I know, I could find the answer by digging a little, but I'm gonna take the lazy way out and as the cognoscenti on the forum. I'm a bolt action guy with rifles and a revolver guy with handguns so I have little experience with detachable magazines. Recently, I have inherited an AR and a 1911, both of which I am enjoying.

My question is this: What is the recommended practice regarding leaving cartridges in detachable magazines for extended periods. Obviously, it would be best for the spring to unload the magazine immediately following each use. But there are clearly times when one might want a gun handy with a loaded magazine..

Is there a recommended time frame, weekly, monthly, whatever? Or is it the consensus that they can remain loaded indefinately without fatiguing the spring? TIA

None that I know of. Some springs don't care, others are affected. Best of course to not leave them loaded for an extended time. Never have left a rifle mag loaded, have several pistols that it does not seem to matter.

Maybe you could check with a supplier/manufacturer?

You're only going to get opinions here and general consensus may not be right - sounds like your life may depend on it. Any other reason to keep a mag loaded for long durations?

Do you take the load off your car's suspension and valve springs each time you put it away for the night? A spring can sustain a static load within its elastic limit essentially forever. Steel structures all around the world bear witness to that. Corrosion, large numbers of load cycles, or overloading them are the sorts of factors that will put paid to a spring, not simply leaving it loaded.

You might find this interesting: https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12760659/1

I know on the newer pistols springs are designed to be under load indefinitely

Thanks for the comments, and the link, gentlemen. Threads like this make this forum worthwhile!

Thanks for the comments, and the link, gentlemen. Threads like this make this forum worthwhile!

Chrome silicon springs don't have a problem with fatiguing under a constant load.


On another note, chrome silicon replacement springs and even new mags are cheap enough to replace from time to time.

I’ve had Magpul magazines loaded for years, they work just fine

My understanding is that it is the number of cycles of compression, rather than the compression itself, that wears out a spring.

Given such, a magazine spring would actually last longer by loading it and leaving it alone until its next real use, rather than unloading it for storage.

No spring has a problem with fatigue under a constant load. Fatigue is not associated with being under a constant load.

Engineers tell us a properly designed and loaded spring does not weaken. And that may be true...in the lab. A half century as a heavy equipment mechanic, I can comfortably say, nonsense. In defense of the engineers argument, I have often wondered if constant exposure to the fluctuating temperatures encountered seasonally and even daily affects the spring. Kind of like gentle annealling maybe? I didn't know that cycling affected springs, until I started working around crusher operations, but it certainly does. Mag springs, logic would dictate they last a long time.

I was hoping that was a link to the discussion on rec.guns over 20 years ago. Some guy was really funny when he explained how different life would be if springs were affected by time.

In my opinion and others smarter then me magazines and their parts are expendable and occasionally need to be replaced for what ever reason, which is why many of us engrave a number on our mags. I leave my magazines loaded and shortly after a range session I top them off. Pays to have a couple of manly grandsons with in walking distance. Thank You Lord!

I usually have about thirty of the 30 round Magpul magazines loaded all the time, about fifteen 1911 mags, maybe twenty or so Glock mags, a dozen Browning Hi Power mags, several 6.5 Creed Tikka mags., a bunch of 10-22 mags. and the 870 Rem. stays loaded as does the Marlin 1895 45-70 and one bolt action 30-06. Alaskan weather is what it is and when I hit the range I want to shoot and not freeze and spend my time loading magazines. T-shirts and sun glasses are not the norm.

So far in over 50 years, I have never noticed an issue with leaving a magazine loaded. I also believe one should always buy the best magazines for their weapon, never skimp.

Bob Bell, scope guy for Gun Digest for years, picked up a 1911 in WW2.
In the 90s he tried a full magazine filled during the war.
Worked fine.
So......check every 50 years to be sure.