Lets say if I was to leave my gun at home for protection and I leave the magazine loaded with ammo, will it damage the spring in the magazine? Lets say I dont shoot the gun for about 6 months or so. Will the spring lose its tension?
Thanks Wyatt...just wanted to make sure. I always want whats best for my Sig!No and no.
The conventional wisdom around here is that it is the repeated cycling (compression and decompression) of the spring from use that will eventually wear the spring. Prolonged storage of a full mag should not harm the spring nor affect the function of the magazine or firearm. This makes sense if you think about the shock on a car. They really only eventually wear from use.
I have had full mags (Beretta 92FS) sit for much longer than six months with no ill affects. When brought to the range both magazine and gun perform flawlessly.
Even with use your magazines will last a long time. And if they do begin to wear the fix is as easy as installing new springs.
Hope this helps.
:smt023No and no.
The conventional wisdom around here is that it is the repeated cycling (compression and decompression) of the spring from use that will eventually wear the spring. Prolonged storage of a full mag should not harm the spring nor affect the function of the magazine or firearm.
Same here, my range mags get the wear and tear.I keep my SD/HD mags loaded all the time and have had no ill effects as stated above. They'll be fine.
Same here, all of mine have been used but my SD ammo does not get cycled nowhere near as much as my practice ammo.All of mine get used, they just get loaded and stay on stand-by when not at the range.
Glad I went to the last post on this one before I posted a hasty reply! SIG. Nice. I was going to hint at magazine/manufacturer quality and possible issues with leaving loaded mags for extended periods. This still applies, but not in your case. In general, magazine spring fatigue is a thing of the past, but not necessarily a fallacy. Quality manufacturing and materials still plays a vital role. Working (or loading/unloading) your magazine springs is actually harder on them than leaving them fully compressed. Shortening the amount of rounds kept in the magazines by one or two really wouldn't make a difference either. I still rotate my carry and stored (loaded) magazines several times in a year. Emptying them also gives me chance to inspect the condition of the ammo.Thanks guys. Now I dont have to worry about my Sig.
I like to rotate mags too. When I go to the range, the magazine that has been sitting empty in my bag gets put into service at the range and then gets loaded and put into my gun for HD until the next range visit, when I rotate another mag in and repeat the cycle. Since I finish my range work with a mag of HD JHP's I have the peace of mind knowing that the mag in my gun defending me is one that has just functioned flawlessly at my most recent range trip.I still rotate my carry and stored (loaded) magazines several times in a year. Emptying them also gives me chance to inspect the condition of the ammo.
+1...what he said.:smt023I keep my SD/HD mags loaded all the time and have had no ill effects as stated above. They'll be fine.
An empty gun doesn't do you any good. Not to get too far off topic, but if you are leaving it empty for safety concerns for others in your home (kids or something), perhaps a discussion about that would be warranted, not directed at you, but for all the newer forum members. Sure it's been talked about before, but there are a whole lotta posts to sift thru.I was just going to come here and ask this question. I've been leaving one mag full (out of the gun) and one empty (in the gun) and rotating them each time I shoot.
So I wanted to see if leaving it full was bad.... I had a hunch it wasn't since how would anyone keep a gun stored and ready?
Well maybe it is in part for safety.......or part peace of mind....An empty gun doesn't do you any good. Not to get too far off topic, but if you are leaving it empty for safety concerns for others in your home (kids or something), perhaps a discussion about that would be warranted, not directed at you, but for all the newer forum members. Sure it's been talked about before, but there are a whole lotta posts to sift thru.
Zhur
:smt023An empty gun doesn't do you any good. Not to get too far off topic, but if you are leaving it empty for safety concerns for others in your home (kids or something), perhaps a discussion about that would be warranted, not directed at you, but for all the newer forum members. Sure it's been talked about before, but there are a whole lotta posts to sift thru.
Zhur
When under stress, that is not always the easiest thing to do (assuming you have the time to do so).funkypunk97 said:Well maybe it is in part for safety.......or part peace of mind....
I have the full mag stored in the box right next to the gun..... so technically if I needed it on short notice I could open the case and drop the empty/insert full very quickly....
Everybody should take certain steps for safety and peace of mind. For me it's having my handguns secure in a safe, loaded and ready for use.Well maybe it is in part for safety.......or part peace of mind....
Same here...I dont leave it loaded, but 2 magazines loaded sitting right next to my gun.Everybody should take certain steps for safety and peace of mind. For me it's having my handguns secure in a safe, loaded and ready for use.
Well I don't have any kids in the house, so that has nothing to do with why I might leave it unloaded. I was simply doing it for peace of mind when it came to wear and tear on the magazines. Once I read here that the mags are not affected by long term constant loaded condition I won't worry about that anymore.....Not to say that there's always an answer to those types of fears, but peace of mind is cheap compared to unpreparedness.
For about $160, you can have the peace of mind required when there are children around, or for when you are away from your home if you don't carry your gun with you. I'd much rather someone have something like the picture above than try to manipulate a firearm, under duress, from unloaded to ready. The codes possible with these types of safes can be as complex as you like, or as simple as you like. Either way, if your concern is that a small child can get a hold of your weapon, there's a gigantic RED FLAG that goes off in my mind. The only gun of mine that is out of the safe, is the one I'm responsible for, either on my person, or on the table next to my bed as I sleep. If I have to go somewhere where guns aren't allowed, it's either locked in the main gun safe, or unloaded and locked to the seat frame of my car with a cable lock. If I'm down in the big city, I'll unload and remove the slide and take the mainspring with me if I can't take the gun with me as well as lock it to the seat frame.
Unattended guns are a big "no no" with me. If you aren't in possession/control of your firearm, it should be locked up. $160 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Zhur
I have children and leaving a loaded gun out of my safe while I'm sleeping or any other time for that matter is not an option. In an emergency situation when time is usually critical and by the time I open my safe, I may have just enough time to grab my gun, point, and shoot depending on the scenario.Same here...I dont leave it loaded, but 2 magazines loaded sitting right next to my gun.
It's been said many times by many people, but an unloaded gun is as good as having no gun at all.Same here...I dont leave it loaded, but 2 magazines loaded sitting right next to my gun.