magazine storage- bullets in or out?

[Ssappington]

opinions?
store mags full or empty?

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[clanhanson]

Springs aren't worn out by constant compression. They're worn out by constant cycles of compression.

 

[DSAPT9]

If you look in the Archives you will find this topic has been talked about a lot and you will also find that the opinion over the years has changed as well.

At one time springs where not what they are today and would get week under pressure but not so much any more and what weakens the spring is being used, meaning compressing and un-compressing.

I have mags I keep loaded all the time and others I keep as back up to load when needed, kind of like in emergency break glass type event.

So I voted to keep them loaded and I do.

 

[slimmer13]

opinions?
store mags full or empty?

Yep

 

[Diamondback]

As a former moderator on another site was wont to say, "Embrace the healing power of 'And.'"

The question is, how to determine the "golden ratio" of
*loaded mags
*empty mags
*magloads in stripper clips
*magloads in bulk-ammo
*all of the above in vacuum-packs with silica
to fit your particular needs and purposes, and I've yet to see any guideline beyond "MOARMOARMOAR!!!"...

 

[P7M13]

Half empty, half full kind of question. Half of mine are empty because I keep shooting them out.

 

[Stomper]

Half empty, half full kind of question. Half of mine are empty because I keep shooting them out.

Are you talking about magazines or a vasectomy?

 

[P7M13]

vasectomy?

I can't remember if the clamp they crimp on is on one or two barrels. Blanks just the same....

 

[Sekiro]

It depends on the magazine. Metal magazines or magazines with metal reinforced lips i keep loaded, but if its a magazine with just polymer lips then i don't keep those loaded. The issue is that the polymer may eventually crack under constant pressure. The only exception are Magpul Pmags Gen 3 because they come with this lid that alleviates the pressure on the polymer lips for storage.

 

[2506]

Half empty, half full kind of question. Half of mine are empty because I keep shooting them out.

I use similar logic. I need to reload, but I’m out of brass so I’ll go shoot so I’ll have brass to reload…
There’s no cure for it.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

If I voted I would vote for both. Keep some loaded to have ready, and some unloaded to keep in virgin state for future.

For AR Mags my favorite is Okay Industries lightweight metal mags and Magpul Pmags. Both are reliable and cheap so u can have lots both loaded and unloaded. Just my 2 cents and everyone has their own preferences.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Springs aren't worn out by constant compression. They're worn out by constant cycles of compression.

Yeabut no one asked that.

 

[TTSX]

I do it both ways. To be blunt, I like to store mags full because they have a lot of dead space in them that can be filled with ammo instead of ammo taking up shelf/closet/floor/safe etc space.

 

[mobil890]

Time out I need to load my mags

 

[Tony617]

I keep magazines loaded and over the past 10 years before the pandemic I accumulated a fair amount of stripper clips for my AR. For my unloaded ammo I put them on stripper clips and put a few lot numbers of the ammo in there so I know what is being shot.

I put a metal desiccate pack in ammo can as well. With sealed lids I can go a year or more before I have put my desiccate packs in the oven to recharge them.

For handguns I keep most of the magazines loaded at all times. I do have few 10 rounds magazines that I keep empty for gun range use only.

 

[titsonritz]

It depends on the magazine. Metal magazines or magazines with metal reinforced lips i keep loaded, but if its a magazine with just polymer lips then i don't keep those loaded. The issue is that the polymer may eventually crack under constant pressure. The only exception are Magpul Pmags Gen 3 because they come with this lid that alleviates the pressure on the polymer lips for storage.

Not just Gen 3, I have plenty of Gen 2 PMags that came with with them.

 

[titsonritz]

I keep the mags I use loaded, but I also have stack of unopened ones.

 

[RedRover]

This has been debated ad nauseum for years.

@clanhansen essentially summed up the consensus understanding.

Some opt to short one(or two) cartridges on stiff springs as to not create a potential bind when it's time to feed. Whether this is a worthy concern, is up for debate.

One thing that does deserves note is that people often train with ball ammo(for obvious cost reasons) and then switch back to their carry ammo(JHP) after range time. The repeated chambering/unchambering of a cartridge may affect the seating of the bullet in the cartridge. This may affect pressures; in turn affecting accuracy; or worse, a potential malfunction.

It's important to rotate one's carry rounds regularly. It also gives one an opportunity to actually train with the rounds that would be used in a SD situation.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Time out I need to load my mags

Ha ha reminds me of this from "the survivors" movie:

1FullSizeRender.mov

• ilikegunspdx
• Oct 21, 2021

 

[crstrode]

Load 'em up.

Even without the dust cover, you should be good to go for 12 years.