If you use your mags frequently for training, you might want to consider cleaning the mags. That said, I’ve had some PMAGs fully loaded, without these dust covers, for years without issue. Magpul, in specific, includes dust covers with their mags that relieve a little pressure and press down the top round into the magazine. Higher-quality magazines are less likely to have this issue.

Polymer-feed lips that are constantly under pressure can potentially weaken and break. You can see that the Scorpion magazines shown here have completely polymer bodies and feed lips. I never experienced such a thing, but it’s well-documented. CZ had an issue with early-generation Scorpion magazines that caused some of them to break when left loaded. Other issues can arise, especially regarding all-polymer magazines. While much of the myth surrounds springs, they aren’t the only issue. That’s not to say a low-quality spring won’t break while compressed, but that same crappy spring from a crappy magazine company is liable to break at any time. Think of it like a paperclip if you bend it back and forth enough, it will eventually break. This is your magazine after being constantly loaded and unloaded. The truth is that compression and expansion cycles wear springs out, like the repeated filling then emptying of a magazine. Magazine springs won’t wear much from being left compressed.

Although he made us clean our magazines, which remains an invaluable practice, he assured us that leaving our magazines loaded would not wear out the spring. I believed this legend until a few years later when a Marine gunner corrected the assertion. The most fun way to unload a mag is by shooting, not this. I had a team leader who made us empty our magazines monthly to let the springs rest. The myth states that if you leave a firearm magazine loaded, the spring will wear out due to being continually compressed. This is so pervasive I heard it during my time as a Marine in 2009, and it dates back well beyond that time. Magazine springs do have a finite lifespan, but it may be longer than you think… (Photo: Lucky Gunner) One of the most influential pieces of firearms misinformation in the collective consciousness of gun owners exists regarding the act of leaving magazines loaded. Concerns About Long-Term Magazine Storage Additionally, I can lock up excess magazines and ammo simultaneously to keep unauthorized users out.Īt the end of the day, the main reason why I store loaded magazines is for convenience. Loaded mags also eliminate the need to spend time searching for magazines and ammo and matching them. Both mags and ammo take up a fair amount of space, so why not combine them when possible? Having everything in one box can be a godsend when it comes to clearing space in a crowded gun closet. Magazines already take up space, and filling them with ammunition means fewer ammo boxes lying around.

Logic under pressure zip