Handgun question

[IronJohn]

I have an H&K USP that is my home defense weapon. My question is how often should I rotate magazines (I have 2) so the springs don't wear out?

 

[Nishnabotna]

Springs wear out when you exercise them. You can load a magazine and throw it in the drawer for a decade or more and see no ill result.
If you're at the range, just alternate magazines when you fire. Though, magazine springs last a long time anyway.

 

[73mountaineer]

Springs wear out when you exercise them. You can load a magazine and throw it in the drawer for a decade or more and see no ill result.
If you're at the range, just alternate magazines when you fire. Though, magazine springs last a long time anyway.

+1 You won't wear out a magazine spring by leaving it compressed.

- Steve

 

[Gravy]

Springs wear out when you exercise them. You can load a magazine and throw it in the drawer for a decade or more and see no ill result.
If you're at the range, just alternate magazines when you fire. Though, magazine springs last a long time anyway.

+2

loading and unloading w/ the intent of saving the spring will actually do the opposite.

Just to add, I remember a story about a 1911 that had been lost during WWII. When found decades later, the full mag was used
and it functioned perfectly.

 

[stobes21]

+2

loading and unloading w/ the intent of saving the spring will actually do the opposite.

Just to add, I remember a story about a 1911 that had been lost during WWII. When found decades later, the full mag was used
and it functioned perfectly.

I believe it. I recently inherited a WWII issue 1911a1 with the original mag. As far as I know it had only been fired once since the 40s and it had been stored at least 30 of those years loaded, possibly even longer. The mag still works great -- no feeding issues (have only tried shooting ball) and it locks the mag back properly. If 30+ years didn't wear out the spring on a cheap GI issue mag I'm sure that your H&K should be fine for a long time to come.

Anyway, I recommend regularly using your mags at the range to make sure they are fully functional. If you find a problem then just swap it out until you can fix the problem. Places like brownells sell replacement mag springs in case one does ever wear out or break.

 

[Topgumby]

Rotate the mags frequently after trips to the range.

It won't help your mag springs, because as has been posted, they don't need help, but it will improve your marksmanship and weapons familiarity.

 

[ackvil]

Good to see the posts above.

In one of the gun forums I belong to there were a few individuals who insisted that leaving mags in the semis would result in them malfunctioning. However, this was disputed by two reps from gun companies who called it an old wives tale.

 

[binowatch]

As stated, mag springs wear from use not at rest either loaded or not. Some experts do suggest loading 1 round less than max capacity for long term storage esp in high cap mags. This is readily accomplished by simply loading it full and loading the chamber off the mag. Incidentally, this is always how to chamber a semiauto. Never drop one in the chamber directly and release the slide-bad for the extractor.

 

[IronJohn]

The advice goes against years of advice about keeping them loaded.

It's good to know I don't have to worry about swapping out the magazines. It makes more sense that compression wouldn't wear out the springs.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[stevedi]

Good to see the posts above.

In one of the gun forums I belong to there were a few individuals who insisted that leaving mags in the semis would result in them malfunctioning. However, this was disputed by two reps from gun companies who called it an old wives tale.

I too was under that impression, and never liked keeping a magazine loaded for that reason. This is good news. You never know what kind of useful tidbits you're going to find on this board!

 

[smokelaw1]

A little OT, but is the same true of shotguns? I've always heard not to keep my pump loaded for fear of the dreaded spring compression. has this been disproven? If so, a 1911 and 12Ga can replace the wheelgun in the HD plan!

 

[stobes21]

A little OT, but is the same true of shotguns? I've always heard not to keep my pump loaded for fear of the dreaded spring compression. has this been disproven? If so, a 1911 and 12Ga can replace the wheelgun in the HD plan!

Spring steel is spring steel, so I don't see why it would be any different.

 

[IronJohn]

With all the home invasions around here in the good ole central valley of CA, it's really one less thing to worry about.

Go to your back door to let your dog out every day? Then they've been watching and will bum rush you and have their way. Live out on a farm? A cinderblock through your sliding glass door and you are entertaining unexpected company. It happens so often they don't even report it anymore. I live in a decent neighborhood (for CA) an the three home invasions that have taken place in the last three months didn't even make the news.

You only hope is you can run to your defense weapon and repel boarders. Then you'll get to spend the next 5 years of your life explaining why you chose to defend yourself instead of being tortured or killed or both. God help you if you if one of them is an illegal.

 

[RayH]

whether or not these are old wives tales, I prefer to rotate mine about once a month.

 

[Snipersnest]

When I was on the job, I would empty the mags on my days off to allow the springs to "relax". Most guys just ejected the bullet in the tube after removing the mags. Problem with that is, if you keep ejecting and reloading the same bullet the extractor chews up the rim casing and may cause a failure to extract.

 

[73mountaineer]

Again, you wear out a spring more by cycling it than you do with it at rest, compressed or not. Within the magazine, you will never compress the spring more than its designed limits, unless by some chance you are able to force an extra round into it, in which case you could possibly bend the spring. Under normal use, no, it won't happen with a quality magazine. For that matter you won't likely ever wear one out from loading and unloading either, but you are putting more wear and tear on it than if you just left it loaded.

Think about it, the springs on the suspension of a vehicle wear out from use, not from sitting with the static weight of the vehicle on them. Same concept. The springs in a magazine are always preloaded to some degree anyway so they aren't fully extended even if you do unload all of the rounds.

- Steve

 

[ImaWestie]

This.
Unless you are disassembling the mag, you aren't relaxing the spring.
Unless you are disassembling mags several times a day, you're probably making them less likely to work not more likely to work - based on my experience supervising military reservists getting stuck back into it after a bit of time away from things that go "bang".

 

[sandmountainslim]

Its a myth that you need to release the spring on a magazine. I have had mags loaded for my AKM for better than 15 years and they are just as I left them

Wp

 

[Rossmeister]

The other gents are right. Just remember to oil and dry clean the magazines if you have them somewhere dusty. Even the supposedly magical, unjammable HK416 AR jams like crazy if there's dirt in the magazine. Trust me, I know

 

[stobes21]

The other gents are right. Just remember to oil and dry clean the magazines if you have them somewhere dusty. Even the supposedly magical, unjammable HK416 AR jams like crazy if there's dirt in the magazine. Trust me, I know

I'm certainly no expert on the various ARs out there (don't even own one), but doesn't the HK416 use standard AR mags? I know they improved the gas system to make it more durable and less environmentally sensitive, but I thought they stuck with standard mags?