The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Just wondered how long it was prudent to leave SLR mags full. I presume the spring will suffer eventually.
Was there a service directive? They must have been carried loaded in combat for protracted periods?
Thanks

My understanding from reading AR forum, is that the commonly held belief is that wear occurs when the magazine spring is being worked. So a mag kept in the loaded/unloaded state for an extended period of time should not be a problem.

Magazine springs were debated a while ago on this forum too, oomans. We offered a metallurgical opinion: in short, if they were good springs to begin with they won't suffer in use...

I think "magazine spring fatigue" is one of those healthy urban legend topics....

I can't help noticing that in the very old rifles I deal with - Lee Metfords, Long Lees, etc - where the magazine appears to be original or at least contemporary - the magazine springs appear just as functional and effective as the "new, unused" No4 mag springs and followers that have never even been in a magazine at all....

I had a lazy spring in a No4 Mk1 a while ago, I swapped it out with a spring from a No3 Mk1 which was fine and probably over 70 years old..

Having said that I never leave magazines loaded at home, nor do I drive anywhere with loaded magazines.