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While we're on this topic, does anybody have any "official" data on the maximum amount of time you should keep your mags fully loaded in storage? I "decompress and rotate" my mags about once a month (and no jokes about "Wait, if you rotate your mags, that means the bullets are pointing _toward_ you!" ). I had this talk with my daughter (whose duty weapon is a G19) and she stared at me as if I said she should rotate the tires on her truck daily. Am I being overly paranoid about spring fatigue?

Teamless wrote:12+1
I have not gotten into the habit of carrying an extra magazine, as there just does not seem the right spot for it in my jeans pockets.

Comp-Tac makes a mag holder with adjustable cant to make it more comfortable.http://www.comp-tac.com/product_info.php?products_id=88

lkd wrote:While we're on this topic, does anybody have any "official" data on the maximum amount of time you should keep your mags fully loaded in storage? I "decompress and rotate" my mags about once a month (and no jokes about "Wait, if you rotate your mags, that means the bullets are pointing _toward_ you!" ). I had this talk with my daughter (whose duty weapon is a G19) and she stared at me as if I said she should rotate the tires on her truck daily. Am I being overly paranoid about spring fatigue?

I don't know if there is an official time as to rotate mags in and out of use. There seems to be quite a debate on this issue from what I see. Alot of people say to rotate them out as much as monthly and I have also seen people write that they leave mags loaded for years and have no problems.

There is also a school of thought that it is not leaving your mags loaded that causes spring fatigue but it is actually the loading and unloading/ general use of the mag that causes this to happen.

Personally I know how each one of my mags feel and how stiff I like them when I load them and if one feels like its getting week I rotate it out or replace the spring as needed.

Thanks Ben

Repeated cycling of the spring is what causes metal fatigue, not compressing it and leaving it that way.

IMHO, you should always load your chosen weapon with
as many rounds as you can. Always use your +1. That last
round fired might make all the difference during a defensive
encounter.

My gun is a 10 + 1. I always carry with the 11 in the gun,
+ 2 backup mags (10 each), so I always have 31 rounds on body.

You can have too little ammo, but you can never have too much ammo.

SIA

Normally I carry a G27 or G23C with the standard factory supplied magazine (9 or 13). Instead of carrying a spare magazine I carry pepper spray.

With my OWB I usually carry the XD9SC with a 13+1 and I use the XD mag carrier it came with holding two Mecgar 18 round extended mags giving me a total of 50 rounds. Remember, you carry the mag in case one jams or fails. So for me it is two mags for back up and round count second. A full mag that does not work is still zero rounds to use. As for rotation I have a Beretta 92FS that has had mags loaded to rull 15 round count for 15 years and when I take it to the range they work every time. Not sure how long they will last but so far they have worked great since the early 90s.

Gary

I always carry one in pipe. I never really thought about not doing it. On the weekends I carry my Colt Commander. I lock the slide and load one round manually and then insert a full loaded magazine. Then I carry two spare 7 round magazines in Fobus paddle style magazine holders. This is my go to church and the supermarket rig.
Monday through friday, or if I am going near the border (my house is 2.8 miles from the border, so for me going near is basically to the edge) I carry my FN FiveseveN. 20+1 and three spare mags for 80+1. For my BUG I carry a Ruger LCR with 5 .38 cal shots in an SOB holster. I call this my "gimme your wallet" rig. So all totaled I have 86 rounds on my person most days not counting my truck gun. Of course, the way things are getting around here the odds of getting mowed down by Ak-47 fire and never even getting the chance to draw seems to be increasing.

I always carry mags downloaded by one round, ie. 14 rounds in my G19 mags. Topping off mags to full capacity will always make it harder to seat the mag on a slide forward reload. I've see it hundreds of times in competition. The fresh mag gets stuffed in the gun but it doesn't lock in, the gun fires once and the unseated mag falls out, shooter cusses and doesn't understand why his gun won't run. The same thing goes for AR-15 mags. 28 rounds in a mag that works perfectly are a lot better than 30 rounds in a mag that you have to beat into the gun.

I'll give up 6% in ammo capacity for a high degree of reliability.

Gringop

PS. I know some mags have enough room so they seat easily at full capacity. Mine don't.

karder wrote:I always carry one in pipe. I never really thought about not doing it. On the weekends I carry my Colt Commander. I lock the slide and load one round manually and then insert a full loaded magazine. Then I carry two spare 7 round magazines in Fobus paddle style magazine holders. This is my go to church and the supermarket rig.
Monday through friday, or if I am going near the border (my house is 2.8 miles from the border, so for me going near is basically to the edge) I carry my FN FiveseveN. 20+1 and three spare mags for 80+1. For my BUG I carry a Ruger LCR with 5 .38 cal shots in an SOB holster. I call this my "gimme your wallet" rig. So all totaled I have 86 rounds on my person most days not counting my truck gun. Of course, the way things are getting around here the odds of getting mowed down by Ak-47 fire and never even getting the chance to draw seems to be increasing.

If I understand what you're describing correctly, that practice is really hard on your extractor and may lead to premature failure of that part. The one in the pipe should be loaded from the magazine as designed. Then the magazine should be removed, topped off with another round, and reinserted.

Sorry. You are right, upon rereading it, I did a poor job explaining. I lock the slide back, insert a round, release the slide and allow it to return to it's normal position, using my left hand to control it's return. Then I insert the magazine.

USA1 wrote:Generally speaking, I have always kept the mag full +1 in the pipe.

As a side note, It's good practice to rotate that one extra round through the mag
each time you remove it to avoid bullet setback.

Yessirree, as seen here.

karl wrote:

USA1 wrote:Generally speaking, I have always kept the mag full +1 in the pipe.

As a side note, It's good practice to rotate that one extra round through the mag
each time you remove it to avoid bullet setback.

Yessirree, as seen here.

Yikes. That's it alright.

karder wrote:Sorry. You are right, upon rereading it, I did a poor job explaining. I lock the slide back, insert a round, release the slide and allow it to return to it's normal position, using my left hand to control it's return. Then I insert the magazine.

That practice is what creates a risk of extractor failure.

The extractor is designed to have the cartridge rim ride up from under it as the cartridge is fed from the magazine. Dropping a round into the chamber and letting the slide close forces the nose of the extractor to ride over the rim of the cartridge, which it will do, but it places more strain on the part than it's designed for.

The correct operational sequence is to lock the slide open, insert a loaded magazine, and release the slide to close under the full force of the recoil spring. The magazine is then removed, topped off with another round, and reinserted in the gun.