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dben002 said:
When getting new 12/15/or 17 round Mag's and loading them...
How long should you let them remain loaded before unloading them or should you keep them loaded all the time ?
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When I first got my M&P Shield 2.0, the magazines were super hard to load...this seems to be how a lot of S&W magazines are. Not a bad thing, but tough to load.

Anyways, I loaded mine up and let set for a week, before I took it to the range. Over time, they have got a little easier to deal with, but they are still stiff.
 
I load all new mags with dummy rounds.
Cycle them thru, then load the same live ammo,
and off to the range.
Do the same thing with new lever guns, or any firearm, if they
have not been used recently.
Of course they get inspected, and oiled as necessary, first.
Bows and arrows checked before each draw.
 
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I keep two mags loaded for the guns that are carried/shot often.
Two have rounds chambered, two, just mag in gun.
No kids in the house.

I check the OAL of rounds that have been chambered more
than once. With factory or my own, rarely have the bullets
moved.
 
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At least 24 hours fully loaded. That information was actually printed on the instructions for Wilson's 10 round single stack 1911 magazines. I bought several back when I was competing in USPSA matches. They arrived on Friday afternoon and I used them the next day. They were hard to load and did not feed reliably, then I read the instructions. They worked fine after I followed the instructions.
 
dben002 said:
When getting new 12/15/or 17 round Mag's and loading them...
How long should you let them remain loaded before unloading them or should you keep them loaded all the time ?
Click to expand...

The answer is YES. I have some magazines that have been fully loaded for several years. The three magazines that came in the case with my wife's M&P that is on her side of the bed are fully loaded. (That would be one heck of a home invasion). No worries although I suppose I could order some Wolff Extra Power Magazine Springs in case. The rest of the spare magazines are unloaded and basically in long term storage as a hedge against inflation and another Federal magazine capacity ban law.
 
BSA1 said:
The answer is YES. I have some magazines that have been fully loaded for several years. The three magazines that came in the case with my wife's M&P that is on her side of the bed are fully loaded. (That would be one heck of a home invasion). No worries although I suppose I could order some Wolff Extra Power Magazine Springs in case. The rest of the spare magazines are unloaded and basically in long term storage as a hedge against inflation and another Federal magazine capacity ban law.
Click to expand...


I have read varying opinions on storing loaded magazines but the general consensus seems to be that modern magazines are strong enough to be stored loaded for at least a couple of years with no damage so I hope that's correct cuz that's what I'm going to do
 
When I bought both my P365 and additional magazines they were a bear to load - especially the last few rounds! Today they are normal. For my Sig P365, I leave 5 magazines fully loaded all the time. They are my SHTF spare loaded mag's. They have also all been used a bit as I have 8,000+ rounds through the pistol now. That said, I did subsequently purchase an Uplula magazine loader as the first few thousand rounds were a bit tough on the fingers. While I still use the Uplula at the range for the Sig, I do load my SD carry ammo strictly by hand.

Everything I have read as written by metallurgists, spring makers, etc. tells me that springs get weaker and wear out from normal cycling, not from being loaded and left in that state.

When my Dad passed 17 years ago I found a bunch (3-4) of loaded USGI magazines made during WWll in one of his file cabinet drawers. They were all loaded with USGI ammo stamped 1946. When I took his WWll era Colt 1911 to the range the following month, every round and every magazine worked flawlessly! The springs do not feel weak at all.
 
I have every mag I own for all of my collection loaded, have been doing so for over 50 years, I had a dozen original Colt ar-15 20 rounders that are from a 1975 Colt AR loaded with surplus GI 5.56 dated 71+72 since 1975, last year I decided to see if they would cycle, every one of them cycled perfectly, reloaded them with newer vintage rounds and again they worked perfectly. Can springs go bad? I believe so, but quality springs, properly made ones should whether compressed or relaxed for many years should be fine, cycling springs thousands of times is what leads all springs eventually to failure
 
Mike said:
Magazine springs don't wear out from being loaded or unloaded......They wear out from CYCLING.
Click to expand...

chief38 said:
Everything I have read as written by metallurgists, spring makers, etc. tells me that springs get weaker and wear out from normal cycling, not from being loaded and left in that state.
Click to expand...
Exactly! With modern magazines (I'd say, made in the last 50 years or so) it doesn't make any difference at all if you store them loaded or unloaded. The springs do not wear out from being compressed (though they will take a slight set from new). They wear out as a result of cycling.
 
Mike said:
I have never given my auto magazines a thought......I just load "em" and shoot '"em".......Not worth worrying about. Magazine springs don't wear out from being loaded or unloaded......They wear out from CYCLING.
Click to expand...

FWIW, this is what I"ve read and been told by those who I presume to know much more than I know about spring longevity.
 
Here's what's more important than keeping them loaded, unloaded, cycling rounds, etc.
Number your mags.
Then go shoot them. It doesn't matter for modern mags.
I number mine to make sure if I have an issue like feed, failure to drop, etc., I can see if it's the mag, the gun, or me….

Way overthinking this.. like changing your oil at 3K because it's what you've always heard/done.
 
dajogejr said:
Here's what's more important than keeping them loaded, unloaded, cycling rounds, etc.
Number your mags.
Then go shoot them. It doesn't matter for modern mags.
I number mine to make sure if I have an issue like feed, failure to drop, etc., I can see if it's the mag, the gun, or me….

Way overthinking this.. like changing your oil at 3K because it's what you've always heard/done.
Click to expand...

I numbered my mag's (for my EDC) the day I bought them so they get cycled on a somewhat equal basis. I have 12 magazines for my P365 of which 6 are loaded all the time. The other 6 are still brand new in the original packaging.

Since I have a "few" 1911's ;) I have no less than 3-4 dozen magazines. Many are Colt's, some are Wilson Combat and the rest are USGI from different manufacturers made during the WW2 era. None of the springs have ever been replaced and all work 100% all the time. They have been used more than any magazines I own since my #1 shooting guns are 1911's.

I forgot to mention in the above post I made earlier that the Uplula magazine loader works an pretty much any caliber .380 or larger. What a useful tool!
 
chief38 said:
I forgot to mention in the above post I made earlier that the Uplula magazine loader works a pretty much any caliber .380 or larger. What a useful tool!
Click to expand...

I'm a 2011 guy.. and have had to make some minor mods to my Uplula for the 2011 9mm mags. The feed lips get caught when loading, but a simple file and 5 minutes of time cures that.
Otherwise… yep, don't go to the range without it.
 
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