[Pylon]

From everything i\'ve read thus far, and this is the theory i perscribe too, it is the constant compression-recompressiono that stresses the spring, not leaving it in any one position.

Someone mentioned the paper clip example. You know how when you bend a paper clip once, it tends to be ok for however long you leave it alone? But as soon as you keep bending it back and forth paper clip will break. Same thing with springs

 

[Jacob Lee]

I try to rotate once every couple of weeks. Hard to keep track though as I am usually at the range every weekend.

 

[Bud White]

ive heard it both ways they will fatigue if left loaded and they wont if left loaded ... That said i do try to cycle then every few weeks becuse both is true espically in car engines i figure there springs are lot tougher ...


But ive seen then compressed to long and wont expand again ... and then ive see them were they were wore out and compressed from all the updown cycles ... Saw the wore out cycled ones from a couple hour dyno run ...

 

[coma]

Springs don\'t wear out, they loose \"free\" length or \"take a set\" after they have been left loaded for a long time. This affects the total pressure at a given height, not the true spring rate in lbs / inch. It takes higher quality springs longer to suffer this fate, but it will still happen. I have been racing stock cars for twenty years and we always set the car on jack stands, and let the suspension droop to unload the springs, at the track this also helps cool the shocks after a run. This helps to prolong the life of the spring, and to prevent \"mystery\" handling problems from a spring that looses height (causing a change in wheel weight %) before it is found.

For my pistol magazine springs I try to rotate them once a week if I can remember. I also stretch old springs back out a few times before I replace them. I should (like most people should) have a supply of new springs on hand, and not just order what I need now and then. The magazine spring is almost as important as the ammo that it is pushing up on.

 

[Tangle]

It is interesting that gun springs, recoil, hammer, and mag springs DO weaken but valve springs in car engines are kept in static compression when the car is parked and in high speed dynamic compression cycles when the car is being driven and we rarely have to replace them.

 

[AirForceShooter]

this may answer your question.
2 weeks ago my neighbor a retired Navy type asked me to check out a gun he had. He proceeds to pull out a .45 Remington Rand, that was his Daddy\'s from WWII. Not a mark on it. In the pistol is a fully loaded Mag with ammo head stamped 1943.
He asked me to check it out and I cleaned it and oiled it and off to the range, with fresh ammo.
Not a single malfunction.
The pistol does need new springs though. But the mag functioned flawlessly. 62 years and compressed all that time and it worked.
And no he won\'t sell it.

AFS

 

[vmo]

I rotate my mags the 1st of every month. Dunno why, other than I\'ve always done it this way. I change my mag springs every 2 years, whether they need it or not. I clean my mags every couple of months, or whenever they seem gritty/sticky.
It seems that there is a direct relationship between magazine quality/price and spring life. I always use the wilson extra power spring in carry magazines, they seem worth the extra expense. USA mags seem to make really good doorstops, especially the double stack ones!