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July 2013 TriggerTalk Article – Magazine Maintenance
I often get questions from readers and students about firearms maintenance. Recently I was questioned concerning how long one could keep a pistol magazines loaded without damaging the springs?
This is one of the classic questions sure to start a bar fight amongst firearms enthusiasts, and ranks right up there with “Which is better a Glock or a Colt 1911”?
The correct answer is: “It depends”
It depends on what type of magazine: single stack or double stack, how often you use the magazine and the capacity of the magazine. In general, using a mag is what wears the springs out. If you only have two magazines and go to the range every week then you are doing a whole lot of loading and unloading of those mags. This will wear them out long before they lose tension from sitting loaded for “X” number of years.
We have all heard tales of the person who found their Great-Grandfather’s WWI Colt 1911 in a chest with a loaded magazine and it fired just fine. I believe this because the 1911 uses a single stack magazine and the springs are generally not very stressed. In a single stack magazine all the rounds are in a straight line with very little drag between the cartridges and the walls of the magazine.
In a modern high capacity magazine the rounds are staggered in a wider magazine. This is necessary to get 12 – 17 rounds in the length of a pistol grip. The spring pushing the cartridges up is also forcing the rounds outwards against the side of the magazine. This increased drag makes the spring work harder to force the ammunition upward putting more stress on the spring causing it to fatigue at a faster rate. Unloading these magazines a round or two will help the life of the spring.
Magazines which are kept fully loaded for long periods of time, such as in law enforcement and personal/home defense applications, will generally be subject to more fatigue than the weekend shooter’s magazine springs in which the magazines are loaded up only when shooting. If you have several magazines rotating fully loaded magazines will also help prolong spring life, but it is not always practical.
The reason we are talking about this is reliability. The first indication of a magazine problem usually shows up as a failure to feed correctly. I have several semi-auto pistols that are over 20 years old and although they were still functioning correctly, I did notice one mag that was very easy to load versus newer ones of the same type.
If one of your magazine springs seems weak when loading, replacement will provide the best defense against a reliability problem with your gun. Springs are available from gun stores, the pistol manufacturer, or from on-line suppliers. They are inexpensive to purchase, ranging from $8 -$10 when purchased individually, to less than $5 each in packs of ten. Premium replacements spring are available in +5% and +10% strengths as well as in stainless steel to reduce the potential for corrosion.
People often overlook magazine maintenance when cleaning their guns. Magazines are prone to picking up dirt and sand when they are placed on tables at ranges or dropped to the ground while practicing tactical magazine changes. Periodically you should remove the floor-plate from your magazine and take out the spring and follower. Check the spring and the inside of the magazine for corrosion, wipe out any debris and reassemble the mag. I always reassemble my magazines dry, and never apply any oil or lube as it tends to attract dirt and dust that may lead to feed issues.
June 22nd Show
Show File are up on the Podcast Page!
We talked to several callers about their first shooting experiences.
June 15th Show
Today June 15th is “National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day”
Sarah Tellas joins us in Studio to talk about the recent Women on Target event.
We talk about the age old question of how long can you leave your magazines loaded???
June 8th Show
Show files for the June 8th show are up on the Podcast page
This past Saturday we talked about great ways to waste time on the Internet.
There is a searchable Database called the Internet Movie Firearms Data Base and you can use it to search what firearms were used in various Movies and Television Shows. You can search by: Movie, Type of Firearm, Actor, etc….
Another great source of information is the Ballistics By the Inch website, where you can determine the actual velocity and energy of many popular rounds in barrel lengths from 2 inches to 18 inches.
June Article –
TriggerTalk Article June 2013: A Surprising Experience
Like most people, I pride myself in being a law abiding citizen. I follow the rules; treat others like I would want to be treated. I am involved in my community having been in groups ranging from the Ann Arbor Airport Advisory committee to President of the High School PTO and serving as a Township Planning Commissioner. And I have always been very appreciative and respectful of our Law Enforcement Officers.
A few weeks ago I was in Indiana for a funeral, and was traveling near Lafayette on a newly opened stretch of divided highway. I was deep in thought cruising at a speed that would have been slow for Michigan, but in Indiana this stretch of rural highway was posted at 60 mph.
Not having received a ticket since 1992, I was anxious as the Carroll County Deputy approached. I also was carrying a firearm in another state, and when the Deputy stepped up to the window I had my hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel, my Driver’s License and my Concealed Pistol License (CPL) in my hands. I informed him that I had a CPL and that I was armed. If it had been dark I would have also turned on my interior lights so that he could see my hands as he approached.
He asked me where my firearm was and I told him that I had a Ruger LCP in my right front pocket. As soon as he said “is that the new 9mm one?” I relaxed and knew I was talking to a fellow gun guy. “No, this is the .380, I have one of the new LC9’s too, but it doesn’t fit as well in my suit pants” I replied. He mentioned he had one of the new Ruger 9mm’s for a personal gun and he would just be a minute while he wrote a warning and I would have me on my way.
Returning to my car he handed me the warning, told me to have a safe drive back to Michigan and then said “Thank You for Carrying”. WOW, I was floored! Not only was he a fellow “Gun Guy” but as a Law Enforcement Officer he appreciated the fact that I was willing to step up for my own self-defense. He knew by virtue of my CPL that I was not a felon, that I passed State and FBI background checks, did not have a violent past and other than driving a little too fast on a very inviting newly paved stretch of highway was not a scofflaw.
With my 20+ year ticket free record intact I started to think about a survey I read recently on PoliceOne.com. Their 2013 Gun Policy & Law Enforcement survey was conducted between March 4 and March 13, 2013, receiving 15,595 responses from verified police professionals across all ranks and department sizes. The date taken ensures that recent shootings in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT were considered in the responses.
A few of the results are listed below:
- More than 91 percent of respondents support the concealed carry of firearms by civilians who have not been convicted of a felony and/or not been deemed psychologically/medically incapable.
- A full 86 percent feel that casualties would have been reduced or avoided in recent tragedies like Newtown and Aurora if a legally-armed citizen was present (casualties reduced: 80 percent; avoided altogether: 60 percent).
- In addition, the survey asked, “On a scale of one to five — one being low and five being high — how important do you think legally-armed citizens are to reducing crime rates overall?” 75 percent answered either four or five, with more than 50 percent answering five.
The full results of the survey can be found at www.policeone.com or e-mail me at dick@triggertalkradio.com and I will send you the .pdf file of the full survey.
June 1st Show
June 5th Update: If you had difficulty downloading the June 1st show, I have corrected the issue. (Dick)
Saturday, June 1st I was volunteering at the Tri-County Sportsmen’s League Annual “Women-On-Target” event. As a result I had to pre-record the show for that day.
I talked about a few of the eight Gun Control Bills passed by the California Senate Wednesday, May 30th. The worst outlaws ALL Semi-Automatic rifles including rimfires and places severe restrictions on ammo purchases.
When the laws go into effect, law abiding gun owners will have to pass a background check and pay $50 for a license to buy ammo, and then present photo ID when making an ammo purchase. The retailer must report the purchase to the State.
“Well Mr. Smith, we at the California Department of Urban Management Bureaus & Ammunition State Statics (DUMB-ASS) see you purchased 200 rounds of 40 S&W last month , are you planning some sort of nefarious activity?”
I am sure the criminals and drug gangs will be happy to comply with these new restictions!
It’s not like a criminal or drug dealer can just get in their cars and drive to Nevada, Oregon or Arizona to purchase ammo for their illegally gotten guns.
And certainly the fact they plan to commit a crime such as smuggling illegal drugs, robbery, rape or murder will be thwarted by the fear of breaking an ammo law. The death penaly or life in prison is not bad enough, the ammo misdemenour is the one law that will stop them in their tracks.
Honestly, where do these idiot lawmakers come from, and who are the numbskulls that keep voting them into office?
e-mail me with your comments at: dick@triggertalkradio.com
May 25th Show
Show files are up on the Podcast Page!
Saturday we talk about some of the “Anti-Gun” activities going on around the country:
Smart Guns legislation introduced based on something a Legislator saw in a James Bond Movie! This is for all new guns and must be retrofitted to existing guns before they can be sold. Maybe he can also introduce Flying cars and Sharks with lasers!
Microstamping of brass to help Law enforcement find the bad guys. Now if we can just get all of the bad guys to replace their current guns with new ones so they can be caught when they do a shooting, I am sure they will agree to that!
On the positive side, we talk about the most wonderful of all smells “Hoppe’s #9” Robert from Wixom wants them to make a cologne out of it.
In the final segment Tom from Ann Arbor calls to talk about a feed problem with his Springfield Armory XDs. We ran out of time so: Tom write me at Dick@triggertalkradio.com and we can work through the issue.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day ans remember those that fought to protect and especially those that never came home!
Safe Shooting!
Dick Cupka
May 18th show files are up on the Podcast Page
Sarah Telles joined uswith an update for the June 1st “Women on Target” event at Tri-County Sportsmen’s League.
You can contact me at dick@triggertalkradio.com
Safe Shooting!
Dick