Keep Mags Loaded or Unloaded?

Gordian Blade

This is a newbie question, but one I have to answer for myself fairly soon. The manuals advise keeping mags unloaded. Not so much for safety reasons, but to save the springs. But what about a weapon that is being used for self-defense purposes? I'm thinking in terms of either a pistol or a "house" rifle. Surely the police keep the mags in their pistols loaded most of the time. If I follow the "rules" and keep the weapon and ammo in different locations, or in a safe, and the mags are unloaded, won't such a weapon be pretty useless for stopping an unexpected home intruder?

GreenLantern

Here's what I do with my 9mm. I have 3, 15 round mags. I always keep 1 loaded with only 10 rounds. Then, after about a month I empty out the clip and put the 10 rounds into one of the other mags. At this rate, the mags are always being rotated and the spring in the mag is only being compressed 2/3 of the way.I'd have to agree, having the gun in one location and the ammo in the other is pointless. You'd be better off getting a baseball bat.GL[This message has been edited by GreenLantern (edited 12-16-2001).]

Der Gebirgsjager

You didn't share with us what the particular firearm is that we are talking about, but it sounds like a good dose of "politically correct" information in the manual. It has been conclusively proven over the years that properly constructed magazines with properly tempered springs will not weaken even after being loaded for very extended periods. I have a gun magazine article somewhere about a fellow who brought home a fully loaded 1911-Al pistol from W.W.II and fired the entire contents of the magazine off without a hitch on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war (was loaded from 1945-1995). It would be a sorry weapon indeed that would not perform when needed, and I believe that your manual's caution about leaving the weapon in loaded condition, and the advisory to store weapon and ammunition separately, is more concerned with potential liability arising from misuse than from magazine spring weakness. But--if in doubt, rotate magazines periodically. I would consider telephoning the manufacturer and discussing their advise. If they could convince me that their magazine springs would weaken under the described conditions they would also convince me not to buy their gun. You are absolutely correct when stating that a weapon meant for self-defense stored under such circumstances is worthless. As a responsible gun owner it is up to you to find a way to keep your weapon both readily available and away from unauthorized persons. Different folks have approached the problem in different ways. Generally, a semi-auto pistol stored in one location empty with a loaded magazine stored separately but nearby, arm's reach, is one solution. Up is good; higher than a child on a chair can reach, and out of sight.

rick_reno

The springs in handguns are typically subjected to far less stress than in the average car. There are occasional instances of cars with defective springs. BUT it is quite common for cars to have original valve springs and suspension springs which have survived decades of use and zillions of cycles while remaining PERFECTLY functioning.Think about it. - Does your car drag on the ground after a few years of constant weight on the suspension springs?- Does your engine run at thousands of RPMs (THOUSANDS of recoils per MINUTE)? Do you replace your valve springs every week???There is not an exact analogy between car springs and gun springs. Gun springs tend to cycle over longer lengths but car springs tend to suffer worse from temperature and corrosion.In summary, the springs in most well made arms will outlive the owner even if loadedcontinuously. I have HK, Colt and S&W mags that have been fully loaded for 25+ years and still work perfectly. I store my mags loaded. (No doubt there are defective springs in the market but I have never personally experienced one.)If you suspect you have a defective spring in your arm, replace it with an original spring. DON'T let an aftermarket spring maker convince you to throw out a perfectly good spring and put in one of their "stronger" springs (which have scarcely been tested in your arm and unlikely to be as well made).

beachmaster73

Over the summer an elderly friend of mine asked me to function fire a 1911 Colt that he had last loaded in 1944. I removed the magazine stripped out the bullets(all dated 1943). Reloaded the old mag with new ammo and it function perfectly. Then we shot a couple of the old rounds and they did too. I'd say if the pistol says COLT on it you would be safe loading the magazines for 20 or 30 years with little danger on malfunction. Beach

JustC

You can look at your mags and see if they are able to be broken down. If the baseplate can be removed, often by sliding it off, then you can periodically take it apart, let the spring sit out, fully extended for a week, and put it back together. Wallah, a new spring. Works very well.

Gordian Blade

Thanks, everyone. I always get good information here. The two weapons that I am most concerned about at the present are a Marlin Camp 9N and a Ruger PC9 (both 9mm). I can't get a pistol yet because I'm still working on my NY State permit, which will take 6 months or so. The mags I have are two original Marlins, one S&W (fits the Marlin), and 3 Rugers. All are in the "factory" category. The three for the Marlin are pre-ban (12, 14, 20 rd) and the Rugers are brand new (never used) post-ban (10). Since both weapons use pistol ammo and mags, we're essentially talking about keeping pistol mags loaded (or not).BTW, getting these weapons in this caliber was a conscious choice on my part to limit potential collateral damage if used in my home or neighborhood, where the houses aren't that far apart. I have FMJ ammo for target practice and JHP for defense. I also figured if/when I get my pistol permit, I'm good to go with S&W and/or Ruger 9mm pistols with compatible mags and ammo. I hope I never have to find out if I made the right decision or not.P.S. -- I also have a Mossberg 500 "security type" shotgun -- the belt and suspenders approach you might say.