Question about storeing loaded clip/magazines?

[hoodedmonk]

My question is does storeing your mag/clips on a 9mm ware them/the spring out? I have heard that in the past and I'm wondering if theres any truth to it. I dont like to keep my gun loaded due to having a 7 year old around the house, so I keep a loaded clip hidden so if the situation should arise I can grab the clip pop it in the gun (in a seperate but easy to access area)and be ready for action.

[JLA]

Not in my experience. I have some 1911 mags that stay loaded 24/7 and get the ammo shot out of them and reloaded from time to time. Compressing a spring wont wear it out. working a spring will.

[Rocketman1]

I don't think you have to worry to much about the springs wearing out. Most of the mags have very strong springs. It is a proven fact that all springs will weaken over time, but in my opinion the springs should last for years. Just to be safe, I rotate my loaded magazines every two months.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by JLA

Not in my experience. I have some 1911 mags that stay loaded 24/7 and get the ammo shot out of them and reloaded from time to time. Compressing a spring wont wear it out. working a spring will.

I agree with Jack. You can have one mag full with your CCW ammo, and not shoot it and keep it for carry only except for shooting it occasionally to refresh the ammo. However, the mags that get shot on a regular basis for target practice and plinking will begin to weaken after very long periods of time. Therefore a compressed spring will outlast a spring that is repeatedly used. However, it takes alot of shooting to weaken them and I mean alot. I have never experienced that on my pistols, but my father has so that is how I know. Personally I have never had a mag fail.

[hoodedmonk]

Thanks for the reply's My gun is a Stoegar Cougar if that matters.

[Cynergyzed]

My Kimber Crimson Carry II came with 1 magazine...it was the first year for the Crimson Carry II and doing research before I purchase the gun, that was it's only downfall, so I went and bought 3 Wilson Combat magazine's. Since then I heard that Kimber has done some work on their magazines...But I really like the Wilson Combat Mag's, and that was one of great things about them, no spring fatigue and weakening by keeping the magazines loaded for long periods of time. I do the same as you do hoodedmonk, I leave a loaded magazine close by, but never leave a loaded gun for the same reason.

[Buckshot]

Everything I've ever read by folks way higher up the expert ladder than myself have said spring fatigue in stored magazines is largely a myth. For myself I would tend to trust quality name brand magazines from reputable manufacturers to last pretty much forever.

No-name import mags or mags from "Buffalo Bob's Fine Magazines and Washing Machine Repair" I might wonder a bit more about the quality of the steel being used.

[mogunner]

Springs weaken by being repeatedly compressed and released, storing them one way or the other doesn't affect them. It would take a lot of use to ruin a spring as well, as long as there wasn't some sort of defect in it. Mine stay loaded, never had a spring failure.

[Dennis C]

My Glock 19 is about 20 years old and still has the original magazines in them and they still work just fine.

[fordtrucksforever]

I had two magazines fail to load this last weekend. Its a Browning Buckmark. Both mags were about half full and been sitting about 5 years. I chambered the first round and it fired ejected then nothing. Swapped mags and same thing. Both mags had a light oil coating that had dried up somewhat. Enough drag or friction for the mag spring not to raise the next round up to load. A quick shot of WD-40 and the bullets popped up. I emptied mag and wiped everything off, then reloaded. Everything was back to operating again. Something to keep in mind when relying on the gun to function when it counts.

[JLA]

Originally Posted by hoodedmonk

Thanks for the reply's My gun is a Stoegar Cougar if that matters.

Those are good guns. I like them.

[JLA]

Originally Posted by fordtrucksforever

I had two magazines fail to load this last weekend. Its a Browning Buckmark. Both mags were about half full and been sitting about 5 years. I chambered the first round and it fired ejected then nothing. Swapped mags and same thing. Both mags had a light oil coating that had dried up somewhat. Enough drag or friction for the mag spring not to raise the next round up to load. A quick shot of WD-40 and the bullets popped up. I emptied mag and wiped everything off, then reloaded. Everything was back to operating again. Something to keep in mind when relying on the gun to function when it counts.

This is why youre not supposed to use excessive lubricant inside of magazines. A good wipedown with an oily rag is all thats needed and theres nothing left to dry up and get sticky, just a thin film of lubricant.

[Grizz]

Exactly, especially if you carry around an extra mag. Those things collect a lot of dust and crap so wipe em down every 6 months or so, depending on how much crap they collect.

[The Duke]

+1 with the load'em and leave'em.....Ive heard of WWII 1911 mags that had been loaded in a 'bring back' since the '40's with steel cased ACP rounds working just fine..ammo and mag...

[DixieLandMan]

I carried them loaded 'across the pond'. Had problems with both of them with the spring wearing out. I fixed the M4 by taking the mag apart. If you have a few of that magazine, load one and then after a time, unload it into another magazine and keep switching them up.

[Charles Christensen]

I have a Tanfoglio Witness .45 with 3 mags. I had two of them loaded for over 10 years. The third I messed around with and cut the spring down to see if I could cram one more round in. I took all three to the range last month, loaded all three to the max and did not have a single malfunction. Even the one with the cut down spring worked perfectly. Don't worry, be happy.

[Juker]

Very interesting to hear both sides of this issue. I was in Texas last year shooting with my dad, and was helping him inventory his guns and ammo. We dug two 1911 mags (.45) out of the back of his gun cabinet that had been there, loaded, since the mid-1970s. Shot 'em both, no problems.

I have one original 1964 High Standard .22 mag that went bad, but I'm sure it just wore out from extensive use. Other than that one I keep all my assorted mags loaded.

[Zane71464]

Lot of myths about keeping the loaded, but Ive never had a problem with any mag yet and Ive kept and keep them loaded. All out of the reach of visitors or children.
I dont believe in (if such an occasion would arise) to go for a firearm and have the mags emty....it'd be useless.

[hoodedmonk]

Thanks for all the replys guys!

[fordtrucksforever]

Originally Posted by JLA

This is why youre not supposed to use excessive lubricant inside of magazines. A good wipedown with an oily rag is all thats needed and theres nothing left to dry up and get sticky, just a thin film of lubricant.

The pistol was new. The extra mag I just picked up separately when I purchased teh gun back then. I have not been in the habit of disassembling magazines and removing the oil film as they were supplied from the factory.