How often should I unload my magazines?

Question

I have a 45 caliber Springfield XD Tactical for home defense and I was wondering how often I should change the mag. I've heard you should swap the mags and ammo every so often and I was wondering what the standard is. Is it even necessary? Its loaded with Hornady TAP ammo.

Answer 1

Every couple of months perhaps.  It is probably necessary to keep it functioning.

Answer 2

this question has been asked a ton of times, check  yahoo answers and see for your self.

Answer 3

Although some suggest that you never need to unload a magazine, I've found that unloading, and then reloading, every 6 months or so allows the spring to relax. I really don't want to chance a misfire because of a weak spring. The ammo should be good for several years.

Answer 4

Your question reminds me of something that transpired to put my mind at rest.  In 1985 I bought a colt 45 acp that had been carried by a soldier in WW I, brought home, wrapped in a rag and put in a desk drawer in 1919.  His son was cleaning out the desk and sold me the pistol, full magazine, sitting loaded for 66 years.  I made sure it was clear barrel and yadda and worked the slide and fired seven original rounds with no problem.  Then I went through a box of shells just plinking; no problems.  If modern metal is better and so on then I am not going to worry about a few months.  (Yes, I still have the pistol) ((yes, it still works just fine))

Answer 5

It is the very relaxing of the springs that others are suggesting that causes spring failure

Think about it

How do you break a paper clip

by squeezing really hard or by simply bending it back and forth with a light even pressure

It has been proven over and over again with stories like acmeraven's story and research such as this http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0... printed in a Guns and Ammo article 10 or 15 years ago, that  it is the constant loading and unloading of the spring that causes failure not the old wives tale about keeping magazines loaded

After reading that article in Guns and Ammo so many years ago

I loaded three cheap $5 1911 mags to capacity and stuck them in my holster box and then forgot about them

Ten years later when I moved to a new house I found them and took them out to shoot at mom's property

Two functioned flawlessly one failed to hold open the slide on the last round

That was all the research I needed

Answer 6

According to the manufacturers, you do not need to worry about your magazine spring taking a set.  Since my carry gun is my lifeline in an emergency, I choose not to leave it loaded just in case they are wrong.  I refuse to take the chance.  It is too easy to empty one of my magazines and let it rest for a while while I use one of the others.  I try not to leave one loaded more than a week without giving it a rest.  It may not be absolutely necessary, but then, it is such cheep insurance that there is no reason not to do it.

Answer 7

Matt, changing out magazine loads is a practice started in the military. We found early on that if the 1911 mag was left fully loaded after time the spring would loose some of its tension and rounds would not cycle properly. Mainly this was caused from the metal being used. Todays magazines use a better grade of steel and for the most part there shouldn't be an issue. You'll get different opions from fellow shooters on this point. Just go to any gunshow or range and ask this question. For me its a practice I continue to use, not so much for the spring tension as it is for cleaning and maintenance of the magazines themselves. I load most of mine at half capacity for storage if its a firearm I keep handy. For those put up I leave them empty. Its a good practice to clean and exercise your magazines every time you shoot.

  One other thought for you is on generic magazines, some of the plastic or mutli material magazines have a issue when exposed to some solvents. You may want to check a spot on the magazine to see if it discolors when exposed to cleaners or oils. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 8

1 time a year