Need answers about Glock Magazines.

[Ray Blodgett]

I ran across a statement in a gun mag. About
Glock magazines. That they could cause a
jam if left fully loaded and unused for several wks,

The idea was that the mag. spring would become
weak & cause problems. I have 3 mags for My Glock 27,
all fully loaded. One in the Gun and two ready.

There are times - although rare - when all 3 may sit
idle for several months,they are with me but not used.
I may never need the Gun – but if I do I want it to go BANG.
Suggestions Please

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rocky]

I don't think spring fatige is a problem with good steel. Unless you are running some cheap aftermarkets there should be no problem. My buddy has left his G19 mags loaded unless he is shooting. never had any FTF, yet.

[Thumper]

I agree with Rocky but I do rotate my Glock magazines letting them rest between use.

Botach has Glock magazines for $15.00 right now!

By the way... WELCOME!

[Redneck Repairs]

The original glock mags were a brass body covered in polimer with no closure , The brass was a sheet bent 3 times then the polimer held it in shape , no welds , brazing , ect to close the body . They would deform if left loaded for a prolonged time to the point they sometimes had issues . unloading and resting for a couple of weeks usualy brought them back into spec . The newer mags are steel and dont seem to suffer from the issue .

[razorblade]

From my understanding, spring wear isn't caused by how long a magazine stays loaded, but from how many times you load and unload them. Take for example, a piece of metal wire. Bend it at 90 degrees, now bend it back to 180. Bend it again, and notice it has a little less tention then before. Continue the process and notice that each time it get's looser and looser untill... it snaps.

It's ironic that this subject was brought up. Two weekends ago I was visiting some friends at the gunstore when I figured it would be nice to try some Pow R' Ball ammo. I had my 1911 Compact with me, and two Wilson Mags, one on my belt and one in the gun: my everyday carry. I unloaded the Federal Hydra-Shok from my magazines, and replaced them with Pow R' Ball. I've had those magazines loaded everyday for A WHOLE YEAR. Shot both magazines, reloaded them with Pow R' Ball, shot again. Not a single hiccup. Went back out, bought another box, loaded up (on the firing line), and left.
I can tell you, if those springs were weak the Pow R' Ball would have told me. 45acp velocities at 1225 fps. I would have had slidelock and FTF issues if my springs were weak.

I know these aren't glock mags, but this is my experiance and it was with 1911 mags. I've haven't replaced my glock mag springs yet, and I've had my 21 for 5 years now.

[Hobbes]

The original glock mags were a brass body covered in polimer with no closure , The brass was a sheet bent 3 times then the polimer held it in shape , no welds , brazing , ect to close the body . They would deform if left loaded for a prolonged time to the point they sometimes had issues . unloading and resting for a couple of weeks usualy brought them back into spec . The newer mags are steel and dont seem to suffer from the issue .

Actually, I think the original mags are all polymer NFML (non full metal lined) they bulge when loaded without the metal support and so do not drop free when loaded and the mag release is pressed.
Newer ones are FML (full metal lined) and do drop free since they don't bulge.

[Bud White]

Call BS and pitch the gun rag springs do not take a set anymore the actual way they wear out is cycling Shooting is what wears them out not sitting

[Ray Blodgett]

Thanks - all- for filling me in.
Ray

[fowler]

Can leave them loaded for decades,don,t worry be happy. Thats what there made for. For long term some down load one round. I shot some M-1 carbine mags that were loaded for 3 decades and all went boom-boom 15 times.

[Redneck Repairs]

hobbes the one i took a propane torch to was constructed just as i described , and it was from the first year glocks were imported ( the mag release cutout wore out and the mag wouldnt reliably lock in ) I used it as a range gun for folks to check glocks out for a while .

[Hobbes]

Interesting. Here's the website that lists the mag info, I have never seen the innards of one before so I don't know what to make of this...

http://www.glockfaq.com/magazine.htm

[Redneck Repairs]

LOL this mag swelled up like a pregnant prarie dog , so they say , actualy swelling is a mis statement , deformed is closer to right , it would flex open where the brass " should " have been brazed to seal it . all the mags i got with the original glock were the same as far as i could tell , but i just burned the one down , the others were disassembled keeping the follower and baseplate with the body and springs thrown away as they wore out .

[Hobbes]

I think I get it, even the NFML have some metal in them so I suppose that's what broke. I bet the brass didnt go down to the bottom right?

[Redneck Repairs]

IIRC yea it did , since the mag base pad needed it to be secure . not shure tho , there might have been a break in there or cutouts . I dont really remember any more since the deed was done with some other guys during the course of an evening of liquid refreshment , and solving other gun issues as well as the worlds problems . I do remember all of us marveling that they were " too cheap " to brase the brass togeather if that was how they wanted to make a mag , and not quite grasping why they didnt just make a conventional mag .. later ram line or someone came out with an after market steel mag , and wear to the mag release explained the second part lol .

[peacefuljeffrey]

I ran across a statement in a gun mag. About
Glock magazines. That they could cause a
jam if left fully loaded and unused for several wks,

The idea was that the mag. spring would become
weak & cause problems. I have 3 mags for My Glock 27,
all fully loaded. One in the Gun and two ready.

There are times - although rare - when all 3 may sit
idle for several months,they are with me but not used.
I may never need the Gun – but if I do I want it to go BANG.
Suggestions Please

I have used the two magazines that came with my GLOCK 27 in 1996 since they were new, and always kept them both fully loaded (Federal Hydra-Shok), as this is my carry piece. In all that time, whenever I take the gun to the range (admittedly not all that often ) there is never a problem with feeding. These are 10-year-old springs!

I would stay away from any non-GLOCK made mags. My friend bought a USA mag for his G23 and the follower slid very clumsily up and down in the magazine, didn't stay aligned correctly, and did not feed reliably. It was cheap and crappy. He ended up throwing it out.

I do not worry about the reliability of my magazine springs.
Anyone have any hard data about how long they should last before they're replaced? Can you order just the spring alone, genuine GLOCK manufacture, to replace them if you're worried?

Oh, and by the way, I don't relish the idea of taking apart GLOCK magazines. Unlike those for my HK USP40, they are a pain in the butt! The GLOCK mags have those tabs to hold the floorplate on, and it's VERY difficult to get past them. All the online instructions say to "just squeeze the mag and slide the floorplate past the tabs." HAH! Easier said than done!