Magazines - Keep Filled or Not?

[E92335i]

Keep em loaded.

[Can'thavenuthingood]

So, just to be clear, don't clean the magazines (this is suggested in so many owner's manuals) because this does more damage than necessary?

Thanks!

Try this, see if it works for you.

Fire your gun(s) without cleaning until you get malfunction, failures etc. keeping track of rounds fired.
When it fails then clean and shoot again until it fails due to being dirty. If it fails both times around 250 rounds say, then clean it every 200 rounds fired.

Perform same exercise with your mags.
Get best of both worlds.
Few people agree on this topic by the way.

Vick

[Can'thavenuthingood]

Anything over 3 mags is a spare mag.
Ought to have 5 ready to go with your firearm.
Then another handful hidden around your compound for when you have to get out.

Vick

[CoopsDad]

Loaded, aka "ready".

[-hanko]

did you get that graph from an erectile dysfunction website?

No homework in middle school?

So, just to be clear, don't clean the magazines (this is suggested in so many owner's manuals) because this does more damage than necessary?

Clean the mags if needed. All you're doing is removing the floor plate, spring, and follower. You're relaxing and compressing the spring maybe an inch or 2. No worries.

[HardwoodRods]

Never load them, ever. It's for the children after all

[coy80176]

Loaded to the top...

Each and everyone of em

[Win231]

With a pistol that is kept loaded & not fired much, I load one less than full capacity.

Contrary to what others say about loading & unloading causing wear, I had four Uzi magazines that were stored loaded for a few years. At the range, they wouldn't bring up the rounds until I replaced the springs. Spring will take a set from being fully loaded...whether or not they are unloaded.

[TurboChrisB]

So, just to be clear, don't clean the magazines (this is suggested in so many owner's manuals) because this does more damage than necessary?

Thanks!

I never clean my mags.....but then I don't think I have a mag that I've shot 1000 rounds through. If they're dirty, take em apart and clean em. It's easy. If they're not dirty....leave em alone.

[BB1776]

I have had so much conflicting advice on this very issue. I just split the difference and rotate my loaded mags every month or two.

Also, keeping a loaded revolver around helps settle any concern about mag spring failure in a time of need!

[TurboChrisB]

I have had so much conflicting advice on this very issue. I just split the difference and rotate my loaded mags every month or two.

I think the general consensus around here is to not repeatedly load/unload your mags. If you're doing that every month or two...well then you're needlessly working out that spring.

But hey, if I were a gambling man.....I'd guess it takes 300-500 times before you actually "might" see some effect. So there's a fair amount of leeway there.

[777]

^^^ probably more like 1000 - 2000 times before any effect of wear, if at all. It also probably depends on the quality of the steel those springs are made from.

[smle-man]

I was lectured by an armorer that magazine springs are expendable and should be replaced periodically, at least every couple of years.

My son just told me of an experience of SIG magazine springs failing during range qualification, suddenly the spring had no compression left on them and the rounds just fell out of the magazine.

Keep 'em loaded and plan on replacing the springs - that is if you are serious about betting your life on your firearm.

[triplestack3]

My carry guns are always loaded, all the time. Outside of that, not really because there's no point. If someone is really worried about springs sagging out, there is always the revolver option.

[maylebox]

My 2 HD guns always have a couple mags loaded but all my other mags are empty until I head to the range. I don't really worry about the springs because I shoot my HD guns frequently enough that magazine issues would show up during practice or training.