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loaded magazines

1K views 25 replies 22 participants last post by  Glockdude1 
#1 ·
I have been getting mixed opinions from local "experts" concerning leaving magazines loaded. Some say that the springs will take a "set" and the magazine will not function properly. Others tell me that modern magazine springs will not take a set and can be left loaded indefinately without harm. I like to have a spare magazine or two around but I don't want to have them fail me in a time of need. What do you guys do and what is your recommendation.
 
#7 ·
Springs wear out due to compression AND decompression. Leaving the mags loaded is fine.

This forum is for people to ask questions and give/receive advice about Glock firearms. The search function is also weak IMO.....so your question was a reasonable one, regardless of the comments above.
 
#11 ·
I have been getting mixed opinions from local "experts" concerning leaving magazines loaded. Some say that the springs will take a "set" and the magazine will not function properly. Others tell me that modern magazine springs will not take a set and can be left loaded indefinately without harm. I like to have a spare magazine or two around but I don't want to have them fail me in a time of need. What do you guys do and what is your recommendation.
I don't want anything to fail in a time of need either, and I can envision a time of need being "grab and go". Meaning, of course, that I wouldn't have spare time to load those magazines on the run.

The spare magazine(s) I have for the two duty caliber handguns I own are always loaded. When I go to the range I use all the mags for whatever pistol I've taken with me and I haven't had any problems at all.

I'm not an expert but those whose opinions I value agree that leaving magazines loaded won't lessen their reliability and my experience validates those opinions.
 
#14 ·
I totally agree, but you have to admit it was funny..! :wavey:

Springs wear out due to compression AND decompression. Leaving the mags loaded is fine.

This forum is for people to ask questions and give/receive advice about Glock firearms. The search function is also weak IMO.....so your question was a reasonable one, regardless of the comments above.
 
#17 ·
Per my IL Glock Rep., and my Instr., yesterday (armorer's class), storing loaded magazines for extend periods of time is not an issue. If in doubt, take a stored mag., unload it, remove the base plate and check that there are at least 3 turns of spring standing about the base of the mag. So 3 plus turns is fine, less than 3 Glock recommened that we change out the springs.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Thank you to those who were kind enough to render an opinion. There has been much controversy on the subject over the years and it is helpful to know how other Glock owners handle the issue.
I have seen the "not again" picture many times on other forums, so it's nothing new. If a post bothers anyone, there is always the option of not reading it and not participating in the discussion.
 
#22 ·
Just my opinion / observation - don't get all technical.

When people say leaving a mag fully loaded can cause the spring to "take a set"

I think what they are saying is --


Take a new spring - measure it outside the magazine it is 7 (whatever) inches long.

Put the spring in a magazine - load the mag - come back a year later.

Unload the mag - take the spring out - and it is 6.5 inches long.

This is what bothers people - the used spring is shorter than a new spring.

Please don't try and tell me this doesn't happen - because I have seen it many times with my own eyes.

I am of the opinion that this slight reduction is spring length is NORMAL and is taken into consideration when the spring is designed.

Same thing happens with a shot gun magazine tube spring - mine started out 40" and is now 36" -

I THINK - if you took the 6.5 inch used spring - put it back in the mag - loaded the mag - and let it sit another 10 years - it may reduce it down to 6.25 inches.

Maybe after 50 years it will be 6.2 inches :dunno:
 
#23 ·
Magazine springs are pretty inexpensive parts, all things considered.

When a spring vendor ships upwards of 10,000 springs per case, do you really think that each and every spring is going to be identical if pulled at random and checked on the proper equipment? Maybe there might be some variance within an expected tolerance range?

I've been through a number of different armorer classes over the years, including some Glock classes, and the same question always comes up. Not unexpected. Everyone has to learn something for the first time at one time or another, right?

The instructors have offered different answers at different times, sometimes changing over time as I've attended subsequent recert classes.

Some of them have gone to conservative recommendations for replacement schedules, erring on the side of safety when it comes to agency weapons which are dedicated to service use.

Some recommend frequently checking for proper tension with inspections, bench checks and during live-fire.

The related experiences of other armorers has varied quite a bit, too. Makes for some interesting and sometimes lively discussions in classes, especially when experiences differ among armorers.

I've seen some springs run reliably after being left fully compressed for many years. Others exhibited signs of weakening and caused feeding stoppages after only 2-3 years of being left fully loaded. Roll the dice, if you want ...

I remember in my first Glock class the instructor waffled about a specific number of years before mag & recoil springs had to be changed. As students sensed his discomfort in providing a definitive answer, they called out different lengths of time. The instructor finally stopped the discussion by stating that 8 years (the last number called out by an attendee) was too long to leave a mag loaded and carried.

Other Glock classes have yielded other responses, recommendations and suggestions from instructors since then.

I've seen a list sent out by Glock which recommended magazine spring replacement every 2000, 2500 - 4000 or 5000 rounds, depending on which .40 model was listed (Glock Wearable Parts Replacement Schedule dated sometime in 2008), but also recommending that for best results, to replace the magazine springs at least every other time the recoil spring assembly is replaced (or whenever inspection indicates it would be prudent to do so, naturally).

The newest manual pretty much just identifies the mag springs as one of the several springs that may require attention and replacement at some point (leaving it up to the individual armorer to inspect particular guns and make the proper determination).

Me?

I've seen Glock mag springs work fine after having been left loaded in pistols which saw very little actual shooting use (meaning infrequent qual and little or no practice use), sometimes for up to several years ... and then I've seen stoppages resulting from obviously weakened springs which according to the owners had only been in the mags for a couple of years, or no more than 4 years (one such individual said he only fired the gun for quals, which was 4 times per year).

I've seen similar things happen with mag springs used in other pistols commonly seen in both LE/Gov and CCW use.

If I had a dollar for every time a qual range was delayed while someone had to resolve repeated stoppages caused by obviously weakened mag springs ... and the owner told me the mags had been left loaded for years at a time, but were seldom (or never) used for actual shooting/practice that wasn't required for either off-duty or CCW licensing ... I'd have been collected enough money over the years to buy more firearms. ;)

I've talked to various company reps and other folks who work for spring manufactures, as well as technicians, managers, reps and even an occasional engineer who works for one or another of the firearm companies. Their opinions and experience can vary, too.

The important thing ... to me ... is to periodically inspect and monitor the condition and functioning, during both bench checks and live-fire.

This means I pay attention to the way the springs feel and function each and every time I load and use a magazine, as well as when I disassemble and inspect them for cleaning and/or periodic armorer inspections. An observed (or even suspected) problem with a spring results in a new spring.

Preferably, I replace the springs in "working sets" at the same time (issued duty mags), based upon a service/usage interval, but a repair replacement for a specific spring found to be defective, damaged or one which simply failed for an unknown reason sooner than others will get replaced when identified.

Suit yourself. Everyone else does.

I prefer not to take unnecessary chances with the pistols used as dedicated defensive weapons by either myself, or others for whom I'm responsible to help maintain & support their pistols.

Just my opinions, albeit those which have been influenced by what I've learned and heard during a fair number of years while attending different armorer classes, as well as while helping support a fair number of pistols, rifles and shotguns (all of which use mag springs), and after having worked as a firearms instructor for more than 20 years.

The first few times you see someone's duty pistol experience feeding stoppages due to weakened mag springs, on a qual/training range, you suddenly become very grateful it happened on a range and not somewhere else. The discussion topic becomes a bit less hypothetical and more serious when you realize you're talking about dedicated defensive weapons actually being carried into harm's way every hour ... and not just a pistol being used for leisurely range enjoyment or some competition venue, when all that's being risked is the loss of points.
 
#25 ·
A friend and I went out one day to shoot and he shot his G22 carry pistol, it was a generation 2. All of his mags were loaded minus one, for something like six or eight years or something crazy like that, never unloaded or anything "normal". It was a carry gun and not fired a lot after the first few thousand rounds.

He unloaded the HP ammo, and filled them back up with FMJ and we proceeded to shoot. There were rounds that were not feeding correctly, and then the mags would not drop out of the gun as they had become "swollen" from being loaded all of the time. I guess the steel bulged just enough from being constantly loaded that they were not able to fall out of the gun when performing reloads. Multiple mags experienced this. I told him to write Glock and see what they will do, as they should replace them at no charge. He wrote them and they said send them in which he did, and after some time they sent him brand new magazines.


Just something I saw in person.....
 
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