Mag Springs

[itsthelaw]

I would like to know opinions about Kahr mag springs and other manufacturer springs in general. How do you guys store mags? Maintain mags? Rotate mags? After reading about mag springs "setting" under load, I am concerned about how I am keeping my spare mags and maintaining them. After an initial time of being loaded, is there a routing that I should have to keep the spring tension? Should I just unload and load them? I do shoot them in a rotation, and they are all labled with a number for identification. I have a lot of mags for all my guns, but a few that I keep for carry. All of my guns are for carry, so it is essential that the springs are working properly. Is it okay to leave a mag loaded for a couple months? This might be a metallurgy question more than anything, but wanted to get it to the collective. Thanks!

[berettabone]

I store all of my mags empty.............I spritz a bit of lube on them once in a while, so they stay healthy. The mags in my stored firearms get the same treatment. The mags I use for carry get the same treatment, ie. only they get taken apart occasionally, and cleaned and lubed but are always loaded. I do not rotate mags. An empty mag or a full mag will store properly the same way. No harm to the spring. It's the use of the mag spring ie. loading and unloading, that changes the spring tension eventually. It's a personal thing, but I don't like to rotate mags. I like to have new mags stored and ready, in case another mag needs a new spring. I don't keep new springs on hand, because I have many mags to choose from.

[Bawanna]

I used to be a devout rotate your mags kind of guy and perhaps back in the day that was the right thing to do.
Now days I think the metal and the springs are far superior. I still rotate rarely and the mags I'm not carrying or have in or near other guns, night stand, etc I leave empty.

What cured me of the rotate thing was my 1942 1911 brought back from WWII in a duffel bag "Loaded" with a full magazine. When the man gifted it to me he hadn't touched it since he brought it home. It was still in the duffel bag. I never could figure out how or why he did that.

Anyhow he started to unload the magazines and I asked him not to just for the question you present now. It had been loaded since 43 or 44, maybe 45.

I took the gun apart, it was in good shape but I didn't clean. I did add just a bit of oil to the slide rails, I couldn't help myself.

Took it to the range with the two long loaded magazines and it fired all with no malfunction. Figured mag rotation wasn't a necessity. I still do it, call it insurance, call it playing with toys when I'm not at a range.

[jocko]

ur probably right coonel. todays springs are better made--we hope but for the price of the springs, if any person is in doubt, then CHANGE UM. Peace of mind is worth sumpin.

cars today can go 10K miles with e4ase before any oil changes, b ut the maority still chang eum at 3500 JUST BECAUSE. Old habits die hard. Todays younger geneartion problaby don't know WTf a mag spring is let alone changing them. If it ai't broke done fix it. goes a long way..

course those war 45, were loose as a goos anyways to more than likely they would feed sheep sh!it to. Just sayin

[Surlyman]

What wears a spring is use.

Think of it like this. If there was a straight piece of wire in front of us, and we bent it once, it would hold that bend forever. However, if we continued to bend the wire over and over again it would eventually weaken and break.

I leave most of my mags loaded. Never have any issues, just keep them clean.

[Alfonse]

Use may "wear" a spring. By wear, we must be talking about it taking a set to where it no longer applies the same force at the same deflection it once did when new, or newer.

Anything under load will eventually take a set. In engineering speak it is called creep. The higher the force on the material, and the higher the heat, the faster it sets. So, a spring will slowly lose force over time when compressed.

Loading it and unloading it may cause some higher stresses in the spring than it would get from just sitting there, loaded or unloaded.

Springs are usually pretty good these days. They are also pretty cheap.

I don't rotate mags. I do change the springs periodically in my carry mags that are loaded all the time. My $.02.

[jocko]

a designed set is built in all springs. certaily the new spring u put in ur magazine today is longer than the one you just took out, but it also doesnt mean the old one is shot either. Your new spring in a short time will look the same. It is what it is. These spring companies know what they are doing. Recoil springs are far more noticeable fgor taking a set as we see it all the time and we assume it is worn out cause it is short. Certainlynot so, it is now where it will normally stay for a very very very long time.

But that being said Alphonse is right to. they are cheap to replace, so do what u need to do for peace of mind...Just sahyin

[Barth]

I would like to know opinions about Kahr mag springs and other manufacturer springs in general. How do you guys store mags? Maintain mags? Rotate mags? After reading about mag springs "setting" under load, I am concerned about how I am keeping my spare mags and maintaining them. After an initial time of being loaded, is there a routing that I should have to keep the spring tension? Should I just unload and load them? I do shoot them in a rotation, and they are all labled with a number for identification. I have a lot of mags for all my guns, but a few that I keep for carry. All of my guns are for carry, so it is essential that the springs are working properly. Is it okay to leave a mag loaded for a couple months? This might be a metallurgy question more than anything, but wanted to get it to the collective. Thanks!

I've got one 5 round, and two 6 round, stainless steel OEM MK40 Elite mags.
Generally I store them unloaded.
None of them have ever failed me.
I don't rotate them.
They just work.
I've got about 2K rounds on the MK40 and have never changed the springs.
Generally when the last round doesn't feed that's time to change the springs.
That hasn't happened yet.

My Sigs and HKs have been flawless in the same fashion.
Except that my HK USPT45 and P2K 357s stay loaded all the time.
They never fail.
So far that's just the way it is...

[Alfonse]

The OP asked about leaving a mag loaded for a couple of months. I have left a PM9 mag loaded for about 4 years, only emptied and reloaded quite a few times, during range trips without any issues. I suspect I could go much longer, but after 4 years I did change it.

[muggsy]

I keep my mags loaded. Don't figure I'd have time to load the in a SHTF situation. The life of a mag spring is a lot longer than the balance of my life. What, me worry?

[ucurboy]

I'm not certain what version of the 'Operating Instructions Kahr Semi-Auto Double Action Only (DAO) Pitstols' manual I have (the last page has the code 0112100KBAD).
Anyhow on page 24 under the topic of Notes on Reliability:
3. Use only KAHR ARMS manufactured Magazines. Consider purchasing extra Magazines so that they may periodically be rotated, allowing the Magazine Spring to relax.

[berettabone]

I just sprinkle a bit of Valium in my mags, and put them in a dark room. This seems to help them relax.

[olympicmotorcars]

Here is my recent effort at replacing PM 40 springs.


http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=22826