Fully Loaded Mags Shorten Spring Life?

[insin]

Hello All,
I have my .45 USPc that sits in a lock box in my closet for home defense should the situation call for it. My question is how should I load my mags and keep them long term? I have one mag loaded with 8 rounds (max) and one extra mag also with 8. Both mags are manufactured by HK, so i believe they should be at least decent quality. Every few weeks I unload the mags to kind of give the springs a break, but thats only for an hour or so.

Will keeping my mags loaded like this decrease their life? At almost $25-30 a pop they are not cheap. Would loading fewer rounds be more ideal long term? I doubt I would necesarily need 16 rounds if an intruder broke in, but knowing they are there just in case makes me feel better.

Thanks,
~Dj

[Josh]

If the magazine is properly engineered then NO.

Springs and metal in general fatigue from repetative bending (work hardening) or how far they are bent (elastic/youngs/tenslie modulus) not how long they are bent.

If the mag was fully loaded before and it worked then it can stay loaded and function fine.

The only other way is if the springs start to rust.

[bu-bye]

+1 what he ^ said

[maschronic]

i usually have half the rounds in the magazine. before i got my 45, i used to have 8 rounds for the 9mm. with the 45, i put 5 rounds. just to be on the safe side. i've done this for about 3 years and have not had any problems. i usually swap the magazines out every couple of months or so.

however, i like my 12 gauge a lot better for home protection.

how do everyone else do it?

[ArmedWolf]

I keep my gun in the safe, but always have one mag fully loaded, its always functioned just fine. no idea why I keep it like that, not needed, I have the scatter gun for Home Defence , and money for reinterioring the room

[DV8]

I keep all my mags loaded to full capacity. Springs weaken from compressing and decompressing not by keeping them compressed.

You want to keep an eye out for HK mags though as they are notorious for having weak springs to begin with.

[Python2]

i usually have half the rounds in the magazine. before i got my 45, i used to have 8 rounds for the 9mm. with the 45, i put 5 rounds. just to be on the safe side. i've done this for about 3 years and have not had any problems. i usually swap the magazines out every couple of months or so.

however, i like my 12 gauge a lot better for home protection.

how do everyone else do it?

I have a loaded scatter gun in my home office lockable storage room , loaded wheel gun in my home office drawer, loaded chamber Sig P220 decocked bedroom drawer, loaded chamber Glock19 in my body concealed so the wife and sometimes visitor cant see it. Why too much arsenal? Better to have em and not need it than not have em when you need it.

[Josh]

To be brutally honest, it seems that the magazines are the least well engineered part of the H&K USP. This applies both to the sheetmetal mag bodies of the .45 mags (which like to crack open along the weld), and the springs, which seem to be to weak. I have a USP 45, and as the magazines age (in particular if the magazines are stored loaded), the slide holdopen fails. If you look at the discussions on www.hkpro.com, there are lots of stories about springs being replaces.

Wolff springs are easily available, and not very expensive, they look and feel considerably stronger, and seem to have a good reputation. I just installed them a week ago, and the difference between a worn-out H&K spring and a brand-new Wolff spring is staggering - not in the same league.

A few other recommendations from the hkpro forums: have multiple magazines, and only store a fraction of them loaded, and cycle between them. Also, regularly remove the springs and stretch them back by hand.

They are wearing out from use, NOT from storing them loaded. Perhapes the springs are too weak and they can only be used so many times before they spring work hardens to the point of not being reliable. But from an engineering standpoint, the metal will not care how long it is bent, just how far and how many times.

My usp mags are close to 10+ years old and very well used, they still feed fine and activate the slide lock.

[Unknownassailant]

If the magazine is properly engineered then NO.

Springs and metal in general fatigue from repetative bending (work hardening) or how far they are bent (elastic/youngs/tenslie modulus) not how long they are bent.

If the mag was fully loaded before and it worked then it can stay loaded and function fine.

The only other way is if the springs start to rust.

Does the same apply to high capacity pistol mags like 15 & 20 rounders?

[ArmedWolf]

as long as spring material is like the others then no worries, if its crap, well, I dunno

[homerm14]

Put some wolf springs in and be done with it. Springs wear out from use (ie loading and un loading) not from being compresed.

[Josh]

Does the same apply to high capacity pistol mags like 15 & 20 rounders?

Yes it does.

[elsolo]

I use my mags more than most shooters, I shot three IPSC matches this week alone.

I abuse the hell out of them: I leave them loaded with the spring so compressed I have to use a plastic "thumb saver" to squeze the last few rounds in (they hold 20), I unload/relaod them all after every stage to make sure they are all up to max capacity before the next stage, when the springs feel weak I just stretch them out so they are longer and have more tension again. I basically do everything that is supposed to ruin mag springs and I can't recall ever having a mag spring related problem. I do replace them once a year just as general practice, but I'll shoot 15-20K through six mags in a year, while abusing the hell out of them in every theoretical way.

I think this is one f those things people worry about but rarely causes problems.

[maschronic]

I have a loaded scatter gun in my home office lockable storage room , loaded wheel gun in my home office drawer, loaded chamber Sig P220 decocked bedroom drawer, loaded chamber Glock19 in my body concealed so the wife and sometimes visitor cant see it. Why too much arsenal? Better to have em and not need it than not have em when you need it.

i totally agree with you!!!!

[Josh]

I use my mags more than most shooters, I shot three IPSC matches this week alone.

I abuse the hell out of them: I leave them loaded with the spring so compressed I have to use a plastic "thumb saver" to squeze the last few rounds in (they hold 20), I unload/relaod them all after every stage to make sure they are all up to max capacity before the next stage, when the springs feel weak I just stretch them out so they are longer and have more tension again. I basically do everything that is supposed to ruin mag springs and I can't recall ever having a mag spring related problem. I do replace them once a year just as general practice, but I'll shoot 15-20K through six mags in a year, while abusing the hell out of them in every theoretical way.

I think this is one f those things people worry about but rarely causes problems.

If everyone changed their mag springs and checked them periodically they wouldnt have problems either

20k rds through 6, 20rd mags is about 167 cycles per mag. Not that much for a properly designed spring.