Magazines - How many is too many?

[ReVrEnD_0341]

I have read that, from a metallurgic perspective, springs wear out from continual compression and decompression. Your saying that some springs do and some do not. I am new to all of this. Would you or someone else please explicate this topic.

Supposedly there are springs out there that do not wear out from continually being loaded. Springs in the Magpul PMag is one of them.

On a whim I took a dare from Pat and loaded up a PMag about a year and a half ago. It has been sitting there loaded, and untouched. It's time to test it out and shoot it. Just don't know of any ranges that will let me shoot FMJ.

CMC power mags are supposed to be the same way. I let one sit for 6 months and went to shoot it. I ended up with a mag that was full of failure to feed. I have done alot of these types of tests with mags. I've read all of the articles and such and decided to try it out. So far I have found, in my experience, that the articles are full of bull. Every mag I have ever done this type of testing on has ended up needing a new spring.

This goes double for the aluminum USGI, and steel HK mags. The springs in USGI mags get weak, and the feed lips start to spread. HK steel mags are just junk. Period.

 

[Starker]

The reason I ask is because I don't want to have the springs in my carry gun magazines crap out on me. My carry gun will be a G19 when my license comes in. Maybe I will just do a test on my own. I have two magazines that I have been leaving loaded with JHPs and two others I use at the range. I guess I will eventually find out which springs wear out first.

 

[lonewolf23c]

I've bought a few more guns, and my last pistol (Ruger SR9) I've found that the magazines for it are outrageously expensive $39-49 each. So I guess that gun is gonna have very few spare mags.

 

[streakpi]

Anyone hear of Walther P22 mags which have feeding issues? I bought one for my wife a year ago and it had feeding issues with supplied mags - the day I bought them. Don't know if it was the "box 'o ammo" that I used or simply the mags were defective.

Read today that the mags I should use should have a "B" on them - those are updated ones. Opinion?

 

[JKTex]

I just noticed some comments about cleaning and lubing mags on a regular basis. They rarely need to be cleaned, unless you lube them because the only ting lubricating them will do is attract and hold gunk and crud so that they'll not function properly without being cleaned.

They is nothing to lubricate. If they need to be cleaned, wipe down and move on. atriot:

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Yep, no need to use lubrication on a magazine. In some cases on blued steel mags that may be prone to rust, yeah maybe you might want to just wipe the mag body down with a patch damp with oil, just enough to barely dampen the surface (that's why you should buy stainless mags so you can be lazy like me and not have to worry about it ) As far as cleaning them goes, I will just occasionally pull them apart, take a cleaning rod and patch and just swab the patch around the inside of the mag tube to get the gunk out, then put it back together. I just do it completely at random when I'm bored and want something to do. If you let mags get too dirty, they can actually malfunction, but most good quality mags will take a ton of rounds through them before it becomes even remotely necessary to clean them. It's nothing to loose sleep over or even think about for longer than 1 second. lol

 

[streakpi]

Loaded or Unloaded

I do not leave stuff loaded.

I don't think there is one right or wrong answer. I have two loaded mags with/for home defense and I keep the extra 4 mags in a separate drawer to load/use on the range.

Same thing for carry gun - 2 mags loaded...4 empty mags in a box for range use. I rotate ever 3 months.

BLUF: Don't ever store empty mags or snap-cap loaded mags ANYWHERE near your people-killing magazines...bad business.

 

[texas_teacher]

I don't think there is one right or wrong answer. I have two loaded mags with/for home defense and I keep the extra 4 mags in a separate drawer to load/use on the range.

Same thing for carry gun - 2 mags loaded...4 empty mags in a box for range use. I rotate ever 3 months.

BLUF: Don't ever store empty mags or snap-cap loaded mags ANYWHERE near your people-killing magazines...bad business.

Good thought that needed to be shared with everyone about not keeping different mags of different loads next to each other... I rotate the loads in my mags that I keep loaded for home defense every week or so just because I get bored during a movie and I love taking things apart and reassembling it... I guess I won't be seeing the problem of my springs going out anytime soon eh?

 

[Old Man of the Mountain]

The reason I ask is because I don't want to have the springs in my carry gun magazines crap out on me. My carry gun will be a G19 when my license comes in. Maybe I will just do a test on my own. I have two magazines that I have been leaving loaded with JHPs and two others I use at the range. I guess I will eventually find out which springs wear out first.

I always buy more extra mags than I ever think I will actually need, but buying springs is cheaper if you want to go that route.

 

[Starker]

I always buy more extra mags than I ever think I will actually need, but buying springs is cheaper if you want to go that route.

I think maybe I'll do both.

 

[ReVrEnD_0341]

PMAG update. 1 year, 7 months, and 23 days. Fully loaded PMAG has been shot. Functioned flawlessly from first shot to #30. I even broke the mag on purpose after reloading it, and it still worked. Fantastic plastic mags.