poll- leave magazines empty or loaded?

[woody wood]

im sure this has been done before,but what do you do-leave magazines empty or loaded,if loaded,have you had issues?

[Sixer]

I voted for "loaded, long term" but I do have some mags that are not always loaded.

Either way, I've yet to have any issues with the mags I leave loaded.

Actually... now that I think about it... when my grandfather gave me his M1 Carbine, it came with a handful of fully loaded mags. The gun and loaded mags had been in the closet, untouched for at least 15 yrs. I took the gun out and shot every mag with no failures.

YMMV

[johnbt]

I voted loaded long term, but generally leave them the way they are - loaded or unloaded.

It's working the spring over and over that wears the spring out, not the fact that they're loaded. Sitting there loaded doesn't hurt anything.

[JimPage]

In 1962 I fired WWII carbine and 1911 with magazines loaded since the war. So that's at least 17 years. All worked fine. I keep all my mags loaded now.

[NWPilgrim]

Voted loaded long term, but that is just for a dozen or so mags per firearm. Many more are left unloaded.

As johnbt said, it is working the spring (loading and unloading) that wears them out. Storing them in a static state of loaded or unloaded does nothing to wear a spring. I have some mags that have been loaded for years with no issues.

[Bubba in c.a.]

i once had an aftermarket magazine burst at the weld while loaded. I no longer buy aftermarket magazines!

I leave mags loaded -1 cartridge and have not yet had a problem with factory mags nor shotgun springs.

I do try to shoot ammo once loaded , but that is to prevent damage to the ammo from loading and unloading. Ammo other than ammo for immediate use is stored in original contained in an airconditioned area. Spare magazines not for immediate use are sealed in plastic bags.

[barstoolguru]

loaded long term if they have a chance they might get used for HD/SD
if not there in no reason to compress the springs

[graysmoke]

I do believe that a quality brand names like Glock, Beretta, Colt, S&W, Sig Sauer. Have better made magazines, that can be kept loaded for longer term, with no problems.
Unlike those lower-end manufactures that have cheaper made mag springs.
Aftermarket mags are junk....Don't put your life trust in generic.

[NWPilgrim]

Aftermarket mags are junk....Don't put your life trust in generic.

That is a good point. All comments above pertain to quality mags and springs. Cheapos are not to be trusted.

[sabo954]

Loaded, long term. No issues in 7 years.

[wogpotter]

I voted for "Loaded, Long Term", Why?

I did a test some years back to actually get answers to this question.
I took 5 NIW magazines.
Then I loaded them all fully, left them overnight & fired them. There were no malfunctions.
I stripped them & measured the spring length & then checked tension both extended & compressed.
Then I loaded them all fully & ignored them totally for a year.
At the end of the year I fired all the bullets in all the magazines to unload them.
Again there were no problems.
Then I stripped & measured again using the same tools & method from a year earlier.

There was no change.

[Kreyzhorse]

Long term compression won't hurt modern springs. I leave mine loaded and don't have any problems with their function.

[Jeff H]

If they go to the range with me, they are stored unloaded, especially the rifle mags that you can't transport loaded in Ohio. The few that I use for self defense say loaded long term, it would be pointless to have them unloaded.

[Powderman]

One thing to remember...

There aren't really too many magazine manufacturers out there. A lot of companies purchase magazines from a few companies, and have them stamped and branded to fit their company.

Examples...

If you buy a Colt pistol (1911 type, of course), you have magazines with the Colt stamp on the base plate. These magazines are actually Chip McCormick Shooting Stars.

If you use "aftermarket" mags in other semiautomatic handguns, there is an excellent chance you're shooting Mec-Gar mags. They're been making magazines for a number of years, and turn out a fine product.

[CombustibleLemon]

I used to freak out about this too, wondering if I would all of a sudden start having FTFs and such from leaving my mags loaded over a long period of time. I lost a loaded mag once... somehow the gremlin who misplaces things around my house stole it out of my range bag and threw it under the couch.... I found it about a year later while moving. Fired it off a week later at my new house and no problems. Since then I don't worry about it.

[wogpotter]

There aren't really too many magazine manufacturers out there. A lot of companies purchase magazines from a few companies, and have them stamped and branded to fit their company.

True except for MilSurps where the opposite is true. Each country made the magazines for themselves, but they may have had the same rifle as a different country.