dad says its bad idea to always keep mag loaded

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - dad says its bad idea to always keep mag loaded

Posted: 7/3/2002 11:49:50 AM EDT

because it wheres down the resistance on the spring. what is your take on this? should i take his advise and leave the mags emty untill i am ready to shoot, or leave then hafe full, or all the way full? what to do what to do!!!!!!!

Posted: 7/3/2002 11:52:30 AM EDT

[#1]

It's not the constant compression that wears down a spring. It's the cycling between compressed and uncompressed.

Read the MagFAQ at the top of the Magazines Forum for more info on this.

Posted: 7/3/2002 11:54:31 AM EDT

[#2]

sorry, but ole dad is wrong here.

springs wear out because the metal fatigues from being worked.

the metal is worked by compressing and uncompressing the spring repeatedly. this is what will wear out a spring - using it.

load them up or leave them alone. they will not be harmed or wear out by leaving them full.

Posted: 7/3/2002 11:56:50 AM EDT

[#3]

Maybe if your dad hung out here on this site and
came to our shootouts he would know this.
Just a thought.

Posted: 7/3/2002 12:06:04 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Maybe if your dad hung out here on this site and
came to our shootouts he would know this.
Just a thought.

View Quote

Now now-I think a better response might be

"Maybe if your dad hung out here on this site and
came to our shootouts he would realize that we are trustworthy responsible adults and would let you go to shoots." (nah-your pops is probably a better judge of character than that [:)])

Your father is not alone in his concern for compressed springs wearing out-I am sure no expert in this, but plenty of people rotate their mags by switching which one(s) they keep loaded for just in case use in the house.

Posted: 7/3/2002 12:11:22 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Maybe if your dad hung out here on this site and
came to our shootouts he would know this.
Just a thought.

View Quote

he has 2 companies to run. its hard for him to find time to be on AR15.com thats why i have to wait untill i am 18 to go to the meets. so i can over rule his rules, and so he doesnt have to go.

Posted: 7/3/2002 12:12:17 PM EDT

[#6]

magazine rotation will wear out your mags faster because you are using the springs more often. bad thing.

magazine rotation in the bathroom is a good thing so you won't get bored in there. heh.

Posted: 7/3/2002 12:15:58 PM EDT

[#7]

[b]

Quoted:
...so i can over rule his rules,..

View Quote

[/b]

And you will sleep in the garage.[:D]

Posted: 7/3/2002 12:36:37 PM EDT

[#8]

He may have had a bad experience with a mag from a different type of firearm. Most mags should work fine. I think it was in the mag facts file here where I read that someone found a Vietnam era M16 mag 30 years later fully loaded & it still functioned flawlessly.

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:09:04 PM EDT

[#9]

Last month I received 10 M14 magazines from a friend. (free [:)]) Some were rusty and pretty crappy looking. 4 were fully loaded with tracers and blanks. I took the magazines apart to clean with steel wool and maybe refinish and I noticed something. The springs from the fully loaded mags were about 3-4" shorter than the springs for the unloaded mags.

What do you all say about that?

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:12:45 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Last month I received 10 M14 magazines from a friend. (free [:)]) Some were rusty and pretty crappy looking. 4 were fully loaded with tracers and blanks. I took the magazines apart to clean with steel wool and maybe refinish and I noticed something. The springs from the fully loaded mags were about 3-4" shorter than the springs for the unloaded mags.

What do you all say about that?

View Quote

I'll handle this:

[size=6]BLASPHEMY[/size=6]

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:21:50 PM EDT

[#11]

Keeping any spring in compressed or over-extended form will eventually disform the spring.

Rotating mags every 2 wks or every month would only simulate using them once or twice a month.

I don't claim to be a 'pro' but I feel better rotating 'em occasionally, and usually don't load them to full. I have all hi-cap mags and load to 13 (12 on the 14.45) just because I want them to last as long as possible.

tinfoil hat and asbestos suit on...

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:30:31 PM EDT

[#12]

It doesn't hurt the springs to keep the mags loaded. This is a well-known part of materials science, and the idea that it does hurt the springs is an urban legend.

Spring compression is well within the elastic region of the stress-strain curve for metal springs.

The worst that can happen is that the springs or cartridges could corrode or get dirty while loaded, which would hurt feeding.

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:50:55 PM EDT

[#13]

Dad feeds ya. We don't.

Posted: 7/3/2002 3:55:09 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Last month I received 10 M14 magazines from a friend. (free [:)]) Some were rusty and pretty crappy looking. 4 were fully loaded with tracers and blanks. I took the magazines apart to clean with steel wool and maybe refinish and I noticed something. The springs from the fully loaded mags were about 3-4" shorter than the springs for the unloaded mags.

What do you all say about that?

View Quote

all springs take an initial set when used.

all of this info about springs can be verified/confirmed in materials science books in your local library.

Posted: 7/3/2002 11:58:59 PM EDT

[#15]

At one time a gun/mag mfgr wrote a small article about this in (I think) Am Handgunner. They claimed to have done extensive testing, yadda yadda yadda. Upshot was they said to load 'em up. They claimed it took 2-3 years for a fully loaded mag that was never used nor emptied to be affected by "spring set", IIRC.

I have yet to have had any problems with any of my older mags. One thing I do is down load them one rd if it's a long term storage.

Posted: 7/4/2002 12:12:28 AM EDT

[#16]

I heard the best comparison was: Do car suspension springs (which are always compressed) wear out faster by sitting still or when subjected to driving?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - dad says its bad idea to always keep mag loaded

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