How Long Can You Leave Your AR-15 Magazines Loaded? The Definitive Answer

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What happens when you leave your AR15 mags loaded for a long time? This question comes up and many wonder what happens over time, do the lips spread, springs compress, will the mag still function? How long can you leave your AR mags loaded? Dave found some mags that were loaded in 2005 and decided to put them to the test.
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Опубликовано:

30 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 107

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Head over to our website to get all the links you're looking for from this video. www.gunsandtactics.com/how-long-can-you-leave-ar-mags-loaded

@seraph1926 Год назад

OK. Had a Matrix moment. Then I realized that you probably had to re-edit and re-upload because inserting things into other things hurts people's feelings 🙄

@carbonking53 Год назад

We are living in the matrix every day now.

@thaddeustroyer Год назад

@seraph1926, I was thinking the exact same thing. Matrix is real

@ETHRON1 Год назад

Nice...

@EliAngwin Год назад

How long can a 2 ton car or truck sit on its springs and hold that weight without issues? Decades.

@s0bedrag0n Год назад

Engineers will tell you, springs wear out with use. Not static loaded or unloaded.

@Solidbuilthomes Год назад

That's what I heard... appears to be true

@m4rko229 Год назад

Was about to ask how well they work when loaded again,thanks for answering my question

@JamesEmmons-w2g Год назад

they should of shown him doing it to prove it. I saw one with those plastic mags and half the audience says they screw up@@m4rko229

@Mrgunsngear Год назад

Oh I have a story about this….

@GunsandTactics Год назад

You mean me having to delete this video and re-upload it lol

@rustyshackleford4299 Год назад

Yeah, after the remark about soft points on this G&T video I went searching for Mr. G&G vid on PMC sp ...it gone. CommieToob can suck it!

@Goldenwithaleash Год назад

My dad had handful of old GI 1911 mags fully loaded for at least 30 years that I stumbled across and tried out of curiosity. All ran fine.

@theinternetis7250 Год назад

Noooooo, you cant just leave your magazines loaded

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Or can you

@theinternetis7250 Год назад

@@GunsandTactics xD

@d1909a Год назад

yes

@Del_S Год назад

haha spring go squish

@jooper99 Год назад

Springs don't wear out from staying compressed or extended. It's the repeated compression/extension cycle that wears them out.

@MarsDK88 Год назад

Sir sir Isaac newton

@WalterHart-k5f Год назад

@@MarsDK88 .....the apple guy, he taught us something!

@bdkj3e Год назад

Found a loaded AK mag my parents garage that was 18 years old and it worked fine, even with the wolf ammo having a slight bit of surface rust.

@lucasromero9377 Год назад

Cool parents having loaded ak mags Im the only dude in my family with non fudd guns

@redrambler2000 10 месяцев назад

@@lucasromero9377it could be worse. Im the only one thats not a liberal in my family.

@highermedia Год назад

That's not a proper scientific test. You didn't even measure the strength of the springs.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Oh but we did ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uJjvCmISomU.htmlsi=KJr6BHfznd5t6hUr

@LackLusterMedia Год назад

Magpuls PMAGS will split on the seam at the top rear. I'd be happy to send a few for you to show the point of failure. It's just small enough that I didn't notice the malfunction until I tried to load the mag. The split made the top of the mag "swell" and it was difficult to enter the magwell. Mine had been loaded with 30 rounds. Both 556 and 223. The malfunction of the mag causes FTF and 2X feeds every other shot. I lost 15 mags from this and now use them to train my wife. It's great for SPORTS and other scenarios.

@skyofstorms Год назад

was this newer gen3's or older mags? I've had reliability issues in some rifles with the gen2's, but gen 3's have been butter for me so far and they fixed a lot of the issues.

@pdxmarine1430 10 месяцев назад

I believe this was an issue with the various colors of pmgs, as the colorant actually degraded the structural integrity of the polymer, which is why they no longer make pmags in all sorts of colors

@jameshood9694 8 месяцев назад

Some mags don't have steel feed lips, so if they are plastic then the plastic lips get weak over time due to tension. That's why they included that little plastic piece to go over the top. It's not just a dust cover

@Jimmy.O. Год назад

This is another place where GI Mags win.

@jondavidmcnabb Год назад

Solid content!!!! very very few videos on RU-vid of 17 year stored ammo and mags. I will probably end up using this video to debunk range/keyboard ninjas down the road. I appreciate it Dave.

@rastraquillo3536 9 месяцев назад

I loaded four 30rd Magpul mags and four 20rd mags. Threw them in the safe, forgot about them...life took over and it did not involve time to shoot. Over 10 years later, took them to the camp, to shoot, no problems.

@Croak1 Год назад

I'm guessing this is a re-upload after nuking the video to ward off the RU-vid Botpocalypse last month.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Yup. Few videos will be coming back over the next few days.

@johnphillips222 Год назад

This is a classic from you, great work that went viral!

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Yeah, it was a disappointment that we had to take it down briefly during the recent community issues but happy to be re-uploading some of our videos again. Just a bummer that we lost all of the views and comments.

@jondavidmcnabb Год назад

@@GunsandTactics it was part of the "script" to demonetize..... Why share money when you can arbitrarily take content provides cash.....

@ACommenterOnYouTube 3 месяца назад

Mine are loaded for 7 days ...

@pineappleguns3292 10 месяцев назад

My theory is a magazine costs $10. It’s definitely worth $50 - $70 to always have 5-7 loaded should you and your family ever need them suddenly. If they fail one day, you’ve usually got plenty more ! $70 is pocket change compared to how much most of us spend on ammo/gear/guns/ etc. I’d rather have a few mags fail after 15-20 years of being loaded, than not have loaded mags if I ever needed them suddenly - I too prefer metal magazines

@Brykk Год назад

I have no problem at all storing ammo in metal mags. I can attest to polymer mags deforming over time, when left loaded. I have a few pmags that have deformed after being loaded for a little over 5 years. The sides have bulged slightly and they dont retain the rounds like when they were new. I will say though, i didnt store the ammo in them with the dust covers on. The mags will still go into the rifles, but they have bulged to a point that they have some noticeable resistance when inserting/removing them. The metal mags i stored right next to them (both steel and aluminum) have zero bulging and/or round retention issues.

@johnsmith-dm2tq Год назад

here is a thing to know about metal, its not all the same. the mag manufacturer orders spools of wire, and the spools may or may not be treated and may or may not be 100% pure quality wise. this leads to spots where heat treating and spring quality differs. in short you may leave 30 p mags loaded and only have a issue with 1 or 2 of them. so many people say, "i leave mine loaded and its fine" and other people leave them loaded and experience issues like the last shot hold open no longer works. I made hoop earring for tattoo shops and noticed when working with wire that the stainless spools would have spots where magnets would stick to the wire and i would have to cut these out because they were impure and am sure mag factories experience the same issues.

@DinoNucci Год назад

G&T, I'm convinced the springs are fine in w/e brand mag, wondering if you have an opinion on the different brands' feed lips (steel vs poly too)? We all have the Magpul "mag cover things" that keep the ammo depressed slightly off the feed lips. Think that's because they think / know their feed lips might give up eventually?

@DinoNucci Год назад

AH, just watched your next vid that kinda covers this. TY.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

All good

@mudrutoverland2293 17 дней назад

I had standard NATO, steel magazines and mag pull polymer mag stored for six years fully loaded all 30 rounds. I found that the steel NATO mags wouldn’t feed right because the lips head spread apart and jammed up really bad in my AR. However, the mag pull polymer fed just fine, so I switched over to all mag polymer magazines.

@ernest9606 Год назад

Do agree. Police should buy there own magazines and ammo. Why should the working class buy everything?

@smoothtutable 10 месяцев назад

I have two questions 1: what is a high point 995 9mm a pistol or a rifle? 2: I’m getting a ar15 what’s the best one for a cheap price and the best ammunition for the price?

@ETHRON1 Год назад

I read an article some years ago about some Vietnam era M14 mags (approximately stored early 70s) that were found in 2007 in a closet loaded 20 rounds each they had mold and other gunk on and in them and they functioned pretty much ok...so who's to say...

@metallampman Год назад

Almost all mags work even after long storage XCEPT promags.. they are made out of coat hangars and they are no good fresh from the factory ..

@jeffhdpd782 Год назад

i really have been wondering about that very thing. thanks for the info. all of mine are pmags and i dont see having them set for 17 plus years. maybe 5 or so at a time. my plan was to load up all of the pmags i have and then when i go shoot just leave them empty till i run out and then repeat the process. good info!

@MontanaWelldigger Год назад

Until the government comes to take them away, the unload them accurately one round at a time...

@joehalligan7497 5 месяцев назад

Forgot about this channel. Glad I stumbled upon it again

@jgranger2002 Год назад

55 grain soft point will ruin someone's day 100%.

@Ghostpr787 Год назад

Damn i left 3 mag full for about 4 years and i decided to shoot them and see what happen. And well it work like a champ. And the type of mag was the pmag. And i imagine the metal ones will be even better

@vickilewerenz7061 2 месяца назад

Thank you so much!😊

@jessebarnett4205 Год назад

Nice video though I would have liked it more if you had re-loaded the mags and then cycled them again.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Check out the next video

@ethanstorey3485 3 месяца назад

Forever end of story.

@y-u-do-yo Год назад

Well, thats all i need 2 know😅

@JimmynVegas Год назад

But you’ll bend your op rod

@Division_Agent_ Год назад

Springs do not wear out by staying compressed or decompress. It's the compressing and decompressing back and forth, back and forth that breaks them in & wears them out. Think of it as a car that sitting at the dealership. If it's sitting there, the suspension is fine & will have no wear. But put it on the road & drive it. Eventually you would have replace it.

@ETHRON1 Год назад

I have grab-n-go cans with 8 mags 25 rounds each with an extra 200 rnds on clips and a spoon sealed...opened one the other day...all ammo nice and shiny...not bad for 10 years.

@tacticoolgent1784 Год назад

I feel like I already watched this video.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

We had to scrub and reload due to the recent issues

@reverendrestomod5247 Год назад

Pretty sure my pmags were loaded about 2015 and put in a go bag. Recently tested with a new PSA rifle. Not one hiccup. Freedom munitions fmj

@independentthinker8930 Год назад

The most fatiguing wear is loading/unloading. They have x number of cycles.

@Zantar45 Год назад

Back in the day when surplus was still a thing a buddy bought several wax sealed boxes of loaded 1911 magazines from the 40's and we shot a box and they all worked. And the gun we used wasn't Grandpa's old reliable well broken in Colt 1911 either, it was one of those ratty Spanish or South American imported 1911's.

@Invitingsauce Год назад

I don’t keep my metal mags loaded unless they are AK mags. PMags with the little cover? Made to be left loaded! Feed lips are the issue not the springs…..usually

@joquin4618 Год назад

Algorithm comment for the 15 year magazine loaded win 🙌

@xnorcal831x Год назад

Ammo is not like fruit where they go bad after a few years. 5 to 10 years is nothing if it's good ammo in a proper mag. I got 30 06 from ww2 that still goes bang everytime if stored proper.

@peachfuds Год назад

Lookin a little short there. Ya got a tax stamp for that thang, son?

@GunsandTactics Год назад

I am on the unlimited plan

@tcbkkb1 Год назад

Yep!

@Dire_wolfe Год назад

steel mags are fine, but the pmags and other plastic mags will loosen slightly at the seams over time. I would only preload my g.i. mags, and keep the pmags empty til the mission

@tangenarms7570 Год назад

Ive got you beat. ... I have a mag left from my first AR15 i sold in 1995. Its been in the bottom of an old ammo can full of pieces and parts since then.

@mrgoodbar216 Год назад

Its the loading and unloading over time that makes springs weak that makes the mags go bad. Not a spring thats been compressed for a long time

@ExplorinInTheWoods Год назад

That’s pretty neat. Liked for the TR24 because that optic is based.

@g8orfan152 Год назад

Where can you get those pull tabs for your mags? I've made my own with paracord.

@s0bedrag0n Год назад

Magpul

@dahut3614 Год назад

@@s0bedrag0n That's how they started, and they might have played a few cards right! after that!

@thewhiteknight02 Год назад

They are called mag pulls. From magpul.

@irafowlerjr.7492 Год назад

Really enjoyed, good info. Thanks

@MeThePeople2 Год назад

Good to know, thanks

@charlesphillips5906 Год назад

You mentioned steel feed lips, I thought GI mags were aluminum?

@evanr.6171 Год назад

They are stainless steel

@Del_S Год назад

He said they were center industries magazines, as far as I can see on google they should be aluminium, but they also did make some steel bodied mags too it seems around the time these ones were bought. There was a follow-up video where he examines the mags more as well, so hopefully it comes back soon too.

@GunsandTactics Год назад

yup ill get that one back shortly

@charlesphillips5906 Год назад

@@evanr.6171 I wasn’t aware that any GI magazines were made of stainless steel?

@wildmanjeff42 Год назад

some are aluminum, some are stainless steel. I have both, and pmags. I think I prefer the SS

@denbo74 Год назад

I’m subscribed and haven’t seen a video from you in a couple years!

@GunsandTactics Год назад

Glad to have you back!

@Valorius Год назад

Forever.

@Armadilla_1 Год назад

Fantastic

@pauljackson1744 11 месяцев назад

Good job

@user-td1zo3tv9p Год назад

Good info to know and see live here. As a side not and not trying to steal your thunder, but I found 5 fully loaded GI mags filled with 230 grain .45ACP ammo, 7 rounds in genuine GI mags that I'd loaded and forgot when I left Germany when I left the US Army in 1982. After 10 years as a Deputy Sheriff and another 15 years packed away in one of my foot lockers with various old Army stuff, I was rummaging through and found them. Well, I had a free weekend so I took the old Colt M1911A1 I bought when I was in Germany back in 1980 out to my shooting area here in Arizona along with some fresh ammo and newer magazines and fired that older ammo that had been loaded for some 26 or 27 years or so, stuffed a mag into my Colt andet loose. All of the magazines that had been loaded for all those years cycled the ammo just fine and didn't cause any malfunctions of any kind whatsoever. So I'm of the same opinion as you are about magazines and leaving them loaded for long periods...as long as you buy QUALITY magazines that are assembled with QUALITY components, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever so long as the storage methods aren't crappy either. Lastly, I've stored my AR mags with 30 rounds for prolonged periods without issues as well as with only 28 rounds. I understand the philosophy of only loafing 28 rounds for longer-term storage but as far as I am concerned, YMMV.

@JessesChannel Год назад

Great video! Short and to the point. Love it.

@mh4392 4 месяца назад

It’s incredible that this is even a topic, but it is. I’ve never heard people say you should unscrew the suspension in your car to prevent the springs from wearing out 😬 humans sometimes barely have a perception of time, springs sure as hell don’t.

@Pioneerprawn Год назад

Got to ask a stupid question. What the hell are the rubber things on the bottom of his mags? I have the same magazines and I’ve been trying like hell to find them.

@ChucksSEADnDEAD Год назад

Magpuls.

@faarron Год назад

They are magpuls. The same thing the company is named for. Hope that answered your question.

@jme-one Год назад

Magazine Pulls - Magpul

@martylost167 Год назад

I have a gun by my bed and had moisture issues with a clip. I open the window right above the night stand. Yes, rotate your ammo and use proper storage.

@KendrasEdge757 Год назад

Can’t believe we’re still talking about this. Magazine springs don’t weaken by being left compressed they weaken by compressing and decompressing. The springs come in the mags stiffer because the steel will “compress” slightly as it breaks in, but can be left loaded for decades and still run, provided of course the mags are properly made and the springs are as well. PMags and government mags are well proven to remain loaded and still run after many many years. Feed lips can move on steel GI mags, but not the PMags if not left in adverse conditions &/or damaged.