cmdrdredd

The mags for my home defense sidearm are loaded (2 of em) and the mags for my carry gun are loaded (2 of em) the rest are empty.

__________________
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
-Thomas Jefferson

You can trust to luck or fate if you want but as for me, I carry a Glock.

CenCal

I usually don't carry an extra mag with my full size auto, but when I carry a small pocket auto as a primary, I like to have a loaded spare magazine with me.

I "cycle" my magazines about every other week with the spares sitting empty in the safe. Doesn't hurt to blow them out with the computer air cans just keep them clean.

I once left some 9mm magazines loaded for several years and the springs fatigued. When I finally decided to use the magazines and buy some new updated home defense ammo, the magazines caused failure to feed problems.

Newer materials are used these days and the springs are not supposed to fatigue, but I "rest" my magazines every other week just the same.

automatic slim

Carry mags are always full. Guns in storage have empty mags. Keeping ammo in mags won't hurt the ammo or mags.

__________________
"First gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand."
Edge of Darkness

2ndsupporter

Mine stay loaded at all times! I have done this ever since I have owned firearms and have not had any issues.

__________________
[One Nation Under God]

Janq

Nova your question is a two parter...

+ Transport of firearm, magazine, and ammunition as in a vehicle

As related to condition of a magazine as stowed for transport, off body, and to/from a range or where ever else.
To that end check your local and state laws but in some states transport of a loaded magazine being kept/stowed with a firearm deems that firearm to be 'loaded'. Even as the magazine and firearm are physically separate from each other, but are in the same (!) case.
I've forgotten off hand the legal definition for "unloaded" as in VA but I do know that when I was living in VA I _always_ made sure all of my magazines were as empty prior to being cased or stowed as within my vehicle as during transport to and from anywhere...when not being carried on my person.

VA Law - See items 1 through 4 as under "Carrying" in regard to transport of firearms as must being "unloaded".
http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/VASL.pdf

Further Federal law indicates the following:
While the actual text of the Federal Laws in full can be found at:
U.S. Code
TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 44 > Sub-Section 922. Unlawful acts
US CODE: Title 18,922. Unlawful acts


+ On/off body defensive carry of firearm, magazine, and ammunition

* Again this is a local, state, and federal laws item.
Some localities and states do not allow unsecured stowage nor storage (long term) of ammunition in areas that are unsecured, as in locked. Further several states do not allow or consider glove compartments to be secure even as they may have a locking device of some sort. Check the VA laws for this too to be absolutely sure.
Then there are the states that deem magazines to be same as a firearm or ammunition. They are rare and very much in the minority but if you happen to go visit such a state and bring your VA practices there, and get caught doing so, you could find yourself in deep water problems.

As to magazines being loaded long term or not it makes no functional difference.
What wears out a magazine is use. Same goes for magazine springs. Springs wear out from use and cycling.
While as to the ammo itself they are very much resistant to temperature hot & cold as well as simply being left alone. That should not be a problem, with quality commercial duty ammunition.


In the end I mention the above, especially that with relation to laws, so as to bring awareness.
Every state and even localities within a state may have laws and views different from some other state or locality. One size does not fit all. Where you are if you were to hop on say the Beltway as in Northern VA miss an off-ramp and wind up in MD then the mode of carry and transport you inquire about would be very much illegal. Problems.
Additionally transport and keeping of firearms, magazines, and ammunition as you inquire about would be very unlawful in my current state...Which visitors here who have not done their homework have been caught surprised toward when I mention same to them during range and training events as they come from other states.

A long read yes, but necessary....As I noted neither of these were mentioned by others prior.

$0.02 Street

- Janq

__________________
"Killers who are not deterred by laws against murder are not going to be deterred by laws against guns. " - Robert A. Levy
Monday, March 12, 2007 -- Op Ed -- The Washington Post

Delcorbett

My range has a big ol sign out front that says absolutely no loaded mags in the store, which you have to go through to get to the range.

The heat and moisture is what will get your ammo and the oild from your skin from handling so if your not gonna use it, maze well leave it in the box.

EvilMonk

I keep mine filled all the time with defensive loads. Just makes for a "grab and go" when I'm on my way out.

If I'm going to go to the range, I exchange the ammo for plain ball.

It might be rough on the springs, but with a good brand, you won't have too much issue with the method.

__________________
That which does not kill us leaves us broken and bleeding...

Convenire Volui Spectatus

Majorlk

More urban myths, I'm afraid.

Unless one subjects ammo to high heat (well over what one would encounter in the average home, even in the desert) for very long periods of time, it will have little, if any, effect upon the ammo. Ask combat veterans about THEIR ammo storage conditions.

Same for moisture. Hand moisture and body oils will not damage ammo! It simply doesn't get inside the case. What oil on the case can do, is cause case setback in the chamber because the case cannot grip the cylinder wall during firing. Simply wiping the case with a dry rag solves the problem.

Modern ammo can be submerged in water with no effect. As for oils - spraying it on the inside of the primer will destroy the primer. Getting it on powder will have some effect, but that is VERY, VERY difficult to do with modern ammo.

Take a look at The Box O' Truth #39 - Oil Vs. Primers - Page 1.

__________________
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Robert A. Heinlein

Janq

Yep. ^^

Urban myth.

Ammo can be and has been stored _submerged_ in water as well as paper case civil war era shells have been literally _unearthed_ from 100+ yrs. of exposure as having been 'stored' in earth (dirt!) as through seasonal cycles and still been operational. In fact at the Springfield Armory Museum there is an exhibit showing just such a paper case find and stating as such in so many words about it's relative fireable condition.

Also back in the early stages of the Iraq war the city of NY 'discovered' a large cache of ammunition that had been dating back to prior to the end of WW2. It had been placed inside a storage area under a bridge in NYC and the doors sealed only to be forgotten about and records lost.
Some city workers unsealed the cache by cutting through the doors only to find a large cache of 50 BMG rounds sitting there. No air conditioning nor heating and it was half a decade old.
Guess what the Army did? They tested it and found it all to be functional. There was then a big article in the NYT about the find and how that ammo was being sent to Iraq for use as training ammo toward the now modern fight as within Ma Deuce equipment that had also been ressurected some with build dates going back to Korea and WW2.

I am not making this up and it is not so simply because I say it.

Modern commercially produced duty/defensive handgun and centerfire ammunition is pretty much impervious to elements including heat, cold, humidity, and most anything else mother nature can muster.

The ammo is gonna go sour/bad/expire dur to exposure to <fill in the blank> and/or time thing is one of the biggest gunfu urban legends going.

- Janq

__________________
"Killers who are not deterred by laws against murder are not going to be deterred by laws against guns. " - Robert A. Levy
Monday, March 12, 2007 -- Op Ed -- The Washington Post

Janq

As an adjunct to my post on Wed. about state and local laws, the following post was made the next day on Thursday as at a different and private forum (members only to view and post) in an 'Armory' area to which I am a moderator.

Note the location (Albemarle, VA) and the similarity to my post as prior:

I won't carry over the whole of my response to him as it went in depth into the legality of the actions involved by both he and the officer.
I will though pass on the same links I'd provided to him as related to state and local code discussed that is applicable to instances such as this.

* Code of Virginia
§ 18.2-308. Personal protection; carrying concealed weapons; when lawful to carry.
LIS > Code of Virginia > 18.2-308

* Albemarle County Code
Sec. 10-108 Transporting loaded rifle or shotgun in vehicle.
https://www.albemarle.org/upload/ima...enses_Misc.pdf

And I'd also provided the OP for general purpose information the following:

Virginia 'Local Firearms Ordinances'
http://www.dgif.state.va.us/HUNTING/...ordinances.pdf

Folks have got to think to consider and _know_ this stuff wherever they might go as with a firearm be it as carry on body or transported either as stowed such as temporarily in a trunk/glove box or long term intent stored.

Be mindful of _all_ applicable gun laws federal, state, county, and city/town.

- Janq

__________________
"Killers who are not deterred by laws against murder are not going to be deterred by laws against guns. " - Robert A. Levy
Monday, March 12, 2007 -- Op Ed -- The Washington Post