Loaded Mags. How Long?

**OrbitalE** · 12-02-20, 13:33

Originally Posted by markm

I remember the "rebuild kits" for mags back around the ban era. So dumb... A mag's spring will out last the mag body by a long shot.

You’re misunderstanding the real purpose of rebuild kits.

**Tony617** · 12-02-20, 13:33

I have had something Okay magazines loaded in 2012 and I don’t worry at all leaving the springs compressed in the magazines. If you shoot the magazine and reload you are causing some wear on the magazine but it take a lot of cycles to wear out the magazine springs.

I take the same magazines to the gun range for years and never had a single failure with magazine springs. I am fairly new since I bought my first AR in late 2010.

**ggammell** · 12-02-20, 13:40

Longer than the search function takes that’s for sure.

**ammodotcom** · 12-02-20, 13:58

Amen to that, those things' springs don't care one iota about being left loaded.

**titsonritz** · 12-02-20, 15:14

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

Modern springs can sit under load forever with no notable degradation.

What wears them out is use: loading and unloading.

Yep. It crack me up when people unload their mags to "save their springs" when in fact they are doing the opposite.

**titsonritz** · 12-02-20, 15:14

Originally Posted by ggammell

Longer than the search function takes that’s for sure.

**TomMcC** · 12-02-20, 17:44

Originally Posted by OrbitalE

You’re misunderstanding the real purpose of rebuild kits.

The last thing a "rebuild kit" was for was rebuilding a mag.

**Captains1911** · 12-02-20, 21:06

I have 6 gen1 pmags that have been left fully loaded since about 2008, with the dust covers on, and all still function fine. I have several other non dust covered pmags and lancer mags that have been loaded for at least 5 or 6 years, that also function.