Author Topic: Leave gun loaded? (Read 939 times)

Don McCullough · « **on:** August 22, 2004, 05:41:25 PM »

Fellows,

What do some of you think about leaving a gun with tubular or box magazine fully loaded?

I've heard, over time, this can weaken the springs and gun becomes unreliable with feeding. I've also heard this is not true.

Thing is, for having a gun ready for action when intruder or varmint suddenly appears you need to keep it loaded!

Don McCullough

The deerslayer · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2004, 05:58:36 PM »

Don't know about the weak spring, but i always keep mine loaded.

7magWoodsman · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2004, 06:48:29 PM »

"An unloaded Gun is nothing more than an expensive club" :grin:
but when being loaded for extended periods of time I do remove a couple shells to "preserve" the spring. If magazine fed, a good practice is to "alternate" mags every now and then, so the same one is never in use "all" the time.

les hemby · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2004, 02:29:11 AM »

my 1894P stays loaded always. This is my truck gun as well as hunting. i use other rifles to but this goes with me everywhere. i only keep 6 in it with a butstock holder full

Wlscott · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2004, 03:32:14 AM »

The only time that my Springfield 45ACP has been unloaded in the last three years is when I clean it, and when I shoot in IPSC with it.

I've been using the same magazines all this time, and never had a problem with feeding. I load as many as the mag will hold, and keep them there untill I shoot them.

Cleveland386 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 24, 2004, 05:27:06 AM »

depends....if its locked up in the case or being stored i unload but if we're in a truck or field its always loaded

did you guys graduate hunters ed?

theres some happy instructors somewhere lol

New Hampshire · « **Reply #6 on:** August 24, 2004, 12:13:29 PM »

This is a question most oft asked by semi-auto pistol shooters. The short of it is simple.....its the constant flexing of the spring that weakens it, not being constantly stored in a compressed manner. Some people, as 7magwoodsman does, down load a shell or two, which is just fine also. So dont worry bout it too mcuh. If you do find the spring wearing out eventually they are easy and inexpensive to replace.
Brian M.

mountainview · « **Reply #7 on:** September 03, 2004, 05:32:08 AM »

I concur with New Hamp's response. Fatigue failure from frequent loading/inloading is much more likely than failure from static compression when the spring loaded.

jschance · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2004, 04:10:16 AM »

I seem to remember an article in Gun Digest or some similar source where the author found a 1911 with a magazine that, as near as he could determine, had been fully loaded since the late 1940's.

He took it out and fired the entire magazine of hardball through the gun without a hitch.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 24, 2004, 11:28:56 AM »

I remember that article, Bob Bell had kept a 1911 he brought home from WWII on his closet shelf loaded with the original GI ball ammo since 1946. Fifty years later, they all fired, and the gun functioned fine. Other guns with higher compression of the springs might not fare as well, but as has been said, I wouldn't worry about it. Springs are cheap and easy to replace. Lock and Load!

Papajohn