Magazine rotation

[Wynterbourne]

I was just wondering how often one should rotate the magazine.

I was taught that you should keep the magazine loaded for a maximum of 30 days. At that time, the magazine should be unloaded and left alone for 30 days. I was taught that this would allow the spring to retain the proper tension.

A friend of mine, however, was trained to unload and swap magazines every 24 hours. Yet another friend of mine was taught to do a six month rotation. One of our local police departments mandates a 90 day rotation.

Is there any guideline for magazine rotation?

 

[Handy]

You are about to enter into the dark and forbidding world of "spring set". Some say that it is the cycles (load and unload) that wears out a spring, others say it is the long term compression.

I think it depends on the quality of the spring, first and foremost. A good firm spring can be loaded and left for 90 years. The spring from a Promag will wear out if left unloaded.

The 24 hours thing is a little much. I'd rather leave the mag loaded for a year, then just buy some new mag springs for $3 a piece. Whatever your formula, it is hearsay. No one has done any tests specific to mag springs to determine the secret of longevity.

Conservative answer: Once a month, go shoot those mags empty. Load different mags with fresh ammo. Repeat.

 

[WillBrayjr]

This issue came up in an article in G&A Magazine concerning an Ithaca M1911A1 that had been left fully loaded for some 60 years. A guy (I think Ken Hackathorn) took the G.I. magazine and inserted into one of his 1911A1 pistols and fired all 7rds without one hiccup and the slide locked back on the last shot. High quality magazine can be left fully loaded up to 6 months, rotating every 6 months.

 

[PsychoSword]

Unless your spring is noticably getting weak, their is no reason to replace the springs. I don't worry about spring set at all and I've never had a problem with it either. I have a couple magazines that have been loaded for a year now, I know they would work just fine if I left them that way for 20 years.

Springs get a memory from compression/decompression cycles, not from being under stress (given it's within their specs).

Go ahead and replace your magazine springs every few months if it makes you feel better though.... I know it makes Wolff Springs happy.

I have an old rusty 1980 Belgian Hi-Power magazine that has seen alot of use. It still has the original spring and works perfectly.

 

[DBR]

Load your mags and leave them loaded.

If the springs continue to collapse (take a set) they are no good. Better to find out at the range. Springs take a set when the "yield point" of their material is exceeded. Once this happens "resting" them will not bring them back.

When I get new mags, I load them to capacity and just leave them that way. Some have been loaded and shot 4 or 5 times a year for more than 10 years. Some got tired after a year or so (Glocks in particular). Refitting the tired ones with Wolff or ISMI premium springs fixed them. At least I never was in the position of having a mag spring failure when it might have mattered.

Also, some modern hicap mags stress their springs too much for the quality of the spring steel they use. Look at the room in the mag tube for a fully compressed spring in a 7rd 1911 or an AK and you can see why they last. What's the point in having a few extra rounds if they won't feed?

One more point: with regards to the "cycling versus sustained stress" debate. Industrial spring life is measured in the millions of cycles for properly designed springs. Gun magazine springs fail because of poor design and "bean counter" material choices. Think about the valve springs in a car even going back more than 75 years. They sit for years with some fully compressed and they work. They go hundreds of thousands of cycles and they work.

One more, one more point. If you really want to get anal about it, load the mag to capacity for around three days. Remove the spring and measure it's length. Shoot a couple of loads through the mag to make sure it is reliable. So long as the spring does not get much shorter after the mag is left loaded continuously it is OK.

 

[denfoote]

I try to have at least 9 mags. This allows for three 90 day rotations. This give each set plenty of time off!!!

 

[WESHOOT2]

set

Springs 'set', then stay. Except junk springs.

Rotation? Hooie.

 

[mill hunky]

i agree w/Handy, it is the quality of the steel. now @ work i can spread some lock washers when tightening. break 1/2" cap bolts w/ a wrench. mostly bought stuff from over seas. in the steel mills we would rebuild reductions and equip. from the early 1900`s. not saying the material wasn`t rebuilt over the years. most of the housings/ shafts were still good. the other day my wife said there was a report on tv, if the steel was made in the U.S.A. , the TWIN TOWERs would not have melted down. also our plant was the only plant rolling ARMOR slabs in the U.S.A. in 1983. i wonder where we get our armor steel from now?? rich