The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Hey Guys:

I don't know if this has been talked about yet, but I was wondering if it is OK to just keep the magazines fully loaded with ammo or does that weaken the spring?

I have heard 2 things on this.

1) If you keep them either full or empty that is ok, it is the loading and unloading that weaken them. Like bending a hangar too many times.

2) Never load them all the way because that compresses the spring too far and will weaken it.

Anyway, I would like your opinions!

btw, mine is a '74 and shoots like gangbusters!

radio controlled flyer dude..

Leaving it loaded will weaken the springs, that's a fact. Although metal fatigue and strain hardening occur during the action of compression/decompression, there's another well known phenomenon called "creep" that causes the metal to stretch over time.

Storing a magazine loaded won't hurt it a bit. People routinely discover magazines that have been inadvertently left loaded for many decades that work perfectly fine, much to their unwarranted amazement. In order to deform steel, it must be bent past it's yield point, something that should never happen to a spring in a properly designed magazine.

Having said that, there are several things that will degrade or destroy a magazine: Excessive heat, rust, overloading a magazine (trying to put that '31st' round in a 30 round magazine)...or heavens forbid, stretching a spring to make it 'springier' (or something). Normal use will take its toll too, because you'll essentially be work hardening the steel over time, but this will be a comparatively slow process for all but the most extreme usage (i.e. competition or the like). But insofar as storage goes, unloaded or loaded makes no practical difference. There may be purely tactical reasons for choosing one over the other, but magazine life considerations shouldn't enter into it.

And in order to qualify what I'm saying, I'm in the business of bending steel, so to speak. I help engineer equipment that's specifically designed to straighten coils of steel or aluminum prior to feeding this material into stamping presses. I can tell you exactly how much (to within a few thousandths) you need to bend a given type (cold rolled, hot rolled, stainless, etc.), thickness and yield strength of steel in order to work it, and ultimately remove the coil set initially introduced at the rolling mill. I can just about guarantee you that you have products in your home – or car – partially made on equipment I've personally had a hand in designing and programming. I've been doing this stuff a long time.

By the way, one common practice I strongly advise against is this notion of rotating loaded magazines in order to give their springs a chance to 'rest'. I know it seems to make sense intuitively, but you do far more harm to your magazines by periodically loading and unloading them than you would by simply leaving them alone.

Good Day!

Currently I carry a Glock 21 on duty. In the 7 years I have carried this duty weapon, my magazines have been loaded since day one. We have monthly qualifications and that is the only
time the magazines get used. I have noticed no problems with the mags and agree with Doubletap and the others that leaving mags loaded does not do any harm. Before switching to the Glock our department issued S&W 5906 9mm's. Same situation there, never experienced a problem with any magazine to feed. My 2 cents worth...............

The notion of unloading and loading magazines to save the springs is an age old myth. A lot of old timers will stand by it. But it's just that, a myth. (Maybe a good one to send to Myth busters, they like doing gun stuff)

+1 To DoubleTap

Yup no problem.

Thanks for the info for those of you who gave it. I have been wondering these things for years and
never really seen any comments on it.
So it is loadem and leavem.

Just to clarify I don't leave loaded mags in my safe for weapons not in use but my carry and home defense pieces are loaded and at hand and ready to go at all times for long periods of time until I swap them out.

Curly1 wrote:Just to clarify I don't leave loaded mags in my safe for weapons not in use but my carry and home defense pieces are loaded and at hand and ready to go at all times for long periods of time until I swap them out.

????? Why ........ It won't hurt the spring(s) ....... Loading on the run is not fun ....... Loaded mags in a "safe" or safe place is IMO Prepped ......

I keep ammo and guns in separate safes.

+1 with Curly and Weasal640

Good question and appreciate all responses, because is not only what what this board is all about but also how we all learn. The only reason I rotate mags is because they are empty; weakening the springs by leaving the mags loaded for long period of time is a myth that I have heard for many a year. I have left guns loaded with mags for years for quite some time with zero problems. Also, its been proven that by keeping a round in the tube and by rotating the mags the round that was in the tube that most gun owners eject before reloading mags should not be used again over and over as the first round in the tube again because the bullet itself could and most likely be pushed deeper into the casing and cause a jam for the next round unless of course you insert that same round into the chamber by hand.

I agree with leaving em loaded but this thread brings up another myth or none myth ...how about leaving a pistol cocked or half cocked when stored as oposed to in rest position ( decocked or firing pin not in firing position..).

I don't store them cocked but for home defense if they are designed to be cocked and locked than they are.

will not hurt anything.

Just shoot!