Is it okay to keep mags fully loaded

[colonel kalashnikov]

I have E German 30 and 40 round mags fully loaded, vacuum sealed in plastic, for long term storage. When I go to use them in 2,5,10,20 years down the road, will they feed correctly? Or will that spring be too weak to feed after having been tensed to its limit for a decade or two? Will the cartridges 'bind up' or anything like that?

[M77B1]

I sure as hell wouldn't bet my life on those mag springs several years down the road if and when the S.H.T.F.If you need to keep some mags fully loaded I suggest you rotate mags periodically.Another option is to not load mags to full capacity for long term storage.

[JA]

I have 4 Chinese 30rd mags fully loaded for the last 7 or 8 years. They had been loaded for 4 years the first time I used them and worked great. The last time I shot them was last year with no problems.
If you are worried about the springs going bad from keeping them loaded. Get a AK mag loader and some stripper clips.

[SniperSVD]

I have heard that hand gun springs wear out especially 1911.
but i have also heard that ak mags don't wear out because that is why military's use them in water and muck situations. (becuase they last along time)

[56s]

I have six M-16 20 rounders that have been stored for twenty years as a test and guess what, they still function in an AR-15!

I have some AK 30 rounders that have been stored fully loaded for 10 years and guess what, they still function.

This is only a test.

Take care, OUT in Vegas!

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56s

[Polyak]

I know it's not an Ak but, I've had my GLOCK M22 15 round mags fully loaded ever since I bought the thing in 1994. They still work perfectly, never had a mag problem before in anything except my SKS that I used to have (they were those zytel ones).

[colonel kalashnikov]

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen...

I think I am gonna keep what I have loaded and sealed up, but will now stop pre-loading for long term storage.....The AK mags are probably resistant to long term storage, but I don't wanna take a chance, I guess.

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Chicks dig the longball and the AK!!!

[M77B1]

I stand corrected.Thanks.

[Drue]

I have had AK mags loaded for several years without any problems but I can't say the same for Glock mags.

I bought a Glock 23 in 1992 and have rotated two pairs of mags since then. One pair has remained loaded between range trips, every couple of months. The mags are emptied through shooting and after the shooting and cleaning, the other pair is loaded and placed in service. The "A" mag in each pair has spent alternating two or three month periods loaded and inserted into the pistol for the last eight years while the "B" mag has been loaded and in a pouch. In the "A" mags, the top coil of the springs has fatigued to the point where the slide stop is not actuated when the last round is fired. They feed properly but will not hold the slide open. The "B" mags are fine. I can only conclude that the top round, being depressed by the slide has forced the follower down for a long enough period to weaken the top coil in the spring.

Does anyone know of a source for replacement Glock mag springs?

Drue

[Polyak]

Hey Drue, go to www.glockworks.com (http://www.glockworks.com) .

Happy Glocking!! http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/biggrin.gif

[Drue]

polyak,

Thanks for the link! They have what I am looking for.


Drue

[Packrat]

I wouldn't keep any magazine beyond the one in the rifle fully loaded. You can keep them half loaded -- that 60 rnds in a 4-pack, plus 30 rnds in the primary mag, 90 rounds total. If you get in a situation where you suck up 90 rnds without getting a chance to load up, and have no warning of this, you are living in a dangerous area and of course should act accordingly. Under NO circumstances would I load magazines that are to be kept for long periods. Remember, it's all statistics, you can't predict when ONE magazine will fail, and the stuff you have for long storage is precisely the stuff that should be in best condition.

If you need rapid access to ammunition, I would invest in drums first, or stripper clips second. I would also make sure that I had sufficient ammo to top off any half-filled mags stored with them, so when you grab mags you grab ammo too. Because it sounds like you don't expect to have time to go searching around for those cans that had the 7.62x39 in them.

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Packrat

[Bolt.Thrower]

i read somewhere a while back. that as long as you dont keep them fully loaded. as in stripping off a few rounds off the top. that they will be fine.
by removing a few rounds you drastically decrease the tension on the springs. it was something like 2-3 rounds.

i think I read it on the Internet Firearms Directory in the FAL files. which the site appears to have vanished over the past year.

thats why you use a bolt gun. as your first line while fending off whatever, while you get the mags loaded.

or just use a SKS, since I dont think the strippers will wear out by just sitting with ammo loaded on it. and can be used to load up your rifle extermely fast.

bolt or sks, til your buddys load up the 'zines.

[crackho]

sounds like stripper clips are the way to go.
metal fatigue may cause spring failure over
extended periods of time.

[HAL-9000]

I don't understand .......do you guys think something is going to happen so fast that you don't have time to load any mags? I have one 20 rd mag loaded, and thats it. I used to keep the drums loaded, but stoped that after new years. Why do you want to keep all those loaded? Wait.....I do have a can of m-1 Grand clips alredy loaded from the factory.
later

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"Heres to us and those like us."

[L.A. LOC]

i know that my sig pistol doesnt chamber the last two rounds when i keep the clips fully loaded for long durations (2 months)..i only keep 1 AK mag loaded. I usually switch it out with another mag every couple of weeks.

[Ironhandjohn]

I received 7 mags with a down-folder a few weeks ago that had been kept loaded for 5 years continuously. Corrosion was evident on the outside and inside of the mags, even on the Chinese and Russian steel case ammo they had been loaded with. Just to see what the consequences of letting your mags go to crap is, I shot them thru the fire-damaged rifle.( The rifle and mags were in my friend's house when it burned down. They lay in a puddle of water and other crap for 1 1/2 days before they could be recovered.) Anybody wanna' debate the Kalashnikov's legendary reliability??? All bangs, no jams, amd BIG smiles all around!!

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It's really simple,just follow steering and flow with it. You see, Ironhand's my thing!

[Comrade Andrei]

Excellent story Ironhandjohn! That just proves how excellent the AK really is. If it can take shit like that, what can stop it?!

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"Liberal institutions straight way cease from being liberal the moment they are
soundly established: once this is attained no more grevious and more
thourough enemies of freedom exist than liberal institutions." Friedrich Nietzsche
SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM

[SpecOps]

COM'ON Gentlemen...y take chances...DON'T keep your magz loaded for years at a time. Springs do get tired, its physics....and the way things are goin now...these magz will be your only onez around.

if you need to keep magz loaded...buy a drum

-john

[brass shower]

It's my understanding (and experience) that what wears a spring down is repeated compression and expansion. 2 years ago I replaced all the springs in my Glock mags with fresh ones. I kept one mag fully loaded, one 70% loaded, and used the others extensively, loading only before firing. The last time I checked it was the mags I was using on a regular basis that had the weakest springs. I found no difference between the partially and fully loaded mags though I have heard that it's not till the last 2 or 3 rounds in the magazine that the spring experiences the most strain.

[DarkMatter]

Originally posted by Drue:
I have had AK mags loaded for several years without any problems but I can't say the same for Glock mags.

I bought a Glock 23 in 1992 and have rotated two pairs of mags since then. One pair has remained loaded between range trips, every couple of months. The mags are emptied through shooting and after the shooting and cleaning, the other pair is loaded and placed in service. The "A" mag in each pair has spent alternating two or three month periods loaded and inserted into the pistol for the last eight years while the "B" mag has been loaded and in a pouch. In the "A" mags, the top coil of the springs has fatigued to the point where the slide stop is not actuated when the last round is fired. They feed properly but will not hold the slide open. The "B" mags are fine. I can only conclude that the top round, being depressed by the slide has forced the follower down for a long enough period to weaken the top coil in the spring.

Does anyone know of a source for replacement Glock mag springs?

Drue

I agree with you! The same exact thing happened with my 2 glock21 mags after 3 years of being in the police "evidence" room. Functions fine but does not lock back after the last round.

[colonel kalashnikov]

glad to see this thread is still retaining some interest http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/smile.gif

I have since emptied all of my loaded mags during various shooting sessions this summer. BUT, i did vacuum seal over 20 empty thirty rounders and ten or so fortys for long term storage. I coated them with a little oil, vac sealed em, and put em in the safe.....

[This message has been edited by colonel kalashnikov (edited 10-08-2000).]

[Reynolds]

The only mag spring that I have ever had go bad was a factory five rounder for a Remington 760 pump rifle. These mags use a leaf type spring similar to those found in most bolt action rifles. I have extra springs on hand for my AK and ARs just in case one of the springs should go bad, but I don't think it will happen in my lifetime (especially the AK springs, those things are tough).

[u2glock]

Reynolds,

It's strange you mentioned the rem 760 mag spring failure. The only mag spring failure that I have ever heard of was with a rem 7400 (the semi-auto version of the 760) that had stayed loaded for 6 months. It was my friends father's gun and the spring was totally dead.

I just follow the 10% rule with my loaded ak mag. I load it to full capacity minus 10% (3 rounds). That leaves 27 rounds at the ready. I too bought extra springs, but I now think that I wont need them for a long time.

[flashxz]

What ive heard is that the spring in a mag dies from too many cycles (ie metal fatigue)not from being held in a static position(as in loaded) Just like the connecting rod in a race car motor, after so many cycles it will break. Thats why they still work after being loaded for years. If the spring dies while in storage it wasnt any good to begin with

[grn8]

the legendary kalashnikov is a legend for one reason...or a couple? it shoots, i have personally picked up several kalashnikov rifles (ak - rpk) that were packed with dirt, rust on them and rounds also; looked like shit. Pulled the trigger and ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-... they worked. That's what gave me an appreciation for his design.


MAGS can be loaded and stored for years, it is ok. Modern rnds (since the big one) also will fire reliably.

Check out the sping master's site: wolf www.gunsprings.com (http://www.gunsprings.com) or you could try wilson for info as well: www.wilsoncombat.com? (http://www.wilsoncombat.com?) goodluck

[Azalin]

I use stripper clips for AK and AR mags that way I do not have to leave a bunch of mags loaded. If you are going to use one for protection I would suggest you rotate mags every couple of weeks so the spring does not get to weak. If you want to be extra safe a few extra mags springs from wolfs or another manufactorer would not hurt.

I have always stored my mags empty in steel ammo cans with paper towels as a liner to prevent them from being beaten up. I then apply a light coat of wd-40 to all the steel mags and even the Glock poly mags and throw a couple dessicant packs in with them. Afterwards I close the lid and put them away. I check on them every couple of months and have seen no probleums with rust so it must be working. Also remeber some mags springs like the early Glock ones have a slight copper color to them even when new, so dont mistake this for rust.


Wayne

[Martin R]

Cycling the magazine is what wears out a spring. There should be no problems with leaving a mil spec magazine loaded for many years. If anyone is concerned about their AK mags wearing out call CDNN at 1-800-588-9500, they will sell you an AK spring set (w/follower) for $2.99. Get as many as you think you need.

[patriot1488]

I doubt it will hurt them to keep them loaded, and if it does there are always ways of putting the pressure back into springs if you know how.

[ktulu223]

i was watching "tales of the gun" on the old hitler channel and this fella was saying in Nam when the m16 was first used they would only put 16 rounds in the magazine because the spring would wear and the gun would always jam hahaha it must of sucked you aim at charlie and pull the trigger and nothing happens then a bullet goes through your head

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"the best feeling you get when your going out to go shoot is when somebody left an old junk car out there to shoot up"

[1stMarDiv]

my take on the spring tension debate is to have several mags and rotate them regularly. some folks short load the mag 10%. I load mine all the way and rotate every week. recently I replaced all of the magazine springs for my two CZ75's with new springs from WC Wolff Co. www.gunsprings.com. (http://www.gunsprings.com.) they were relatively inexpensive. with fresh springs you can thumb your nose at the feds and their hi-cap ban. your mags will be serviceable for a long time.

[Dino]

I had a 40 rnd mag that I had kept loaded for just over a year, when I uloaded it and compared the spring with the spring of a new
magazine of identicle manufacture, I found
the used mag spring to be 1/2" to 3/4"
shorter, maybe not enough to cause a problem
because of the generous springs AK mags come with to begin with. But a weakened magazine spring could cause a failure to feed on the 28th-30th rnd.