Article by AmmunitionToGo.com’s David Lewis and Paul Ivnitskiy, May 7th 2023You know that if your magazine spring breaks or loses its elasticity, it can make your firearm nearly worthless. AmmunitionToGo.com performed a test in order to determine the maximum life expectancy of mag springs. The test also looked at whether loading a magazine or leaving it loaded for a long time could damage the spring. The test crew tested 13 different magazines (from multiple manufacturers) over a period of a year. The protocol included full and half-loading, storing at fluctuating temperatures and climate-controlled conditions, and storing magazines in a nonclimate-controlled shed.
During the entire test, the crew took the magazines to the range to conduct field testing. The results showed that no magazine failed, regardless of whether it was loaded or unloaded frequently or stored in a safe place. A digital force gauge revealed no significant differences in spring resistance between magazines, but all tested springs had 20-25% less resistance when they were still in their factory packaging. All of the magazines performed flawlessly in field testing.
The team enlisted the help of lab technicians from Applied Technical Services to determine how much abuse a magazine can take before its spring begins to wear out. The Magpul Gen 3 PMAG lasted 69,881 rounds (2,096,430 cycles) before it gave up. This was compared to a factory Glock spring that endured only 14,842 cycles. Many people believe that downloading a magazine, or loading the mag below its full capacity, will protect their mag springs. However, real-world trials do not support this type of behavior.
The wear and tear of everyday use will degrade the quality of a magazine more than a spring that fails on its own after being stored at full capacity for a long time. If you’re not part of a group that shoots thousands of rounds at the range every week for training or completion, then the issue of magazine springs is a minor one.
Before you worry about magazine spring failure, there are other factors to consider. You should first consider the overall quality and cleanliness your firearm. This includes the magazine housing, guide rods, buffer tube springs, ammunition selection, etc. Magazine springs, like all other manufactured items, can fail. Once identified as the source of a malfunction, magazine springs can be easily replaced.
Similar Posts:Tags: AmmotoGo.com, Applied Technical Services, AR Magpul Mag, Glock 17 Magazine, Magazine Spring, PMag
