Project Appleseed

I dutifully rotate my prepped ready to lock and load mags bi-monthly i.e. empty all rounds and load into another empty mag that has been "resting" since the last time I did the drill all in the interest of avoiding over-stressing the mag springs by prolonged periods of compression.

I recall reading recently (but not well enough to remember where) that the compression/release exercise of rotating mags such as I practice is more stress on the springs than if they were just permanently left in a compressed state.

Am I making more work for myself (not unusual for me) and causing premature spring wear in the process or am I worrying about nothing (not unusual for me either)?

I appreciate anyone's input as to their approach to this.

Thanks,

Mike/Taylor

For all the mags I have encountered, I don't think it matters. We're not talking about much stress here.

It is probably worse for your mags to be rotated like that than to leave the ready mags loaded. 

I've read that the US military considers a 30 round AR mag to be expended after 130 loadings.   

So if you're unloading them six times per year, after 21 years or so they will be considered worn out. 

So make less work for yourself, and make those magazines last 40 or 50 years.  Don't rotate them so much. 

I also know someone who, just a few years ago, acquired some 1911 pistol mags that were loaded during World War II, and remained loaded for 60 plus years. 

They fed and fired flawlessly. 

TE

A) You're wasting your time
B) Springs die from cyclic fatigue (compress/relax over and over) not from taking a set

Thanks for your help.

I'll be spending less time rotating mags and more time cutting/splitting firewood in the future.

Mike/Taylor