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Carry a revolver and you won't get any bullet set back

TexasJohnBoy wrote:On the topic of setback - How many times do you allow a cartridge to be chambered before removing it from rotation to become target ammo?

1 time for carry ammo for me as well...


I don't "rotate" mags but I do replace the springs & followers in carry mags annually.

psijac wrote:Carry a revolver and you won't get any bullet set back

From my research, spring fatigue is a myth. I have shot .45 from Colt mags (that my Mom found when she moved) that I loaded 43 years ago......no misfeeds, no FFs. Was Winchester 185 gr hollow points.

Springs wear out from being cycled, not from being loaded and left. The ones you use all the time will, indeed weaken over time. For a few dollars you can replace mag springs and leave no doubt.

flechero wrote:Springs wear out from being cycled, not from being loaded and left. The ones you use all the time will, indeed weaken over time. For a few dollars you can replace mag springs and leave no doubt.

flechero wrote:Springs wear out from being cycled, not from being loaded and left. The ones you use all the time will, indeed weaken over time. For a few dollars you can replace mag springs and leave no doubt.

also, however I would not, under any circumstances "stretch the spring back out". It is not designed to be stretched and doing so will only shorten it's service life.

Is there a general symptom when a mag is reaching the end of the springs life? I know I have shot ten of thousands of .45. I have used several mags though. Mainly Colt in my younger years, CMC in later years. I do have a five round mag for a Stevens .22 that has gone through over 100 thousand rounds. The rifle belonged to my Father as a boy and then was passed to me at around age 12. There has only been the original 5 round mag used.

WTR wrote:Is there a general symptom when a mag is reaching the end of the springs life?

Tough question- I think the only symptom of a weak spring is a failure of some sort... I don't think there is a way to predict that ahead if time, unless you can test the spring weight occasionally.

I change out the spring & followers on my carry mags every year or 2 depending on which gun and how much I shoot it. The springs or spring & follower kits are only like $5-$6 so a few of those every year is like a box of ammo.

As you can attest to, some springs will last a very long time!

Pawpaw wrote:

flechero wrote:Springs wear out from being cycled, not from being loaded and left. The ones you use all the time will, indeed weaken over time. For a few dollars you can replace mag springs and leave no doubt.

also, however I would not, under any circumstances "stretch the spring back out". It is not designed to be stretched and doing so will only shorten it's service life.

I have been told to stretch them from time to time, but that could certainly be wrong. I believe it was a gunsmith that told me that, so I figured it was reliable advice. Where would one buy just mag springs? I tried the manufacturer's website and amazon and didn't have any luck. Maybe I'm just missing them? Are they generic or mag specific?

psijac wrote:Carry a revolver and you won't get any bullet set back

Revolvers (at least really light weight models) have the opposite issue. Bullets jumping their crimp due to recoil.

LucasMcCain wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:

flechero wrote:Springs wear out from being cycled, not from being loaded and left. The ones you use all the time will, indeed weaken over time. For a few dollars you can replace mag springs and leave no doubt.

also, however I would not, under any circumstances "stretch the spring back out". It is not designed to be stretched and doing so will only shorten it's service life.

I have been told to stretch them from time to time, but that could certainly be wrong. I believe it was a gunsmith that told me that, so I figured it was reliable advice. Where would one buy just mag springs? I tried the manufacturer's website and amazon and didn't have any luck. Maybe I'm just missing them? Are they generic or mag specific?

Wolff Gunsprings Is a great resource for OEM mag springs. For aftermarket mags, you may have to call the manufacturer.

Stretch the springs? What is the origin of advice like this?

Bad magazines can cause all sort of problems with otherwise good firearms. If you are not sure about parts, buy more than a few spare magazines and number them. If one is starting to cause problems, throw it in the trash and replace it. The cost is not enough to risk a malfunctioning firearm. If you know what the problem is and can fix it, great. But have enough spare mags that you are not stuck if you need to chunk a bad magazine.

MechAg94 wrote:Stretch the springs? What is the origin of advice like this?

Bad magazines can cause all sort of problems with otherwise good firearms. If you are not sure about parts, buy more than a few spare magazines and number them. If one is starting to cause problems, throw it in the trash and replace it. The cost is not enough to risk a malfunctioning firearm. If you know what the problem is and can fix it, great. But have enough spare mags that you are not stuck if you need to chunk a bad magazine.

(emphasis mine) Trying to "fix" a bad magazine is just not worth the risk of something bad happening.

joe817 wrote:

MechAg94 wrote:Stretch the springs? What is the origin of advice like this?

Bad magazines can cause all sort of problems with otherwise good firearms. If you are not sure about parts, buy more than a few spare magazines and number them. If one is starting to cause problems, throw it in the trash and replace it. The cost is not enough to risk a malfunctioning firearm. If you know what the problem is and can fix it, great. But have enough spare mags that you are not stuck if you need to chunk a bad magazine.

(emphasis mine) Trying to "fix" a bad magazine is just not worth the risk of something bad happening.

DITTO.

A simple search of Google and look back to your high school physics will verify that a constantly compressed spring will deform and lose tension due to a setting of the metal lattice.

Rex