Leave mag loaded or not?

canislatrans54

canislatrans54

New member
Just curious.

Between hunting trips, do you guys leave the ammo loaded in your AR magazines [sp]?
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Or do you unload them every time?
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I'm curious how this would affect the lifespan of the spring in the magazine.

NOTE: I DO NOT mean leaving a loaded mag in the rifle.
I mean the mag by itself, away from the gun.
 
Mine are always empty.... I would prefer them to be full... But for some reason, they are always empty... Lol

I do have 10 loaded mags for my .40s&w in my night stand though...
 
Originally Posted By: captninsanoMine are always empty.... I would prefer them to be full... But for some reason, they are always empty... Lol

I do have 10 loaded mags for my .40s&w in my night stand though...

Keep shooting until there is one story brother is the best way too go!!!!!
 
We leave mags full for long durations in the desert. No issues. I don't see any reason not to. And I do have a loaded mag in the AR in my bedroom....
 
Originally Posted By: tactical assaultSprings lose their "spring" when they are in movement. Leaving them loaded or unloaded is no difference.

This
 
Not exactly anything to do with an AR-15, but I took my dad's old High Standard .22 auto out once and shot it and ran both of its loaded magazines though the gun without a hitch and they had both been loaded for around 40 years. Even though I keep a .44 Special in my bedroom for "serious social encounters" I would have no issues with keeping my 1911 loaded for even years at a time.
 
Originally Posted By: Widow maker 223Cycling springs is what makes them weak. You can leave them loaded for years and have no worries.

So true. As a competition shooter, I have to rebuild my mags about once a year. But that is shooting 8,000-12,000 rounds per year. My mag springs usually compress about 25% in a single season just from repeated cycling.
 
I had read that on PMags, it's best to use the dust cover if you leave them loaded as that will take the pressure off the lips. Don't know if that's true, but the suggestion was that the pressure/tension will, over time, deform the feed lips.`
 
All my mags are are always loaded and more often then not there is a loaded one in the weapon ready to use when it comes to a AR15. When comes to a hand gun it is the same except the mag is always in the weapon and ready.
 
Loaded up 30 AR 30 rounders and 15 mini14 20 round mags tonight, sure like having them loaded better than sitting empty.....it took me about 1 and a half hours to do this while watching Fox News!
 
I leave mine full like the rest. Both sons in the military never emptied theirs either on the lines or back on the FOB, they emptied countless magazines at the enemy though.
 
Stored mags SHOULDBE empty...We never loaded ours over 25 rounds, and even when in hot zones we normally cycled the rounds out once a week. Its like any other spring, they will loose their power if left compressed. I never load more than 15 in my 20 rounder for my DPMS LR 308...I already know someone is smarter than me, but I have never had a failure to feed due to a mag spring.
Guess its a preference, takes 2 minutes to load a mag...a week to get springs if you can find them.
Ounce of prevention/Pound of cure
 
Compressed springs will not weaken the tension. Do you store all your firearms with the firing pin dropped? If not, then there is tension on them, too.
 
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