[G21.45]

I have been told that the fatigue of the spring can be corrected by simply keeping one less that a full load in the mag. This came from a gunsmith and a retired police officer. Your thoughts?

That is exactly what several of us are talking about! If not, 'corrected' then certainly lessened or reduced.

RL357Mag, Call a fellow by the name of Dave Koebensky at Wolff Gunsprings. Tell him what you've got, and see what he suggests. Over the years Dave has been a tremendous help to me; it's only rarely that he doesn't have a particular spring in stock. (Wolff Gunsprings is one of the largest firearm spring manufacturers on the planet!) Here's the number: 1.800.545.0077

Your other possible source is Numrich Corporation. 1.866.686.7424. Between these two companies you should be able to find most any gun part that you want.

You, probably, already know about this site; but, I thought I'd include it just the same:

Makarov Pistols

 

[RL357Mag]

I have been told that the fatigue of the spring can be corrected by simply keeping one less that a full load in the mag. This came from a gunsmith and a retired police officer. Your thoughts?

I believe the less you compress a spring the less it will "take a set" or fatigue.

 

[RL357Mag]

That is exactly what several of us are talking about! If not, 'corrected' then certainly lessened or reduced.

RL357Mag, Call a fellow by the name of Dave Koebensky at Wolff Gunsprings. Tell him what you've got, and see what he suggests. Over the years Dave has been a tremendous help to me; it's only rarely that he doesn't have a particular spring in stock. (Wolff Gunsprings is one of the largest firearm spring manufacturers on the planet!) Here's the number: 1.800.545.0077

Your other possible source is Numrich Corporation. 1.866.686.7424. Between these two companies you should be able to find most any gun part that you want.

You, probably, already know about this site; but, I thought I'd include it just the same: Makarov Pistols

Thank you for the name and number G21.45! I will give Mr. Koebensky a call. I suspect the same springs used in the 9mm mags are probably what's used in the .380. I've dealt with Numerich (now known as Gun Parts Corp.) several times over many years - the problem with them is that while they may have the part you need, you never know if it's used, new, or aftermarket crap. I bought a replacement mag for an old Mossberg .22 rifle many years ago. It was aftermarket and while it fits the gun it only works fo the first round - all subsequent rounds jam..they charged me $15 for that mag! I bought an ejector and spring for another old Ithaca Mod.49 .22 that lasted about a week before that ejector stopped working from earlier wear. It's hit and miss with them sometimes. I actually used to go to their retail store in West Hurley NY ( I don't think it's open anymore) They had a bunch of really neat stuff for the gunsmiths - 50 gal. drum full of barrels, stocks, etc. It was like being a kid in a candy store!

 

[dragunovsks]

I've heard this too, but I think it depends on what you have. I have a 1911A1 that I carry and I have a Novak 8-round blued steel mag that has been fully loaded for almost a year now and the spring is still very strong and the gun never jams when fired from this mag.

However, I also have an SKS with a couple 30-round mags. I forgot to unload a mag that was only half loaded and when I tried to use it about a month later it would not load cause the spring was weak and the feed lips were also deformed slightly.

I think this is because SKS mags are known for being junk and pistol mags are smaller and less likely to deform as easily. This is just my 2-cents and you can take it for what it's worth.

 

[dango]

Fully loaded.

I`m sure every one here is fimilar with the glock torture tests.I don`t recall the exact no.but after so many rnds. with fully loaded mags. the gun would fail to feed.this was with the G-17.Instead of 17 rnds.,he would load only 15 rnds.and said that it substansially pro-long the mag. spring.

 

[headhunter]

a while back

Quite a while ago the Am. Rifleman published a list of the capacity of various
magazines and how many rounds should be loaded in each to insure 100% functioning. I'm unsure what was the source was. Sorry!

 

[RL357Mag]

Well the general drift I get from all of this is there is no way of knowing for certain whether prolonged compression will weaken the specific spring in your gun. Srring steel taking a "set" is a well known occurrence and is understood by anyone with metallurgic or engineering knowledge. The fact that some springs will survive is NOT an indication or an endorsement to "load them up and leave them that way". At least not in my mind. I see no reason or need to leave mags loaded anyway, since I don't rely on my handgun for home defense, and if I did, I would have one dedicated magazine for home use only. After a day of carrying, I come home and unload.