs, although I'm primarily a revolver fan, in 60 years of shooting.