loading mags the night prior

[IHAVEGAS]

On 7/24/2020 at 7:44 PM, ChuckS said:

And if you are worried about springs, they wear from mechanical cycles, not sitting under static loads.

 

If you do not consider taking a set and shortening to be wear.

 

I tend to leave new springs at maximum (loaded mag, retracted slide, hammer back) for a few days in order to minimize how much they change during the shooting season. 

[TrackCage]

I load the morning of, before going to the range. I have enough mags to only have to top off a couple in order to get through the entire match. One less thing to think about

[ChuckS]

3 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

 

If you do not consider taking a set and shortening to be wear.

 

I tend to leave new springs at maximum (loaded mag, retracted slide, hammer back) for a few days in order to minimize how much they change during the shooting season. 

Not really. A new spring will take a set the first (few) time(s) you use it.Then it will wear from cycles of use. This is what I have seen over the years and has been explained to me by a guy who makes magazine springs and an automotive engineer who designed compression springs.

[IHAVEGAS]

11 minutes ago, ChuckS said:

Not really. A new spring will take a set the first (few) time(s) you use it.Then it will wear from cycles of use. This is what I have seen over the years and has been explained to me by a guy who makes magazine springs and an automotive engineer who designed compression springs.

 

I don't know what you mean by "not really" we seem to be saying the same thing. If you prefer the spring to shorten through normal use rather than attempt to condition it statically that is fine, I just prefer to minimize how much the spring performance changes during use.  

 

Can't find it at the moment but one of the spring manufacturers suggests testing their springs against competitors by placing one of each in a vice overnight and measuring shrink the next morning, then repeating the next night & etc, according to their add hype there is significant variation in how long it takes springs to reach a 'final' length and how far that is from the initial length. 

[IHAVEGAS]

Kind of an interesting chart I bumped into while looking for the vice test, makes me crazy when I can't find stuff a second time.

 

https://www.ismi-gunsprings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=21

[ChuckS]

56 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said:

 

I don't know what you mean by "not really" we seem to be saying the same thing. If you prefer the spring to shorten through normal use rather than attempt to condition it statically that is fine, I just prefer to minimize how much the spring performance changes during use.  

 

Can't find it at the moment but one of the spring manufacturers suggests testing their springs against competitors by placing one of each in a vice overnight and measuring shrink the next morning, then repeating the next night & etc, according to their add hype there is significant variation in how long it takes springs to reach a 'final' length and how far that is from the initial length. 

By not really I mean that I do not consider taking the initial set "wear". The spring is doing what it was designed to do. When it gets a bunch shorter and maraca happens, that's what I consider wear. 

 

Later...

[motosapiens]

On 7/25/2020 at 7:22 PM, Silverscooby27 said:

I only load the mags I’m going to use before each stage. I was told leaving them loaded is bad for the springs.

it seems like that should be so, but actual physics says otherwise. Not being a science-denier, I load my mags before I leave for the match.

[Silverscooby27]

Sure. I’m not saying whether it is right or wrong, I was just saying what I do and why. As a scientist, I also realize that theory and reality don’t always agree in all situations.

[124gr9mm]

Interesting topic.

 

Here's a video I ran across a few years ago where a guy did a side by side comparison to magazines that had been stored loaded for 5 years to magazines that had been used regularly but stored empty:

 

 

 

Long story short is that all of the 5 year stored magazines had a reduction in spring length (some manufacturers greater than others) but it resulted in zero failures to fire/feed, etc when they were tested.

 

Obviously the sample size in the video is very small and it's specific to magazines for three guns, but I think it can put people at ease that loading magazines the night before a match shouldn't have any negative impact on performance.

 

 

[muncie21]

15 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

Kind of an interesting chart I bumped into while looking for the vice test, makes me crazy when I can't find stuff a second time.

 

https://www.ismi-gunsprings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=21

The info from IMSI makes a lot of sense.  Thanks for sharing the link.

[broadus123]

I have been loading my mags the day before for @ 10 yrs. It also lets me check each bullet for any defects.

[IDAHOAASHOOTER]

I never load them until I get to the range, belt on, gun on, then load my mags when I get to the first stage. 

 

Few reasons, 

Don't really want to/ sounds boring

Usually drinking beers with buddies night before

Usually just ate some killer BBQ

Meat sweats and loading mags=dropping bullets everywhere. 

 

Seriously though, 

It only takes a few minutes to load up a few mags. If your concerned about inspecting every bullet before you load, you should seriously reconsider your ammo loading habits. Your not gonna check every round all day long when you load up. Why the first set of mags 12hrd sefore you go to the range?

 

I'd just prefer to do that when they come off the press. Once they pass the case gauge and I see the primers are good, they go into organizers if im flying or a ammo can if im staying local.  

 

I use 3 mags all day, 1-170,1-155,1-140. Unless the stage requires otherwise. Only ever have to clean the 170, its usually the only one that hits the ground on most stages. 

 

Everyone has their own ways of doing things, ill never tell anyone their way is incorrect. Especially when it comes down to pure habits. 

 

Are you having fun with your buddies on range day? Thats all that matters, rest of it is window dressing. 

[Sfisch0311]

Personally, I like loading the night before. It allows me to go walk stages when I get to the range, and bulls#!t with my buddies. Yeah I can bs with the boys while loading mags, but most of the time they are walking stages at this point. I guess it really just comes down to personal preference. 

[124gr9mm]

I agree with this part:

  

13 hours ago, IDAHOAASHOOTER said:

Everyone has their own ways of doing things, ill never tell anyone their way is incorrect. Especially when it comes down to pure habits. 

 

 

Buuuut first you said:

  

13 hours ago, IDAHOAASHOOTER said:

It only takes a few minutes to load up a few mags. If your concerned about inspecting every bullet before you load, you should seriously reconsider your ammo loading habits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IDAHOAASHOOTER]

1 hour ago, 124gr9mm said:

 

I meant was if you unsure of your ammo enough to the point of wanting to inspect every round, thats either just no confidence  in your ammo yet. Which happens i know i wasn't when I first started. 

 

I wasnt trying to tell anyone to change loading habbits, but maybe reconsider when they come off the press to watch more closely. Thats only if you are worried. I got in the habit of watching every case get powder, some people may not have that habit. 

 

Seems like double checking as they go into mags the night before a match might be excessive, or as i said maybe the confidence isn't there as we all have our own learning curve. 

 

On a side note you automated guys that push a button and walk away are crazy lol. 

[Sarge]

11 minutes ago, IDAHOAASHOOTER said:

I meant was if you unsure of your ammo enough to the point of wanting to inspect every round, thats either just no confidence  in your ammo yet. Which happens i know i wasn't when I first started. 

 

I wasnt trying to tell anyone to change loading habbits, but maybe reconsider when they come off the press to watch more closely. Thats only if you are worried. I got in the habit of watching every case get powder, some people may not have that habit. 

 

Seems like double checking as they go into mags the night before a match might be excessive, or as i said maybe the confidence isn't there as we all have our own learning curve. 

 

On a side note you automated guys that push a button and walk away are crazy lol. 

I don’t know. I have been loading 9MAJOR going on 10 years and have never made a round that wouldn’t fit in my guns, that passed gauge. And to this day I still inspect each case as I sort them. Then gauge every round off of my press. Then inspect every round for high primers etc. 

  I personally don’t think you can inspect too much during the process if you want to take crappy ammo out of the equation.

[IDAHOAASHOOTER]

1 minute ago, Sarge said:

I don’t know. I have been loading 9MAJOR going on 10 years and have never made a round that wouldn’t fit in my guns, that passed gauge. And to this day I still inspect each case as I sort them. Then gauge every round off of my press. Then inspect every round for high primers etc. 

  I personally don’t think you can inspect too much during the process if you want to take crappy ammo out of the equation.

Whatever works for you man, glad your system is perfect for you. 

 

I have been lucky I guess in always catching bad cases before I load em or on the press. I trust my process as you trust yours. 

 

I haven't had a bad round yet, as far as 9 maj. 

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, IDAHOAASHOOTER said:

Whatever works for you man, glad your system is perfect for you. 

 

I have been lucky I guess in always catching bad cases before I load em or on the press. I trust my process as you trust yours. 

 

I haven't had a bad round yet, as far as 9 maj. 

[SteelCityShooter]

On 7/25/2020 at 9:22 PM, Silverscooby27 said:

I only load the mags I’m going to use before each stage. I was told leaving them loaded is bad for the springs.

You were told incorrectly.  Decent quality magazine springs do not weaken from being left compressed.  There are plenty of cases where magazines were left fully loaded for decades and worked fine when finally fired.     Poor quality, cheap springs are a different story but you didn't buy those, right?  

[SGT_Schultz]

On 7/24/2020 at 8:44 PM, ChuckS said:

Welcome to the forum!

 

Well, I just finished loading my mags for tomorrow's match. One less thing to screw up in the morning mental fog!

 

And if you are worried about springs, they wear from mechanical cycles, not sitting under static loads.

 

Have at it and good luck!

 

Later,

Chuck

 

 

100% of what he said

[SGT_Schultz]

On 7/27/2020 at 5:23 PM, IHAVEGAS said:

 

If you do not consider taking a set and shortening to be wear.

 

 

They are not the same thing

[RJH]

I load mine while we are standing around BSing before the match.  No real reason, just what i have always done

[IHAVEGAS]

11 hours ago, SGT_Schultz said:

They are not the same thing

 

Certainly no reason that you can not choose to think about it that way. I assume you think of wear as weakening due to micro fractures from mechanical working, and realignment of the grain structure, which you can accelerate by compressing the spring for long periods, and by heating if you want to more significantly reduce tension as something else.

 

 You hand me a new 8" spring and a shortened to 7.75" spring and I view the shortened spring as showing an aspect of wear and the 8" spring as a new spring. Not important, just semantics. 

[usmc1974]

This is also a good time to do your plunk testing, to make sure your ammo is all ready for the match too

[nhyrum]

 
I find a microfiber cloth with a zip tie threaded through works better actually.  Cut a tiny hole in the corner of a microfiber, feed the zip tie through then cinch it.  Send the zip tie through the mag, and pull the cloth through.  I like this method; it takes up less room in the bag, and it does a good job of getting everything out of the mags.
 
And I also load the night before.

Not going to lie. That was such a "duh" yet brilliant idea that I ran out to my garage, in my skivvies, at nigh until midnight to grab a zip tie to make one to clean my mags. I had always been postponing buying a brush for really no reason.

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