Leaving a clip mag loaded

[Appalachiannative]

My old man has always said it's bad to leave a clip loaded long term. Insists it wears out the spring. I don't see how I would have time to load my clip in my pistol in a home defence situation so I keep one loaded anyway. Am I really gonna ruin the spring?

 

[Skylerbone]

No. Springs do take a set to some degree, but they wear out by cycling, which is to say compression cycles. I’ve got some magazines that stay loaded for years (ammo storage/preparedness) before being emptied.

 

[bdickens]

This is such old news I'm surprised the question comes up any more.

 

[trackskippy]

A lot of old rumors still seem to persist, even within the gun community. My BIL still insists that extra long rifle barrels are more accurate and a 45acp is the Hammer of Todd.

If youre not sure, questions are the way to help with learning.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

This is such old news I'm surprised the question comes up any more.

It's not old news if you've never seen or heard the subject discussed before.

Several years back I bought a M1 Carbine pouch with two loaded magazines. By headstamp of the cartridges, maker's date on the pouch, rust on the magazines and verdigris on the cartridges, vintage 1944. Looked like they'd been kept as a souvenir for 50 odd years. The magazines cleaned up nicely and function perfectly in my carbine.

I was gifted a Phoenix Raven MP25 over 30 years ago, picked up a spare magazine, kept the magazines loaded, took the gun out once a year, fired the magazines empty, reloaded the magazines, put it up for the next year's test. The magazines have not lost strength.

Bought a discontinued CBC 7022 rifle at Walmart for $60, then bought four magazines. I have kept the five magazines loaded with the rifle and ready to go if I have an off chance to go to the rifle range o country for plinking. The magazines work fine ever time and show no sign of weakening.

Raven MP25 and CBC 7022 are low dollar guns, but if their magazine springs last fully loaded over decades, then most magazine strings ought to hold strength left loaded.

It seems counter intuitive, but good magazine springs uncompressed or fully compressed don't lose strength. They do wear out by flexing, compressing and decompressing.

 

[1942bull]

In Nam the me in non-combat roles still had M16s that they carried or had with them all the time, except on leave/liberty. They all had several fully loaded magazines. magazines that could be loaded and never fired during their 12 month tour. I think if there were any truth to the notion that such cause springs to deteriorate the ere would have been some S.O.P that would have intervened. I keep all six of my Secuity 9 Compact magazines loaded. I have done that every pistol.I have owned since the first one I bought is 1970. Never has an issue with a magazine.

 

[Appalachiannative]

Well I guess I'll load the other clip then. I've been keep one loaded and the other empty for year. Not to say that one clips been loaded for years it got emptied the other day at my home pistol range but it's a single stacked .45 so it would be nice to have more shots

 

[Buzznrose]

I keep some magazines loaded but I won’t load them full capacity in storage. I download pistol mags by one round and AR mags by two rounds.

works for me

 

[Black cloud]

I just fired off a full Beretta 92 mag that I have had loaded for 20 years, no issues!

 

[Zerodefect]

All of my mags are loaded.

Weird extended mags, with odd extended springs, will get downloaded a bit.

 

[jmr40]

There is some research that shows that downloading SOME magazines 1 or 2 rounds less than full capacity is a good idea. This is usually more of an issue with mags holding a lot of rounds. Just a rule of thumb, but if you can fully load the mag and get the last round in easily it's probably fine. If you have to stand on it to get the last 1-2 rounds in the magazine, then it might be better to not do so.

But keeping them loaded long term doesn't appear to hurt a thing

 

[trackskippy]

In one respect, if they are the only mags you have, and you are just leaving them loaded, it is a bad thing. Since cycling them wears them out, you should be wearing those springs out in practice and replacing them. Not just just letting them sit there.

 

[AK Hunter]

Do the springs on antique cars & trucks sag out? No if they did the old show cars would be jacked up on blocks all the time.
A spring only gets damaged by cycling too fast or to far in ether direction.
The spring in your mags (as long as they are quality) won’t get damaged if you leave them loaded.

 

[ontarget]

I keep a whole pile of AR mags loaded....just in case. And multiple mags for my EDC. With all of the turbulence in our society these days, one never knows....

 

[ericuda]

Do what makes you comfortable, either way works.

One thing though don't call a magazine a clip. A clip is something that holds loaded rounds to quickly load a magazine.

 

[Kleanbore]

Do what makes you comfortable, either way works

The question called for a yes or no answer. I think the answer is "no".

One thing though don't call a magazine a clip. A clip is something that holds loaded rounds to quickly load a magazine.

Someone was bound to say it.

That is correct, but it is tiresome and unnecessary. The meaning was clear.

Box magazines for rifles have been labeled as "clips" from time to time for decades.

 

[CDW4ME]

I keep magazines for SD loaded.
Difference in clip vs magazine:

 

[Kleanbore]

Difference in clip vs magazine

Cute.

Are you aware that Savage introduced the 99-C as a "clip magazine version of the Model 99?" Do you remember clips for Marlin rifles?

This comes up all the time, for some reason. Fortunately, we haven't seen many such "corrections" in discussions of smokeless "powder"--yet.

A late friend who was an officer in the US Cavalry had an Army bulletin advising that "clips" for the Model 1911 not be kept loaded. He believed it. I discount it.

 

[JTQ]

Do the springs on antique cars & trucks sag out?

How about if they were constantly loaded full of bricks, would that affect the springs?

There is some research that shows that downloading SOME magazines 1 or 2 rounds less than full capacity is a good idea. This is usually more of an issue with mags holding a lot of rounds.

Using a Wilson 47 Series mag as an example, I think a 7 round full size 47 ( https://shopwilsoncombat.com/MAGAZI...IZE-7-ROUND-STANDARD-BASE-PAD/productinfo/47/ ) could probably be left loaded forever without having a problem. On the other hand, the 47D ( https://shopwilsoncombat.com/MAGAZI...ZE-8-ROUND-STANDARD-BASE-PAD/productinfo/47D/ ), that uses the same length tube, but squeezes an extra round in that tube length through the use of a lesser spring and follower, making it an 8 rounder, is probably a mag I'd not leave loaded.

 

[ericuda]

This comes up all the time, for some reason. Fortunately, we haven't seen many such "corrections" in discussions of smokeless "powder"--yet.

Cute.

Are you aware that Savage introduced the 99-C as a "clip magazine version of the Model 99?" Do you remember clips for Marlin rifles?

This comes up all the time, for some reason. Fortunately, we haven't seen many such "corrections" in discussions of smokeless "powder"--yet.

A late friend who was an officer in the US Cavalry had an Army bulletin advising that "clips" for the Model 1911 not be kept loaded. He believed it. I discount it.

I apologize for getting off topic.

Op, no keeping the mag loaded or even unloaded will not ruin the spring.

 

[briansmithwins]

I've hardly ever seen mag springs worn out. I have seen mags that were filthy the follower seized in the tube.

Especially for mags that get carried, unload them at least a couple times a year and clean the garbage out of them. If you have spare mags that's also a good time to rotate carry ammo and practice mags.

Magazines are almost always the weakest link with modern firearms. Take care of them and check them for function.

BSW

 

[Howland937]

An unloaded mag/clip/ammo feeder is useless in time of need. For a defensive gun, load them up, keep them loaded.
Buy extras if available or replacement springs if they're serviceable.
If neither of these is an option, consider a defense weapon with more readily available spare stuff.

 

[.455_Hunter]

As a mechanical engineer, the answer is FAR from a simple yes or no. With some magazines, there are examples that have been loaded for decades, and function fine (like some WWI 1911 bringbacks loaded with vintage ammo for 80+ years). With other examples (like some that I have owned), the springs demonstrated serious degradation in just 12 months of being stored loaded after a single range trip. These were cheapo aftermarket "pre-ban" (yeah, right) CZ-75 mags, bought new in 1999, not well used mystery box range veterans. Spring design, manufacturing, tempering, and alloy selection are what drives the outcome.

 

[cfullgraf]

Back in the black powder era, spring steel of the era was not very good and would take a set if left compressed for long periods of time.

The composition of spring steel today is much improved and can be left in the compressed condition for loooong periods of time without affecting their spring rate.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Back in the black powder era, spring steel of the era was not very good and would take a set if left compressed for long periods of time.

The composition of spring steel today is much improved and can be left in the compressed condition for loooong periods of time without affecting their spring rate.

Yes- If the magazine is designed properly (not exceeding spring yield load by maximizing follower compression to get +1 or +2 capacity), and the spring manufactured correctly (material, forming, tempering).