Magazine Spring Creep

**Ken** · 06-21-2013, 08:44 PM

Magazine Spring Creep

I was talking to a friend this week, and mentioned that I usually keep a half of my magazines loaded for each of my first "go to" firearms. I usually unload them and load the other half about once a year, and this was my week to do that.

Sharing this information usually results in a debate - as it did this week - about the wisdom of keeping magazines loaded and whether or not it will cause "spring fatigue." I don't believe I've ever had a magazine spring's functionality deteriorate because I kept it loaded. Still, I thought it was time to do a bit of research on the subject.

I did a web search and found a good post that makes lots of sense, so I will shamelessly copy it here with a link to the original page:

"I'm an engineering major, and we've covered this stuff pretty extensively in many of my classes. Fatigue (from the strength of materials sense) is based on cyclic loading, and is a function of the amplitude of the stress, the mean stress, and the number of cycles. I haven't run the calculations (finals are finally over, and I think my brain would revolt if I broke out another textbook), but I'm pretty sure the number of cycles to failure for a 1911 magazine is pretty high.

The phenomena you guys are talking about is called creep, where a material slowly loses strength while elastically deformed. Elastic deformation is when a material is under enough stress to deform it, but when the stress is removed the material returns to it's original shape. Springs compressed within their limits are elastically deformed. Creep is mostly a function of temperature, and typically isn't an issue in environments below half the melting point of the stressed material.

So under the typical conditions found in a house, your magazines will be fine."

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-116436.html

Anyone have any thoughts on this subject?

**Rick** · 06-21-2013, 08:47 PM

As I've said, If you are practicing at the range you should notice any problems long before they become a problem.

**2dumb2kwit** · 06-21-2013, 09:52 PM

If the loaded magazine thing was an issue, most cops would be carrying useless mags all the time. Think about it. A large percentage of cops shoot only when they have to qualify. So they carry around the same three loaded mags all year, go to the range, empty and reload those three mags a few times, reload them and carry them for another year.

**2dumb2kwit** · 06-21-2013, 09:56 PM

Ya know....thinking about the whole cop thing, and thinking about recent events involving cops, it would seem that leaving mags loaded for long periods of time may make your ammo terribly inaccurate.

**Ken** · 06-21-2013, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by 2dumb2kwit

Ya know....thinking about the whole cop thing, and thinking about recent events involving cops, it would seem that leaving mags loaded for long periods of time may make your ammo terribly inaccurate.

Nah. I bring my other magazines to the range. Who needs a box full?

**SLVRBK** · 06-22-2013, 12:38 PM

I bought my Glock 22 in 1998 for use in law enforcement and my 15 round mags have been loaded since they day I bought it 15 years ago. I believe this is a myth but I'm sure somewhere down the road someone had a bad mag or bad spring which may have failed them. The majority of my mags are ALWAYS loaded as a gun without a mag is worthless and I would hate to be caught with my pants down, unless we were having some type of party......

**Old GI** · 06-24-2013, 08:35 AM

I've seen articles about this in many places. The consensus is that it is not a problem with good quality magazines. For what its worth, I concur.

**hunter63** · 06-24-2013, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by SLVRBK

I bought my Glock 22 in 1998 for use in law enforcement and my 15 round mags have been loaded since they day I bought it 15 years ago. I believe this is a myth but I'm sure somewhere down the road someone had a bad mag or bad spring which may have failed them. The majority of my mags are ALWAYS loaded as a gun without a mag is worthless and I would hate to be caught with my pants down, unless we were having some type of party......

I agree.....I have too much other stuff to check, change out, rotate, change batteries in/on......I have never had a failure, unless it was a bad cartridge

I load them shoot them and load again....and put them away.

A non issue now that everything got dumped in the deepest river during the tragic canoe accident of 2009.......or maybe the 2008 one.....

As far as accuracy goes, I don't think anything is as bad as loading a Win '94 30-30, when jacking each round out and doing it over and over, with the same 6-7 rounds you have carried in your pocket of your deer hunting coat for the last 15 years...round noses all banged up, scuffed, nicked....and some how when the time comes, they go boom, and shoot thru 70 yds of brush, and leave you a dead deer.

**2dumb2kwit** · 06-24-2013, 01:45 PM

I was just joking about accuracy. We hear, so often, about cops shooting a gazillion rounds without hitting their target. I'm sure it must be the fault of something other than their shooting abilities. LOL

**Ken** · 06-24-2013, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by 2dumb2kwit

I was just joking about accuracy. We hear, so often, about cops shooting a gazillion rounds without hitting their target. I'm sure it must be the fault of something other than their shooting abilities. LOL

Which is exactly why large capacity magazines should not be banned.

**hunter63** · 06-24-2013, 02:15 PM

If it's like out LEO's, you can't hit much when you are crouched down behind your car, and firing blindly over it....pretty hard the hit anything.

Had a local gun fight, 3 LEO's and one perp....40 plus fired and not one hit....the perp ran out of ammo, bad planning on his part, no doubt, and he gave up.....There was a vid....lots of hole in "stuff", one LEO even got out of his car with it still in gear, and ran into a parked car.

TV shows have braver people(?) playing the good guys, and don't have to worry about some one shooting back with real bullets.

**Rick** · 06-24-2013, 07:07 PM

It is both customary and proper to call "KINGS" in the middle of a gun fight if you run out of bullets. That allows the grieved party to acquire additional ammo. I suspect, in this case, the perp would have to borrow ammo from the LEO assuming it was the right caliber. If he didn't call "KINGS" then Nanny Nanny Boo Boo on him.

**Batch** · 06-24-2013, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

It is both customary and proper to call "KINGS" in the middle of a gun fight if you run out of bullets. That allows the grieved party to acquire additional ammo. I suspect, in this case, the perp would have to borrow ammo from the LEO assuming it was the right caliber. If he didn't call "KINGS" then Nanny Nanny Boo Boo on him.

Holy hell and high water! I didn't know that! I am no longer carrying a spare or extended mag. Just don't make no sense! LOL

**senna** · 07-26-2013, 12:43 AM

while a cop may feel "duty bound" to just fire lots of misses, it's bad juju for civilians to do that. cops are exempted from responsibility for where their bullets go. you are not. All you have to do, if you have cover, is see to it that the bg does not outflank your cover. shooting at bobbing heads is going to result in lots of misses and richochets, so why waste the ammo and take the risk of hitting an innocent? Just remain behind cover, stay ready to fire when you "peek", listen closely for sounds of movment, and wait for the cops to arrive. Get your "earvalve" type earplugs installed, too.

**Old GI** · 07-26-2013, 08:28 AM

I think I've mentioned this before: Sheriff Grady Judd, Polk County Florida, after his guys fired over 300 rounds or so at a perp that just shot a Deputy, was asked why they fired over 300 times; his answer, priceless, was "'Cause we ran out of ammo!"

**senna** · 07-26-2013, 11:42 AM

what's priceless about a bunch of panic striken, incompetent punks spraying lead all over the county? If one of those richochets had hit your loved one, would you still be so "aok" with their bs?