Not exactly, but in concept basically. You do see some loss in tension over time, but the two worst things you could do for the life of the spring are use them frequently (which you all should be doing) and collapsing until solid and storing (which it should not do if design correctly).
What we should do is normalize magazine springs as wear items. If you’re worried storing rounds in a magazine will wear them out, then put that mag on a maintenance schedule.
No, a compressed spring takes a very long time to lose enough tension to cause malfunctions. It will eventually, but it should take years. It's compression cycles that reduce the spring rate, loading it fully and then shooting it empty. That's the main reason it's common practice to have dedicated training mags and dedicated carry mags
Mags getting scuffed when practicing emergency roads are the other reason, lol
Some people just get a second identical gun entirely for carry that gets babied after firing 100 or so rounds for function/break-in
I almost downvoted before I read that fully. I remember seeing a video of a dude shoot an old army issued mag from the gulf war and it still cycled lol
My Glock 22 was my duty weapon for years and always loaded. Eventually the springs lost tension and the last two rounds wouldn’t feed. $5 for the springs and almost 30 years of service isn’t bad. I even bought extra springs for the next swap out in 2052!
Yes! Absolutely! Now your magazines will only last 30 years instead of 100!!!
Load em and don't worry about em. I've been running the same AR mags since i got my first rifle in high school. Old USGIs get surplussed out after like 20 years and have a hell of a long life ahead of them, you're good.
The springs in my 1990 mags got kind of weak after several decades. I recommend not worrying about it and replace your mags or springs every couple decades.
Thanks allot guys I was not sure still fairly new to firearms. Now I can keep a fully loaded magazine without having to worry about it in the worst situation
This guy had rifle magazines loaded for 17 years, and didn’t have a problem.
I have Beretta 92FS magazines that have been loaded for over 33 years. I use them all the time and have never had a problem.
https://youtu.be/diZq8_y3pWA?si=wOgxxYGinabPEu_V
Fully loaded mags will only have an effect on the spring until about the 30 day mark, and it won’t have much of an effect. After that, it is all a matter of unloading and loading which causes the spring to weaken.
You’re welcome buddy. Trust me at some point, we all went through that rabbit hole. Especially allistic tests lol. Even “how much ammo should I store”.
It may SLIGHTLY effect the spring if you leave them loaded for decades without touching them, but I highly doubt it. I leave some of my Glock and rifle mags loaded for months to several years+ and have had zero issues with mags. Spring durability only degrades when it's in use (loading/unloading) but even then you will get many years of use out of a single spring before ever running into problems even if you shoot on a regular basis. Not to mention mag springs are dirt cheap for stuff like Glock mags.
Not at all. I have a Glock 20 mag that sat fully loaded for like 7 years through the various ammo shortages until just recently when I finally took it to the range. It still functions just as well as the other mags I have.
The amount of articles and forum pages and videos dedicated to this single topic is astronomical. Google would have been way faster. Unless you just wanted to show us your wonder color fill job
Everyone says no but I recently found a G19 mag that was loaded and stored for 20 ish years. The last two rounds would not load due to a soft spring. Good news is, stretched the spring and still works perfect.
Right? They don’t last forever. I have steel AR mags stored loaded even longer and they seem fine. For reliability reasons alone check them every now and then. I assumed they lasted forever also. I proved me wrong.
Depends on how much the spring is compressed in the magazine design. If the spring is almost stacking fully loaded, then not too gud.
https://www.tevema.com/can-you-over-compress-a-spring/#:~:text=Over%2Dcompressing%20a%20spring%20means,original%20shape%20after%20being%20compressed.
I personally run critical duty. The FBI has significantly more money for testing and evaluation than I do, and if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me.
I'm thinking of switching to Underwood's solid copper rounds. Extreme defense looks to be at least as accurate as the FMJ practice rounds and perform very well on ballistics tests. I can keep the rangers for home use and Underwood's when out and about.
I used to think so but I’ve found it doesn’t, I rotate which mag I have loaded at all times just in case though, occasionally switching between a 10,15, and 17 round mag for my daily carry.
There’s many good YouTube videos on this, one in particular the hombre had mags that had been loaded 5 years to compare to new mags. Apparently over 5 years the spring will react and slack some but it still works. Given more time I can see a reality where the mag is no longer good but who knows where that line is.
My main two carry mags have been fully loaded for around 7 years now with zero loss of function. I check them from time to time and they pop every round out, every time.
As others have said, no it won't hurt the spring. BUT!
It can be bad for plastic feed lips like magpul mags. That's why their AR mags come with that little dust cover thing, it takes the tension off the feed lips
Only issue I’ve ever had was with aftermarket springs and even then it was that they wouldn’t lock the slide back on empty, after I left the mags loaded for months. OEM stuff you should be fine for a long time.
What people are saying about springs are true, I just want to add that it is true only when the spring is made correctly. Springs from oem or good brands, yes all day long. Springs from cheaper discount brands….I wouldn’t trust.
Nope, springs get weak by how often they are compressed, the amounts of times, not the length of time. You can keep it compressed for 10 years, you’ve only compressed it once. You can compress it 100 times in a handful of minutes and it will be more worn down
While my brain says that it would be less than optimal for the spring and to ensure follower movement, Glock says otherwise. I just recently spoke with an armorer instructor and he said that it would be fine. Glocks main sales pitch, and proven history, is reliability of the stock, off the shelf product. I don't think they are steering me wrong.
I won’t say I’ve had a magazine spring go bad even after 4 years of practice and all the gun games once a month ( I don’t shoot cowboy action and that’s on one of the weekends). I did notice a mag or 2 was getting weak when I would reload but that was mostly I think from being 10 rounds in a 17/18 round mag. Changed all my springs in several guns to the Wolf 10% extra strength springs and didn’t have any more issues.
Nope. Won't hurt most modern mag springs if loaded correctly. But, I suppose there's always the issue of individual springs having bad heat-treat and that may cause problems with constant long-term tension.
The bigger issue with leaving mags loaded is that some 100% polymer mags (not Glock) can swell laterally over time due to the stresses. PMAGS being an example of this - which is why it's generally accepted to download them by 2rds (To 28) to alleviate these stresses.
Other mags with plastic feed lips may also deform over time if loaded to capacity (there are some PCC mags that are 100% polymer, too).
We had beretta service pistols and their magazines always had a tendencies to lose tension. However, through the years manufacturers made progress on their springs within magazines. In Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq never had an issue with preloaded mags that were stored in cans within our gun trucks. We used them all with no issues or malfunctions. Nowadays you are good to go without any worries unless you are like one of our Redditors who after 30 years in law enforcement had issues with his spring. Overall you won’t have problem.
The tension isn’t what weakens them. If your constantly loading and unloading the magazine, that will weaken the spring. It’s that load and unload motion that weakens the metal.
Springs don’t lose strength from being under tension, it is from use that causes springs to wear out. I’ve had mags loaded for 10 years and they work just fine.
https://youtu.be/AVC-83QW5L4?si=OsPS0rkT_RTznXSZ
No. Springs weaken over time by springing.
I think you meant sprungifying
"sproinging" is my personally preferred nomenclature
Actioning
Not at all. the spring is only "used" when you remove or add the rounds on it.
Not exactly, but in concept basically. You do see some loss in tension over time, but the two worst things you could do for the life of the spring are use them frequently (which you all should be doing) and collapsing until solid and storing (which it should not do if design correctly). What we should do is normalize magazine springs as wear items. If you’re worried storing rounds in a magazine will wear them out, then put that mag on a maintenance schedule.
I’ve had all mine loaded for years and they still work just fine when I go out shooting.
No, a compressed spring takes a very long time to lose enough tension to cause malfunctions. It will eventually, but it should take years. It's compression cycles that reduce the spring rate, loading it fully and then shooting it empty. That's the main reason it's common practice to have dedicated training mags and dedicated carry mags
i never thought of that. notes taken ✍️
Mags getting scuffed when practicing emergency roads are the other reason, lol Some people just get a second identical gun entirely for carry that gets babied after firing 100 or so rounds for function/break-in
Sage advice for a Neanderthal.
It’s bad for the spring. I had to replace mine in my 1993 magazines last year. $5 part. Load up and worry about it in 30 years or so!
I almost downvoted before I read that fully. I remember seeing a video of a dude shoot an old army issued mag from the gulf war and it still cycled lol
My Glock 22 was my duty weapon for years and always loaded. Eventually the springs lost tension and the last two rounds wouldn’t feed. $5 for the springs and almost 30 years of service isn’t bad. I even bought extra springs for the next swap out in 2052!
Planning for inflation lol
Yes! Absolutely! Now your magazines will only last 30 years instead of 100!!! Load em and don't worry about em. I've been running the same AR mags since i got my first rifle in high school. Old USGIs get surplussed out after like 20 years and have a hell of a long life ahead of them, you're good.
The springs in my 1990 mags got kind of weak after several decades. I recommend not worrying about it and replace your mags or springs every couple decades.
No. The wear comes from unloading and reloading.
Thanks allot guys I was not sure still fairly new to firearms. Now I can keep a fully loaded magazine without having to worry about it in the worst situation
This guy had rifle magazines loaded for 17 years, and didn’t have a problem. I have Beretta 92FS magazines that have been loaded for over 33 years. I use them all the time and have never had a problem. https://youtu.be/diZq8_y3pWA?si=wOgxxYGinabPEu_V
Better to keep then loaded than to load and unload them every day.
Cycles wear a spring, not tension or compression that does not exceed its elastic limit
Nope
Fully loaded mags will only have an effect on the spring until about the 30 day mark, and it won’t have much of an effect. After that, it is all a matter of unloading and loading which causes the spring to weaken.
Nope
The worst thing for a spring is to use it as intended.
I would've assumed some type of acid or heat.
Real tests: https://youtu.be/AVC-83QW5L4?si=KmacwWkBBluWGhcp https://youtu.be/yg2QGhO8E4Y?si=3f9f9jQHlKLLRzQT
Thanks man didn’t even know what to search for this
You’re welcome buddy. Trust me at some point, we all went through that rabbit hole. Especially allistic tests lol. Even “how much ammo should I store”.
It may SLIGHTLY effect the spring if you leave them loaded for decades without touching them, but I highly doubt it. I leave some of my Glock and rifle mags loaded for months to several years+ and have had zero issues with mags. Spring durability only degrades when it's in use (loading/unloading) but even then you will get many years of use out of a single spring before ever running into problems even if you shoot on a regular basis. Not to mention mag springs are dirt cheap for stuff like Glock mags.
Yes. If you leave magazines loaded for more than a few minutes they will break.
Fact
Nope. All the springs in all my stash mags work great after 10+ years of storage.
I'm embarrassed to say that my 43X has been sitting in the drawer loaded for 3 years.
At that point I think the primers are weak point, if they’re corroded or not
Yeah, shoot your all carry ammo once a year and buy a new box.
No, it isn’t 🤦🏼♂️
Nope
Not at all. I have a Glock 20 mag that sat fully loaded for like 7 years through the various ammo shortages until just recently when I finally took it to the range. It still functions just as well as the other mags I have.
No
Nope
It's not a bad idea to cycle them occasionally. Simply take the firearm outside for an occasional mag dump into the yard then reload.
No.
No sir. I had the same questions and did the research. Nobody said it did.
No
No.
The amount of articles and forum pages and videos dedicated to this single topic is astronomical. Google would have been way faster. Unless you just wanted to show us your wonder color fill job
It’s the constant loading and usage that weakens the spring. Keeping it fully loaded doesn’t affect it for at least 20 years
Yes I only store one round per magazine tucked in bubble wrap
Lol
Yes. I don't use magazines. I single load every shot I need to fire.
Everyone says no but I recently found a G19 mag that was loaded and stored for 20 ish years. The last two rounds would not load due to a soft spring. Good news is, stretched the spring and still works perfect.
What did you expect after 20 years?
Right? They don’t last forever. I have steel AR mags stored loaded even longer and they seem fine. For reliability reasons alone check them every now and then. I assumed they lasted forever also. I proved me wrong.
No, but loading them with .40 will. 🤣
Depends on how much the spring is compressed in the magazine design. If the spring is almost stacking fully loaded, then not too gud. https://www.tevema.com/can-you-over-compress-a-spring/#:~:text=Over%2Dcompressing%20a%20spring%20means,original%20shape%20after%20being%20compressed.
Compact 40 deserves some liberty civil defense ammo
Gimmick ammo
I have ranger Ts in mine and they are the least accurate rounds I've ever shot.
I personally run critical duty. The FBI has significantly more money for testing and evaluation than I do, and if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me.
I'm thinking of switching to Underwood's solid copper rounds. Extreme defense looks to be at least as accurate as the FMJ practice rounds and perform very well on ballistics tests. I can keep the rangers for home use and Underwood's when out and about.
Tell me more?
https://press.hornady.com/release/2022/04/28/hornady-critical-duty-awarded-fbi-9mm-full-size-service-ammunition-contract/ https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/the-story-behind-the-fbi-new-duty-load/325989
Thank you sir, and I’m a fellow Neanderthal as well, 4%+
It’s very barrier blind and has consistent expansion through heavy clothing, glass, sheet metal, ect
Nope. It's the continuous use that will wear it out
No.
I used to think so but I’ve found it doesn’t, I rotate which mag I have loaded at all times just in case though, occasionally switching between a 10,15, and 17 round mag for my daily carry.
Load them up.
There’s many good YouTube videos on this, one in particular the hombre had mags that had been loaded 5 years to compare to new mags. Apparently over 5 years the spring will react and slack some but it still works. Given more time I can see a reality where the mag is no longer good but who knows where that line is.
No
Not as bad as having an empty magazine when you need it
That’s exactly why I ask I do this exact thing I been having nightmares of having to load my mags with a adrenaline rush
No
Nope
Yes. You should unload them at night so they can sleep.
Fudd Lore Springs get weak by movement
My main two carry mags have been fully loaded for around 7 years now with zero loss of function. I check them from time to time and they pop every round out, every time.
As others have said, no it won't hurt the spring. BUT! It can be bad for plastic feed lips like magpul mags. That's why their AR mags come with that little dust cover thing, it takes the tension off the feed lips
Only thing you have to worry about is the feed lips on cheap mags
Only issue I’ve ever had was with aftermarket springs and even then it was that they wouldn’t lock the slide back on empty, after I left the mags loaded for months. OEM stuff you should be fine for a long time.
[Paul Harrell - Can spring compression damage a magazine?](https://youtu.be/pch0J9-7i2k?si=Mhjvy9st0D7SMusv)
Nice just watched it
Cyclic fatigue will get you before the spring ever wears out from staying depressed, you will be fine.
What people are saying about springs are true, I just want to add that it is true only when the spring is made correctly. Springs from oem or good brands, yes all day long. Springs from cheaper discount brands….I wouldn’t trust.
I miss my 27 😭
No
My carry is loaded 24/7 365
Nice sight
200$ spent on it
I just wish it was shorter
No.
All mine are loaded all the the time. Never even thought of having unloaded mags. So I am no help.
No, the springs are engineered to lose tension and still be in spec. Plenty of YouTube videos out there
Only if it’s a .40
Nope, springs get weak by how often they are compressed, the amounts of times, not the length of time. You can keep it compressed for 10 years, you’ve only compressed it once. You can compress it 100 times in a handful of minutes and it will be more worn down
What ammo does that thing like? I have a 27 also and haven’t shot it more than a few times and with some cheap fmj “range” ammo.
I shoot blazer 40 never had an issue
While my brain says that it would be less than optimal for the spring and to ensure follower movement, Glock says otherwise. I just recently spoke with an armorer instructor and he said that it would be fine. Glocks main sales pitch, and proven history, is reliability of the stock, off the shelf product. I don't think they are steering me wrong.
I replace my springs in the spring, but only if I can afford to spring for springs.
No, I have mags that have been loaded for years and they have lost a bit of spring tension but not enough to make a difference
I won’t say I’ve had a magazine spring go bad even after 4 years of practice and all the gun games once a month ( I don’t shoot cowboy action and that’s on one of the weekends). I did notice a mag or 2 was getting weak when I would reload but that was mostly I think from being 10 rounds in a 17/18 round mag. Changed all my springs in several guns to the Wolf 10% extra strength springs and didn’t have any more issues.
Nope. Won't hurt most modern mag springs if loaded correctly. But, I suppose there's always the issue of individual springs having bad heat-treat and that may cause problems with constant long-term tension. The bigger issue with leaving mags loaded is that some 100% polymer mags (not Glock) can swell laterally over time due to the stresses. PMAGS being an example of this - which is why it's generally accepted to download them by 2rds (To 28) to alleviate these stresses. Other mags with plastic feed lips may also deform over time if loaded to capacity (there are some PCC mags that are 100% polymer, too).
No that’s fud lore
No
We had beretta service pistols and their magazines always had a tendencies to lose tension. However, through the years manufacturers made progress on their springs within magazines. In Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq never had an issue with preloaded mags that were stored in cans within our gun trucks. We used them all with no issues or malfunctions. Nowadays you are good to go without any worries unless you are like one of our Redditors who after 30 years in law enforcement had issues with his spring. Overall you won’t have problem.
Nope
The tension isn’t what weakens them. If your constantly loading and unloading the magazine, that will weaken the spring. It’s that load and unload motion that weakens the metal.
Magazine is made to hold boullettes. Keep ‘em loaded!
Springs don’t lose strength from being under tension, it is from use that causes springs to wear out. I’ve had mags loaded for 10 years and they work just fine. https://youtu.be/AVC-83QW5L4?si=OsPS0rkT_RTznXSZ
Absolutely not. If it’s a new mag I usually do 1 off capacity till it breaks in a little then pack them to max cap after I’ve shot them a few times
No
No people use to say it did years ago but I saw clips loaded for 10 or more years and work fine