magazine/ammo preparation?

[VanillaThunder]

OK, dunno if this has been posted before or not, but i have a few questions....
i am starting to stock and prepare in case SHTF....toilet paper, water, food, medical supplies, etc....also ammo and mags. so here is the biggest question i have. when i am storing magazines, should i store them full? i have heard stories of spring tension releasing over time, and i am (obviously) not ok with that!

again, sorry if this is a dumb noob question, but inquiring minds want to know!

 

[VanillaThunder]

oh, and FWIW, Glock mags mostly.

 

[agentl074]

OK, dunno if this has been posted before or not, but i have a few questions....
i am starting to stock and prepare in case SHTF....toilet paper, water, food, medical supplies, etc....also ammo and mags. so here is the biggest question i have. when i am storing magazines, should i store them full? i have heard stories of spring tension releasing over time, and i am (obviously) not ok with that!

again, sorry if this is a dumb noob question, but inquiring minds want to know!

Storing mags full is not going to wear out the spring. What wears mags out is the unloading and loading over time. Sounds like your off to a good start on your SHTF kit.

 

[4sarge]

Many varied opinions on that topic. Some suggest leaving them only partially full to release spring wear and others say it doesn't matter. My duty mags were always full to capacity while on duty. Now, full when I'm carrying otherwise they are unloaded awaiting need with ammo close. I always have at least one semi auto ready to go and have several spare mags for each

Too many mags, too little ammo, too little time

 

[Sailor]

First of all your screen name cracks me up.

I store at least half the Glock mags full.

Good job and starting to prep. I just finished canning a case of venison myself, and have stored and sealed buckets of rice, pasta beans etc.

I am in Fort Wayne also.

I added reloading to my preps. I make most my range ammo, and stock up on reloads in the winter. With the price of ammo, and the amount of shooting and storage it made sense for me.

Are you prepping for a family or just yourself?

 

[Disposable Heart]

My favorite thing that is a relatively new item on the market are the PMags. They have the cover that takes the pressure off the feedlips of the magazine, which will wear out the mag (pressure) rather than the springs. As for AK owners, the AK magazine has a massive magazine wall so they dont deform no matter what!! I would suggest though that AK owners change their mag springs to the Wolff ones, as the Combloc ones are good, but can be shakey (I had to replace some on some Romanian mags, **** poor steel in the springs, but everything else was great!).

All my ammo cans have the ammo strippered and spoons available everywhere I go in my house. I have them taped to something everywhere in the house. I have a few in my BOB and some in my car!! Paranoid, maybe. But the ammo goes alot quicker when strippered. AK owners have a slightly more expensive stripper and require a much more expensive "spoon", but both items are heavy duty and work great, where the AR strippers have nastly little tabs that break off if used more than a few times (ever notice though that the AR strippers look almost like the USGI mags, where the AK/SKS strippers look like they are the same material as the AK mags?)

Dessicant and ammo cans are top notch for storage, but I also keep a few mini dessicant packs inside a few ziploc freezer bags (freezer ones are REALLY heavy duty and protect my ammo from freezer bite ) in my BOB so that I can throw the ammo from the can into the bag, seal it, press the air out and be GTG to keep my ammo (eeven if the ammo primer and neck is sealed or not) against water, corrosion and chemicals when not stored in a mag. This goes especially for AK owners that use Wolf ammo. The laquered stuff is great, very resistant to water, but the new polyformance and zinc plated stuff rusts like a chinese BBQ set.

All in all, I keep enough mags for a minimum of 3-4 load outs (depending on one's carry load, but enough magazines that 3-4 patrols can be run, losing mags, and not be without mags). 2 mag loadouts, mimimum for rifles and at least 1 for pistols would be considered absolute minimum in my mind and all I would ask for a person to bring. Ammo brought along would be enough to supply the loadouts required for the situation. Mag whoring is great if one has enough weapons to support this, but also multiple people. I figure if things get really bad, they can only carry what they can carry, and the extra mags are wasted or left for the rollers. Just depends on where you are and if you intend on bugging in or out.

Just me two cents!

 

[VanillaThunder]

@ sailor...
i am prepping for myself, wife, and pre-teen daughter. i know i have a long way to go, but i am just recently realizing my need for total preparation. as for reloading, i am pretty much 100% 9mm at this point. i hope to be stepping into an AK soon, tho. curious-- how are you sealing buckets? i got some rice, flour, and wheat, but unsure on how to prepare for LTS.
@ Disposable Heart, thanks for the info! like i said, i hope to be an AK owner shortly... i will certainly take your info under advisement.

thanks everyone for the great information.

 

[dblagent]

I store mine full as well, but I load them to full -1 round so they are not a full max capacity. The advice you were given above is right on, but I feel better personally with that tiny bit of slack so the spring is not at completely full tension all the time.

 

[Disposable Heart]

I store mine full as well, but I load them to full -1 round so they are not a full max capacity. The advice you were given above is right on, but I feel better personally with that tiny bit of slack so the spring is not at completely full tension all the time.

Forgot to mention that! I usually do mine 28 rounds per mag, out of not only tradition but also easier for administrative loading, at least for ARs. When I had my AK, 29 rounds tended to make things easier, 28 wasnt much of a change.

Incidentally, Vanilla Thunder, as a soon to be AK owner, check out this video and learn from the people that know the AK best (and not just Gabe Suarez, though I would suggest some of his material, it seems one saves a few bucks buying an AK, but spends a few sheckles to become not just good, but GREAT with it). When I had my WASR, I practiced this stuff an hour a night until I had it down pat...and then some!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONXeqTHHCfA

 

[shotbyspike]

@ sailor...
i am prepping for myself, wife, and pre-teen daughter. i know i have a long way to go, but i am just recently realizing my need for total preparation. as for reloading, i am pretty much 100% 9mm at this point. i hope to be stepping into an AK soon, tho. curious-- how are you sealing buckets? i got some rice, flour, and wheat, but unsure on how to prepare for LTS.
@ Disposable Heart, thanks for the info! like i said, i hope to be an AK owner shortly... i will certainly take your info under advisement.

thanks everyone for the great information.

I would also like to know how you all are sealing your food? I just started my food storage and don't want to leave the rice and beans in their orignal containers.

 

[karlsgunbunker]

I store mine Loaded.
Unless you heat or overstress the springs they should be fine.
Weak metal could be a problem in Combloc mags.
Probably be a good idea to get some spare mag springs JIC.

 

[mkbar80]

+1 on large freezer bags with dessicant inside an ammo can.

 

[VN Vet]

I keep my mags full, but I completely unload them about every three months or so and let the springs rest for day and then reload them. I rotate the mags so I always have a good compliment of mags on hand. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but a man needs to play with his stuff once in a while and this is what I do. What else is a man to do while watching TV?

Plus it lets me keep inventory on what I have. Maintenance of your equipment is a good thing to get in habit of and being prepared for what ever the need.

 

[Bob Wyre]

fodd storage

Store in FOOD GRADE 5gal. buckets with food grade lids from Gama Seal. You may first line with a mylar bag, if you wish. Prior to sealing chuck in a moisture absorber and oxygen absorber or fill with nitrogen. The moisture absorber does just that and the lack of O2 in the bucket prevents the hatching of any bug(s) if present. This is a clif note version. for more indepth discussion go to : waltonfeed.com/self/unpack/index.html

waltonfeed.com/grain/life.html

survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff1-toc.htm?


For food grade buckets and Gama Lids go to
I am not affiliated with any of the above web sites, just a satisfied customer.

 

[Disposable Heart]

Store in FOOD GRADE 5gal. buckets with food grade lids from Gama Seal. You may first line with a mylar bag, if you wish. Prior to sealing chuck in a moisture absorber and oxygen absorber or fill with nitrogen. The moisture absorber does just that and the lack of O2 in the bucket prevents the hatching of any bug(s) if present. This is a clif note version. for more indepth discussion go to : waltonfeed.com/self/unpack/index.html

waltonfeed.com/grain/life.html

survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff1-toc.htm?


For food grade buckets and Gama Lids go to
I am not affiliated with any of the above web sites, just a satisfied customer.

Mag/Ammo prep, not food. Different thread.

 

[CPU13rother]

Get four mags store two loaded and two unloaded. When a set stops working then keep storing the remaining set tha same way.