Protocol for Carry Magazines

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  • Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 5, 2022
    42
    18
    Columbia City, IN
    You shouldn’t need to do much of a break in on mags. A couple runs should suffice. The key is the combination of mag, ammo, gun.

    Keep the carry mags pristine as possible by not using them regularly for training.

    At the end of the year, I run the mag and re-test the carry ammo then refill the mag with new ammo.
     

    Denny347

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    13,417
    149
    Napganistan
    Police will dump mag after mag at/into a "bad" guy but they have qualified immunity.
    Hell yeah!!!!!!!
    XK6ValN.gif
     

    ECS686

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Dec 9, 2017
    1,704
    113
    Brazil
    Anybody else rotate their magazines out to assure the springs get a break?
    No not regularly and you don’t need to. Mags get worn out by usage of constant loading and unloading. You can keep them loaded for years and they work fine with no loss of compression unlike like ones you do range times with that get weakened and banged up with dropping etc.

    With that said whenever I have to replace a mag or 3 training/range mags I rotate ones I carried into that role and generally break new ones out for the Carry role. How my Agency did it and seemed to work.But to each their own
     

    tackdriver

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 20, 2010
    481
    93
    My approach is not based on anything beyond "It's just what I do".

    Personally, mag problems (rare as they are) come from: 1. Gunk inside; 2. New springs that haven't been compressed and let set; 3. Follower sticking; 4. Bent lip or burr on lip. (Yes there's the worn out old springs and super cheap knock-off crap mags, but those are "range only" for me, and don't count here.)

    1 - Every mag I buy gets taken apart and cleaned first. There is always some "gunk" I don't want in there. Sometimes the gunk is dried and sticky, and just about the worst condition a mag can be. Once cleaned, it usually gets a very light wipe of oil if it's steel.

    2 - Every new mag gets fully loaded with whatever rounds are plentiful and handy. One big issue with mags, especial some of these new "magic capacity" things, is that the springs need to get "set in". Loaded, they get set off to the side for at least a week, usually until I think about them again. I used to think this was folk-lore, until my P365's. I made a dramatic difference.

    3 & 4 - Next, I load them and run them through the gun by hand (racking the slide) a few times. This usually shows me any clear defect (bent lip, follower catching, not holding bolt/slide after last round). I also look at the ejected rounds to see if there are any repeating scratches or nicks being added. (Shows me if there's something to look at on the gun as well.)

    After that, I use if for a light range session to ensure it functions in the gun.

    Done. I'm now confident enough that they will do what I expect them to do.

    The EDC or first couple SHTF mags get loaded with my best ammo, and put in there places. I rarely fire EDC ammo at the range, because I'm too cheap. If I win the PowerBall tonight, this may change.

    I do spend a little for dedicated EDC mags. After the above, I don't unload, reload the carry rounds, because I don't like getting my fingerprints on the good stuff! (Just kidding...maybe...)
     
    Rating - 100%
    128   0   0
    Jan 28, 2009
    3,656
    113
    To me,a quality magazine, unless it has physical damage damage doesn't need over 2 full loads before it goes into the carrier or the gun. I don't really have "range mags", all are carry quality. Buy once, cry once.
     

    Titanium_Frost

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    32   0   0
    Feb 6, 2011
    7,601
    83
    Southwestern Indiana
    Anybody else rotate their magazines out to assure the springs get a break?
    I have a Colt 1903 that was made in 1922 and kept loaded from 1965 until 2012 with the same ammo. It fired every round no issues and has never had a malfunction to this day. Not that I'm recommending it but I'd still trust it for carry as is.
     

    Goodcat

    From a place you cannot see…
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    151   0   0
    Jan 13, 2009
    3,382
    83
    New Pal
    Oh lort. 20 rounds of your carry ammo and consistent and healthy ejection pattern tells you they will run. Modern semi autos run. If yours doesn’t, choose a different gun. Do you fire more than 5,000 rounds per year out of your handgun? If so, use a designated carry mag. Otherwise doesn’t matter. If you keep your carry mags loaded at all times anyways, they have become designated carry mags.
     

    SheepDog4Life

    Natural Gray Man
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    May 14, 2016
    5,293
    113
    SW IN
    New gun and mags, I run at least 3 full mag loads through each mag. Then, the ones designated for carry, I run a full mag of SD ammo through, starting with double taps and ending with rapid fire. Once a year, I run all my carry mags empty and load with fresh SD ammo.

    Good info in this thread... and I agree with the load up the mags and let them set. I previously didn't do this and would load up my mags for a new gun prior to going to the range, or night before. Several of my Shield+ 13-rounders would only accept 12 prior to the first range trip, so I suspect they would be well served "sitting" for awhile fully loaded.

    So, going forward, new mags will get max loaded as soon as they get home. :)
     

    Bassat

    I shoot Canon, too!
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 30, 2022
    685
    93
    Osceola, Indiana 46561
    I run 200 rounds through new guns to insure the gun works properly, evenly divided between 3-4 magazines to make sure the magazines work properly. Then I'll run a full+1 magazine of defense ammo through each magazine to insure everything works well together. I clean magazines every 2-3 range trips. I clean my guns after each range trip. I run an oiled q-tip over the frame rails and slide rails about every 2 weeks for my carry guns; this serves to clean and maintain lubrication. My general policy is factory magazines ONLY for carry. Current carry hardware list: P365, P365XL, Keltec P32. Two of my Keltec P32 magazines have been fully loaded when not at the range for 20+ years. I don't worry about magazines wearing out. I shoot my defensive ammo at least once a year, then replace it. My dropped magazine policy is the same as my motorcycle helmet policy: a hard impact on a hard surface warrants replacement, no questions asked. I count on both these devices to save my life when called upon. Using possibly damage equipment is totally out of the question.

    When I carried a 1911, I had complete faith in Chip McCormick Shooting Star 8-round magazines in any gun that would accept them: Kimber, Colt, RIA, Llama. They never let me down. Other than that, factory mags only.
     

    Bassat

    I shoot Canon, too!
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 30, 2022
    685
    93
    Osceola, Indiana 46561
    New gun and mags, I run at least 3 full mag loads through each mag. Then, the ones designated for carry, I run a full mag of SD ammo through, starting with double taps and ending with rapid fire. Once a year, I run all my carry mags empty and load with fresh SD ammo.

    Good info in this thread... and I agree with the load up the mags and let them set. I previously didn't do this and would load up my mags for a new gun prior to going to the range, or night before. Several of my Shield+ 13-rounders would only accept 12 prior to the first range trip, so I suspect they would be well served "sitting" for awhile fully loaded.

    So, going forward, new mags will get max loaded as soon as they get home. :)
    I 'exercise' new mags by loading them to capacity with a MagLula 20-30 times before their first range trip. I also use the MagLula to COMPLETELY compress the spring (of full magazines) 10 times, every time I load up the magazine. No magazine goes to the range until I can easily rack the slide on FULL+1. Sigs seem to need the most exercising.
     

    ECS686

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Dec 9, 2017
    1,704
    113
    Brazil
    I 'exercise' new mags by loading them to capacity with a MagLula 20-30 times before their first range trip. I also use the MagLula to COMPLETELY compress the spring (of full magazines) 10 times, every time I load up the magazine. No magazine goes to the range until I can easily rack the slide on FULL+1. Sigs seem to need the most exercising.
    Was issued a Sig 228 for several years now use a 229 and have a personal 226z What we noticed is when full the P series 9mm seeks and can be problematic when loading with a slide forward (not as bad as an MP 5 but it will slow you down) so we went - 1 or 2 rounds and never did a plus 1 with our Sigs for that reason.

    Some guns are just quirky
     

    MrSmitty

    Master of useless information
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Jan 4, 2010
    4,488
    113
    New Albany
    I carry an M&P, sadly my extra mag is a Pro-Mag… surprisingly it has been 100% reliable, I shoot it almost every ramgevtrip, with range ammo, or carry ammo…. Color me surprised, but it has not jammed ( now I’ve done it…huh?)
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    35   0   0
    May 12, 2013
    31,688
    77
    Camby area
    Don't be afraid to drop a mag. Quality factory mags for dependable guns arent fragile.

    I shoot IDPA and regularly drop my competition mags on concrete, gravel, etc. I have yet to have so much as a hiccup.

    And because I've got a raging case of ADD I would often lose count loading so I have a specific starting mag that is gimped to only hold 11 rounds, so that one ALWAYS gets dropped at least 6-10x per match. So there is no magical rotation I'm doing that has helped avoid a failure by spreading the impacts out. .
     

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