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Make Up Your Mind Monday: Do Loaded Magazines Wear Out Magazine Springs?

6K views 25 replies 18 participants last post by  Jordanjf86 
#1 ·
In theory, if you started with a brand new magazine and loaded it to full capacity, then left it in a drawer, it should not lose a significant amount of spring tension for a very, very long time. Probably years. But reality is messier than that. Tiny variances in the materials and processes used to make the spring can lead to unpredictable results, and there are always outside factors like moisture/corrosion, dust and debris, and ammunition-related issues that can cause the magazine to fail before the spring would actually wear out naturally.

Using the spring (loading and unloading the magazine) frequently will cause it to wear out as well. But if you’re using it a lot, you’ll be able to tell when the spring starts to weaken because the rounds will be much easier to load, and the gun will eventually start experiencing malfunctions at the range. The spring should last tens of thousands of cycles before this occurs, but it will happen eventually. When it becomes apparent that the spring is “done”, either replace it, or replace the entire magazine.
the age old question is still being asked and here is some info

Can Gun Magazine Springs Wear Out?
 
#2 ·
Using the spring (loading and unloading the magazine) frequently will cause it to wear out as well
That's what wear them out. You don't even need to understand physics for that one.
Just plain o' common sense.
Just another internet circle jerk of misinformation that gets passed around in cyber space as some kind of fact.

Plenty of documentation out there of people shooting grandpa's and dad's loaded 1911 mags buried in a closet and discovered after they died.
And the mental springs used back then are nowhere near the quality used today. But be warned you get what you pay for as they say. Why trip over nickles to only save pennies in some cases, not worth the risk when the magazine is the key failure point.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Let's translate this topic over to automatic transmission springs, which is something I have plenty of experiance with. And, a spring is a spring. This is a picture of the second gear accumulator spring and housing in a 4L60 transmission.



The bigger round part with the hole in the middle is the accumulator piston which, when the trans shifts to second, is moved by oil pressure to compress the spring shown. This is how they control shift feel. It cushions the application of the clutch or band that applies for second gear. A band in this case. So imagine how many times your vehicle shifts to second gear in a day, and then multiply that by the years old it is, and you can imagine that spring compressing and releasing a jillion times. Not unlike the spring in your pistols magazine, but you don't shoot your pistol that much. If the spring is never activated and released, it does not get fatigued.

Here is one from a typical rebuild that has failed from that affore mentioned jillion compressions and releases.



I have never seen one that is broken that hasn't been subject this wear and tear. In conclusion since the spring in your pistol is made the same way, unless some outside force acts on it, it will not wear out, unless maybe you fire thousands and thousands of round through it, doing the spring on and off cycle a jillion times. Let me add that I once built a trans that had no 2nd gear from the factory. That was found to be caused by a passage that had not been drilled out. That spring was like new and the tranny had 90k on it.

Stop whining! :)
 
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#4 ·
what it comes down to in the materials used and the heat treatment they go through. as a rule I load mine up all the way for the first 3 weeks and then lighten the load by a third for storage but still be ready for action if needed
 
#5 ·
I read an article written by a gunsmith who said single-stack magazine springs like the 1911 will not wear even when compressed for many years. But double-stack springs will wear. I think he's right. My Uzi mag springs became worn after being loaded for several years & they wouldn't bring up the next round. After replacing them with Wolff springs, they functioned perfectly. When replacing them, I noticed that they were 2-3 inches shorter than the new springs.
 
#7 ·
Naaa, in a typical pistol magazine I doubt you'll see any appreciable wear from either (HAND) loading and unloading, or leaving a magazine constantly loaded inside of your own lifetime.

It takes a considerable amount of use to wear out a magazine spring. Over the past 35 years I've fired many tens of thousands of rounds; and I don't think I've changed more than 3 or 4 magazine springs. Some of my magazines have remained loaded - as they are right now - for 10 or 15 years at a time; and the springs remain entirely serviceable.

What concerns me, though is how well the unreinforced polymer feed lips are going to stand up and stay tight on these new 100% plastic magazines? I just started running Magpul's Glock magazines; so I guess I'm going to find out. (I may get a couple of clear Lexan ETS magazines, too.) The other thing that should be noted is, while keeping a magazine loaded will NOT wear out a mag spring, it will cause the mag spring to take a permanent set. (Which can be a good thing!)
 
#10 ·
I was assigned to help clean out an old evidence area in our court house that had not been used in many years. This was an old walk in safe about the size of a small bedroom. Over in the corner was an old .351 Winchester carbine and a leather pouch containing two magazines fully loaded with ball ammo. It appeared that this weapon had been in there for 20 plus years. The ball ammo was green from corrosion. The rounds popped right out. We were able to clean up the ammo and the leather pouch, oiled the old carbine, and ending up hanging it above one of the offices in our Det. Division. Those springs in the two magazines were as strong as the day they were made. My understandind was that carbine was an old prison issue, used in a crime and had been well used.:eek:
 
#11 ·
How many rounds did those carbine mags hold? The issue of springs taking a set usually involves 10-25 round mags; not those that only have a 4 - 5 round capacity. Higher capacity mag springs use thinner steel to make more room for more ammo; that may be the most important factor. That's why the 7-round 1911 mag springs do not take a set but high capacity 9mm's can.
 
#14 ·
I carried a department issued Glock 22 from 1995 to retirement in 2002. All mags were always filled to capacity and were only "emptied" during semi-annual qualifications. Never had a single failure using these same magazines during that time period and when reloading them, the last two or three rounds were just as difficult to stuff in the magazines as when they were new. These were constantly exposed to the elements (extreme heat, bitter cold, rain, snow, etc.) and I trusted my life with them.
 
#15 ·
Simple answer to the question is; They do not.
 
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#17 ·
Quite a few years ago___well about fifty___an army MP company loaded magazines and put them in a locker for a year. A year later all of them fired fine with no indication of the springs
being weaker. Springs___including car and tractor springs___cost a lot because of their manufacturing expense. Most are intended to be compressed. Other than the mag springs there are
springs of different types in most handguns under compression nearly (some all the time) all the time.
For over half a century I've kept all of the mags I'm apt to have in one of my pistols loaded.
I've read on some of these forums advise to keep a hard to load magazine loaded for a couple of days so it'll be easier to load that "last round" or such. I've never experienced that.
Stay safe.
Poli Viejo
 
#19 ·
How often do you guys change out the front coil springs on your cars and trucks?
 
#20 ·
Springs Are Very Lasting

It been a lot ___a whole lot___of years gone by but I recall an army MP company that each one loaded up a magazine and these were locked up for a year. A year later these loaded
magazines were all loaded into those 45 caliber automatics and no failures.
All springs are made of a special ___and a bit costly____steel to last years.
I think the springs used in firearms are quality too, providing the firearm is manufactured by a reliable company. In short, I don't think the average gun owner needs to be
concerned.
 
#26 ·
I don't think having them loaded hurts anything. I do think that is good advice about about the +1 loading (constantly that is) perhaps causing issues. That makes sense to me and is a good point, I agree the some configurations (I'm talking about you 10 round G30 mag) may be worse than others. The 9mm Glock mags are pretty easy to load to capacity when when new, the sub compacts with fatter bullets can get real tough to load.
 
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