Magazine Springs

[pmulcahy11b]

Here's a random thought I just had: How many loaded magazines will the PCs find that will jam their weapons or fail to feed because the magazine spring's been compressed too long?

[Tegyrius]

From my reading, the duration of compression doesn't have much or anything to do with it. Repetition of compression/decompression cycles is the culprit in making magazine (and recoil and main) springs fail.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...7/ai_99130369/

However, the basic question of magazine failures is a sound one - and one that I don't think any game system addresses. Ammo, yes. Magazines and similar ancillary items that aren't really consumable, no.

- C.

[chico20854]

The consensus on ar-15.com (a true gun-nut site if there ever was one) was that leaving springs compressed has NO effect on their reliability. They have documented untold instances of magazines found loaded for decades functioning perfectly. The leaving mags loaded causes malfunctioning is an old wive's tail! What does cause magazine springs to wear out is repeated cycling - loading and unloading. That and cracked feed lips are the major causes of unreliability in old magazines!

(and I typed my reply as Legbreaker was doing his, so we repeat!)

[Tegyrius]

It's purely anecdotal, but my longest-running test cases have been in a constant loaded state (excluding time between reloads at the range) since 2002. Still feeding 100%.

- C.

[jester]

I have used magazines <military issue, guard mount> that were from the 1940s. The way my mags worked, I figured I coukld get the round in the chamber off, and maybe two from the magazine it was that bad. I was hopping the shotgun would work

And also lets not forget the spread or deformed feedlips of the magazines which also cause jams and malfunctions, usualy double feeds and stove pipes.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by jester

And also lets not forget the spread or deformed feedlips of the magazines which also cause jams and malfunctions, usualy double feeds and stove pipes.

I actually had a triple feed in an M-16 once. It was the malfunction that saved my life, because I was trying the suicide attempt that ended my career.

[rcaf_777]

In Afghanstian I changed out my mags once a week, reloaded another five and gave five a rest, I did forgot to do this once but being a REMF I had call to test the spring

[Rupert Willies]

For real?
How to see this incident; the jam saved you, or was faith over eager to "help" you?

Good thing you are here now!

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I actually had a triple feed in an M-16 once. It was the malfunction that saved my life, because I was trying the suicide attempt that ended my career.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by chico20854

The consensus on ar-15.com (a true gun-nut site if there ever was one) was that leaving springs compressed has NO effect on their reliability. They have documented untold instances of magazines found loaded for decades functioning perfectly. The leaving mags loaded causes malfunctioning is an old wive's tail! What does cause magazine springs to wear out is repeated cycling - loading and unloading. That and cracked feed lips are the major causes of unreliability in old magazines!

(and I typed my reply as Legbreaker was doing his, so we repeat!)

wether or not keeping spring and thereby mag lips under tension over time causes failure to chamber /malfunction depends totally on type of magazine and weapon it is designed for .Many mags made for other weapons than the ar 15 will have problems .I can mention the Ruger Mini 14 and 30 ,Ruger 10/22etc .weapons made in copious amounts.also for the ar 15 platform there are a good deal of crappy mags out there -like there are for most any magazine fed weapon..some producers make what amounts to paperweight in a 30 round format .

[jester]

I would also say the treatment of the magazines as well, mags on your chest pouch and you crawling on them or just dropping one them will hurt, but they will also dent the magazines, how many times do they get kicked or dropped?

And the whole hitting them on the side like in the movies isn't good for them either. Or the hitting them to seat them in the weapon like they do in the movies. I always loved that, so when the person who does that tries to remove the magazine it is stuck.