Storing loaded clips

[Jeffrey1235]

I may be showing my stupidity but does it hurt a clip to leave it loaded? Such as using a Hi point C9 as a CC weapon that may or may not be fired all that often. Will the springs in the clip get weak etc.?

[usvet]

I am going to jump in here..... My thoughts are that springs get weak due to compression/uncompression, that said it would depend on the amount of use, or just keep an eye out when doing cleaning and or general inspection.You should be able to detect a weak spring if there are more than normal feeding malfunctions, ai would think. Plus, I am sure there is lots of fourms out there on that subject. The key is use your best judgement and weed out the crap. Good Luck.

[Ryan H]

All of my firearms stay fully loaded, some of which are over 18 years old and have no weak springs. I have never had to replace a magazine spring. Magazine. ;)

[Glock Fan]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey1235

I may be showing my stupidity but does it hurt a clip to leave it loaded? Such as using a Hi point C9 as a CC weapon that may or may not be fired all that often. Will the springs in the clip get weak etc.?

By definition, a "clip" doesn't have a spring. The term you're looking for is "magazine". With that said, I would recommend that you read your owners manual to see if it contains the answer to your question. If you can't find the answer in the owner's manual, contact the manufacturer. We as fellow gun owners may have experience with a particular firearm, but our answers to you would be our opinions. The manufaturer would be able to tell you how the firearm was designed and what the capabilities should be.

Most reputable firearms manufacturers design their magazines to be stored fully loaded. All of my magazines are fully loaded unless I'm transporting them by air due to various airline and FAA regulations.

If you're planning on carrying a firearm concealed or otherwise, I would strongly recommend hitting the range once a month, or at minimum every other month. Should you ever need to use your firearm to defend yourself, you won't have time to think about what to do. You'll barely have any time to react. I could go further into detail, but that would be going too far off subject.

Hope I've been able to answer your question.



gf

[Jeffrey1235]

Thanks for the info, I apreciate it. Most of my handguns are either revolvers or the break open type. This Hi Point C9 is the first semi-auto one that I've bought. What I was basing my question on is an after market large capacity magazine that I bought for a Rugar 10/22. It is a 25 round magazine. To make a long story short I left one loaded for a few days and noticed that when I went to fire it, it fired five or six shots and stopped. I looked down and the other 19 rounds were still way down in the magazine. I returned that one and haven't had a problem with the replacement. I wondered if this was a common problem or what. (as far as hitting the range. . . I have to kick myself because I live on an old farm. I do most of my shooting in an old, empty pasture that has a great back stop. I don't do anywhere near enough practicing. I have actually been kicking around the idea of trying to find some interested gun owners and setting up a private range but i've never done it. I've always figured that any insurance requirements would put a stop to the idea.)

[Glock Fan]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey1235

Thanks for the info, I apreciate it. Most of my handguns are either revolvers or the break open type. This Hi Point C9 is the first semi-auto one that I've bought. What I was basing my question on is an after market large capacity magazine that I bought for a Rugar 10/22. It is a 25 round magazine. To make a long story short I left one loaded for a few days and noticed that when I went to fire it, it fired five or six shots and stopped. I looked down and the other 19 rounds were still way down in the magazine. I returned that one and haven't had a problem with the replacement. I wondered if this was a common problem or what. (as far as hitting the range. . . I have to kick myself because I live on an old farm. I do most of my shooting in an old, empty pasture that has a great back stop. I don't do anywhere near enough practicing. I have actually been kicking around the idea of trying to find some interested gun owners and setting up a private range but i've never done it. I've always figured that any insurance requirements would put a stop to the idea.)

I've had problems with a few aftermarket 10/22 magazines. I normally mark all of my magazines for all of my firearms so I can quickly determine if a particular magazine is giving me problems. The problem with one of the 10/22 magazines was the follower would bind and get stuck. Part of it may have been the spring, but I think it was mainly the follower due to the stiffness of the spring when loading.

As for setting up a range on your property, shouldn't be too difficult to do. There are a lot of farmers here in PRHI who have large plots of land that they have converted for target practice and plinkng. The insurance wasn't too bad, so long as they don't do it for commercial purposes. A few of them actually use the range for NRA training.



gf

[Bumblehead]

Originally Posted by Glock Fan

If you're planning on carrying a firearm concealed or otherwise, I would strongly recommend hitting the range once a month, or at minimum every other month. Should you ever need to use your firearm to defend yourself, you won't have time to think about what to do. You'll barely have any time to react. I could go further into detail, but that would be going too far off subject. gf

Off subject or not I think that is a really important point.

I have talked to several folks lately who basically say they never shoot or unload their carry so it will be ready when they need it. That seems kind of backwards logic to me. I shoot my carry at least a little everytiume I go plinkin'. That way I am familiar with it and know everything is running right when I need it.

If you do that, you should detect any issues in your mags before they let you down at a critical time.

-bumble

[Cooter]

The 'spring set' myth has been going around for a long time. I'm glad to see so many people on this forum have more brains than to fall for that load of crap. I have been in many debates about this subject, and from all the research I've done, this is my conclusion:

-springs DO NOT wear out from long term compression

-it is the repeated compression/decompression that produces microscopic cracks in the metal, thus decreasing spring tension

-steel has an 'elastic limit,' meaning you can bend it until a certain point, and the spring will return to normal shape. Once the spring is bent past the elastic limit, then it will not return to normal shape. Any decent magazine manufacturer will make sure that thier mag springs do not reach elastic limit when fully loaded.

There are several stories of people finding old WWII firearms that have remained loaded for decades, and still cycled perfectly. If long-term compression did wear out mag springs, then sixty years should make that magazine inoperable, you would think.

Bottom line is, keep your mags fully loaded. That's what they are there for. An unloaded mag is useless, and a downloaded mag is foolish. Those one or two extra rounds could be the difference between life and death, and frankly, I don't see the point in trying to preserve a five dollar spring if it means carrying less ammo even IF the myth was true. Educate yourself on the facts, don't buy into bullsh**.

Here's a decent article explaining elastic limit:
Magazine spring madness: 'creep' to your 'elastic limit' to un-earth the urban legend of 'spring-set' | American Handgunner | Find Articles at BNET

[Red Hat]

Leave your magazines loaded. I have some 45 and AR magazines that have been packed away loaded to the max for over 20 years. They are just as good as the day I loaded them.