Keeping midcap magazines loaded?

[Nark]

Hey guys so I searched the forums for a thread on keeping midcaps loaded in between games (so anywhere from a week or so to a month) and found some 4500 hits. Not gonna look at all of them. Sorry. I was wondering if it's fine to leave them loaded or if you should unload them if your mags aren't super high quality.

[Switch]

I wouldnt, it just weakens the spring in the Mags and down the road they may not feed at all.

[graham.]

I've left them in for a week or two and they still work fine. Most of mine are junk right now because I forgot to unload them and left them loaded for like, 3 or 4 months and now half of them don't work.

So, you can for a short while, but it's not recommended.

[Hoff]

There are 1911 mags that have been loaded since WW2 and feed fine. At least, according to the intarwebs.

[Nark]

Thanks Specdet guys! Off to unload everything!

[McNair]

I've read some contradictory posts saying actually loading/unloading them causes more wear to the spring than keeping them loaded. I used to have TM mags I've used since 2000 that often times were left loaded for a couple months and they fed fine until I left them at Dan's.
I guess it depends on the mag brand. Some are just shit no matter what.

[Skunk Ape]

I leave mine loaded. what actually hurts ANY metal aka springs is coil/ recoil stretching of the molecules weakens the material so loading and unloading would be worse in my opinion not keeping tension on it....

[Jewish Ninja]

I've heard it's bad to leave then loaded and also its bad always unloading.

I personally have left my G&P and Real Sword mags loaded for a couple months with no noticeable change in feeding. Same with my GBB mags as I hate unloading them.

I wouldn't suggest leaving them loaded for over 3+ months though, but again that's more of a personal view than a guideline.

[Fred]

Left mine topped off, somehow they still work.

[Solid]

I'd just unload 'em, makes sense to me.

[Matt]

It's bad to leave them loaded. I have some mags on the end of my vest that never really end up getting used - they sit there loaded for months because I never end up firing the BBs. At the last game I attended I realized they weren't feeding well at all.

However - if you attend a lot of games and go through a lot of ammo, you should be fine to leave them loaded between games. Just don't leave them loaded for long-term. The mags I empty every time I play still work just fine after years.

[CommieHunter]

I leave my mags loaded between games. They usually get used once per month. Most of my mags are 2-3 years old, and they're all still feeding.

[nb]

I guess it depends on the quality of the magazines.

I knew a guy that specifically experimented with his M4 magazines to find out if leaving them loaded for a long period of time would have adverse effects on the feeding.

He left his mid-caps fully loaded for a year and they still fed every BB.

That being said, I usually leave my magazines filled for months at a time and have never once had feeding issues.

[G36 FTW]

My MAG magazines don't like being left loaded, a lot of them don't feed the last 10 rounds these days because I've compressed the springs.

The couple Magpul Pmags (PTS versions, not the cheap ones) still feed great after being left loaded forever.

I guess I'm basically agreeing with most people here... It is bad for the magazine but it can also vary by brand/quality.

[London]

I always unload my mid-caps as I've found leaving them loaded does compress the springs over time. But my biggest problem isn't the springs, I find that if I leave them loaded, something or someone inevitably releases the little catch, launching BB's everywhere.