loaded magazines long term?

[G.T. Smith]

I bought a new Colt Government .45 a while back. I read somewhere that leaving the magazine loaded for long periods of time will weaken the spring in the mag. I had a Jennings .380 one time and after I sold the gun I found the other magazine still fully loaded, 13 rounds, 15 years later. The magazine spring seemed fine to me. Surely Jennings mags don't have a special spring as the rest of the gun wasn't that great. I would think the only time a spring wears is when it is compressed then decompressed. I also have a Colt .25 that had been loaded for God knows how long and it is fine. Just wondering because I like to keep a couple of loaded magazines for my autos but I sure don't want to weaken the spring although they seem pretty stiff being new.
Your thoughts are appreciated,
Peace,
gordon

 

[Muss Muggins]

Several discussions about this. Kinda like the safety/no safety, lock/no lock, and one in the pipe/one not in the pipe . . .

 

[G.T. Smith]

OK

Several discussions about this. Kinda like the safety/no safety, lock/no lock, and one in the pipe/one not in the pipe . . .

Yeah I get that. My 1911 has 3 safety's, no lock, and I carry it cocked and locked with "one in the "pipe", as you say. Just wondering about the mag springs actually.
peace,
gordon

 

[gregintenn]

Conventional wisdom dictates that the compression/decompression cycle is what weakens a spring. Storing a spring compressed loaded magazine) is thought to have about the same effect as storing a magazine empty.

 

[Rpg]

I routinely leave 1911 magazines fully loaded: some for many years.

A couple years ago I discovered a few magazines that had been loaded in 1980.

I took two to the range and ran them through my pistol. They both functioned flawlessly.

I have one left I'm 'saving ' to shoot sometime in the future.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Duplicate post. Oops . . .

 

[Muss Muggins]

Yeah I get that. My 1911 has 3 safety's, no lock, and I carry it cocked and locked with "one in the "pipe", as you say. Just wondering about the mag springs actually.
peace,
gordon

Perhaps you missed my point. There are about 20 threads on your question. A simple search of the forum would answer your every concern about keeping mags loaded (or not) . . . And there are as many opinions about keeping mags loaded as there are posters . . .

 

[RobzGuns]

Yup... If you want the 'know How' about it, Do a search and you'll find some of the scientific/engineering fact on modern day (post WWII actually) springs.
In a nut shell... Leaving them compressed does not wear out springs... 'Exercising' (repeated loading/unloading) them does.

 

[Hapworth]

Perhaps you missed my point. There are about 20 threads on your question. A simple search of the forum would answer your every concern about keeping mags loaded (or not) . . . And there are as many opinions about keeping mags loaded as there are posters . . .

And perhaps you missed his point: if you're going to bother posting, why not be constructive; remind him that a search is useful, and concisely share what conclusions you've arrived at on the subject.

 

[Muss Muggins]

And perhaps you missed his point: if you're going to bother posting, why not be constructive; remind him that a search is useful, and concisely share what conclusions you've arrived at on the subject.

Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever . . .

 

[gregintenn]

Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever . . .

This IS a gun forum; not a fishing forum.

 

[RobzGuns]

Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever . . .

No... Use the Search feature for a man and he gets one answer. Teach a man to use the Search feature and he'll find most (if not all) his answers.
(couldn't resist)

But then... If everyone always used the search function to answer their own questions, this forum would be a pretty dull place (and probably nothing but bunch of Zombie Threads).

 

[Comrad]

I'm hungry

 

[RobzGuns]

Hungry for.... FISH??

 

[Muss Muggins]

No... Use the Search feature for a man and he gets one answer. Teach a man to use the Search feature and he'll find most (if not all) his answers.
(couldn't resist)

But then... If everyone always used the search function to answer their own questions, this forum would be a pretty dull place (and probably nothing but bunch of Zombie Threads).

But what would we do with all the popcorn?

 

[Hapworth]

Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever . . .

I like Chinese proverbs, too; chiding OP because his question's been discussed, then equating it with some truly dead horses doesn't make for much of a teaching.

 

[Road Rat]

OMG....

You can't load the magazines until you are ready to fire!!

You certainly do not want to use those magazine springs any more than you have to!!

 

[loeman]

I recently bought a 4006 that came with one extra mag. The gun appeared to have never been used. Perfect condition in every way. However, when I took it to the range it had failures to feed with both mags. The failures occurred on the last round of both mags. When I was replacing the mag springs with new ones I noted the new ones were a full two inches longer than the old. The new springs fixed the problem. I attributed the problem (correctly or incorrectly) to the mags being fully loaded and left in a drawer or on a night stand for about 20 years.

 

[Hapworth]

I recently bought a 4006 that came with one extra mag. The gun appeared to have never been used. Perfect condition in every way. However, when I took it to the range it had failures to feed with both mags. The failures occurred on the last round of both mags. When I was replacing the mag springs with new ones I noted the new ones were a full two inches longer than the old. The new springs fixed the problem. I attributed the problem (correctly or incorrectly) to the mags being fully loaded and left in a drawer or on a night stand for about 20 years.

If the original springs weren't high quality, you may well be right.

 

[chief38]

In the 50 years I have been shooting (started at 11) I have NEVER personally seen a Magazine spring that had worn out due to being compressed for any amount of time. Yea, I have read about it from time to time, but never actually witnessed one.

When my Dad passed away he had a few Gov't issue 1911 Mag's (WWll era) loaded with 7 rounds of Ball ammo for an extremely long time (I'd guess 30-40 years maybe longer judging from the concave shaped primers). I took them to he Range and shot them along with the ammo in them and all functioned 100%. I use these Mag's all time now and the springs in them are actually stiffer and more robust than my new commercial magazines. I can only assume that the Military wanted to make sure they did not fail to push up a new round even when muddy and dirty.

 

[Alpo]

I recently bought a 4006 that came with one extra mag. The gun appeared to have never been used. Perfect condition in every way. However, when I took it to the range it had failures to feed with both mags. The failures occurred on the last round of both mags. When I was replacing the mag springs with new ones I noted the new ones were a full two inches longer than the old. The new springs fixed the problem. I attributed the problem (correctly or incorrectly) to the mags being fully loaded and left in a drawer or on a night stand for about 20 years.

Buy two new springs. Magazine springs, recoil springs, hammer springs, it don't matter - buy two new ones.

Install one in the gun. Shoot the gun for three or four hundred rounds. Remove the spring. Compare it to the other one you bought, still new in the package. It will be shorter.

When you first put a spring into use, it takes its "working set" (for lack of a better term). They all get shorter.


What puzzles me is how so many people are worried about leaving the magazine loaded, so that the spring will fail, and the SECOND round will not make it into the gun. The SECOND round is the top one the magazine - the FIRST round is already in the chamber.

So all these folks are worried about the magazine failing and the SECOND round not chambering, but no one worries about the hammer spring failing (cocked and locked, remember. Spring completely compressed) so that the FIRST round does not fire. Me - if I was gonna be worried about a spring - I'd be worried about that one.