"Lets say I wanted to use the 1911 for home defense. The Gunners Mates always said that keeping rounds in the clip weakens the spring.
Do I buy two additional clips and rotate the rounds every week? Just wondering. "
The Great God John Moses Browning did NOT design such a frail thing, to have your 1911 magazines failing!
Mr. Browning designed the Browning Hi Power (GP35), and the 1911, with the magazines to withstand, since they were meant to be up to MIL-SPEC, were they not?
Therefore, I can point you towards the late Mr. Camp's Hi Power website "hipowerandhandguns", because he left 2 magazines, both 13 rounders, at full capacity, sitting for 2 years, then took them out to the range. No malfunctions!
I also have this thread from a 1911 forum.
http://forum.m1911.org/archive/index.php/t-22420.html