Fact or Myth - Leaving Magazines Loaded?

[libertarian]

Something to consider - every magazine designed keeps the spring under some compression even when it's unloaded. If compressing a spring caused failures, just leaving your magazines assembled would cause issues.

[Yoda]

Thanks for all the info.

Last weekend I took out my HK usp45 and shot 100 rounds. For the first time ever, the slide didn't lock back when empty, twice. (about 3000 rounds since birth)

After reading this thread, sounds like I need new mag springs as they are 9 years old and have been fully loaded at all times.

I would also like to buy a couple more mags for my HK usp45 and my HK40c but the local gun shop wants $55.00 each.

[PHM]

Originally Posted by 45 ACP

(i.e. extended floorplates that allow for further compression of the spring to add rounds) seems to shorten that lifecycle.

In my case, that's where the myth of "always unload your magazines every night/week" came from, as many co-workers were carrying Para-Ordinance P-14's with 4 round floorplate extensions. Should it have been any surprise that their springs sacked out rather quickly?

I just have to respectfully disagree with the extended floor plate causing pre-mature wear.

The extended floor plate does not cause further compression, it simply makes the magazine longer and when fully loaded, the spring would be at the exact same compression level it was at without the floor plate, but with 4 more rounds.

I have extended floor plates on many of my mags and have not noticed any difference in life, but you do have to remember that and empty magazine with a floor plate has less tension on it that one without a floor plate, so somtimes the last few rounds won't feed properly, but this is not an issue of wear on the spring, rather the spring being too short becasue it was intended for a shorter magazine.

Many times you need to get a longer spring with an extended floor plate to keep feeding the last few rounds properly.

[KimberDude]

Thanks for the input and education. I guess it does make sense from the engineering point of view. I guess my wishful thinking thought that magazines can be almost maintenance-free.

[swdr]

I'll give you a dollar for each of your 'dead' mags, and I'll throw in some pocket lint if you like. Heh.

[NikNak]

I work with industrial couplings that are designed to run continuously for 30 years without changeout. The metal "discs" are pre-stressed when installed, thus allowing them to retain tension throughout normal operation. If a manufacturer were to use wire that is properly "loaded," and tests were done at the factories to ensure reliability, I would expect them to work fine in a compressed state for many years. Most non-factory knock-offs purely match the size and dimension of the springs, rather than doing the proper metal treatment to energy "load" the metal, hence the reliability issues of some aftermarket mags.

As for 45ACP's statement about repair them, or throw them away .... he is right on. There is no easy way to "reload" the tension in metal(wire-springs-etc ...) once it has been overstressed.

As for the statement about the Glock mag's plastic magazines cracking, I suggest you contact your local Tupperware dealer for a refund...

[cksh8me]

Long story short. A guy comes home puts his loaded gun in the night stand. Flash forward. He dies his wife brings in the gun to sell. Loaded just like the husband left it.

When she left we shot the gun with the ammo and mag that was left in it.

The 1911 was brought home by her husband at the end of WWII hadn't been touched in 40 years everything worked.

We did oil the gun first.

[spc]

Originally Posted by cksh8me

Long story short. A guy comes home puts his loaded gun in the night stand. Flash forward. He dies his wife brings in the gun to sell. Loaded just like the husband left it.

When she left we shot the gun with the ammo and mag that was left in it.

The 1911 was brought home by her husband at the end of WWII hadn't been touched in 40 years everything worked.

We did oil the gun first.

Cool

spc

[PHM]

Originally Posted by spc

Cool

spc

I'm sure it did work, as did my 18 year old mags, but they will not be as dependable as new springs. As I stated earlier, by 18 year old mag springs were about 2 inches shorter than new springs.

for 10 bucks it doesn't make sense not to rebuild them after 10 years or so.

[BonoVox]

Originally Posted by cksh8me

Long story short. A guy comes home puts his loaded gun in the night stand. Flash forward. He dies his wife brings in the gun to sell. Loaded just like the husband left it.

When she left we shot the gun with the ammo and mag that was left in it.

The 1911 was brought home by her husband at the end of WWII hadn't been touched in 40 years everything worked.

We did oil the gun first.

Sad

Scary

Cool