A question as prevalent as .45ACP vs. 9mm centers around magazines. More specifically, “Is it OK to leave my handgun or rifle mags loaded for extended periods of time?” Like many corners of the gun world, this area is filled with both myth and fact. Let’s take a minute and answer the question: Is it OK to keep magazines loaded or not?

Can We Keep Our Magazines Loaded?

Magazines are generally comprised of four individual parts. The body, the base plate, the spring, and the follower. Of all these parts, the spring usually sees the most wear. As we load then empty magazines, the spring is compressed and released countless times. Over time, this back and forth will eventually reduce the springs’ ability to feed rounds up through the magazine. Like any moving part, the spring can produce only so many cycles before it fails. These are just the laws of physics, and we are stuck with them.

This is where we need to address some myths, however. Modern manufacturing techniques have drastically increased the life and performance of magazine springs. While it is true that springs were not as “springy” a hundred years ago, time has changed. Modern springs have countless more cycles in them than those of the past.

Other Points of Possible Failure

Another point of wear can be the magazine’s feed lips. As the spring pushes the round up against the feed lips, there is always the chance that it will eventually expand the lips beyond spec or even crack. This can lead to feeding issues and even allow rounds to jump out if dropped. Enter modern machining and design once again. Many pistol mags, such as stock Glock mags or even after-market mags like ETS, have hardened steel feed lips and frames that almost eliminate this issue.

This extended feed lip life even applies to AR magazines as well. Modern materials are durable and hearty. Even polymer mags such as those made by Magpul have an excellent life span. There is something that I want to point out about PMags that some people don’t realize. When you open your fresh Pmag, a clip is attached to the top of the mag. A majority of people simply pop these off and throw them away. Mostly because they don’t know what they are for. That clip is designed to help extend the life of your feed lips. You should place the clip back on the mag when it is loaded. When that happens, the clip’s small protrusion on the underside will press the rounds slightly deeper into the mag. This takes the pressure off the feed lips and extends their life. It also helps keep dust out.

Mag Body

Our other points of wear can be the body of the mag itself, the base plate and the follower. Unless you are very abusive to your magazines, these parts of the magazines are essentially bombproof. I have seen broken magazines resulting from scarce and almost ridiculous situations, but they are rare.

So then the answer to “Is it OK to keep magazines loaded or not?” is yes. It is OK to leave them loaded for extended periods of time. BUT…Yes, there is a but attached to this. Magazines are an integral part of our firearm. In fact, I have found that most function issues that guns have are connected to magazine issues. I highly encourage you to maintain your magazines with the same focus that you have on your gun. While a pistol mag can stay loaded for a very long time, it is prone to become dirty inside. If you carry your EDC extra mag with you daily, it will eventually start to build up dirt and debris inside. This is especially true if you pocket carry. Lint, dust, and debris can find their way into the mag.

Inspect Your Mags

As a rule, I empty all my mags once a month and inspect them. I also use a can of compressed air to clean out the inside. You can certainly go longer if you like, but I am methodical and suffer from gun cleanliness OCD. While I will try to avoid the melodrama, you are carrying this to defend your life. Do not become a statistic because a piece of gum wrapper ended up in your trusty magazine. In comparison, magazines are an inexpensive item to replace. In fact, you can even replace just specific parts of the mag. If your spring is not springing as well anymore, simply buy a new one. I have seen them as cheap as $5.50.

Can We Keep Magazines Loaded or Not? – Yes

Yes, you can pull the spring out and stretch it in an attempt to bring it back to life. However, this is a very short-term, almost emergency solution. Once a spring begins to fail, it needs to be replaced. Even after stretching it, you are still stuck with a weak spring that will quickly compress and fail you.

In short, you can load your mags and leave them. Just remember to perform regular maintenance on them and replace or repair them as necessary.