loading a semi-automatic pistol ????????

[surprise_i'm_armed]

To skippr:

Thank you for your lengthy reply. I realize that I never should put 11 rounds
in a 10 round mag.

To have 11 rounds in the gun I would have to charge 10, rack the slide, chamber
the top round, then drop the magazine, add 1 more round to the magazine, and
pop the magazine back in.

My question is - Is keeping 10 rounds in the mag and one in the pipe going to
stress the magazine's spring, or any other part of my pistol?

If 11 rounds loaded as I described above would cause feeding problems, I would
not do it.

But if loading 11 rounds into my 10 + 1 PT111 would give me an extra round, I
would like to start doing it.

[G.C.Montgomery]

My question is - Is keeping 10 rounds in the mag and one in the pipe going to
stress the magazine's spring, or any other part of my pistol?

Simple answer...No. Like your recoil spring, most magazine spring wear actually occurs as a result compression and extension cycles as it's charged and depleted over time. The spring's free extended length and the tension it provides at it's installed height continues to be reduced by these cycles. So the spring will weaken regardless of how many rounds you charge it with.

For the record, magazines are wear items. Springs and entire magazines may have to be replaced every few months by high volume shooters (usually in excess of 5000 rounds annually). My personal practice is to maintain at least to sets of magazines; one for training/competition, another for daily carry. I rotate the carry magazines over to the training/competition group at least once a year and buy new carry magazines. When I was competing heavily, I bought magazines a little more often because I was shooting 50,000 rounds a year or more.

It's my personal opinion that Glock magazines are probably the most robust pistol magazine available. But I've still managed to crack one in five different places during a training session with my old Glock 34. So even with these guns, I replace magazines on a fairly regular basis. It is possible to retune magazines as their feedlips spread or the body bulges from repeated insertion. You can choose to do this but, it's rarely worth my time with working guns and I simply will not take the risk with carry magazines.

YMMV

[surprise_i'm_armed]

To G.C. Montgomery,

Thank you for your reply. I guess I'll start carrying an 11 shot
PT111 from now on.

Excuse me for asking a newbie question but here goes:
IANAL = I am not a lawyer.

YMMV = ????

It has never dawned on me what the 2nd acronym is.
I don't think anyone on the board has ever used the words
that it represents.

[LarryH]

YMMV = ????

It has never dawned on me what the 2nd acronym is.
I don't think anyone on the board has ever used the words
that it represents.

your mileage may vary

[TxRVer]

BTW, putting cartridges into the magazine is "charging" it; you "load" your pistol when you cycle a cartridge into the chamber. Likewise, when you remove the cartridges from a magazine you are not unloading it, but "voiding" it. Same terminology applies whether you're dealing with a pistol, rifle, or shotgun. I know it sounds nitpicky, but not only will it help you talk the talk, it's important. For example, releasing a magazine from your pistol does not mean the gun is unloaded. There may very well be a cartridge in the chamber. So separating the terms "loaded" and "charged" has a purpose.

It's always good to learn something new. I wasn't familiar with that terminology, but it sure makes sense. Thanks for the education.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

LarryH

Thanks, chief!