How Long Can You Leave Your AR-15 Magazines Loaded? The Definitive Answer
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- Опубліковано 12 лют 2023
- What happens when you leave your AR15 mags loaded for a long time? This question comes up and many wonder what happens over time, do the lips spread, springs compress, will the mag still function? How long can you leave your AR mags loaded? Dave found some mags that were loaded in 2005 and decided to put them to the test.
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My dad had handful of old GI 1911 mags fully loaded for at least 30 years that I stumbled across and tried out of curiosity. All ran fine.
Engineers will tell you, springs wear out with use. Not static loaded or unloaded.
That's what I heard... appears to be true
Was about to ask how well they work when loaded again,thanks for answering my question
they should of shown him doing it to prove it. I saw one with those plastic mags and half the audience says they screw up@@m4rko229
Springs don't wear out from staying compressed or extended. It's the repeated compression/extension cycle that wears them out.
Sir sir Isaac newton
@@MarsDK88 .....the apple guy, he taught us something!
OK. Had a Matrix moment. Then I realized that you probably had to re-edit and re-upload because inserting things into other things hurts people's feelings 🙄
We are living in the matrix every day now.
@seraph1926, I was thinking the exact same thing. Matrix is real
Nice...
Found a loaded AK mag my parents garage that was 18 years old and it worked fine, even with the wolf ammo having a slight bit of surface rust.
Cool parents having loaded ak mags Im the only dude in my family with non fudd guns
@@lucasromero9377it could be worse. Im the only one thats not a liberal in my family.
How long can a 2 ton car or truck sit on its springs and hold that weight without issues? Decades.
Solid content!!!! very very few videos on UA-cam of 17 year stored ammo and mags. I will probably end up using this video to debunk range/keyboard ninjas down the road. I appreciate it Dave.
Forgot about this channel.
Glad I stumbled upon it again
Great video! Short and to the point. Love it.
This is a classic from you, great work that went viral!
Yeah, it was a disappointment that we had to take it down briefly during the recent community issues but happy to be re-uploading some of our videos again. Just a bummer that we lost all of the views and comments.
@@GunsandTactics it was part of the "script" to demonetize..... Why share money when you can arbitrarily take content provides cash.....
here is a thing to know about metal, its not all the same. the mag manufacturer orders spools of wire, and the spools may or may not be treated and may or may not be 100% pure quality wise. this leads to spots where heat treating and spring quality differs. in short you may leave 30 p mags loaded and only have a issue with 1 or 2 of them. so many people say, "i leave mine loaded and its fine" and other people leave them loaded and experience issues like the last shot hold open no longer works. I made hoop earring for tattoo shops and noticed when working with wire that the stainless spools would have spots where magnets would stick to the wire and i would have to cut these out because they were impure and am sure mag factories experience the same issues.
It’s incredible that this is even a topic, but it is. I’ve never heard people say you should unscrew the suspension in your car to prevent the springs from wearing out 😬 humans sometimes barely have a perception of time, springs sure as hell don’t.
Really enjoyed, good info. Thanks
i really have been wondering about that very thing. thanks for the info. all of mine are pmags and i dont see having them set for 17 plus years. maybe 5 or so at a time. my plan was to load up all of the pmags i have and then when i go shoot just leave them empty till i run out and then repeat the process. good info!
I have a gun by my bed and had moisture issues with a clip. I open the window right above the night stand.
Yes, rotate your ammo and use proper storage.
Magpuls PMAGS will split on the seam at the top rear. I'd be happy to send a few for you to show the point of failure. It's just small enough that I didn't notice the malfunction until I tried to load the mag. The split made the top of the mag "swell" and it was difficult to enter the magwell. Mine had been loaded with 30 rounds. Both 556 and 223. The malfunction of the mag causes FTF and 2X feeds every other shot. I lost 15 mags from this and now use them to train my wife. It's great for SPORTS and other scenarios.
was this newer gen3's or older mags? I've had reliability issues in some rifles with the gen2's, but gen 3's have been butter for me so far and they fixed a lot of the issues.
I believe this was an issue with the various colors of pmgs, as the colorant actually degraded the structural integrity of the polymer, which is why they no longer make pmags in all sorts of colors
Some mags don't have steel feed lips, so if they are plastic then the plastic lips get weak over time due to tension. That's why they included that little plastic piece to go over the top. It's not just a dust cover
Good to know, thanks
That’s pretty neat. Liked for the TR24 because that optic is based.
I’m subscribed and haven’t seen a video from you in a couple years!
Glad to have you back!
I loaded four 30rd Magpul mags and four 20rd mags. Threw them in the safe, forgot about them...life took over and it did not involve time to shoot. Over 10 years later, took them to the camp, to shoot, no problems.
Oh I have a story about this….
You mean me having to delete this video and re-upload it lol
Yeah, after the remark about soft points on this G&T video I went searching for Mr. G&G vid on PMC sp ...it gone. CommieToob can suck it!
I have grab-n-go cans with 8 mags 25 rounds each with an extra 200 rnds on clips and a spoon sealed...opened one the other day...all ammo nice and shiny...not bad for 10 years.
Good info to know and see live here.
As a side not and not trying to steal your thunder, but I found 5 fully loaded GI mags filled with 230 grain .45ACP ammo, 7 rounds in genuine GI mags that I'd loaded and forgot when I left Germany when I left the US Army in 1982. After 10 years as a Deputy Sheriff and another 15 years packed away in one of my foot lockers with various old Army stuff, I was rummaging through and found them. Well, I had a free weekend so I took the old Colt M1911A1 I bought when I was in Germany back in 1980 out to my shooting area here in Arizona along with some fresh ammo and newer magazines and fired that older ammo that had been loaded for some 26 or 27 years or so, stuffed a mag into my Colt andet loose. All of the magazines that had been loaded for all those years cycled the ammo just fine and didn't cause any malfunctions of any kind whatsoever.
So I'm of the same opinion as you are about magazines and leaving them loaded for long periods...as long as you buy QUALITY magazines that are assembled with QUALITY components, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever so long as the storage methods aren't crappy either.
Lastly, I've stored my AR mags with 30 rounds for prolonged periods without issues as well as with only 28 rounds. I understand the philosophy of only loafing 28 rounds for longer-term storage but as far as I am concerned, YMMV.
Yep!
Good job
Can’t believe we’re still talking about this. Magazine springs don’t weaken by being left compressed they weaken by compressing and decompressing. The springs come in the mags stiffer because the steel will “compress” slightly as it breaks in, but can be left loaded for decades and still run, provided of course the mags are properly made and the springs are as well. PMags and government mags are well proven to remain loaded and still run after many many years. Feed lips can move on steel GI mags, but not the PMags if not left in adverse conditions &/or damaged.
I have no problem at all storing ammo in metal mags. I can attest to polymer mags deforming over time, when left loaded. I have a few pmags that have deformed after being loaded for a little over 5 years. The sides have bulged slightly and they dont retain the rounds like when they were new. I will say though, i didnt store the ammo in them with the dust covers on. The mags will still go into the rifles, but they have bulged to a point that they have some noticeable resistance when inserting/removing them. The metal mags i stored right next to them (both steel and aluminum) have zero bulging and/or round retention issues.
I read an article some years ago about some Vietnam era M14 mags (approximately stored early 70s) that were found in 2007 in a closet loaded 20 rounds each they had mold and other gunk on and in them and they functioned pretty much ok...so who's to say...
Back in the day when surplus was still a thing a buddy bought several wax sealed boxes of loaded 1911 magazines from the 40's and we shot a box and they all worked.
And the gun we used wasn't Grandpa's old reliable well broken in Colt 1911 either, it was one of those ratty Spanish or South American imported 1911's.
Fantastic
My theory is a magazine costs $10. It’s definitely worth $50 - $70 to always have 5-7 loaded should you and your family ever need them suddenly. If they fail one day, you’ve usually got plenty more ! $70 is pocket change compared to how much most of us spend on ammo/gear/guns/ etc. I’d rather have a few mags fail after 15-20 years of being loaded, than not have loaded mags if I ever needed them suddenly - I too prefer metal magazines
You can leave any Magazine loaded forever, it doesn’t hurt them at all..there’s been 45 Caliber Magazines found from WW2 that have worked fine..
Ive got you beat. ... I have a mag left from my first AR15 i sold in 1995. Its been in the bottom of an old ammo can full of pieces and parts since then.
This is another place where GI Mags win.
Pretty sure my pmags were loaded about 2015 and put in a go bag. Recently tested with a new PSA rifle. Not one hiccup. Freedom munitions fmj
G&T, I'm convinced the springs are fine in w/e brand mag, wondering if you have an opinion on the different brands' feed lips (steel vs poly too)?
We all have the Magpul "mag cover things" that keep the ammo depressed slightly off the feed lips. Think that's because they think / know their feed lips might give up eventually?
AH, just watched your next vid that kinda covers this. TY.
All good
Springs do not wear out by staying compressed or decompress. It's the compressing and decompressing back and forth, back and forth that breaks them in & wears them out. Think of it as a car that sitting at the dealership. If it's sitting there, the suspension is fine & will have no wear. But put it on the road & drive it. Eventually you would have replace it.
I have two questions
1: what is a high point 995 9mm a pistol or a rifle?
2: I’m getting a ar15 what’s the best one for a cheap price and the best ammunition for the price?
steel mags are fine, but the pmags and other plastic mags will loosen slightly at the seams over time. I would only preload my g.i. mags, and keep the pmags empty til the mission
Noooooo, you cant just leave your magazines loaded
Or can you
@@GunsandTactics xD
yes
haha spring go squish
Where can you get those pull tabs for your mags? I've made my own with paracord.
Magpul
@@s0bedrag0n That's how they started, and they might have played a few cards right! after that!
They are called mag pulls. From magpul.
Forever.
Its the loading and unloading over time that makes springs weak that makes the mags go bad. Not a spring thats been compressed for a long time
Damn i left 3 mag full for about 4 years and i decided to shoot them and see what happen. And well it work like a champ. And the type of mag was the pmag. And i imagine the metal ones will be even better
Well, thats all i need 2 know😅
I'm guessing this is a re-upload after nuking the video to ward off the UA-cam Botpocalypse last month.
Yup. Few videos will be coming back over the next few days.
Nice video though I would have liked it more if you had re-loaded the mags and then cycled them again.
Check out the next video
55 grain soft point will ruin someone's day 100%.
Almost all mags work even after long storage XCEPT promags.. they are made out of coat hangars and they are no good fresh from the factory ..
Got to ask a stupid question. What the hell are the rubber things on the bottom of his mags? I have the same magazines and I’ve been trying like hell to find them.
Magpuls.
They are magpuls.
The same thing the company is named for.
Hope that answered your question.
Magazine Pulls - Magpul
I feel like I already watched this video.
We had to scrub and reload due to the recent issues
Mine are loaded for 7 days ...
You mentioned steel feed lips, I thought GI mags were aluminum?
They are stainless steel
He said they were center industries magazines, as far as I can see on google they should be aluminium, but they also did make some steel bodied mags too it seems around the time these ones were bought.
There was a follow-up video where he examines the mags more as well, so hopefully it comes back soon too.
yup ill get that one back shortly
@@evanr.6171 I wasn’t aware that any GI magazines were made of stainless steel?
some are aluminum, some are stainless steel. I have both, and pmags. I think I prefer the SS
Ammo is not like fruit where they go bad after a few years. 5 to 10 years is nothing if it's good ammo in a proper mag. I got 30 06 from ww2 that still goes bang everytime if stored proper.
The most fatiguing wear is loading/unloading. They have x number of cycles.
Lookin a little short there. Ya got a tax stamp for that thang, son?
I am on the unlimited plan
Until the government comes to take them away, the unload them accurately one round at a time...
Algorithm comment for the 15 year magazine loaded win 🙌
But you’ll bend your op rod
Do agree. Police should buy there own magazines and ammo. Why should the working class buy everything?
That's not a proper scientific test. You didn't even measure the strength of the springs.
Oh but we did
ua-cam.com/video/uJjvCmISomU/v-deo.htmlsi=KJr6BHfznd5t6hUr
Forever end of story.
I don’t keep my metal mags loaded unless they are AK mags. PMags with the little cover? Made to be left loaded! Feed lips are the issue not the springs…..usually
Now...we have a few years to wait for Gen1 P-Mags...then Gen2....then Gen3....4?