Magazine spring life

[wbh]

I know that loading a mag up and letting it sit is a good way to break the spring in and ease up some of it's tension. I understand the life cycle of a spring and that repeatedly compressing and relaxing a spring will have an affect on it's lifespan. I also understand the affect on a spring under constant compression.

I really don't want to take my magazines apart, examine the springs, and do the calculations to determine the amount of prolonged compressive force required to damage the spring. (I have better things to do with my time, not much better, but better none-the-less )

So, I figured I'd ask you all what your experience has been with this. How long will you usually leave a magazine loaded? Is it even an issue?

The reason I ask is that I currently have a couple mags loaded 24/7 for SD/HD so the springs are under constant compression.

I guess I could periodically switch witch mags are loaded up and ready to rock-n-roll, but seems like a bit of a hassle if it's not something that's really an issue to begin with.

 

[rcmodel]

I have some loaded 1911 mags that have been left loaded for lets see, 44 years.

I shoot the old ammo out of them occasionally and reload them with fresh ammo.

I have other 1911 mags that I use & shoot a lot, and the springs do get replaced every few years.

I have Glock 23 mags that get weak springs in 5-6 years or so if left fully loaded. I download them by one round now, and they seem to last indefinately.

Glock mags & some other brands of double-stack mags are over-compressed at full capacity.

Unless you are having slide over-run jams, or failure to operate the slide lock on an empty mag, your springs are fine.


rcmodel

 

[RifleGuy]

wbh, I'm new to this forum, but been in the gin world a long time, so I'll chip in my two-cents worth.

There is a lot of dis-information out there regarding the effects of a constantly loaded mag. spring. Compression cycles indeed have a greater impact than constant loading.

Massad Ayoob wrote an article a few years back that provided interesting data regarding you question; to summarize his conclusion, you can safely leave a magazine loaded for years without ill effect.

I have a Mossberg shotgun that is 30 years old and has been loaded almost constantly during that time; it functions and feeds fine.

I have several pistols that have had the magazines loaded for years, one for almost 20 years, and they all function perfectly.

I have several magazines that have been cycled a tremendous number of times, and the spring eventually weakened and required replacement.

So, you should be fine keeping a mag. fully loaded for extended periods. If you still have concerns, magazine springs from Wolf, etc., are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. Replace them every 2-3 years and you can have 100% confidence (but only after function testing them for 200-300 rounds! Never bet your life on untried magazines!)

By the way, I make my living in the engineering field, so I'm not just spouting opinions.

Good evening, Sir.

 

[rcmodel]

Replace them every 2-3 years and you can have 100% confidence

The problem with that is, how do you know the new spring is any better then the old one you already have?

I'm sure it's quite rare, but I bet even Wolf has made a bad spring or two through the years!


rcmodel

 

[Mad Magyar]

Massad Ayoob wrote an article a few years back that provided interesting data regarding you question; to summarize his conclusion, you can safely leave a magazine loaded for years without ill effect.

Mr. Ayoob is credible in certain firearm fields, but not the expert in this area.
There are many metallurgical studies conducted on magazine springs...Yes, they can fail...There is a whole industry on spring replacement for good reason.
Personally, I load one-less for peace of mind...

 

[RifleGuy]

The problem with that is, how do you know the new spring is any better then the old one you already have?

I'm sure it's quite rare, but I bet even Wolf has made a bad spring or two through the years!

Absolutely! I leave my springs alone unless I begin to notice feed failures, and I like to download by one round as Mad Magyar suggests.

Mad, Mr. Ayoob wrote the article, but the text was based upon data provided by metalurgists and spring manufacturers.

Here is an article by John Layman: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_163_27/ai_99130369

 

[Darthbauer]

My grandfathers 1911 had been sitting loaded in his foot locker since he came home from WWII. When he passed away I got the gun and took it to the range as it was and it had no feed problems.

 

[wbh]

thanks for the quick replies...although I shouldn't be too surprised, I guess, as this seems to be the norm here on THR.

Sounds like it's somewhat of a non-issue.

 

[jwr_747]

back about 1995 at the 50th. anneversary of the end of WWII,lots of the gun rags rounded up 1911's that had been loaded since the war,far as I know,all functioned as John M.Browning intended. jwr