Loaded magazine question 9mm

G

guambra2001

Inactive
I couldn't find anything relating to this using the search feature, as such, how long can a loaded magazine (spring?) be functional assuming it is loaded to full capacity? For example, if I load a 33rd magazine and leave it loaded for a year, would it be reasonable to assume that it will feed reliably after the year? If not, do you cycle the magazines every 3 months?

I'm thinking about making a get home bag for my car and using my Keltec 2k for the job. I would load a G17 magazine and probably a 33rd magazine as well. Any thoughts and input would be appreciated, thank you.
 
It depends on the quality of the magazine spring. Some are so poor that they will take a set after a few months; others will last for many years.

I have seen GI M1911 magazines that were kept fully loaded from WWII to recent years and still worked fine, with no apparent affect on spring tension. (Note that those magazines were made literally by the millions, under rigid government control and inspection; modern civilian magazines may not be so reliable.)

Modern magazines from the gun OEM should be OK for many years. "Gadget" magazines from other makers may not do as well (price is not always a good indicator, but it is better than buying the cheapest junk around).

Jim
 
You obviously haven't searched this often, and at times heated topic very much. It's right up there with safety/no safety, loaded chamber/empty chamber, and Hi-Point firearms as a potential "get the popcorn" topic.
on one side, compressed springs wear out. The other side, working springs wear thrm out. In the middle, loading one less round does no harm to springs.
Either, or any way you look at it, the time required to weaken a magazine spring by keeping it loaded, if at all, would be well i to the next, or next after that owner.
Now, like every time this topic comes up, get ready for someone to post the exact opposite view. Get the popcorn ready, and enjoy.:D
 
Thanks all for the reply, I will keep 'em loaded as needed. Magazines are probably the guns strongest weak point and wanted to make sure they will be good in case I need to use them.
 
In at least one of those many previous threads on the subject, I've related the story of finding a long abandoned and loaded magazine.
It was hidden in the dark recess of a cabinet and must have been there for 10 years or so.
Since the ammo was that old, too, the next visit to the range it accompanied us.
As expected, it all worked just fine and dandy.
If you want something to worry over, this ain't worthy of the effort. :)
 
Springs do not 'take a set'. Springs do not lose temper from being compressed. A flat spring like a typical mag spring, can get work hardened at the bends and crack but it will not lose temper and stop being a spring. Only extreme heat, as in red hot, that will never happen in your pistol, will take the temper out.
"...bag for my car..." What's the humidity like where you are? Matters more if whatever bag you use is air tight.
"...couldn't find anything relating to this..." Something is horribly wrong. Question comes up at least monthly on every firearms forum on this planet. snicker.
"...Hi-Point firearms..." And Glocks, Keltec's, lockable Smiths, Taurus', etc, etc, etc. snicker.
 
ya Cheapshooter is right this is a popcorn topic.

Im in the "springs wear from cycling" camp.

I've heard of people opening up WWII crates with loaded mags.. I guess this is how they shipped 45acp?

And the ammo and mag functioned just fine.
take that for what it's worth..

frankly I don't care if im wrong and it wears out just sitting.
at least a couple of mags need to be loaded all the time.
I never unload my carry mags, mec-gars and they been trucking along for years.

If they wear out I'll buy new ones.. It's worth it to have access when I need it.
Does not mean ever mag in your collect needs to be loaded, I've got plenty of mags still NIB.
 
I left an 8rd .45 mag loaded for twenty years, and testing it, every five years or so, showed no degradation in performance.

That said, I think a lot of modern mags would have been considered +1 mags 100 years ago, and the more rounds you stuff in a tube, the less room there is for spring.

I have a perhaps-strange compromise of loading to capacity when mags will be out of the gun, while mags that will be in a gun long-term, are downloaded one round; neither is compressed to absolute maximum.
 
I think a lot of modern mags would have been considered +1 mags 100 years ago, and the more rounds you stuff in a tube, the less room there is for spring.
Click to expand...

This seems to be the key. Based on my readings a 7 round 1911 magazine will last almost indefinitely loaded. But the 8 round magazines may not hold up as well. I think that if left loaded long term loading them down by 1-2 rounds can't hurt. It may not help, but that is what I do. I keep almost all of my magazines for all handguns and rifles loaded -1 or 2 from full capacity and have never had a problem. I have enough mags for most of my pistols and all of my AR's and 22's that when I go to the range I simply take magazines and reload the mags when I get home.
 
I left two P89 factory ruger magazines from 1994-2007 fully loaded. Other than being really easy to load now they're 100% perfect.
 
If you look at other examples of springs in your life that remain safe for decades under load, you will find them everywhere. Struts in your car and brake part,firing pin springs, brushes in motors, on and on. Steel works that way. It retains its molecular integrity. If it isn't made properly or the steel isn't properly heat treated, the steel in the spring will lose structure. I think that one of the biggest problems is that a square coil spring puts all of the pressure on the corners, rather than putting it all on the complete length of the wire.

Get good magazines. If it makes you feel safer, replace the springs with top grade springs. Replace the springs you carry as often as you must to remain confident, but you won't need to.
 
Thanks all for the replies, I was on mobile and I must admit my search skills are lacking. Regardless, the answers make me feel at ease with the magazines. Thanks.
 
Springs do not 'take a set'.
Click to expand...
Build yourself a spring force tester (or buy one), buy a new magazine (or two or four), disassemble the magazine(s), measure the uncompressed length of the spring(s) and the spring force. Reassemble the magazine(s), load 'em up and leave 'em alone for a year or two. Then unload and do the measurements again. Then take the mag(s) to the range to check for proper function.

It's not a complicated experiment--but it's the opposite of instant gratification.
 
once watched a friend take his grandfathers old 1911, with a couple of fully loaded mags. They were some where between 50-60 years old
Both emptied with out any problem!
A couple of more boxes of ammo were shot too............also work just fine.:cool:
This was in the early 1960's and the gun was of WW1 vintage...... Dusty, but in good shape otherwise!
 
My local Police Station, in the UK, a town called St Helens, Lancashire, gave me a call, to look at a gun?

It turned out to be a WW11 Sten, sub gun. It's 32 round magazine in place, it had sat under her bed for quite a few years. Bolt forward, safety in place.

It was in a paper bag, light coating of dust. We took it to our outdoor range, the two Police Officers (Constables) were quite excited. I unscrewed the barrel, like new.
They had some fun shooting single rounds. Not sure where it ended up. But no malfunctions.
 
If your 33-rounder is a Glock mag, it may survive long-term storage and run just fine. If it's a knock-off (as most "mega-capacity" magazines are), it'll probably be a complete waste of time.

The best things for your "get home bag" are a couple granola bars and a good pair of walking shoes.

Thinking you'll "shoot your way home" is pretty far out there; and bordering on "TEOTWAWKI" ... which is not a welcomed topic here.

I've related the story of finding a long abandoned and loaded magazine.
It was hidden in the dark recess of a cabinet and must have been there for 10 years or so.
Click to expand...
Ten years is 'long abandoned'? :eek:

The last time I used a term like that, I was talking about a S&W revolver found in the desert, that had probably been there for at least seventy years.
One of us must have our sense of scale improperly adjusted.
 
Hi. This seems to come up every few months now.

A spring, properly designed for the task in mind, fatigues from cycling. That is: use.

Springs can and will take a set. Usually they are exercised in testing sufficient that the end user (you) will probably never notice in regular use, but in say, a new compression spring, it could be measured.

Think about your car. The springs in your engine or suspension are constantly under load or being cycled. Do you ever worry about them? No.

In a firearm magazine? Well, anecdotally, the original springs in my Model M mags (1920) and my Model of 1911 (1918) are still fine. On a technical level which is where I make a living, that type of spring- correctly chosen- is not going to 'wear out' by being left loaded or unloaded, unless a third action such as rust or damage plays a part. That doesn't mean that an improperly designed or selected spring (read: crap) will not wear out more quickly.
 
I have several mags for my Mini 14 that sat loaded for over 20 years. They still function as well as they did when new.
 
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