If I take my mags apart and stretch the springs by hand, is this bad?

[Neil McCauley]

I've been doing this on a few of my "not so reliable" cheaper mags and it seems to do the trick Fixes the failure to feed problem. Makes sense right? So far I haven't had any problems. Only thing is the spring tends to twist when I do it so I try to bend it back straight after I stretch them out. I do it to a few of my older aftermarket HKusp mags especially if they have been loaded for awhile. Have you guys ever done this? Any problems?

[Ledbetter]

Maybe okay for a short term fix, but it sounds like your springs are already "fatigued." Stretching them and allowing them to recompress may just fatigue them faster.

[NiteQwill]

It's a temporary fix for a more pertinent problem that requires a more permanent option: replacing the springs.

[voiceoftheright]

Don't buy cheap mags in the first place.

[perpetual otter]

LoL @ not buying cheap mags to begin with. I wouldn't do that to the springs but then again I've never had a problem with my wilson mags.

[Munk]

It's new spring time if you have to do this.

The springs are weak, and forcing the metal to bend instead of flex (your re-stretching) is just putting more strain on them, making them weaker overall. You're setting yourself up for a failure at a bad time by doing this.

[FNH5-7]

Don't buy cheap mags in the first place.

^^This^^

[fennecfrank]

agree to the above posts. don't buy cheap magazines!

[bsg]

buy factory magazines.

[oghl888]

good quality mags *usually* have better tubes, lips, and followers, all are important to reliability. use good quality mags and replace the spring with good quality springs when needed, will ensure a happier shooter at least when it comes to feeding reliability.

[xxINKxx]

I "stretched out" my 1911 mag springs only to check and make sure the springs were the cause of my FTF's.

If you cant afford new mags, just buy some good mag springs. Get some wolff +5% magazine springs. They are only like 7$ on the average depending on the gun and availibility. If you stretched them out and it fixed the issue temporarily, then just get new springs since you said it functioned good after you did it.

[Neil McCauley]

lol some of these mags I doubt I will find springs for, like for ex: 20 rnd HK USP.45 mag

[elsolo]

lol some of these mags I doubt I will find springs for, like for ex: 20 rnd HK USP.45 mag

Wolff gunsprings
Their mag spring for a Caspian is good for lots of unlisted applications.

[bohoki]

i tried that with a ramline mag that was jamming on the laast round cause of "spring fatigue"

it didn't help the minute i reloaded it it compressed back to its fatigue length

ive often wondered why springs always seem to be used on compression never extension

i got a spring on my screen door that works on extension and thats just about the only time ive ever seen a spring work that way

oh wait maybe you could classify the coil springs in butler creek mags that way they are at rest then as loaded it is stretched

[Fishslayer]

buy factory magazines.

As long as they're not Ruger...