Bought my first handgun today

C

cig1ar

New member
I have various rifles, so I'm not new to long guns but I'm brand new to hand guns!
Here's my question (first of many I'm sure)
I just picked up a Steyr M 40, Is it wise to keep the magazine loaded at all time or will this ruin the spring in the magazine?

I know this is an Ignorant question but I was raised if you don't know something ask...............

Thank you for your time and patience,

Cig1ar
 
Probably if you keep it loaded for a hundred years the spring will wear out. I wouldn't worry about it.

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"Those that give up essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.
 
Congrats on the purchase! I was looking at one of these too. After you take it to the range tell us how it is please. Dont forget to practice to get a feel for the guns!
 
The way I run my magazines is that I have at least 6 of them. One in the weapon, and 2 spares, with a complete backup set. Every two months, I down load one set, and go to the back up. Every 6 months I shoot up the ammo, and replace with fresh loads. This might be extreme, but for something that just might be called upon to save my life, I'm going to side with caution, and vigilance!!!!!!

Just as an aside, nowadays finding that many high cap mags is a b**ch!!!!!!!!!

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Just as there is no such thing as too much fun,
there is no such thing as owning just one gun!!!
 
My dad had 7.62 German luger mags loaded and stored in a suitcase for 30 yrs. Springs were compressed and would NOT feed. Perhaps manufacturers are using better steel in the mags now, but a friend of mine (sheriff) rotates his P245 mags every payday and keeps a pair empty to keep their strength.
 
Cig, I think you have asked a very reasonable question. A few years ago I spoke with a guy who was the armorer for a local Police Dept. He said that many Officers keep there mags fully loaded for years and only empty them once or twice for yearly qualification. He said that if I have 2 mags, I should alternate between them every 6 months for best results..
 
Hola,


I change out my Stainless "business" mags twice yearly, at the same time I change the batteries in my smoke detectors.

I also use stainless mags for "business", and use blued for practice, that way I can tell by looking at them, what they are loaded with, and don't accidently shoot the wrong ammo.
 
Greetings, Cig1ar! Congratulations on your purchase. I'm looking at that very pistol myself! Please let us know how it works, shoots, etc! As to magazines: Makers of quality magazines use springs that will work fine if fully loaded for long periods of time. I have no idea concerning the aftermarket hi-caps that I own, but I use them only for practice. Steyr is a world-class gun maker. Load 'em up. Best.
 
The springs should be fine. I always keep one mag fully loaded and the gun empty. If needed, I grab the mag, slide it in, and I'm in business. I have multiple mags for all my hand guns. Some are used on for practice and others are used strickly for carry/defense. The reason I do this is because I routinly practice reloading, which means a lot of the times my mags end up in the dirt while I'm at the rangs. I clean them thouroughly when I'm done, but I'm still not taking any chances.

My advise is, if your worried about the springs. Then take the gun to the range once a week and shoot all the ammo out of your mags. When your done, fill em up and empty em again next week at the range. You can tell your wife the the money needed for ammo is a justified expense in order to save the springs in the mags. Unless she's a gun person, she wont know any diferent. :-)

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Before you go and wad off into the creek, you best decide how wet you wanna get.
 
Also, keeping mags downloaded by one round helps keep spring retention. I always keep mine downloaded (ie:14 rds in 15 rd mags).
 
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