OT - .45 Mags always loaded?

[JohndeFresno]

I have kept my Colt Series 70 Mk IV (1911 type) magazines loaded for many years, and have only found it necessary to replace two or three when it looked like their springiness was declining. I never unload them.

HOWEVER, about once every six months I rotate the mags and let the other ones rest.

My particular situation: I live in a moderate climate that tends towards hot and dry (the San Joaquin Valley) with limited humidity. Cold temperatures rarely drop below 30 degrees. And I keep my firearm carefully stored when I'm not wearing it. So the handgun rarely sees extreme weather changes. The mags get an occasional light mist of oil on the springs, and are then shaken vigorously.

But as for my never having to change magazines, am I in the minority?

What do the expert gunsmiths say?

[tman]

by no means at all an expert, i leave mine loaded all the time. i would think that movement and uneven tension due to loading and un- loading would cause more damange to a spring as opposed to constant state of pressure under stored energy. anything that moves will eventually wear out. am i all wet on this one?

[pdawg.shooter]

I have 3 1911 mags that have been loaded since 1971. The only time they are not is when I am shooting, and then they are reloaded right away. Never have had to replace a spring. They still work fine!

[Hillbilly]

A true "mechanical expert" will tell you that "loading" and "unloading" a spring is what wears a spring out.

Lot's of the kids in the tactical crowd tell me that we could leave a mag loaded "forever" and do no harm to it.

Being a certifiable "old fanny burp", I grew up in the habit of rotating my magazines and will continue to do so. I "shoot" away my carry ammo at least 2x a year and load fresh. Plus, 1911 mags need to be taken down and swabbed out good... my carry spares get a little lint and grit inside over the course of several months anyway.

All opinions aside... I have seen GI 1911 mags that were left loaded well over 30 years (sock drawer armory) and worked just fine when they finally saw daylight.

[kimwcook]

The mags I use everyday are left loaded. I only replace/repair when they start giving me a problem. I strip and clean my mags periodically, especially after qualifying because doing combat reloads drops the mags in the dirt/sand and I've retrieved them many a time half full of dirt.

[piller]

Not an expert, but if you take any spring and put some tension on it and leave it, if it is a good spring it will last as long as the metal isn't rusted or damaged. If you, however, push the spring past the point at which it is designed to go, it will weaken. The point for me here is that most good quality magazines seem to have a little extra room beyond when they are full so that there seems to almost be room for one more round. That seems to me to be what saves the spring from being over-tensioned. Repeated movement of a good quality spring within the distance it is made to go should not wear it out for the intended lifetime of the spring. You are asking about the magazine srping, but what about the recoil spring in a semi-auto? Very few people shoot a firearm enough to wear out the recoil spring, and it is used more than the magazine follower spring, although it is not kept under constant high tension. Even the incredibly cheap springs on a click style pen sold in a multi-pack will still rebound with full force if kept compressed for several years. The whole point is not pushing the spring past its design limit.

[KCSO]

Although I rotate my magazines and have since 1971 I can't prove that it is necessary. WQhen I got my first Colt 1911 my Uncle gave me some magazines he had kept loaded since 1945 and in 1971 they still worked perfect. I still have them today and although they springs are a little weaker than new ones they still work. Reloading a magazine every 6 months can't be putting anywhere near the wear on them that say shooting a week at Thunder Ranch will. I want mine clean and oiled inside and out.

[piller]

KCSO, that seems to be in line with my opinion. Metal does wear out eventually, but good quality springs do take some time before that happens.

[Blaine]

I usually have some 230gr JHP in the beasts in town or in the house. When I go to the range, or not in town, I switch out to the 230 hardball and shoot it/carry it. I try to get the JHP back in for the house/town, but I don't lose any sleep if I don't.

[Sixgun]

I have 3 1911 mags that have been loaded since 1971. The only time they are not is when I am shooting, and then they are reloaded right away. Never have had to replace a spring. They still work fine!

John,
The above was what I was going to write about word for word, except I purchased my Series 70 Colt GM in 1975.

I had it out two weeks ago and she fed fine. As long as the mags are quality, they will outlive all of us. ---------------Sixgun

[Hobie]

I leave those loaded that I need loaded. It is amazing how good those good magazine springs are.

[Kansas Ed]

Do you load them to the max, or leave one or two rounds out? I typically leave my Super mags loaded with 7 rather than 9, and my 45's loaded with 5 rather than 7. Double stack mags get 7 period. I figure that if I need more than 5 anyway I'm outgunned beyond hope for a house gun.

Ed

[jeepnik]

Far from scientific, but I have some mags that have remained loaded for extended periods of time, an others that have been loaded and unloaded routinely. I've never had a spring problem with either bunch. The problems I have had were always related to either damaged feed lips, or from a mag being dirty/muddy. I think the secret is to buy top quality magazines, and keep them clean. Oh and try not to drop them on concrete top down.

[JohndeFresno]

Excellent responses - thank you, all - once again.

[stew71]

I keep 2 USGI-issue mags loaded at all times except for those few seconds when they are feeding hot lead. Otherwise, they remain fully loaded and snug in the dresser drawer.

Nope, no concerns whatsoever.

[Premo]

If the spring designer and the metallurgist were competent, there should be no fatigue in a spring. However, fatigue can definitely occur due to cyclic loading below the static yield strength of the material. Even absent surface stress risers (e.g., notches), fatigue crack nucleation can occur at grain boundaries, second-phase particles, twin boundaries, and other micro structural features which exist normally. Since fatigue is a failure mode due to cyclic loading, a loaded magazine is a static situation, not a cyclically loaded one. Fatigue is not a bending type failure; it consists of crack nucleation/initiation, progressive cyclic crack growth, and catastrophic failure. Examination of failed materials commonly shows "river markings", i.e. ridges or striations which delineate the cyclic crack propagation. But a static load within the spring's design limits, like that in a stored loaded magazine, should never have this problem. By definition, a static load (e.g., a once-loaded magazine stored indefinitely) can never produce fatigue failure. You need a cyclic load (e.g., a repeatedly loaded and unloaded magazine).

[Hillbilly]

Memory is fogged up... but didnt the Army regs call for sentry and rear area folks to load 5 in their 1911s?

We see lots of press about spring fatuige... but many mag faliure are feed lip related.
It makes sense that the lips could be deformed from "inside" the mag with all that upward pressure generated by a compressed spring.

Seems that that causes some problems with the GI Aluminum AR/m16 mags too.

[tman]

If the spring designer and the metallurgist were competent, there should be no fatigue in a spring. However, fatigue can definitely occur due to cyclic loading below the static yield strength of the material. Even absent surface stress risers (e.g., notches), fatigue crack nucleation can occur at grain boundaries, second-phase particles, twin boundaries, and other micro structural features which exist normally. Since fatigue is a failure mode due to cyclic loading, a loaded magazine is a static situation, not a cyclically loaded one. Fatigue is not a bending type failure; it consists of crack nucleation/initiation, progressive cyclic crack growth, and catastrophic failure. Examination of failed materials commonly shows "river markings", i.e. ridges or striations which delineate the cyclic crack propagation. But a static load within the spring's design limits, like that in a stored loaded magazine, should never have this problem. By definition, a static load (e.g., a once-loaded magazine stored indefinitely) can never produce fatigue failure. You need a cyclic load (e.g., a repeatedly loaded and unloaded magazine).

what he said,WOW!

[Machado]

A friend who's a retired army officer brought me a 1911A1 that belonged to his father and had never been fired. The old man bought the pistol in 1942, a Colt Brazilian contract. I looked at the pistol, it has a few spots and pits, but is remarkably well preserved. Two magazines (besides the one in the pistol) were kept loaded in a canvas ammo pouch. They are badly rusted on the outside, but the springs still work perfectly. By the by, they were loaded in 1942, put away and never fired. They look awful, but still work.
Antonio

[Hanzerik]

I have three mags (2x 6rnd, 1x7rnd) that I keep loaded 24/7/365 and have not had any problems. I have a few 8 rounders, but don't keep them loaded, they are more or less range mags.

[Doc Hudson]

I'm no gunsmith, and I'm no expert. Just an opinionated old gun crank with a computer.

But I can tell you that I had five of six magazines take a set and refuse to feed cartridges once. IIRC the magazines had been constantly loaded for about six months. The magazines wer all of Colt manufacture and had always fed flawlessly before that awful day I discovered they'd taken a set.

I nearly puked when I made the discovery that my Stainless Officers' ACP might have been a single-shot two weks earlier when I'd had to draw it on four punks who thought my wife and I would be easy prey.

I replaced the springs with Chip McCormic Shooting Star Springs and Followers. These springs gave my seven round magazines an eight round capacity and my six round magazines a seven round capacity. i continued to load with six and seven rounds. I also rotated magazines on a monthly basis for a while, then went back to packing a revolver.

I won't say it always happens. There are too many stories of people picking up a pistol that had been loaded 40 years or more and ripping off a magazine without a stutter. I'm just saying that it can happen. If I were packing an automatic on a regular basis, I'd rotate the magazines more often.

[pdawg.shooter]

If the spring designer and the metallurgist were competent, there should be no fatigue in a spring. However, fatigue can definitely occur due to cyclic loading below the static yield strength of the material. Even absent surface stress risers (e.g., notches), fatigue crack nucleation can occur at grain boundaries, second-phase particles, twin boundaries, and other micro structural features which exist normally. Since fatigue is a failure mode due to cyclic loading, a loaded magazine is a static situation, not a cyclically loaded one. Fatigue is not a bending type failure; it consists of crack nucleation/initiation, progressive cyclic crack growth, and catastrophic failure. Examination of failed materials commonly shows "river markings", i.e. ridges or striations which delineate the cyclic crack propagation. But a static load within the spring's design limits, like that in a stored loaded magazine, should never have this problem. By definition, a static load (e.g., a once-loaded magazine stored indefinitely) can never produce fatigue failure. You need a cyclic load (e.g., a repeatedly loaded and unloaded magazine).

One more time in English please!

[JohndeFresno]

If the spring designer and the metallurgist were competent, there should be no fatigue in a spring. However, fatigue can definitely occur due to cyclic loading below the static yield strength of the material. Even absent surface stress risers (e.g., notches), fatigue crack nucleation can occur at grain boundaries, second-phase particles, twin boundaries, and other micro structural features which exist normally. Since fatigue is a failure mode due to cyclic loading, a loaded magazine is a static situation, not a cyclically loaded one. Fatigue is not a bending type failure; it consists of crack nucleation/initiation, progressive cyclic crack growth, and catastrophic failure. Examination of failed materials commonly shows "river markings", i.e. ridges or striations which delineate the cyclic crack propagation. But a static load within the spring's design limits, like that in a stored loaded magazine, should never have this problem. By definition, a static load (e.g., a once-loaded magazine stored indefinitely) can never produce fatigue failure. You need a cyclic load (e.g., a repeatedly loaded and unloaded magazine).

One more time in English please!

It says: "Leave 'em either loaded or empty and they'll last longer!"

[meanc]

Bought a like new Colt (series 70) mfg in 1971 from a recent widow. Came with three fully loaded magazines. Sat in the closet since the day it was bought new. When I took it out of the closet it was still locked and cocked with a round in the chamber.

That was in 1997, so 26yrs of fully compressed mags. All the ammo fired without a hitch and every mag worked perfectly. Even fired an additional 200 rds through the mags.

Since then, all of my mags, regardless of caliber, are fully loaded. Even my range mags.

[JohndeFresno]

Bought a like new Colt (series 70) mfg in 1971 from a recent widow. Came with three fully loaded magazines. Sat in the closet since the day it was bought new...

There ya go - and in the King's English.

[AJMD429]

Perhaps the most practical 'answer' is to rotate (loaded) magazines, and shoot them ALL often enough that you're SURE they still function...?

[rjohns94]

amen!!! I shoot often, and use all my mags on range days. Fully loaded. always.

[RIHMFIRE]

loaded but not fully loaded...one short...

[JB]

I've left my revolver loaded for years. The cylinder still functiosn as good as it did when new

[Sixgun]

I've left my revolver loaded for years. The cylinder still functiosn as good as it did when new

Ha! Thats MY way of thinkin too. Give me a wheelgun!---------------Sixgun

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

This gun came back from WWII


With this Vet. Lt, Sharpless of the 125th Liason Squadron


The mag in the gun is empty and had been shot since coming home. The spare had 5 rounds of WWII era headstamped ball.
But the interesting thing is the two in the twin mag pouch were topped off with this old ammo, some of it green with tarnish. I unloaded them and though I never tried them live fire the springs seem to be just as strong as any of my modern mags.
To me mag springs are no different than car spring. Over time some will soften up but the majority will just keep on going.