The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Tactical Rifle & Carbine => Topic started by: ellis4538 on November 05, 2008, 02:55:18 AM
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OK, it's early the morning after and I've decided to take money out of the bank to get an AR and some mags...
This might have been discussed before but I can't locate it. How long can an AR mag be loaded to full cap, or should they be stored downloded or unloaded?
Richard
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OK, it's early the morning after and I've decided to take money out of the bank to get an AR and some mags...
This might have been discussed before but I can't locate it. How long can an AR mag be loaded to full cap, or should they be stored downloded or unloaded?
Richard
Most of what I've read is that they can stay loaded for some time without spring memory setting in. As long as you're throwing cash around, get some rebuild kits just in case?
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As I recall from the thread several months ago they can be loaded at full capacity for a long long time with no problem. I have read on here and other sources that full or empty is best. The spring problems come with long term storage of partial load.
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NOT FULL CAP !!!, 28 in a 30 rounder, 18 in a 20
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I just ordered 10 more 30 round mags from Brownells and both the grey and socom tan were backordered already. :(
A friend of mine wanted me to order him a new Stag Arms AR yesterday and he didn't tell me until to late to order. Today, all sold and don't know how long till the backorder would be filled. I found him one somewhere else and he got the last of 4 that he sold just this morning.
Hunker down.
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I remember reading that a 1911 with 6 rounds in the mag only had half the spring tension as when all 7 rounds were loaded. Something simiilar must apply to other mags. If you want to play it safe you can keep 20 rounds in a 30 round mag indefinately and top it of with a 10 round stipper clip when you want to. I generally keep any rifle or pistol mag either empty or loaded at 90%, 9 in a 10 round mag and 27 in a 30 round mag, unless it has chrome silicon springs. Supposedly these immediately take a slight set and don't weaken any further with time. The only one I have is from Brownells and it's empty but if I kept it loaded I would put all 30 rounds in it. I have 100s of rounds in clips so I can load my AR mags in a hurry. The manual for my C-Mag says can be stored fully loaded so it has 100 rounds in it. That should buy me enough time to load my other mags.
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I load mine 1 round down, but that's just Old Skool worrying...
mb
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Same for me, MB...Old habits and all...
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I only load 27 in the 30's not for the magazines sake but for easy insertion, 30 rounders loaded to max, especially new ones, need a very sharp tap to lock, and sometimes slow the bolt down if the bolt is just pulled and released, 3 rounds out and they go in like butter. The P mags do pretty well with 30, but real well with 29.
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I found out I can't seat my C-Mag with all 100 rounds in with the bolt closed. I don't know how many rounds I need to take out to make it go in easy but it has a lot of tension. I need to experiment with it.
I've never had any malfunctions related to having my 20 or 30-roung mags fully loaded. After putting David Tubb's SpeedLock springs in my original 20-round Colt mags they only hold 19 rounds because the +P springs are made of thicker wire. I have to take one round out of a clip when I load those.
If you're really worried about spring fatigue you can get Thermold mags that the bottom telescopes out of to hold 45 rounds. But instead of putting 45 rounds in, you only load 30 rounds. When you want to use it, push the bottom in to put tension on the spring and it's ready to go. They make another one for the Mini-30 that holds 26 rounds or 39. I don't know what other guns they make this type of mag for but the M16/AR-15 mags mave been around for years. They make loaders and stripper clips that can be reused, or burned for heat and cooking rations too. I like the loader and the clips. Haven't tried there mags yet.
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Magazines can be stored fully loaded indefinitely without worrying about the springs taking a set. What weakens springs are compression and depression cycles. It is much the same with the springs in your car or truck. They won't wear out, or begin sagging from just sitting in the garage under their own weight. But if you drive thousands of miles on very rough and bumpy roads, they will weaken, eventually to the point of needing replacement.
Jeff Cooper once told a story of a friend who discovered a World War I vintage, 1911 pistol in an old trunk in an attic. The gun was fully loaded, and had been left that way for decades. They took the gun out back and pulled the trigger 7 times. It went bang 7 times. He said after that he no longer worried about storing magazines fully loaded. Bill T.