Pistol mags loaded - opinions

**stainless** · December 17th, 2015, 08:47 AM

I didn't find any previous posts on this exact matter. I'm wondering what y'all think and do concerning pistol mags.

I always have multiple mags for my guns and keep them loaded, not so much for a gun fight, but so that when I go to the range I spend my time shooting and not loading. No, I don't overheat the gun barrels, I'm just lazy about loading at the range especially in freezing weather. A few months back I ran across an article on the web where an expert (or self-professed expert) stated that it is not good to have them loaded for more than six months in his experience/opinion. I wish I had bookmarked the article but didn't.

So here I am checking with our experts. What do you guys and gals do? PISTOL, not AR's and AK's. My eyes and ears are now opened for business.

**Lycanthrope** · December 17th, 2015, 09:24 AM

Cycles degrade springs. Keeping them compressed will have very little effect. New springs compress a bit and "take a set" but then stay at a relatively stable length for a long time unless they are worn out due to cycles.

In other words, loading and unloading your mags is worse for them than keeping them loaded.

Lycanitsinthesearchbutoursearchsucksthrope

**R L Suehr** · December 17th, 2015, 09:25 AM

Depends on the gun. If it's a gun in the carry rotation, I usually keep the mags loaded. If it's a safe queen or just currently out of my rotation, then I store them empty. I know I've left a 1911 mag loaded for at least a year already and it functioned fine when I finally shot it at the range.

**IronButt** · December 17th, 2015, 09:55 AM

For the guns that I carry on a regular basis, I keep the mags & a couple spares loaded. I have no scientific proof one way or the other. I'm just going by the overwhelming consensus of "subject matter experts" on the Errornet that it doesn't hurt them.

**God's Country** · December 17th, 2015, 10:00 AM

Unless they are loaded for an extreme amount of time, ie many years, it won't be an issue, and even then not very likely unless they are stored in poor conditions.

**phillyd2** · December 17th, 2015, 10:35 AM

Load. Store. Forget. If you want to do your springs a favor than just load 28 in a 30 rounder. But not required at all.

**Hodgie** · December 17th, 2015, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Lycanthrope

Cycles degrade springs. Keeping them compressed will have very little effect. New springs compress a bit and "take a set" but then stay at a relatively stable length for a long time unless they are worn out due to cycles.

In other words, loading and unloading your mags is worse for them than keeping them loaded.

Lycanitsinthesearchbutoursearchsucksthrope

Ahh finaly I had something useful and smart to say and you beat me too it! Excellent very true information that applies to all conventional magazines.

**stainless** · December 17th, 2015, 11:33 AM

I had played email tag with the PMAG people a couple of years ago and they stated the same about static spring vs cycling the spring. I couldn't see why a pistol mag would be different (not PMAG's). If I don't shoot them all when at the range I do rotate the inventory, so to speak. Seems to work for me. Thanks folks.

**knight0334** · December 17th, 2015, 12:27 PM

The only thing you may have concerns with are the feed lips. On cheaply made magazines they tend to warp/bend over time. Some of the poly AR mags are known for it, so are some really cheap 1911 steel mags. I have 1 cheapo AR mag that will randomly eject a round or two as it sits up in my gun closet. About once/twice a month I'll find a round or two on the floor from it. None of the others are spitting them out(P-Mags or metal).

The spring itself is not a concern.

**wanneroo** · December 17th, 2015, 12:38 PM

It's always funny to me when I hear you wear out a magazine spring by keeping it loaded. I've received that sage advice from many people in person.

It's pretty clear that keeping a magazine loaded doesn't wear out the spring. In any case even if it did, your gun is pretty worthless without ammo. If SHTF you will not have time to thumb rounds into magazines. I have a lot of magazines. Some I do not have loaded but every single gun has at least a few loaded and some have many loaded.

Like Knight feed lips are probably a bigger issue, especially in my case since I have many surplus magazines, some 50-70 years old. They got previously banged up or dented in use or worn and can cause issues in the feed lip area. The springs are still strong enough to put an eye out.