Carrying a semi-auto loaded, day and night?

I like revolvers because they can stay loaded. Is it reasonable to have a semi loaded all day, during carry and once at home? How often would mag springs need replacing? Any risk of permanent gun damage? Or should I just keep it unloaded; but that seems to go against the whole point of carrying in the first place. An unloaded gun is a paperweight, right?

Springs do not wear from staying compressed, they wear from use. A auto-loading pistol can be left fully loaded and cocked indefinitely with no problems.

Ask military and police officers if it's reasonable.

It's a gun, it's purpose is to be carried loaded. Mine stays loaded 100% of the time. At the beginning of the day I grab it from the gun safe, do a press check, holster it. At the end of the day I unholster, put in gun safe.

Springs don't wear out from constant pressure, they wear from flexing. Therefore, loading and unloading is harder on the springs than just leaving it loaded.

I used to only carry with one in the chamber, and took the round out when it was just at my bedside. First, that was stupid, because if I need that gun, I need that round to be in the chamber. Second, the rim of the round started getting chewed to hell eventually by the extractor after so many load/unloads. I had serious concerns about the reliability of feeding and extracting with my ammo after so much handling.

My first GLOCK in going on three years with both original mags loaded all the time. I've purchased extra springs for when the day comes. But to date, I've still had only 1 failure. That was a deformed round getting stuck partway chambered.

Springs do not wear from staying compressed, they wear from use. This is what I believe, for the most part. I keep all of my hammer-less guns cocked, even when they're not chambered. I'm not worried that the springs will wear out.

Ok. I had read a carry guide on concealedcarryforum.com, and it said that mag spring compression happens from staying loaded; something to avoid. Apparently not. Ok, semi it is. Now to figure out how I'll carry. I'm thinking shoulder holster would necessitate wardrobe changes. As a cripple I sit a lot. IWB/OWB might not work out.

Springs do not wear from staying compressed, they wear from use. A auto-loading pistol can be left fully loaded and cocked indefinitely with no problems.

You are correct about spring wear. To put it another way, springs wear out from cycles (being compressed and then un-compressed and from being over-compressed.

Kylaen if you're in a wheelchair you could simply have a blanket on your lap covering your weapon or if you were looking for something a bit more secure I don't see why you couldn't talk with someone familiar with metalworking and have them attach a holster to your chair.

EDIT: Watch the opening scene in Punisher Warzone. The head of that organized crime family was in a wheelchair and had what appeared to be a Colt Commander attached to his wheelchair.

Ok. I had read a carry guide on concealedcarryforum.com, and it said that mag spring compression happens from staying loaded; something to avoid. Apparently not.

from Wolff Gun Springs:
6. My spring got shorter after I used it for a short time. Is it bad?
Most new springs will take a set when they are first compressed. That means they will shorten up. This is a normal event and you should not be immediately alarmed. The greater the stress on the spring, generally the more set that will occur. All Wolff springs take this set into consideration. The ratings of the springs you receive are the ratings after the set has occurred. After set has taken place, the spring should remain essentially stable for the life of the spring.

cars and trucks spend their entire life on springs, rarely they fail from fatigue

I've heard of WW2 surplus 1911 magazines being pulled from crates with rounds still in the mags and they fired/cycled perfectly. I keep my carry mags loaded all the time but also have a set of mags for the range so I don't wear out my carry mags.

I purchased a bunch of magazines that were used on-duty for police and/or other work requiring them to be contiunously loaded. The springs on those magazines are just as tense as the springs on duplicate magazines that I have hardly ever used!

Keeping a magazine loaded will not hurt any springs, unless the gun and magazine was made in China, Pakastan, etc, in which case I wouldn't even consider the gun to be safe - let alone the MAGAZINES!

I carry semi autos day and night, as will a lot of other folks responding here. I once had the same question, but in 10 years have never had a problem with my carry pieces... Except at night, where carrying IWB in my pyjamas us kinda uncomfortable: p

I have a Daisy SoftAir Model 59, a predecessor to the current AirSoft line, and a replica of the S&W of the same model. It has a spring that propels the slide back. This model was only sold for a couple of years in the late eighties, and that's when I got it. When the slide is closed, the spring is compressed.
About a year ago, I found it in a box in my garage. The slide was closed. I pulled the trigger, which releases the slide, and it slammed back with seemingly as much force as when new. This was after over twenty years compressed.
My semi-autos that have defensive duty stay loaded (as do my revolvers.)

I have a hammer less Colt auto that the magazine has been loaded for longer than I have been alive (it was my grandfathers) it still runs like a top every time I take it out. I don't use it for SD but leave it loaded to dispel the myth.

Really, do you jack up the frame of your car when you get home?

The magazine spring isn't the only spring in the gun. There are lots of springs internal to the pistol that are under some degree of compression at all times. The mag spring is also under some compression even when the mag is empty.

Really, do you jack up the frame of your car when you get home?

Good point. :D

What would you do about valve spring compression. :uhoh:

Here are some ideas for holsters used while sitting. The belly band pictured looks a little low in the photo. I still use a fanny pack I was issued 15 years ago on long distance drives. David

http://magills.com/index/44/

I sit at my computer a great portion of every day, and I wear a Bianchi Black Widow (size 15 for G20) comfortably. It doesn't conceal as well as I'd like, but I think that has more to do with my belt than the holster itself.

http://www.bianchi-intl.com/product/Prod.php?TxtModelID=5

Maybe a cross-draw holster would work well from the sitting position. Try out a IWB/OWB holster before you disregard it. You should be able to draw from your chair without any problems. Of course you could open carry on the leg or wear an ankle rig.

Springs do not wear from staying compressed, they wear from use. A auto-loading pistol can be left fully loaded and cocked indefinitely with no problems.
That's an old wive's tale. If a spring is compressed to near its elastic limit and held there it will creep (take a set, deform plastically, however you want to say it). A spring that is compressed repeatedly to a very low percentage of its elastic limit will function for millions of cycles. The rule of thumb for calculating the fatigue life of good-quality carbon steels (and spring wire is in that group) is that if you don't stress the material more than 50% of the strength of the steel, the fatigue limit is essentially infinite.

+1 for gearhead. It depends how well made the spring is for the application and if it is being compressed over its limits or not. Some of the double stack mags on the market will over drive the spring if fully loaded and the spring's temper will be lost. For those mags downloading the mag by a round or two does make a difference. For a WWII 7 round single stack loaded in 1943 it will probably last forever.

I disagree. The follower will stop most mags from compressing too far. I have WWII mags for 1911s and M-1 carbines I haven't worn out yet, and I have never bothered to download any of them., I have an M-1 carbine mag I found in my grandfather's attic with 15 rounds in it, that had probably been there for 30 years. Works just fine.

I disagree. The follower will stop most mags from compressing too far.

I think that they are saying, that if you download a double stack nine MM magazine by one or two rounds, that it will not put a set on a spring that's at it's limit of tension. This makes sense to me and has little to do with a M1 Carbine mag that wasn't designed with an over tensioned spring.

Magazines were left fully loaded for seventy five years (or so) 1911 to present and worked just fine. Magazine springs wearing out, seemed to start about the same time as full capacity 9 mm magazines were introduced.

Or.........did they start to wear out about the same time as the internet was invented. :D

Springs are cheap and can be replaced every so often for peace of mind. I would be more concerned about feeding problems with a semi-auto that is left loaded and not maintained. A revolver can be left for years without maintenance and still work fine.

Is it reasonable to have a semi loaded all day, during carry and once at home? How often would mag springs need replacing?

I had an old Jennings .380 sitting fully loaded in a toolbox out in the garage for about 10 years, figured I'd retire it, so took it to the range and all shots fed and fired fine. If the springs in a Jennings can do it, its just not something to worry about!

A working mag spring will remain a working mag spring until it corrodes enough to break or you use it enough by loading and unloading it to "wear it out" -- which is a whole lot of shooting!

I disagree. The follower will stop most mags from compressing too far. I have WWII mags for 1911s and M-1 carbines I haven't worn out yet, and I have never bothered to download any of them., I have an M-1 carbine mag I found in my grandfather's attic with 15 rounds in it, that had probably been there for 30 years. Works just fine.
A proper design will allow for that. The problem is, most handguns don't allow the engineers all the real estate they need for ideal spring designs so you end up with a compromise. If cost, weight, and size were no object then recoil springs would never fail either but it's a harsh environment and sometimes you have to trade off a little spring life for a product that people will actually buy.

Now to figure out how I'll carry. I'm thinking shoulder holster would necessitate wardrobe changes. As a cripple I sit a lot. IWB/OWB might not work out.

I find that an IWB or OWB at about 3 o'clock is perfectly comfortable for sitting, though it's not the quickest place to draw from in that position.

Of course, everybody is built differently. <shrug> I think everyone who carries regularly has a box full of holsters that weren't quite right. :)

Quote:
Now to figure out how I'll carry. I'm thinking shoulder holster would necessitate wardrobe changes. As a cripple I sit a lot. IWB/OWB might not work out.

I find that an IWB or OWB at about 3 o'clock is perfectly comfortable for sitting, though it's not the quickest place to draw from in that position.

Of course, everybody is built differently. <shrug> I think everyone who carries regularly has a box full of holsters that weren't quite right.

I have a big collection of holsters.

I have a big collection of holsters.

I do too. I think if you carry you will wind up with a holster collection.

Fanny pack would work great. I wear one daily and have for better that 10 years. I got started with Bagmaster and have never looked back. They have a lifetime warranty and they mean it. I have gone through about 7 of them without a complaint. I finally bought another because I felt guilty. Good product.

"If the springs in a Jennings can do it, its just not something to worry about!"

Excellent point! Very instructional thread - I'll not worry about springs in my new CZ.

:cool:

All my semi-autos stay loaded and with 1 in the chamber.