Does carrying a full clip weaken the clips spring?

[Kreutz]

Checking if this is true or not, heard it here and there before, the idea is keeping the spring compressed so tight weakens its well, springiness.

Fact or fiction?

[allingeneral]

My understanding is that carrying a full magazine is just fine and dandy. The thing that wears out the spring is constantly loading and unloading a magazine (expansion, compression, expansion, compression).

[ProShooter]

My understanding is that carrying a full magazine is just fine and dandy. The thing that wears out the spring is constantly loading and unloading a magazine (expansion, compression, expansion, compression).

This is correct on both counts...

Your handgun uses a magazine, not a clip.

Compression and expansion is what wears a spring down (loading and unloading over a long time)

[Palladin]

He's a liberal, Jim!

[Daholt757]

I'm confused. I was always told that leaving magazines loaded for long periods of time did indeed weaken the springs and that they would then often have trouble feeding the last few rounds. I was also told that the best way to avoid this is to have two sets of mags and alternate them with one another every month to give the springs a rest. In basic training we were even taught to take apart our M16 magazines and stretch out the spring a little to ensure they functioned correctly (we always had our magzines loaded with blanks when we weren't actually on a live range). Is this incorrect?

[Chasbo00]

Here is Wolff Gunsprings' take on this...

How often should I change magazine spring? Should I unload my magazines, rotate magazines, load with fewer than the maximum rounds?
Magazine springs in semi-auto pistols are one of the most critical springs and are the subject of much debate and concern. Magazines which are kept fully loaded for long periods of time, such as in law enforcement and personal/home defense applications, will generally be subject to more fatigue than the weekend shooter's magazine springs in which the magazines are loaded up only when shooting.

Magazine design and capacity also affect the longevity of the spring. In many older pistol designs, maximum capacity was not the always the goal such as with the 7 round 1911 Colt magazines will last for years fully loaded. There was room for more spring material in these guns which reduces overall stress and increases the usable life of the spring.

More recently higher capacity magazine have become popular. These are designed to hold more rounds with less spring material often in the same space. This puts more stress on the spring and will cause it to fatigue at a faster rate. Unloading these magazines a round or two will help the life of the spring. Rotating fully loaded magazines will also help the problem somewhat but it is not always practical.

In applications where the magazine must be kept loaded at all times, a high quality magazine spring such as Wolff extra power magazine springs, will provide maximum life. Regular replacement of magazine springs will provide the best defense against failure from weak magazine springs. Regular shooting of the pistol is the best way to be sure the springs are still functioning reliably.

http://www.gunsprings.com/faq

[Jakeiscrazy]

I have always heard it was from loading and unloading mostly. I would say that you should be shooting your CC gun often enough that you would notice such a failure.

[Yarddawg]

My initial reaction to this post was "yes, a spring (any spring) will take a set after being compressed for a prolonged period time." I will also add that in my line of engineering work, I have seen some rather large springs take a very noticeable set after many years of being compressed. I could drone off formulas for determining spring rate, spring design, etc., however, unless you are an engineer, most would find it very mind numbing. If you are an engineer and would like a refresher, then Google is your friend (and probably your only friend in life at this point! )

Anyway, I did find an experiment that someone did on this very subject.

http://mcb-homis.com/magspring/

Yes, the spring took a set after a relatively short 14 months. Hopefully, that is much longer than any of us would keep ammunition in a magazine.

Lesson here is...SAVE THE SPRINGS, GET OUT AND SHOOT!

[jdonovan]

Checking if this is true or not, heard it here and there before, the idea is keeping the spring compressed so tight weakens its well, springiness.

Fact or fiction?

depends.

Depending on spring design it might... or might not. An OEM spring in a mag might, and a after market might not.

I've got a range mag I've had loaded continuously for more than 15 years, it has never been in the gun when a malfunction or stoppage has occurred.

If you are concerned about it, replace your mag springs every year or two.

[bryanrheem]

All of my Mechanical Engineering classes are coming back to me....

what is your definition of 'failure'? The spring breaking? The spring failing to return to it's unloaded state (ie push up)?

The unloading / loading cycle will cause more stress on a spring, but that is what it is design for. While all manufactured pieces have the probability of failure, the forces on a spring would not be enough to cause a breaking failure unless the spring already had a defect, or was somehow made brittle through other factors.

So, you can trust the manufacturer, or regularly test your magazines and replace them as well if you notice a decline in performance. Checking a magazine regularly is an easy thing to do!

[zephyp]

I'm confused. I was always told that leaving magazines loaded for long periods of time did indeed weaken the springs and that they would then often have trouble feeding the last few rounds. I was also told that the best way to avoid this is to have two sets of mags and alternate them with one another every month to give the springs a rest. In basic training we were even taught to take apart our M16 magazines and stretch out the spring a little to ensure they functioned correctly (we always had our magzines loaded with blanks when we weren't actually on a live range). Is this incorrect?

Normally brand new springs sometimes cause feed problems merely because they are so stiff. Or, sometimes its difficult to compress and get last round in. Metal becomes fatigued and brittle by being worked. Simple test is to bend a paper clip back and forth until it breaks. It takes a few times and the metal becomes weaker and weaker with each bend. Notice the metal gets warm. Temperature is a function of molecular movement and friction. The more you bend the metal the more movement/friction and the warmer it becomes until it breaks. Mag springs are the same way. The primary reason to disassemble a mag is for cleaning. Running around in the bush introduces dust, grit, and sand into the mag and that will cause feed problems if left unchecked...

[Diomed]

Interesting. Here we have people saying they're engineers and that spring set is real, yet in other places on the interwebs I've seen people saying they're engineers take the position that spring set is not real and cycling is what kills springs.

Crazy internets!

In basic training we were even taught to take apart our M16 magazines and stretch out the spring a little to ensure they functioned correctly (we always had our magzines loaded with blanks when we weren't actually on a live range). Is this incorrect?

It's incorrect. Stretching will get a dying spring to last a little longer, but it's a last resort action. Once you stretch it out, that spring is pretty much toast.

[OakRidgeStars]

[zephyp]

Interesting. Here we have people saying they're engineers and that spring set is real, yet in other places on the interwebs I've seen people saying they're engineers take the position that spring set is not real and cycling is what kills springs.

Crazy internets!

In basic training we were even taught to take apart our M16 magazines and stretch out the spring a little to ensure they functioned correctly (we always had our magzines loaded with blanks when we weren't actually on a live range). Is this incorrect?

It's incorrect. Stretching will get a dying spring to last a little longer, but it's a last resort action. Once you stretch it out, that spring is pretty much toast.

Indeed...back and forth motion, hence stretching, weakens the spring until it will finally fail. Better to buy a new mag if you are in doubt. But dis-assembly and cleaning are still required...just dont stretch...