Magazines Loaded or unloaded

[boneaddict]

Whats the common consensus

[baldopepper]

Not sure what you're asking.

[boneaddict]

Does it ruin the magazine to leave loaded (compressed springs???)   

[Knocker of rocks]

Does it ruin the magazine to leave loaded (compressed springs???)

Springs are ruined by extension or compression beyond their design criteria, or by cycles.

None of this would apply to storing ammunition in a magazine

[b23]

I have some old metal Colt mags, 10's and 30's, that I've had since my first AR from back in the mid 80's that the only time they weren't loaded was when I was out shooting but once back home they'd get loaded back up and stored that way.  Pretty much any and all of my AR mags are stored loaded, even the newer plastic ones, and I'd guess around 50% of my handgun mags stay loaded.  I don't know if one way is recommended over the other but that's how mine are.

[buckfvr]

I guess it all depends on what you think might happen and how likely you think that might be.

[huntandjeep]

EDC Pistol and extra mags are always loaded , Bump in the night AR Pistol and extra mags are always loaded . Hunting rifles , pistols I hardly shoot, etc, are empty

[Alchase]

Load them up, no factual data supporting keeping loaded magazines hurts the springs in any way.
And while they do sell magazine rebuild kits, I personally have not ever heard of one going bad.
I do cycle through my many full magazines. When I go shoot I grab the mags from the bottom of the stack. Then when re-stocking, I place the newest on top.
The magazines stored in my “home defense” rifles, I will take out and shoot once or twice a year just to cycle through the ammo.
Even that is not really needed, just a habit I got into.

[boneaddict]

I’m glad I asked this question.  Huntwa Myth Busters!   Thanks!

[hunter399]

Well not sure if it's busted.
I've had mags that like the last round or two won't get picked up by the bolt.
It's like the spring can't push them up fast enough for the bolt to pick them up.

With that said,I think it only happened to me one time ,with a mag loaded to capacity for a very long time.
I believe it was some cheapo brand too.
Don't believe I've ever had any problems with Magpul.
Mags I use for hunting are normally half full.
Ten round mag , I'll load it with 5 while hunting,just cause I want the most reliable. As much spring tension as possible.
Self defense mag ,I'll load them all.
If it doesn't pick up the last round ,and goes click.
I'll drop it on the ground and grab another.

[Alchase]

That is a good point, buy quality Magazines to begin with. All mine are Magpul Gen 2 and Gen 3 PMAGS. They work every time, and they are reasonably cheap.
I have a few 10 round mags, I only use for sighting in and range shooting, the rest are all 30 round mags. I use to have a few 20 round mags, but I found I never used them, and wanted all to be the same.
Keep your eye on Midway USA and other online retailers. They often have really good sales on 10 to 12 or more Mags.

Here is an article from Pew Pew Tactical with every thing you would ever need to know about AR Magazines.

https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-magazines-ar-15/

[pianoman9701]

I've had several loaded. I spoke to an SOF armorer. He said that the springs have memory if loaded for a long time and can fail to load the last few rounds or can cause a jam. 

[Knocker of rocks]

Well, I’ll be.

That is metallurgically correct, according to the applied physics guys.

The question would become, is the creep functionally significant in a realistic period of time measured in months, years, or decades.

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/56286/why-does-a-spring-lose-its-energy-when-compressed-for-a-long-time#:~:text=If%20you%20keep%20it%20compressed,hence%20deformed(or%20bent).

[Woodchuck]

I always have half of my mags loaded but I do rotate them every 6 months or so. No scientific reason really, just makes sense to me that a compressed spring will weaken. I see it on cars regularly.

[Knocker of rocks]

But the work cycle of a car spring is many orders of magnitude greater than any pistol