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leaving mags loaded when not playing?
- Thread starter springs
- Start date
lethaldave
Members
- Oct 5, 2012
- 44
- 2
some people load in the morning before they leave home as it makes it less time consuming to fill mags up whilst at the field, personally i load mine on site, it only takes a few mins, as to leaving bbs in a magazine i think theres a law saying you cant carry loaded magazines, even airsoft ones while in a public place i:e. driving to a site, im not sure, anyway leaving your mags loaded puts strain on the springs and its unneccesary.
Ian_Gere
Retired Moderator
- Apr 1, 2012
- 6,417
- 2,050
It does damage the springs. I think that, if it is an actual law and not another one of these urban myths people like to spread, as if the actual law wasn't restrictive enough, like u18's can only have two-tones, then it must mean mag in, not no BB's in mags. I pre-load mine when I know I'm going to arrive with little time to spare.
Hibernator
Members
- Oct 10, 2011
- 400
- 83
I empty mid caps because I don't like leaving the springs compressed.
Hi caps I just pull the little button on top with my finger to let the spring tension unwind. It will make a load of bbs shoot out of the top so I try and catch those in a bb bag. But once the spring tension is released, then I leave the rest off the bbs in the compartment.
Hi caps I just pull the little button on top with my finger to let the spring tension unwind. It will make a load of bbs shoot out of the top so I try and catch those in a bb bag. But once the spring tension is released, then I leave the rest off the bbs in the compartment.
two_zero
Members
- May 9, 2011
- 1,871
- 634
I have purchased 2nd hand mags with BBs in and the spring damaged. you can leave BBs in hicaps as long as they are not winded thou. I usually do actually.
when you got a hicap that is winded or a low/mid with BBs in, hold it pointing into a bottle and using a screwdriver or similar press down the tab that hold the BBs in
any spring that is compressed will be damaged
when you got a hicap that is winded or a low/mid with BBs in, hold it pointing into a bottle and using a screwdriver or similar press down the tab that hold the BBs in
any spring that is compressed will be damaged
Last edited by a moderator:
Longshot
Members
- Sep 10, 2010
- 278
- 184
Does anyone here have any evidence that leaving magazine springs compressed damages them? Because I thought it did, then I looked into it, and everything I've read that isn't just an anecdotal observation suggests that leaving a spring compressed does not damage it. In fact, what causes wear to springs is compressing and releasing them, so you're actually doing more 'damage' to a spring by emptying the mags.
Maverick231
Members
- Jan 11, 2014
- 42
- 1
I allways make sure my mags are out and all bb's are back in the bottle just to keep my mags tip top but thats just me.
Mack
Members
- Jun 24, 2012
- 1,155
- 1,030
Most of the evidence I have seen suggests otherwise. As longshot said (I think weve both read the same article) compressing and decompressing the spring quickly causes more wear than leaving the spring compresed. Ive left one of my midcaps loaded for three months to see if there was any problems but it still fed flawlesley in all my guns.
Last edited by a moderator:
Mack
Members
- Jun 24, 2012
- 1,155
- 1,030
Mack
Members
- Jun 24, 2012
- 1,155
- 1,030
could be the quality of metal used for the springs as well mate, Im sure better quality metals wont lose there elasticity as much as monkey metal would
Rock-climby-Dave
Retired Moderator
- Dec 29, 2009
- 2,309
- 296
My mags arrive on site in the same condition that they leave, usually in a vest/pouch and normally full/half used. They tend to stay that way for weeks at a time.
Today I used my UMP which has midcaps with .25 rounds in that I haven't used since last summer.
Needless to say, even on 11.1 Lipo with a speedy motor It didn't miss a single shot all day.
The rounds in the mags were King arms.
I topped it up with BB Bastards where appropriate.
I would have said from this and my previous experience that leaving a magazine full of BBs does NOT cause ENOUGH damage to give you grief in the game. I'm sure mud, poor BBs or a badly cast magazine are the more likely causes for any misfeeding issues.
That's not to say it doesn't damage them, but you have bigger concerns if your mag isn't feeding.
Today I used my UMP which has midcaps with .25 rounds in that I haven't used since last summer.
Needless to say, even on 11.1 Lipo with a speedy motor It didn't miss a single shot all day.
The rounds in the mags were King arms.
I topped it up with BB Bastards where appropriate.
I would have said from this and my previous experience that leaving a magazine full of BBs does NOT cause ENOUGH damage to give you grief in the game. I'm sure mud, poor BBs or a badly cast magazine are the more likely causes for any misfeeding issues.
That's not to say it doesn't damage them, but you have bigger concerns if your mag isn't feeding.
Airsoft-Ed
Retired Moderator
- Nov 7, 2010
- 4,164
- 941
Springs have a memory.
If you leave them compressed for long enough, then that level of compression will eventually become the uncompressed, natural state of the spring.
The only thing that alters from spring to spring is how long it will take for that to happen. Springs wear out over time, it's just a fact.
I have known it happen to my own mags in as little as 4 weeks, and I only loaded 30 rounds into them.
Perhaps it's easier for the spring to naturally compress to a smaller degree, in my head that seems to make more sense.
It could be that if you fully fill them, the fact that they are fully, instead of just a bit compressed, will keep them springy, because they're trying harder to fight the compression. Whereas if you're not loading them to their full potential springiness then they won't be pressing as hard against their load, so it'll be easier for them to learn to see that as their resting point.
Like I say though, it has actually happened to me, I got my mags out, realised they'd been left loaded for 4 weeks, and when I tried to empty them out I ended up with about 4 BBs stuck in the mag because the spring didn't come to the top anymore.
If you load all 120 shots, then 4 probably doesn't matter that much to anyone, but when you're set up to run with them only holding 30, it throws a bit of a spanner in the works.
If you leave them compressed for long enough, then that level of compression will eventually become the uncompressed, natural state of the spring.
The only thing that alters from spring to spring is how long it will take for that to happen. Springs wear out over time, it's just a fact.
I have known it happen to my own mags in as little as 4 weeks, and I only loaded 30 rounds into them.
Perhaps it's easier for the spring to naturally compress to a smaller degree, in my head that seems to make more sense.
It could be that if you fully fill them, the fact that they are fully, instead of just a bit compressed, will keep them springy, because they're trying harder to fight the compression. Whereas if you're not loading them to their full potential springiness then they won't be pressing as hard against their load, so it'll be easier for them to learn to see that as their resting point.
Like I say though, it has actually happened to me, I got my mags out, realised they'd been left loaded for 4 weeks, and when I tried to empty them out I ended up with about 4 BBs stuck in the mag because the spring didn't come to the top anymore.
If you load all 120 shots, then 4 probably doesn't matter that much to anyone, but when you're set up to run with them only holding 30, it throws a bit of a spanner in the works.
CaptainSwoop
Members
- Sep 9, 2013
- 665
- 267
Compressed springs will take ona a 'set if left compressed for any length of time. It's just a matter of how long it takes and how much.
Lozart
Supporters
- Jun 24, 2013
- 8,493
- 4,941
Seriously though, while a spring will wear over time due to metal fatigue, you can wreck one by over stressing it on a regular basis. If you exceed its elastic limit it won't return to the proper shape. The springs in mags are pretty lightweight so firstly make sure you're not overfilling them (apart from hi-caps of course) and secondly it just makes sense to not leave them loaded.
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