870 magazine spring concerns - should I keep it loaded ?

[Mulliga]

Well, seeing as how the only home defense* I have right now is my trusty 20 ga. 870 (bone stock - not modified in any way), should I keep it loaded? I've heard many download the magazine by 1 shell to reduce stress on the spring, but the gun only holds 4+1 shells when it's fully loaded anyway. I feel insecure about having a loaded chamber in a shotgun, and if I download the mag, I'll only have three shells available, and I'll still be putting stress on the spring.

Am I worrying about nothing? Should i just keep the thing loaded? What do you guys recommend?

*NOTE: i have a SAR-1 available, but with the thin walls of my apartment, it's simply not an option.

 

[cslinger]

Springs should only stop working if they are over stressed beyond their design. As long as your 870 magazine spring is working within design it should be just fine for a very long time.

Just make sure you practice regularly to make sure everything appears to be functioning as it should and replace the spring as necessary. I have never had a problem with a magazine spring and have kept some loaded for more than a couple of years. They still work just fine.

Replace the spring every year or so. The cost should be negligible and would probably be worth your piece of mind. I don't think it is mechanically necessary to do so that often but it may be worth your mental health.

Chris

 

[yayarx7]

Didn't some magazine writer load up a HS410 .410 bore HOME SECURITY Pump Action by Mossberg and leave it in his closet for 6 years to see if it worked when he took it out, and it did? Anyone else remeber that one?

 

[Mannlicher]

springs are quick and easy to change out, and inexpensive also. Load it, and keep it loaded. Change the spring out once a year. No worries.

 

[tc300mag1]

Ive read where people have left them loaded for years and taking them out and used them with no problems.

If you are that worryed i would do as others say replace the mag spring

 

[Mulliga]

Thanks, all. Loaded it is .

 

[cslinger]

...............course it is a very good excus........ahem I mean REASON to justify a good quality wheelgun in say .357 magnum. No springs to worry about VOILA problem solved and a new gun to boot. Buy some Glaser Pre Fragmented ammo and you should be just fine.

Sorry always looking to justify a new toy.

 

[dfariswheel]

The real potential problem isn't weakened springs, it's shot shell bulging.

Plastic shot shells left loaded for a period of time can develop bulges between the metal head and the shot column.

To reduce this problem, buy only good grade American shells, and inspect every few weeks.

 

[JNewell]

For same reason, also worth considering downloading by one shell.

 

[Mulliga]

Hmm. I use Winchester Super X #6 shot shells in my 870.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Some of the springs here have been compressed for decades. One's getting a little soft. Replace them every 20 years or so and you should be fine.

Ammo, OTOH, oft telescopes or bulges when left too long. I recommend changing ammo every 6 months or so. Use it on the range, clean the weapon, load with new.

 

[ksnecktieman]

I have three 1100 autos in my safe. All four have full mags and an empty chamber. I have always kept them that way. They function fine, and when I load them the spring pressure against the shell feels the same on all three. If you have concerns about the spring tension, I will do it a bit different than the others here. Buy a new spring, and visually compare it to the old one. If you find them to be the same length, install the new one, and compare the pressure it takes to load shells. If they are the same, remove the new one, and label it, and keep it with your spare gun parts. Then you will have a new standard to compare to anytime you are curious. I have the advantage of being able to compare mine together, so I have not even done that.

I live alone, and no one else has a key to my safe. I have always been taught to treat every gun as if it is loaded. It is easier to practice safety when you KNOW they are loaded.

 

[Guyon]

Ammo, OTOH, oft telescopes or bulges when left too long. I recommend changing ammo every 6 months or so. Use it on the range, clean the weapon, load with new.

I have always been taught to treat every gun as if it is loaded. It is easier to practice safety when you KNOW they are loaded.

Both good tips.

I actually thought the "download by one" rule was to prevent a spring from possibly overlapping and binding. This is why I generally download shotgun and pistol mags by one. Anyone else use the same rationalization, or am I just a lonely kook?

Same question comes up a lot on the autoloading pistol forum.

Back on TFL an engineer/metallurgist gave a rather complex answer to a similar question, but the jist was this: Cycling springs is what gradually weakens them over a long period of time. As long as the springs are good quality steel and as long as they aren't overcompressed or overextended, a static (unmoving) state doesn't really affect the "springiness". That's my highly technical term, by the way--not the expert's.

 

[Vic303]

If you don't like the 4+1 capacity of your 870, why not buy a magtube extension? They're readily available, even in 20ga I think. I know they are common in 12ga. Check this link: http://www.aspitactical.com/category/ver8-magextension.asp

 

[dfariswheel]

OK, lets try this one:

Dave and everybody else: Has anyone ever actually seen an "overlapped" magazine spring.

Here's another one.

Ever seen a broken plastic magazine follower that "allows the magazine spring to enter the receiver, jamming the gun"?

In many years and hundreds? of 870's I've never seen either one.

I've attempted to INDUCE an overlapped mag spring, without success.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Overlapped? Nope. Have seen a cut spring end kinda squeeze in past the follower, but it didn't stop functioning.

Also, I've seen springs from agency weapons that had been stepped on, out of round, kinked, etc, work perfectly.