Re: How many magazines ?
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:02 pm
everything loaded all the time
Yes. I've read a few accounts here recently of folks who took out their father's gun that had been sitting with a loaded mag for DECADES and it worked perfectly.frazzled wrote:Really (here's where the idiot looks to confirm), so we can keep mags fully loaded with no spring deterioration-for...even years? Under my personal "Obama shortage stimulus plan" I aquired multiple 11+ round clips (still in their containers), but had no intention of opening and loading as I thought it might wear the springs.NcongruNt wrote:Springs don't work that way. Other than corrosion, fatigue comes from either over-extension (not an issue with mags) or cycles of use. Keeping them loaded puts less "wear" on the springs than periodically loading and unloading them would.ninemm wrote:I have 4-15 round and 5-33 round mags for two Glocks.
Does one need to rotate his loaded mags so that the springs aren't compromised over time?
There are a couple of factors that could cause mag failure after time, but they're not spring related. Cheap mags, especially ones with high round count and tension could fail over long periods of time due to fatigue in the metal of the top lips. That is not a spring issue, and shouldn't occur with any decent magazine. Corrosion could compromise the integrity of the springs, but that is an environmental factor. If you have decent quality mags and don't keep them in an environment where they are likely to corrode, then they will perform just fine after long periods of being loaded.
You can check the wikipedia article on springs where this notion is specifically addressed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_(device" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)#Popular_mechanics
If you want to read further on it, google is your friend. I found this, having to do specifically with a 1911:Popular mechanics
Contrary to popular belief, springs do not appreciably "creep" or get "tired" with age alone.[citation needed] Spring steel has a very high resistance to creep under normal loads. For instance, in a car engine, valve springs typically undergo about a quarter billion cycles of compression-decompression over the engine's life time and exhibit no noticeable change in length or loss of strength. But for good measure, springs can be replaced when doing a valve job. The sag observed in some older automobiles suspension is usually due to the springs being occasionally compressed beyond their yield point, causing plastic deformation. This can happen when the vehicle hits a large bump or pothole, especially when heavily loaded. Most vehicles will accumulate a number of such impacts over their working life, leading to a lower ride height and eventual bottoming-out of the suspension. In addition, frequent exposure to road salt accelerates corrosion, leading to premature failure of the springs in the car's suspension. Weakening of a spring is usually an indication that it is close to complete failure.
http://yarchive.net/gun/spring_fatigue.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I did a bit of searching, and all fatigue issues I've found with spring metal deal with environmental, overextension, or cycle fatigue, not in keeping a spring under load within its normal limits.