Stupid question?

[Kimchi]

Could be a stupid questions but couple months ago I bought my first AR15 which is Sig M400 tread. But I had a questions i wanted to ask but i thought it was stupid. But it has been bugging me so I just going to say it lol

Questions.
When you fill mags/clips with ammo and keep it in there for a long time does the mag spring wear out after a while? to a point where it does not function correctly? Does the spring ever wears out? What do you do with your mags/Clips? DO you fill them with ammo and store it?

go ez on me hahaha

 

[jeep78]

Quality springs should be fine. It is the constant cycling that eventually wears springs out, not static loading.

That said, I leave my mags empty.

 

[Gixxer]

Not really a stupid question. This has been debated for decades and borderline a century at this point. There are anecdotal evidences that say it does absolutely no damage whatsoever after a fully loaded 1911 magazine was kept that way for 40+ years and functioned fine. Even original M16 mags that did the same. Then others where a proven magazine was left loaded for 5 years and the spring lost expansion capabilities.

As far as I've seen, the general consensus is it's fine to leave them loaded under decent environmental conditions if the magazine and, more pertinently, the spring is of good quality.

 

[Jeddak]

Springs will be fine.
If it is Gen2 Magpul mags, lips might spread and ammo will pop out, if you store them loaded for a long time.
GI mags will be fine stored loaded.

 

[41mag]

I have a few quality mags ….some i keep stored in ammo box, unloaded.
I also keep a few (5+-) in the safe, close to my rifles. Same with my 1911-mags

 

[gyppo]

Modern springs in sporting arms do not get soft or “take a set” when fully loaded for decades.
There are a very small number of magazines for non sporting guns that do not tolerate being fully loaded.
I have one that is an example. I shoot an STI 0that holds 22 rounds in a 140mm magazine.
Even with the best springs if you leave the mags loaded to 22 rounds, the springs will be weak for the last 3 rounds. Most people buy new springs but I stretch them back into the original length. I have been stretching the springs for 5 years and have had no problem with the springs I stretched. They will twist a little when you stretch them. I bend them and take the twist back out until they are straight.

 

[Plinker66]

Btw some AR mags will not lock in place under some closed bolts if the mag is fully loaded, so some folks load their AR mags one round light, to avoid problems.

 

[sniper22]

Empty mags are worthless if you wake up to gunfire at 3am and you have to take time to load em.

 

[zesty]

It's been debated a ton but here's my explanation -

Metal will flex back and forth basically indefinitely unless you reach the yield point. The yield point is where the metal actually bends permanently. If you want to bend sheet metal, you have to over-bend it to get past the yield point. Springs work the same way. A proper spring will never get bent past the metal's yield point.

The only thing that affects flex is fatigue. Micro fractures in the metal occur as it flexes. Fatigue is measured in hundreds or thousands of cycles so your mag springs will be fine for a long time for decent quality or mil-spec mags.

Two problems can occur with loaded mags:

- Plastic lips on mags flex when loaded. Plastic does not hold its shape like metal. Leave a piece of plastic bent for a long time and it will slowly conform to the new shape. This is why magpul mags have the dust cover. That cover presses down on the bullet to relieve pressure on the lips so they are not flexed when stored. A loaded pmag with the dust cover on will be fine for a long time.

- Next problem is with the casings. Brass corrodes. The cases can kind of stick together after being stored a long time. My loaded brass gets dull after a while. My brass in a sealed ammo can is still pretty bright and shiny. This is why high quality home defense rounds often have a nickel plating. It doesn't corrode in a magazine that goes unused.

 

[Bulldog Man]

Buy Quality mags I bought some Cheap ones that didn't feed well right off the get go