Maverick 88, keeping it loaded all the time a problem?

[ME1099]

I have a Maverick 88, 12G for HD. Would keeping 4-7 rounds loaded at all times in the Mav 88, possibly or potentially cause any mechanical and/or other problems?


Thank you for your time

[afteractionreport]

No...i keep my moss500 loaded 24/7 and its gtg always....

[Canucky]

No problem, other than securing loaded weapon while not in your supervision.

[NaClAddict]

I think the problem you're worried about is springs wearing out causing loading or firing pin problems. Springs don't wear out from being compressed over long periods of time. They loose elasticity from being compressed and released multiple, multiple times. I mean a lot. Your gun was designed to handle a lot of abuse. Being left loaded won't hurt it. Shoot it often and keep an eye out for wear and tear issues and you'll be fine. Major one to look out for is a broken extractor. If your gun isn't kicking out shells or jamming do a field strip and check out the extractor carefully.

[SBsasquatch]

Load it and forget it. Nothing to be concerned about mechanically.

[bernieb90]

I think the problem you're worried about is springs wearing out causing loading or firing pin problems. Springs don't wear out from being compressed over long periods of time. They loose elasticity from being compressed and released multiple, multiple times. I mean a lot. Your gun was designed to handle a lot of abuse. Being left loaded won't hurt it. Shoot it often and keep an eye out for wear and tear issues and you'll be fine. Major one to look out for is a broken extractor. If your gun isn't kicking out shells or jamming do a field strip and check out the extractor carefully.

This is actually a common misconception.

"Relaxation of springs is a function of a fairly high stress (but usually lower that required to cause set) over a period of time. A spring held at a certain stress will actually relax more in a given time than a spring cycled between that stress and a lower stress. The reason is that it spends more time at the high stress."

http://www.rockfordspring.com/relaxationofsprings.asp

Springs that are cycled repeatedly typically fail by breaking due to fatigue. We see this most often in firearms in some of the smaller springs like trigger return springs in high round count (heavily dry fired) Glocks.

All that being said the magazine spring in a shotgun is much stronger than needed for the job that it does. Even if the spring does loose a small percentage of it's original force over a long period it will still be strong enough to feed shells.

My dad's 25+ year old Mossberg 500 was quite heavy used, and I did decide to replace the spring with a Wolff XP.



As you can see the upgraded spring was not only longer, but was much stiffer than the original. I expect it to last many years loaded before it needs to be replaced.

[200Apples]

When a magazine tube spring finally fails to push the last shotshell into the action, then it's worn out.

Something to consider when using a *stiffer* spring is shotshell deformation when stored against each other for a prolonged period of time; will the (plastic) shotshell become misshapen enough to feed or extract unreliably? Probably not, but we shouldn't be left guessing.

Bottom line is, we really shouldn't let our shotgun ammunition just "sit" in a shotgun for long periods; we should! be shooting it! Hahaha... srsly. If this is your HD weapon, you might think about two things: proficiency in handling, loading and shooting the weapon, and ensuring the weapon's reliable operation. One can only do this by taking it to the range on a regular basis and putting at least a box or two through it. Better yet: take a combat shotgun course. I'm going to do this this year.

:-)

[BigPimping]

Make sure it is secure from little ones.