i was wondering if its ok to keep ar15 30 round magazines loaded 27/7? with the ammo shortage i dont shoot much i keep 2 of the 30 round magazines fully loaded, will that hurt the mags? i have one bushmaster mag and one brownell both 30 rounders. and i also keep 2-9mm mags fully loaded any feedback?
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is it ok to keep magazines loaded long periods?
- Thread starter TXDMERC
- Start date
Long Term Magazine Storage
Over time compressed magazine springs (like any spring) will become deformed and weaken, reducing spring force and feeding efficiency. This can also be called "breaking in"
Long term storage of a compressed spring can eventually result in the spring force being reduced to the point of feeding problems, especially on the last round or two in the magazine.
The local police department, which keeps all their magazines fully loaded, requires all officers to turn-in their magazines following qualifications (once a year). They issue new magazines and then replace the springs in the old magazines. A full year of storage should not affect reliability, though longer periods could degrade reliability.
This deformation process (called plastic deformation as opposed to elastic deformation) is highly dependant on spring compression, as a result not fully loading the magazine will dramatically extend the spring life. I typically keep long term storage magazines at 80% (12 rounds in a 15rd mag, 24 rounds in a 30rd mag, etc) capacity, which generally prevents plastic deformation.
Over time compressed magazine springs (like any spring) will become deformed and weaken, reducing spring force and feeding efficiency. This can also be called "breaking in"
Long term storage of a compressed spring can eventually result in the spring force being reduced to the point of feeding problems, especially on the last round or two in the magazine.
The local police department, which keeps all their magazines fully loaded, requires all officers to turn-in their magazines following qualifications (once a year). They issue new magazines and then replace the springs in the old magazines. A full year of storage should not affect reliability, though longer periods could degrade reliability.
This deformation process (called plastic deformation as opposed to elastic deformation) is highly dependant on spring compression, as a result not fully loading the magazine will dramatically extend the spring life. I typically keep long term storage magazines at 80% (12 rounds in a 15rd mag, 24 rounds in a 30rd mag, etc) capacity, which generally prevents plastic deformation.
![[popcorn]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/043.gif "Popcorn [popcorn]")
I've heard an issue can also be pressure on the top lips of the mags and that it is more an issue with aluminum mags than it is steel. I haven't kept mags loaded for a long enough time to experience for myself yet. The magpul PMAGs have cap that goes on the top to help prevent this.
This has been discussed here and on every other forum ad nauseum.
The overwhelming evidence points to this conclusion:
Working the springs is more detrimental to them then compressing and leaving them compressed.
The springs that are constantly used will eventually break down and lose their 'springability' much quicker than compressing them and leaving them.
Many of us who collect old guns, have magazines that have been loaded for upwards of 100 years and they function fine. I have WW2 mags that I know were never unloaded since the war and they are being used now with no problem.
Ask yourself, in a car with coil springs, which is more likely to malfunction or break sooner, the springs in a car that has been in use everyday for 30 years or one which has been sitting for 30 years.
Check around other gun forums and you'll get the same answer.
The overwhelming evidence points to this conclusion:
Working the springs is more detrimental to them then compressing and leaving them compressed.
The springs that are constantly used will eventually break down and lose their 'springability' much quicker than compressing them and leaving them.
Many of us who collect old guns, have magazines that have been loaded for upwards of 100 years and they function fine. I have WW2 mags that I know were never unloaded since the war and they are being used now with no problem.
Ask yourself, in a car with coil springs, which is more likely to malfunction or break sooner, the springs in a car that has been in use everyday for 30 years or one which has been sitting for 30 years.
Check around other gun forums and you'll get the same answer.
We've obviously addressed the spring issue here many times but how about feed lip "creep"? For example on an aluminum mag if you leave it loaded for oh say 5 to 10 years will the feed lips slowly give and bend outwards?
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
I've kept 1911, Glock, and AR15 magazines loaded for the last 10 years. No problems yet.
J
Jose
All this information can be dismissed as completely wrong as it is full of gross conceptual errors that any second year mechanical engineering student would not make.
Short answer: No.
Long answer w/ story:
When I was living in Bahrain, we were going through the guard mount mags. One of the guys was goofing off and slid the first round from a 9mil mag out of the mag itself. It was then that two or three of us notices that the rest of the rounds didn't move. At all. No new round would have been cycled into the chamber.
Great move. We spent the next two days unloading hundreds of magazines of varying calibers. Each mag needed an ammo count two. We had no idea when the last time anyone checked to see or count all of the rounds in the mags as we would always pressure check since 28 rounds were in the mags. No one else knew when the last time they were checked either. If I recall correctly, we were short something like six or 12 rounds. Three mags had a single brass casing acting as a buffer to hide any missing ammo from a pressure check. Given that no one knew when the last time anyone checked them, no one was really worried about missing ammo. Especially 6 or 12 rounds that, for all we knew, could have been missing for over ten years.
We also needed up dismantling and cleaning every single magazine, functional or not. The overwhelming majority of them had shot springs. Good for 5-10 rounds I suppose, but not much more than that. We could always use them as training magazines I guess. However, mags for duty had to be ordered up as no one wanted to risk popping in dead mags should something go down. I didn't realize that they literally came in plastic. Actually, everything comes in plastic when new now that I think about it. This includes helicopters. o_0
Long answer w/ story:
When I was living in Bahrain, we were going through the guard mount mags. One of the guys was goofing off and slid the first round from a 9mil mag out of the mag itself. It was then that two or three of us notices that the rest of the rounds didn't move. At all. No new round would have been cycled into the chamber.
Great move. We spent the next two days unloading hundreds of magazines of varying calibers. Each mag needed an ammo count two. We had no idea when the last time anyone checked to see or count all of the rounds in the mags as we would always pressure check since 28 rounds were in the mags. No one else knew when the last time they were checked either. If I recall correctly, we were short something like six or 12 rounds. Three mags had a single brass casing acting as a buffer to hide any missing ammo from a pressure check. Given that no one knew when the last time anyone checked them, no one was really worried about missing ammo. Especially 6 or 12 rounds that, for all we knew, could have been missing for over ten years.
We also needed up dismantling and cleaning every single magazine, functional or not. The overwhelming majority of them had shot springs. Good for 5-10 rounds I suppose, but not much more than that. We could always use them as training magazines I guess. However, mags for duty had to be ordered up as no one wanted to risk popping in dead mags should something go down. I didn't realize that they literally came in plastic. Actually, everything comes in plastic when new now that I think about it. This includes helicopters. o_0
EzGoingKev
NES Member
From the Firearm Blog -
“Our distinguished family member J.P. Denis of Belgium reports that he discovered an abandoned MP40, together with several magazines, in a building that was being torn down. This piece had been left unattended for 50 years with all magazines in full compression, and they all worked perfectly. I think this is marvelous. When you think of the degree to which our culture depends upon springs, it is good to know that spring construction is so well understood.”
Having the spring move up and down is what fatigues the spring.
“Our distinguished family member J.P. Denis of Belgium reports that he discovered an abandoned MP40, together with several magazines, in a building that was being torn down. This piece had been left unattended for 50 years with all magazines in full compression, and they all worked perfectly. I think this is marvelous. When you think of the degree to which our culture depends upon springs, it is good to know that spring construction is so well understood.”
Having the spring move up and down is what fatigues the spring.
Storage conditions also matter. I bought what had been a friend's father's "tacklebox" gun. The pistol it self was not in bad shape, but one of the spare mags, which had been left loaded for probably fifteen years or so, had the spring completely rusted out. So while keeping a mag loaed for years should not affect a modern spring, others things could and checking and cleaning them once a year is also not enough cycling to wear them out.
I always load all my 30 rd mags (including when I was in Iraq). With 28 rds, I have always done this for years with no issues. Best of both worlds, your springs are not being compressed fully nore being over worked from consistent loading and unloading. I had one Mecgar 9mm mag loaded fully 15 rounds for 10 years and when I finally decided to blow off the ammo for a newer lot. Functioned flawlessly. Having chrome silicon springs they say is a long lasting setup.
