Keeping mags loaded all the time

[BenGoodLuck]

Does anyone have any thoughts on keeping mags loaded with ammo all the time? I own a Glock 30 and generally don't unload the mags each night. Will this have a negative effect on the magazine spring?

Thanks,

ben

[Scott Murray]

I've been told that what really wears magazine springs is cycles, not steady compression. I do know that I've left magazines loaded for years, without any perceptible effects.

Scott

[MoJo]

Does anyone have any thoughts on keeping mags loaded with ammo all the time? I own a Glock 30 and generally don't unload the mags each night. Will this have a negative effect on the magazine spring?

Thanks,

Ben

Springs are weakened by load and unload cycles. Leaving a magazine loaded for a prolonged time will not weaken the spring to any great degree. Magazine springs are cheap change them whenever you feel functioning is suffering.

[AggieMM]

There are 1000+ opinions on this matter, but here is a link to help you form your own.... :)

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php ... did=431877

Basically, it is my understanding that it is ok to leave them loaded.

Ryan

[BenGoodLuck]

Thanks AggieMM for a great link.

[jbirds1210]

Thanks for the article...I really enjoyed reading it.
My Dad alwalys told me to change the mags every 50 years, no matter if it needed it or not...I guess this article might even prove that wrong! I keep my Glock 17 available for home protection and you can bet that all five of my mags are fully loaded!

[John]

When one of my uncles died a few years back, my father gave me a Walther PPK that he found while cleaning out my uncle’s apartment. The gun had a 1970 proof mark and appeared to have never been fired and was still in the box along with a fully loaded magazine. There was also an old box of ammo that was missing 7 rounds. I figure that magazine had been loaded up for 30 years or so.

I took it out to the range and put the mag in and emptied it without a single problem. As a matter of fact I still have the gun and the mag and shoot it couple of times a year and have never had a failure.

I wouldn’t hesitate to load up my magazines and leave them for prolonged periods, except that would mean prolong periods between range trips.

[stevie_d_64]

My Dad has a problem with some .45 mags for his 1911 cloner...He has left them loaded for about 15 years...And he is not sure they are in that good a shape...They may produce a feed problem...

We just talked about this, and I will take a look at it myself at Thanksgiving and see if we need to get some new springs...I'm sure the other components are still good...

I may buy a few springs for him at the next show here in Houston at the GRB...Just to be prepared...

Wife Unit has .45 fever...

But that may be a good thing!

[HighVelocity]

I have mags that have been loaded for years. I'm not worried.
A while back I found two 7 round Colt 45 mags in my toolbox that had been loaded for at least 12 years. I took them to the range and emptied them both as fast as I could squeeze the trigger. No problems.

[anygunanywhere]

The only time I have ever had feed failures in my 1911's was with the cheap mags that came with the pistol. I now use only aftermarket mags for my defense handguns. I always have cycled the rounds as suggested in the article.

[dws1117]

My .02, I keep most of my magazines loaded all the time and I've noticed no ill effects. The only magazine I've had fail me were the $5 gun show special "Colt" mags.