How long to you leave a mag loaded?

[Hawghauler]

How long do you keep rounds in your mags for your carry guns and do you give it a break and unload. I imagine there is a shelf life on mag springs. A penny for your thoughts.

 

[TSU45]

As long as I want. I buy quality mags with quality springs. They won't wear out from staying loaded, it is the cycling of a spring that wears it out.

 

[kingofwylietx]

I keep them loaded until I hit the range. Afterwards, I load them back up and the cycle continues. If you have a mag spring get weak, you will eventually begin to see a malfunction (I believe it's most likely a failure to feed). If that happens, change out the spring or buy a new mag. I have a couple of mags that I've kept in this cycle for many years, they still function flawlessly. I can tell the difference between them and one of my newer mags, but they have not caused any problems.



I wouldn't expect the springs to last forever, but they last an awefully looong time (unless they were weak from the factory, of poor workmanship, or had a defect).

 

[cuate]

Gynocologist: Spreader of old wive's tales....I have kept magazines fully loaded for long periods of time, never had a spring failure from being compressed, failure comes from fatigue of springs. But somebody previously already said that...

 

[Seabear1500]

I keep them loaded till emptied, and them load them up again.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

So it seems that everybody is of the consensus that even staying FULLY loaded for a year at a time does no damge to a magazine???

 

[Seabear1500]

no damage in any of mine, now cheap mags might differ due to weake lips.

 

[navyguy]

So it seems that everybody is of the consensus that even staying FULLY loaded for a year at a time does no damge to a magazine???

From what I've read, a year is no big deal. Then again, springs are cheap so changing out the ones that have been loaded a couple of years isn't a big expense, so maybe I should start doing that.

I rather enjoy working on my guns, but for some reason, disassembling and cleaning mags seems like work.

 

[M. Sage]

So it seems that everybody is of the consensus that even staying FULLY loaded for a year at a time does no damge to a magazine???

Ask a metallurgist. He'll tell you that there's no way, no how that it will damage the spring.

Springs wear out by being loaded and unloaded time and again (there are a couple other ways, but fatigue is the main killer of mag springs). A constant load will not wear them out.

Think of it like this: your car's springs are currently under load. In fact, they're constantly under load! How often do car springs wear out just from sitting around? Never.

You can leave a mag loaded pretty much forever without any spring issues, so long as it doesn't rust. Ditto with hammer/striker springs in firearms - you don't have to dry-fire your gun before you put it away.

As someone else eluded to, some mags are prone to feed lip failure if left loaded for long periods of time. STANAG (M16) mags are notorious for their weak feed lips. There is a reason for the cover on P-Mags - it supports the feed lips to keep them from spreading open over time when the mag is left loaded. If you have a good quality steel mag, like most pistol mags or an AK mag there won't be an issue.

So as long as your mag body can hold up, feel free to load up and leave it that way for a hundred years if you want. If you keep it from rusting and store the ammo properly, your great grandkids will insert the mag and it'll work 100%.

 

[F350-6]

I bought a Browning Hi Power 15 years ago. I stuck 12 rounds in a 13 round magazine and put the mag in the closet. I pulled that magazine out this year and decided to try it out compared to the other magazines I have for the Hi Power.

After a couple of hundred rounds through the 15 yr. loaded mag, I have found no difference between it and any of the other mags I left unloaded or rotated. Based on my unscientific testing, I'd recommend emptying the magazine at least once every 15 years.

 

[87'vette]

Load away, an empty mag is useless.

 

[jagged97]

here ya go. good article from "American Handgunner".

Magazine spring madness: 'creep' to your 'elastic limit' to un-earth the urban legend of 'spring-set' | American Handgunner | Find Articles at BNET

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Good to know, thanks......

 

[texas_teacher]

Load away, an empty mag is useless.

Exactly...

 

[TexZaa]

1911 mag loaded for 27 years

I bought a magazine around 1982 that is kept loaded continuously. It still works. The others that I bought during the same time were thrown away because of bent lips. Springs will outlast lips.

 

[Nate C]

Years and years with no adverse effects noted.

 

[kingofwylietx]

here ya go. good article from "American Handgunner".

Magazine spring madness: 'creep' to your 'elastic limit' to un-earth the urban legend of 'spring-set' | American Handgunner | Find Articles at BNET

Dude, that's not cool. You just made me spend an hour going through all those articles while I was supposed to be working. Tsk, Tsk.

 

[thorkyl]

Last night I fired every round with no issue from a mag I loaded when I first bought my 1911 in 1997.

So I think its safe to say that a 12 year period on a factory mag is ok.

I have one other one that is waiting for the 15 year time frame so I will let you know how it works in three years.

 

[tex45acp]

Mine only stay loaded for a month.......since every month I go to the range and empty them. Of course they are reloaded before I leave the range. I usually shoot a minimum of 50 rounds at the range. The longest I have had them loaded without emptying them is for 3 months, after I had a stent put into my heart.

tex

 

[TrailDust]

As long as I want. I buy quality mags with quality springs. They won't wear out from staying loaded, it is the cycling of a spring that wears it out.

Ditto that. I've been using my Beretta Model 84 in my nightstand for 25 years now with both clips fully loaded, and the springs are just as strong as the day I bought it. Never had an issue with springs wearing out on any weapon.