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Thread: Chrome silicon vs. Stainless mag springs

  1. #11
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    CS springs failed Magpuls corrosion tests with flying colors.

    They have NO business in an AR magazine.

  2. #12
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    Thanks again guys.
    Employee of colonialshooting.com

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Pistolero View Post
    This may be a dumb question but how can I tell what kind of springs I have in my magazines? I have several different types of mags and of the ones I've taken apart most have the dull copper-colored spring in them. Is dull copper chrome silicon? Or SS?
    Sounds like stainless. 302 stainless with a wire diameter of 0.055 is the most common.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Pistolero View Post
    ...have the dull copper-colored spring in them. Is dull copper chrome silicon? Or SS?
    The silicon steel transformer core laminae I have seen have all been dull copper colored which I think is characteristic of silicon steel but I do not know this for sure. Stainless is always whitish silver. Corrosion is a major issue with silicon steel but since it is easily inspected I would not consider it a fatal flaw. Creep in a spring is easily detected, the spring gets shorter, this may happen with a magazine that is kept loaded for a long time. Fatigue is a consequence of loading and unloading and is not easily detected.
    Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 02-06-11 at 09:10.

  5. #15
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    Not sure, but I believe CS springs claim to fame is valve springs and similar applications, due to fatigue resistance. Fatigue usually does not become a problem in magazine applications. I have never seen a broken magazine spring.
    It is actually stress relaxation that occurs in magazine springs, not creep, although the phenomena are closely related. A loaded magazine spring experiences constant displacement and an ever diminishing load. Creep occurs when the load is constant and the material stretches until failure.

  6. #16
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    I stand corrected on creep versus relaxation. If you want a spring made and call Associated Spring or some other, they are likely to only have the diameter wire you want in a couple of materials and stainless will be one of them the other being music wire or CS. Often things get made out of a specific alloy because the alloy was on hand. I once made a widget out of inconel because I had a suitable piece of metal. The widget proved useful and more were ordered and made of inconel. The machinist had a hard time finding material and it was expensive but it had to be inconel....because inconel got written into the specs. Sheesh!
    Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 02-06-11 at 13:05.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suwannee Tim View Post
    I stand corrected on creep versus relaxation. If you want a spring made and call Associated Spring or some other, they are likely to only have the diameter wire you want in a couple of materials and stainless will be one of them the other being music wire or CS. Often things get made out of a specific alloy because the alloy was on hand. I once made a widget out of inconel because I had a suitable piece of metal. The widget proved useful and more were ordered and made of inconel. The machinist had a hard time finding material and it was expensive but it had to be inconel....because inconel got written into the specs. Sheesh!
    We use a LOT of Inconel where I work. Fun stuff.

  8. #18
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    It didn't need to be inconel. Plain carbon steel would have been fine. But they didn't want to change the process so inconel it was! Show me an engineer who is afraid to change his process and I'll show you an incompetent fool who does not understand and is not in control of his process.
    Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 02-06-11 at 16:40.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by MK18Pilot View Post
    Sounds like stainless. 302 stainless with a wire diameter of 0.055 is the most common.
    Stainless has the dull copper color? I always assumed the copper color was surface rust/oxidation so I thought they might be chrome silicon, as some of my mags also have gray springs and my understanding was that SS doesn't corrode like CS.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Pistolero View Post
    Stainless has the dull copper color? I always assumed the copper color was surface rust/oxidation so I thought they might be chrome silicon, as some of my mags also have gray springs and my understanding was that SS doesn't corrode like CS.
    No, CS is copper color and stainless never is, at least that is my informed speculation. CS is not corrosion resistant like stainless.

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