Storing magazines with rounds in them?

[zuiko]

I've always stored all my magazines empty ever since I ruined some 10/22 magazines by storing them full of rounds. The springs seem to wear out and then the magazine doesn't feed properly any more, leaving you with a piece of trash that isn't good for anything.

Is this a common problem with any kind of magazine, or something particular to the rotary style magazine the 10/22 uses or just something particular to cheaply made magazines? For something like a semi-auto handgun that is used as a CCW all the time, do you have to count on the magazines being replaced or repaired regularly? Or do they last pretty well?

Thanks.

 

[geekWithA.45]

They last fine. If you use the search function, someone here had a great discussion on springs, compression, and under what circumstances spring performance degrades.

 

[El Tejon]

zuiko, man, I'm glad I'm not the only shooter around these parts that wears out 10/22 mags.

As a general rule, no, you are not hurting them leaving them loaded. In 1988, I left my father's house to attend undergrad and left approximately a dozen AR and a dozen 1911 mags loaded in my hiding spot in the attic. I retrieved these mags along with a mess of guns and gear when I purchased my own house in the spring of 1997. The mags worked just fine.

I have worn out mags, but these have all been training mags that are continually loaded and unloaded. The 10/22 mags I wear out for shooting that fun, little 10/22.

 

[Banta]

Here's an article that covers that question.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_163_27/ai_99130369

 

[10-Ring]

I normally store my mags empty except for my house gun. I don't know absolutely, w/o a doubt that there would be any negative effects, but why tempt fate? Especially since my least expensive mag is $20, replacing them can get pricey.

 

[aaronrkelly]

Guns that dont have to be "ready" will have the mags stored empty.

My carry gun, home defense rifle and home defense pistols are loaded with the spare magazines loaded.

I keep all the AK47 mags I can loaded.....not sure why, I just do.

 

[ksnecktieman]

worn out mags in a 10/22? You should check the forum Rimfire Central. They have a section on 10/22s with tips and tricks, and one of them is how to take apart, clean and rewind the spring properly on the mags

 

[heypete]

worn out mags in a 10/22? You should check the forum Rimfire Central. They have a section on 10/22s with tips and tricks, and one of them is how to take apart, clean and rewind the spring properly on the mags

You mean this?

I wrote that and posted at Rimfire Central a little over a year ago (jeez, how time flies!). You're welcome to use it as you see fit.

If 10/22 magazine springs wear out, which I haven't personally seen, it's pretty simple to open them up and tighten the spring a few notches.

I just took some AR mags that I had fully loaded to 30 rounds for about 6 months out to the range over the weekend. Burned through nearly 300 rounds with only two hiccups (shooting Wolf ammo, draw your own conclusions...FWIW both hiccups were from the same magazine). Looks good to me.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

t's perfectly fine to leave the mags loaded. Mag springs wear from compression and decompression, not from merely being compressed....

 

[Nhsport]

I have noticed 10/22 mags "going bad" and originally thought the spring was "going bad".I have since come to the conclusion that actually what is going on is that the dirty oil and such in the mag is drying out and failing to work. In other words gummung up the works. Lots of the problem is the waxy lube flying off certain ammo brands. Take them apart and clean them out and relube with some non oil lube.
I am on the side that believes that springs don't wear out or go soft unless overstressed,many folks continue to believe that mags will go bad if left loaded, Go with whatever you want but don't confuse dirt and grit with weak springs !

 

[moxie]

I keep my "ready" mags loaded, change the ammo in them

once or twice a year, and change the springs out with new Wolff springs every 10 years or so. Training mags get new springs rarely, when they get weak, which isn't often. Wolff springs don't cost much.

 

[jeepmor]

Yes on Wolff

I don't worry, replacement springs are economical and save resources. Please recycle any spent springs when the wimp out like on your 10/22 example and replace with Wolffs. Which are a tad heavier in my Witness mags.

jeepmor

 

[Curly]

Has anybody tried using that compact steam cleaner, being discussed in another thread here, to blast out the crud in the 10/22 magazine? Just a thought, but if it works, it will save all the disassembly/reassembly time.

 

[jcs271]

I got issued my Glock 22 (.40 cal) somewhere back around '93/'94. I originally got 5 mags. Loaded them all that day, shot them all during the 3 day "Glock Transition" class and have been carrying them ever since. They stay loaded ALL the time. They are shot empty every couple of months but are immediately reloaded and put back in their pouches.

So while it has only been about 13 years of CONTINUOUS use I have had NO mag related problems at all. Nor have any of my partners.

I am happy with Glock mag performance!

 

[Lupinus]

a quality spring wont wear out from being under compression (notice Isaid quality, a cheapo spring might)

A decent spring wil leventually wear out from cycling however, so if you are constantly unloading your magazines so they are stored empty you may actually be doing mroe harm then good.

 

[hso]

Thanks Banta. Good contribution.

Springs fatigue due to cycling. Work hardening takes the "springiness" out of spring. Cycling achivevs this over many load/unload cycles.

 

[GRIZ22]

I don't think spring compression is an issue with quality magazines. The agency I retired from issued Glocks in 1998. Agents were issued 3 magazines. These magazines have been kept loaded since 1998 and generally only emptied when they went to qaulify 4 times a year. I haven't seen any unusual high rate of magazine failure in fact only a few over 8 years.

 

[thexrayboy]

The springs in your mags are just like the coil springs on a car, smaller diameter wire and different shape but the function is basically the same.
They store and release energy via compression and decompression. That is why suspension springs wear out with mileage, not age. A ten year old car with 30k on the odometer will not need new springs. A 3 year old car with 130k on the odometer will almost certainly need new springs for the suspension. The key is the number of compression/decompression cycles.

 

[Texas9]

I know from personal experience that the quality of the magazine will directly affect its (and more importantly, the gun's) performance.

I have a Beretta 92FS, which was purchased during the gun ban era. Came with two anemic 10-rd magazines, and I dreamed of having a couple (or so) STANDARD (I REFUSE to use "hi-capacity" to describe the magazine that was ORIGINALLY designed for the gun) 15-rounders.

My dreams became necessity. I had the gun on the ready (it's the house pistol) for only six months after I bought it. Me and the wife went to the range, where I had tremendous problems. Stovepiping and feedjams were regular issues, and I never experienced slide-lock on that trip. Turns out my defecacious magazines were to blame.

Later, I acquired a Mec-Gar 10-rd mag, and after the gun ban sunset, a factory 15-rd mag (thanks Pebcac for the Crimmus presents!). They've been loaded religiously for a little less than two years now, and they still work like new.

Quality is paramount to me now.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

t's perfectly fine to leave the mags loaded. Mag springs wear from compression and decompression, not from merely being compressed....

That's what I have found over the years, also. The only mags I've replaced are the ones that I cycle most frequently. OTOH, an SAR-48 mag that was loaded for over 8 years functioned fine and fired off all 20 rounds without problem.

 

[fasteddieG]

springs & things

When a mechanical designer sets out to specify a spring there are a host of consideration such as; spring rate, stress level, cycle life and so many more that it defies a simple discripton. No two mechanical designers think alike so how well an individule interperates the design criterea varies a signifigant amount. All manufactures test their designs but they all have different criterea also. Responsible manufactures make every effort to make sure there products function as intended. I had a discussion with a technician at Ruger who assured me that the mags for my P97DC would not suffer any degradation from leaving them loaded. The mag for the 10/22 is an atypical design and may have called for some design compromises. Call Ruger and ask them. They will give you an honest answer. By the way most conventional magazine springs are of the coil variety and even when they are shaped funny (not circular) they are exactly like a torsion bar that has been folded rolled or bent into a shape to make them fit into devices in a convienient way. If you want to learn more about springs vist a spring mfg web site or talk to a qualified engineer. If you can find one.

 

[1911JMB]

A while ago there was a SAR article about a 1911 and 3 loaded mags that had sat in an attic since WWII. Everything worked flawlessly.