loaded without firing?

[ChimpMunk20]

If you leave your semi loaded with a round in the chamber, is there any limit or guideline regarding how long it can remain in that state and still be ready to go if/when needed? Are the springs involved typically good enough that they'll never fatigue to the point of making them ineffective? Any other considerations to be aware of?

 

[Nodak1858]

Quality made springs will not wear out from being compressed/stretched within their design limits. Springs are worn by cycles of use or damaged by over extension or over compression depending on tension or compression type spring.

 

[jar]

It's not a good idea though to leave a gun loaded and unattended for extended periods. And if I do put a gun away while still loaded I make sure to also flag it with something large enough to make sure I remember or the next person that takes it out of the safe notes that "It's Loaded!"

But to get a reasonable answer how long a period are you considering and what will the environmental condition be while the gun is stored?

 

[44 AMP]

you shouldn't worry about the springs, what you should concern yourself with is the OIL!!

 

[Aguila Blanca]

If you leave your semi loaded with a round in the chamber, is there any limit or guideline regarding how long it can remain in that state and still be ready to go if/when needed? Are the springs involved typically good enough that they'll never fatigue to the point of making them ineffective? Any other considerations to be aware of?

50 years (or so) is as good a starting point as any.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

Just the question being asked makes me think you need to shoot this gun more to be proficient with it.

 

[RickB]

Agree that ammo contamination is more of a concern than spring fatigue.

 

[44 AMP]

Agree that ammo contamination is more of a concern than spring fatigue.

I mention oil being the thing to pay the most attention to, for a couple of reasons, first if its performance over time is not satisfactory, its simple, easy, and cheap to replace. And, oil can fail in a couple different ways. And then there is also user (applier) error, in using the proper amount.

people can, and do use a wide range of "oils' for firearms. Some are outstanding, some adequate. Some (probably most, these days) will not deteriorate during long term storage. Some, will.

IF the carrier component of the lube is too penetrative, it can, over time, penetrate ammo in the gun, with undesirable results up to deactivating them.

If the carrier component is too volitile for LONG term exposure, it can evaporate too much leaving what was oil now a lacquer with very glue like properties.

And, its a very fine line between what's ok and what "goes bad" and that line wavors with both time and environmental conditions.

What works fine for the duck gun or deer gun that sits all year and then gets used, cleaned and reoiled before going back into storage or the handgun that spends all its time "ready" with a check every couple years or more frequently, CAN BE the wrong stuff if the gun is going to sit untouched for 10, 15 or more years.

AND, firearm type and amount of lube in it also matters.
After my father passed, I discovered his personal arms hadn't been touched in at least 10 years, possibly more. In his bedroom top dresser drawer was his Colt Govt model. When I checked the gun, the mag was loaded 7rnds ball, and the chamber empty. When I released the slide, it sloooowly crept forward and stopped about half way shut.

The oil he had used (no idea what it was) had turned to sludge and gummed up the gun. A Savage 99 stored in a closet off the bedroom had the safety frozen in the "on" position from the same cause.

Interestingly his S&W Highway Patrolman, stored on a shelf in the same closet functioned perfectly.

What one should do to properly prep a gun for long term storage is one thing. What you could find when a gun is stored for "ready use" and then not used for a long time is something different.

 

[eflyguy]

There is absolutely no harm in leaving a round chambered. It does not diminish the ability for it to function as designed.

 

[corneileous]

It's not a good idea though to leave a gun loaded and unattended for extended periods.

Based on what knowledge or fact? Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve unloaded my handguns and taken the time to clean them and re-oil them but there’s no doubt in my mind that any one of those guns that have been sitting there loaded for the last probably year and a half without having nothing done to them will fire when ready so I don’t know where you’re getting this from saying it’s not a good idea to leave a gun loaded and unattended for an extended amount of time.

And if I do put a gun away while still loaded I make sure to also flag it with something large enough to make sure I remember or the next person that takes it out of the safe notes that "It's Loaded!"

There’s nothing wrong with being too safe but if that one rule about treating every gun as if it’s loaded was always followed, there would be no need to do that.

All of my guns stay loaded all the time, so it’s really not hard to remember that they are all loaded.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jar]

Based on what knowledge or fact? Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve unloaded my handguns and taken the time to clean them and re-oil them but there’s no doubt in my mind that any one of those guns that have been sitting there loaded for the last probably year and a half without having nothing done to them will fire when ready so I don’t know where you’re getting this from saying it’s not a good idea to leave a gun loaded and unattended for an extended amount of time.


There’s nothing wrong with being too safe but if that one rule about treating every gun as if it’s loaded was always followed, there would be no need to do that.

All of my guns stay loaded all the time, so it’s really not hard to remember that they are all loaded.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's called common sense.

Did you read everything in my post?

 

[Ricklin]

Uncommon sense?

Just a reflection on the words, not the poster.

Common sense? It's not so common anymore.

Old dried up oil. I hear ya 44 Amp. A friend needed money and I ended up with a couple of his old guns.
A Remington model 31 shotgun and an old Sauer single action revolver.

When I worked the slide on the 31, hmmm not quite the ball bearing pump gun I had heard about. It was smooth enough, but really stiff.
Much the same with the Sauer, could darn near watch the hammer fall (hyperbole) and the cylinder base pin was really really stuck.

The 31 is now equal to my M12 trap from 1946 for smooth and easy to rack.

The Sauer revolver freed right up except for the base pin. I used a pair of super sharp electronics flush cutters, the sharp edge went under the base of the pin, squeezing the handles slightly lifted out the base pin slick as could be W/O marring anything. Otherwise full takedown to get a drift on the other end of the pin to drive it out.
The Sauer brand new cheap revolver my buddies dad bought in the 70's and stuck in the sock drawer.
The Remington pump is virtually new as well, it appear to have been fired but a very few times.

The magic ingredient? Penetrating oil, and lots of it. I did take out trigger group and bolt on the shotgun.
I think I used Kroil. Worked great.

 

[44 AMP]

It's not a good idea though to leave a gun loaded and unattended for extended periods.

I agree, its generally not a good idea. But it ranges from being not being a good idea to being a BAD IDEA depending on if, and how the gun is stored, and the security of that storage.

Based on what knowledge or fact?

In my case, it's both knowledge and fact.

Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve unloaded my handguns and taken the time to clean them and re-oil them but there’s no doubt in my mind that any one of those guns that have been sitting there loaded for the last probably year and a half without having nothing done to them will fire when ready so I don’t know where you’re getting this from saying it’s not a good idea to leave a gun loaded and unattended for an extended amount of time.

There are many cases where something that is generally not a good idea may work acceptably well in certain specific situations, but that does not change the fact that they are generally not a good idea.

Loaded, and unattended (and unsecured????) for an "extended amount of time"... what is that, to you? The time I mean. A year? 2? 10? 20? 100??

Mechanically speaking, leaving the chamber(s) loaded is of no concern. Leaving the gun COCKED, could be. And this is where the concern about springs comes from. Older firearm designs which use a flat "leaf" spring should NEVER be left cocked. And that belief was carried over to guns with coil springs, and in the early days, was also just as valid.

Today (and for over the past century) properly made coil springs don't take a set or fail if left compressed for long periods of time (provided the compression is within their design limit). Unfortunately, the only way to know the difference between a spring made properly and one that is not is by when it fails. And, then, it too late.

As a side note, the question about how long a gun could be left loaded, creates the question of "why would you need to leave a gun loaded for a long period of time?"

What scenario do you envision that would require you to have a round in the chamber (and UNATTENDED, which is the biggest issue) for an extended time?? I can't think of any. OR, at least none that apply in my life.

So, as I see it, from the mechanical side, its a non-issue.

BUT,
From the practical side (and this included SAFETY) it's a big issue. A loaded, unattended gun is a risk. ALWAYS. Its not the loaded gun alone that is the risk its the loaded and unattended that is the risk. When you aren't there, you do not, cannot, know, with certainty what the condition of the gun actually is, until you personally examine it.

Loaded, unattended AND unsecured is the triple crown of disaster, and unlike horseracing, foolish people win that one many times, every year.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Properly designed and made leaf springs work just fine if left compressed.

 

[44 AMP]

Properly designed and made leaf springs work just fine if left compressed.

Agree, problem was, in the old days many weren't, and so the best thing was not to leave them under a load.

The big problem with springs is that like many other things, the only way to know its "bad" is that it fails, and the failure is a "done deal" too late to avoid or change.

 

[The Happy kaboomer]

119 years, 43 days and 5 hours before the springs/ammo goes bad.........It's a non issue.

 

[Gas Bag]

It shouldn’t be a problem to leave the gun loaded, with one in the chamber.
I have done that with my 1911, without problems.

 

[44 AMP]

If you leave your semi loaded with a round in the chamber, is there any limit or guideline regarding how long it can remain in that state and still be ready to go if/when needed?

The only real limit/guideline is going to be entirely situation specific. How long the gun can be left with a round in the chamber and "ready to go" (meaning no maintenance has been done, and none will be needed) depends entirely on WHAT gun, what condition the gun was left in, and what conditions the gun has been through between the time you left it, and the time you pick it up and use it next.

For example, is the chamber loaded gun being left in a tackle box on a fishing boat in Louisana? or in a nightstand drawer in a nice climate controlled house in sunny California???

Is it being left "dripping with oil" that MIGHT creep into and deactivate the ammo over months/years?? Or dry out and turn to sludge over a few decades???

Mechanically, a loaded gun can last for multiple decades, even over a century or longer, PROVIDED that environmental conditions do not cause any harm to the gun. (such as rusting it shut, etc.)

Properly made, modern ammo, again, under good storage conditions, will last until the powder begins to degrade chemically. THis should also be multiple decades, or longer. However, all ammo is not equal, and some has been made that "goes bad" before is should.

SO, to anser the OP's question, there is no general limit or guideline that applies, other than, "a long time".

 

[gwpercle]

I can honestly report my Dads WWII era cyq Walther P-38 stayed in his sock drawer from 1962 ... he mail ordered it in 1961 , made one or maybe two range trips then ...
untill 2014 when he gave it to me , still loaded with the Military Surplus ammo he bought with the gun . It stayed in his sock drawer ... I oiled it once and it went back in drawer about 2000 . In 2014 he hands it to me and said "here you take this I don't need it anymore , go see if it still shoots" . Now this pistol was wartime made 1944 I think so it may not have been as good as commerical built pistols ... it is a bit rough .
I did and the loaded magazine and every round fired from that old War Horse like it was 1962 ... 2014 = That's 52 years !!!
So ... based on my experience with a long term loaded pistol ...
I'm going to have to agree with Aguila Blanca in post #5 ...
... 50 years (or so) is a good starting point .

Every round of that WWII military surplus 9mm Luger ammo also fired ...
... So , stored in your sock drawer ... military ammo will last a good 50 years (or so ) maybe more !
Gary

 

[chaim]

I agree with what some others have said, the oil and not the springs are the potential issue.

If it is a gun you aren't going to rely on for home defense it may be a non-issue, but then, I would question why you have it stored loaded instead of unloaded.

For a gun I would stake my life on as a home defense or carry gun, I wouldn't want to leave it for an extended amount of time. I want to get to the range with it at least occasionally for one. For a range only gun, I can take a mag or two in order to re-familiarize myself with the gun. For self-defense, I want to be ready to go with the gun when/if I need it. Like everyone, I'm not fully consistent on everything, and I have a gun or two I sometimes have set up for home defense that I don't shoot as regularly as I'd like. If I don't regularly shoot it, since the oil will be the weak point, I want to at least break it down, clean it, and re-oil it at least once every 6 months to a year (admittedly, an arbitrarily determined number, but 6mo to a year will allow me to be comfortable relying on the gun for my life).