Bigpops Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 In an effort to avoid the "ah Crap" scenario, I follow a checklist of sorts to make sure we have everything required for the match. Most of our shoots require at least a two hour drive. To help prepare I like to load our mags up early and usually do it the morning of. Would there be any harm in loading them up the night before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupie Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 check your state laws, in Iowa if you have loaded magazines you better have a concealed carry permit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerPast Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I like to be ready too. I always have my mags ready. Magazine spring life, it has been said by many, many, is a function of the number of compression/release cycles. Not a matter of how long the spring remains compressed or released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I prefer to load them up at the match...that way I am able to visually inspect each round (oal and primer to be specific). I do not believe that you would be damaging your mags if you load up the night before though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpops Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 check your state laws, in Iowa if you have loaded magazines you better have a concealed carry permit. Even if they are seperated from the gun? Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpops Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 I prefer to load them up at the match...that way I am able to visually inspect each round (oal and primer to be specific). I do not believe that you would be damaging your mags if you load up the night before though. I hear ya! I like to do the same thing at my reloading table because of the bright light. The eyes need it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I prefer to load them up at the match...that way I am able to visually inspect each round (oal and primer to be specific). I do not believe that you would be damaging your mags if you load up the night before though. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I think OH has probs with loaded mags...without permit too KY didn't care... I usually load then when I get there... YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I load my Glock mags at least a day, more often several days, before a match. Rounds get inspected as they go in, after having been inspected after being made (never know when a bad one will sneak in). Been doing that for almost 8 years now with no mag problems (and did it my first two seasons with my SIG). Matter of fact finally changed the original springs on most of my 10 round Glock mags last season, and I pack ten mags per match. I have twice as many 17 rounders but tend to not use them in production as the possibility of a counting error is there. As a CRO, I count shots too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpops Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 I load my Glock mags at least a day, more often several days, before a match. Rounds get inspected as they go in, after having been inspected after being made (never know when a bad one will sneak in). Been doing that for almost 8 years now with no mag problems (and did it my first two seasons with my SIG). Matter of fact finally changed the original springs on most of my 10 round Glock mags last season, and I pack ten mags per match. I have twice as many 17 rounders but tend to not use them in production as the possibility of a counting error is there. As a CRO, I count shots too! Thanks for the info. Good to know as the Mrs shoots a Glock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrguar Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I typically load mags after registering at the match and waiting for the general walkthrough. Plan to arrive at a match a little earlier and relax a bit while stuffing mags. Then after you sign your scoresheet after each stage make that your time to stuff mags for the next stage, then feel free to help score/tape targets/set steel.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I typically load mags after registering at the match and waiting for the general walkthrough. Plan to arrive at a match a little earlier and relax a bit while stuffing mags. Then after you sign your scoresheet after each stage make that your time to stuff mags for the next stage, then feel free to help score/tape targets/set steel.... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badchad Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Magazine spring life, it has been said by many, many, is a function of the number of compression/release cycles. Not a matter of how long the spring remains compressed or released. I'm pretty sure that isn't true. My carry gun mags that I keep loaded go soft a lot faster than my match magazines that I load only when I'm at the range. Also I used to shoot airguns and there was a test of what happens if you left your spring piston gun cocked for a long time. The results were the longer the gun was cocked, the weaker the spring got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2osport Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I typically load mags after registering at the match and waiting for the general walkthrough. Plan to arrive at a match a little earlier and relax a bit while stuffing mags. Then after you sign your scoresheet after each stage make that your time to stuff mags for the next stage, then feel free to help score/tape targets/set steel.... +1 +2 you are going to be reloading the mags several times throughout the day, so why the hurry to load them the night before. I usually get to the range with enough extra time to sign in, gear up and load mags. Probably about 10 minutes before shooters meeting Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I dont reload at a match, I load the night before. My mags are color coded and hold either 19, 20 or 22. I dont care about spring life. Springs are cheap I change them every spring. I shoot a stage and my used mags go in a pouch on the side of my mag. My new mags come from a mag bag inside my bag. I have pretty much eliminated human error of having less than full or mags that wont reload on my belt. I also shoot over alot of sand so dont reuse mags that have hit the dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2osport Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I dont reload at a match, I load the night before. My mags are color coded and hold either 19, 20 or 22. I dont care about spring life. Springs are cheap I change them every spring. I shoot a stage and my used mags go in a pouch on the side of my mag. My new mags come from a mag bag inside my bag. I have pretty much eliminated human error of having less than full or mags that wont reload on my belt. I also shoot over alot of sand so dont reuse mags that have hit the dirt. That is too many mags for me to keep track of. At our next match we have 6 stages. 2-20rd stages, 3-24rd stages, and 1-6rd stage. That would mean I would need 9-10 mags loaded to shoot the match. Shooting single stack I would need more like 17-18 mags. I would rather take 2 boxes of ammo and 6 ss mags. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PINMAN44 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Pops I usually load a few mags the night before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I load em after registration and top them off and stow them in my shooting bag after every stage. I learned that from G-man Bart and it not only makes the belt more comfortable, they're always topped off and I have to handle them before hitting the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 check your state laws, in Iowa if you have loaded magazines you better have a concealed carry permit. Even if they are seperated from the gun? Thanks for the info. In Ohio I am pretty sure a loaded magazine that fits a gun in the same car constitues a loaded gun if it is the same compartment of the vehicle. We were preached at to keep the magazine out of reach if its loaded. That is if I remember my CCW class correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 OK, all you MDers need to stop traveling with loaded mags and the gun in the vehicle. It constitutes a loaded gun in the eyes of this Socialist state. Bad ju-ju, don't do it. Doesn't matter if the gun is bagged, in a separate bag, or whatever. Loaded mag and gun in same vehicle = loaded gun. Got this from Rob B, and he was Baltimore PD for a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck223 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 My mags are always loaded. Only time I leave them unloaded is if they need to be taken apart for cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slip knot Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I always put 10 rounds in my mag as soon as I get to the range, then top them off after I see the stage that I am going to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I used to carry more than a dozen mags, and not need to load more than once for virtually any match. Then I started returning home with mags missing. Even marked and numbered, you sometimes miss one. So I started carrying seven mags. In production, I usually have one in the gun, and five on my belt. I have one spare in my range bag, that lives in a specific pocket. Now if I leave a mag behind, I come up one short when it's time to LAMR. So I only have to do a mag inventory at the end of each match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boo radley Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 No idea/opinion on the legal issue, but I like to arrive at the match with the magazines already loaded. That way if there's traffic, or an unexpected line at sign-in or...whatever, it's one less thing to worry about, and more time to check out the stages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Magazine spring life, it has been said by many, many, is a function of the number of compression/release cycles. Not a matter of how long the spring remains compressed or released. I'm pretty sure that isn't true. My carry gun mags that I keep loaded go soft a lot faster than my match magazines that I load only when I'm at the range. Also I used to shoot airguns and there was a test of what happens if you left your spring piston gun cocked for a long time. The results were the longer the gun was cocked, the weaker the spring got. That's been my experience also. I used to load first thing in the morning before a match that evening. In my opinion the springs went bad much sooner than when I started loading at the match. Yes springs are cheap but when they fail at a major match you're screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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