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Thread: Storing Ammo In Magazines

  1. #1
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    Storing Ammo In Magazines

    I understand that storing ammo in a magazine puts strain on the spring in the mag but how badly? If I was going to store a full 30 rd mag how often should I change out the spring to make sure that it would still work?

  2. #2
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    Compression and decompression cycles fatigue the spring more than leaving it under a constant load. Don't sweat leaving your mags loaded up.

  3. #3
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    An empty mag is like a can with no beer in it. Does the beer hurt the can? Only about as bad as rounds in a mag hurt the spring--which is to say, not at all.

  4. #4
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    The only issue I have seen is with feed-lip spread, and that was with old plastic mags.
    Jack Leuba
    Director, Military and Government Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

  5. #5
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    Eric and Failure nailed it on the head. Crappy mags can exhibit signs of feed lip separation and springs wear down because of the compression and decompression of the springs over time and not from being loaded. I have some chromium-silicate springs and they seem to work real good same for the extractor spring. I got them from Ken at specializedarmament.

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    Wolff Gunsprings addresses this issue on their web site, and states (paraphrase) that Compression, and Decompression is what degrades spring life.

    The fact that you leave a Mag loaded only makes the Mag take a "Set" (which it will over time anyway) and that this "Set" is already figured into the spring design, meaning that even after the "Set" has occured, the Mag is good to go.

    I keep all of my range Mags loaded 24/7 and most are USGI with stock springs. They have been loaded since I started shooting AR's seriously 8 years ago. Not one Mag related failure.

  7. #7
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    I generally don't store any more magazines loaded than I can carry on me. Not that I think it will hurt anything.

    It's just much more practical to grab a load out worth of mags and an ammo box than it is to try to carry 40 or 50 fully loaded mags if I have to go.
    "You people have too much time on your hands." - scottryan

  8. #8
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    Good point. I do the same. I have xxxx amount of preloaded mags and then a footlocker with xxx amount of mags and ammo that I would throw into the 4Runner or 'burb if needed.

    Quote Originally Posted by demigod View Post
    I generally don't store any more magazines loaded than I can carry on me. Not that I think it will hurt anything.

    It's just much more practical to grab a load out worth of mags and an ammo box than it is to try to carry 40 or 50 fully loaded mags if I have to go.

  9. #9
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    Here's how I store mine. 300rnds a case and easy to grab and go...


  10. #10
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    Hello Madryan:

    What's the Make & Model of that box? I want to get a couple of'em.

    Thanks,
    Bob
    "LONG LIVE THE FN-BROWNING-SAIVE HIGH POWER"

    John Browning & Dieudonne Saive's Designs Will Always be Light Years Ahead of All the Others.

    Fighting Anti-Gun Tyrants & Traitors is a 24/7 Job that Must be Done!

    I'd rather beat a bad guy to death with my Browning High Power, than shoot him dead with a plastic pistol.

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