How long can you leave a magazine loaded before the spring is affected?

**Hooded Justice** · Posted On: 5/22/2010 1:03pm

I like to keep a loaded mag with each gun that I have in their respective cases for easy access if needed. I go through spurts where I might not get out to the range for a few months at a time and empty them and I was wondering if leaving a magazine loaded and sitting for say 3 months was detrimental to the spring in it. I sold my old beretta to a friend who stored it with the slide locked open and he ruined the spring in it. Ever since he told me that I am paranoid about ruining my magazines by leaving them loaded for too long. So how long can I leave a mag stored and loaded before I should rotate the ammo?

**Robstafarian** · Posted On: 5/22/2010 1:52pm

First of all, there's a big difference between magazine springs and recoil springs. I don't know enough to get into technical details on that point, but I know it's not reasonable to compare leaving a mag loaded with leaving a slide locked back.

These links should answer your questions and provide some perspective (yes, that's me in the second thread):

M1911.org Forums - How Long to Keep a Mag Under Load?

M1911.org Forums - Mags Constantly Loaded

**BadUglyMagic** · Posted On: 5/22/2010 10:26pm

Originally Posted by Hooded Justice

Ever since he told me that I am paranoid about ruining my magazines by leaving them loaded for too long.

So how long can I leave a mag stored and loaded before I should rotate the ammo?

Two questions:
1. How long is too long to leave magazine loaded?

Till it stops working. Three of the primary magazines I rotate through have been in use for 10 years. I use them at the range and have had no misfeeds or failures to eject or chamber.

2. How long before rotating ammo?

When it stops working. I have used reasonably stored 15 year old ammo without any issues. My normal self defense round is Golden Saber HPJ. I have fired 10 year old Golden Saber without any problem.

Properly maintaining your equipment means you should never have a maintenance related failure.

**Phrost** · Posted On: 5/22/2010 11:31pm

I leave mine loaded until I unload them by firing.

Seriously, I have AK mags that have been loaded for over two years.

**Hooded Justice** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 1:15pm

Originally Posted by Phrost

I have AK mags that have been loaded for over two years.

And I thought it took me a while to get to the range. Good info though. Thanks dudes.

**hungryjoe** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 2:45pm

I was taught to not store fully loaded magazines for a long period of time.

If you ever start to have problems with the firearm not feeding the last couple of rounds you'll know why.

Perhaps it depends on the magazine design and how compressed the springs are when fully loaded.

Feedback on this anyone?

**Robstafarian** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 3:30pm

Originally Posted by hungryjoe

I was taught to not store fully loaded magazines for a long period of time.

If you ever start to have problems with the firearm not feeding the last couple of rounds you'll know why.

Perhaps it depends on the magazine design and how compressed the springs are when fully loaded.

Feedback on this anyone?

I was taught the same thing, but I was convinced otherwise when a magazine manufacturer's representative contradicted what I had been taught (the exchange I'm referring to is in my previous post's second link).

**Devil** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 5:22pm

All good answers. I'm also in the "indefinitely" camp. I keep mine loaded all the time. I also keep several magazines loaded for my AR. I use Magpuls with the dust cover, which takes some pressure off the feed lip. Also keep several mags loaded with my Glock. Never had any problems.

I do tend to not fill my mags to capacity, just to be on the safe side. I usually leave out between one and three rounds, depending on the size of the magazine. That's probably not necessary, but I'm just anal and paranoid like that.

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 5:34pm

It's just not something I worry much about.

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 5/23/2010 6:11pm

I worked at a large gunstore and several times we had widows or other family members come in to sell us their husband's/relative's firearms. Some of these things had been lying around loaded since WWII. They all fired. If you are seriously concerned about spring fatigue you can take one or two rounds out of the mag so that it's not under maximum compression. If you have quality mags it's not something to be overly concerned about. If you are really concerned just spring (pun, HA!) for new springs, they're cheaper than new mags and easy to swap out. If its really going to keep you up at night get a revolver, every spring in it is at rest when it's fully loaded.