Magazine question
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Today's springs will not take a set, springs will ware out by being compressed and then released to often.
That being said I would follow Jeff Coopers advise from the 1960's. "I change my magazines the first of the month when I pay my bills."
That being said I would follow Jeff Coopers advise from the 1960's. "I change my magazines the first of the month when I pay my bills."
airman
WW II Vet
Old Bear's answer is as good as any I've read.
Magazines can stay fully loaded for months, even years. New ones are usually a little stiff and can't take that last bullet but if left as full as practical and allowed to set for, say, a week, they'll probably loosen enough for that last round.
My carry is as full as it can get, all the time.
Magazines can stay fully loaded for months, even years. New ones are usually a little stiff and can't take that last bullet but if left as full as practical and allowed to set for, say, a week, they'll probably loosen enough for that last round.
My carry is as full as it can get, all the time.
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I recently inherited 8 of my Dad's WWll era Mag's. two of which he kept loaded for at least 45 - 50 years and they still function perfectly. I had my doubts, but they have not causes a FTF or a jam yet. In fact, the springs actually seem stronger than the modern ones I have. Go figure!
Chief38
Chief38
stacy06
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I have been told, on more than one occasion, leave them empty or fully loaded. It is the loading and unloading that weakens the springs.
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The ONLY magazine that I EVER had an issue with was a 30 round WWll era .30 Carbine Magazine. It would not reliably feed the last round or two. I did replace that spring and now all is well. I would like to mention that it was a new GI magazine made in the 1940's and was never loaded!
Chief38
Chief38
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Is a revolver or semi auto better? 9mm or .45? This is one of those things I have noticed.
Probably would not hurt to cycle your pistol every month or so to make sure its still feeding. A great excuse to go shooting
Probably would not hurt to cycle your pistol every month or so to make sure its still feeding. A great excuse to go shooting
elm_creek_smith
US Veteran
Never had the cylinders in my revolvers take a set, either. 
ECS
ECS
We were told in armorer class back in the late 90's that S&W kept a lot of magazines fully loaded in their vaults for long term testing. They removed and tested them periodically. We were told that they'd gone out past 10 years and found normal function in some of their 59XX magazines.
The recommended method we were shown for testing magazine springs back then consisted of taking a fully loaded magazine, holding it upright (mag lips facing upward), with the nose of the top round facing forward (away from the armorer) ... and then briskly snapping/shaking the magazine forward a few times, as if trying to shake water off the top of the mag, to see if the top round could be dislodged by this motion. If it could, time for a new mag spring.
However, in the early 2000's they changed their armorer recommendation for duty guns to replacing recoil & mag springs either every 5 years or every 5,000 rounds fired, whichever occurred first (with the presumption that duty mags were being left fully loaded all the time for that 5 year period).
The instructor acknowledged that this was probably a conservative recommendation, intended to err on the side of safety when it came to duty pistols that needed to demonstrate optimal reliability (and probably under adverse and difficult conditions).
I've run some 9mm range mags for many years, constantly loading/unloading them (which creates wear on them). Most of them ran fine. Some didn't, failing to feed the last couple or few rounds.
I've also had duty mags (constantly loaded, but not used for excessive range work) start to fail to lock the slide back on an empty mag, as well as start to fail to feed the last round or two. Not a good thing. Better to have it happen on the range, instead of off the range, though, when good feeding might be critical, right?
So ... over the years I've decided that it's better to err on the conservative side of things, and I prefer to replace my mag (and recoil) springs on my 3rd gen guns at least as soon as recommended in the armorer classes, if not sooner.
Besides, we started issuing +P+ and then +P loads instead of the standard pressure 147gr loads as time passed. Those can produce increased slide velocities, which can not only accelerate wear on the recoil spring, but the resulting increased slide velocities are "less tolerant" of weakening mag springs when it comes to the springs having to keep the rounds up against the mag lips quickly enough for feeding to occur within the intended "timing".
In the greater scheme of things, mag & recoil springs pretty inexpensive, especially if you buy factory springs.
Then again, some folks like to run their tires so long that the belts are showing.
Probably doesn't allow for the same degree of traction in stopping and cornering when they're that worn, do they?
Just my thoughts.
The recommended method we were shown for testing magazine springs back then consisted of taking a fully loaded magazine, holding it upright (mag lips facing upward), with the nose of the top round facing forward (away from the armorer) ... and then briskly snapping/shaking the magazine forward a few times, as if trying to shake water off the top of the mag, to see if the top round could be dislodged by this motion. If it could, time for a new mag spring.
However, in the early 2000's they changed their armorer recommendation for duty guns to replacing recoil & mag springs either every 5 years or every 5,000 rounds fired, whichever occurred first (with the presumption that duty mags were being left fully loaded all the time for that 5 year period).
The instructor acknowledged that this was probably a conservative recommendation, intended to err on the side of safety when it came to duty pistols that needed to demonstrate optimal reliability (and probably under adverse and difficult conditions).
I've run some 9mm range mags for many years, constantly loading/unloading them (which creates wear on them). Most of them ran fine. Some didn't, failing to feed the last couple or few rounds.
I've also had duty mags (constantly loaded, but not used for excessive range work) start to fail to lock the slide back on an empty mag, as well as start to fail to feed the last round or two. Not a good thing. Better to have it happen on the range, instead of off the range, though, when good feeding might be critical, right?
So ... over the years I've decided that it's better to err on the conservative side of things, and I prefer to replace my mag (and recoil) springs on my 3rd gen guns at least as soon as recommended in the armorer classes, if not sooner.
Besides, we started issuing +P+ and then +P loads instead of the standard pressure 147gr loads as time passed. Those can produce increased slide velocities, which can not only accelerate wear on the recoil spring, but the resulting increased slide velocities are "less tolerant" of weakening mag springs when it comes to the springs having to keep the rounds up against the mag lips quickly enough for feeding to occur within the intended "timing".
In the greater scheme of things, mag & recoil springs pretty inexpensive, especially if you buy factory springs.
Then again, some folks like to run their tires so long that the belts are showing.
Probably doesn't allow for the same degree of traction in stopping and cornering when they're that worn, do they? Just my thoughts.
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