Magazine Springs for 1911

[Fergus]

I've been getting a higher number of jams where the bullet hits/jams against the feed ramp. It was mentioned that maybe my mag springs need replacing. I'm curious as to how a person determines if the springs are old / need replacing?

Do feed ramp jams equate to mag springs being old / losing their tension?

Do mag springs lose tension and get longer? (I'm guessing that they are not going to get shorter as that would require more tension to do)

 

The mags are trip research 1911 and maybe have 5k-10k rounds through all mags (6 in total) 

 

Thoughts / comments would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[lefty o]

springs wear due to number of cycles (loading and unloading magazine, or cycling slide). as they get weak due to use, they get shorter.

[Effectus Magis Per Minor]

I have found that my 9mm Cobra mags started causing malfunctions at about 6k rounds. New springs solved all of the issues that I was having and I now routinely change all springs (magazine, recoil, firing pin, main) at 5k.

[NetSync]

After several thousand rounds one of my Wilson combat magazines seems to have benefited from a new spring.   When I laid the old spring and the replacement spring side by side there was a notable difference in length between them.