# Leaving a gun loaded for extended periods of time



## the_waterwolf (Feb 8, 2013)

Fellow members of OGF,

I'm seeking your thoughts on if a gun is damaged by having one in the chamber for long periods of time. I have several handguns scattered around the home that are loaded with one in the chamber at all times. I was told by a coworker that he had did this to one of his sigs and after a few years he had to replace some springs because the gun would consistently FTE on him. I have all glocks and springfields. Is this something that I should be concerned about?

For the record, it is just my fiance and I who live here, no children, no dogs, no way that any guests could possibly accidentally set one of these off. Even if a round were to go off they are all aimed in a safe direction.


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## All Thumbs (Apr 11, 2004)

imho - keeping your clips fully loaded could harm them eventually but one in the chamber should not cause harm to the gun itself


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## ohihunter2014 (Feb 19, 2017)

mag springs yes but the actual chamber or the recoil spring there is no way. recoil springs aren't under pressure unless the slide is back and they do wear out after along time as my buddy had to replace his 1911's. mag springs do get week and would have issues pushing the next round up.


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## Specgrade (Apr 14, 2017)

Don't worry about leaving one in the chamber. Mag springs only wear from constant loading and unloading. Keeping a spring compressed won't hurt it. Never had a problem with Beretta, Glock, Bersa or even my Davis .32.

Get a revolver and forget all your troubles. I love my S&W 686plus!


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## the_waterwolf (Feb 8, 2013)

A revolver is next on the list. I appreciate the input. I figured there was nothing wrong with leaving one in the chamber.


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## Roy P (Apr 12, 2017)

I have carried a Glock 22 (.40 cal) for years and always have had the mags at capacity -1 and have never had a problem with any of them ( I carried 4).


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

This doesn't apply to your exact question, but I had an experience with a rifle that I will never forget. A friend was showing me a Savage 22 mag that he had for sale. The gun had not been fired in probably 20 years. We were in my house and he put a round into it and when he pushed the bolt forward, it went off and shot a hole through the wall. I was furious! He pushed the bolt nice and easy, never touched the trigger, but the ammo was as old as the gun and a rimfire round. It just had enough friction and resistance from build up dust and gunk that the claws on the bolt set it off. Thankfully, no one was shot.


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## elkhtr (Oct 23, 2006)

Leaving a round chambered should not cause any problems. Police officers carry their semi autos loaded pretty much 100% of the time. Most departments carry glocks, something close to 75% US departments. They use these guns for years with very few problems.


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

My revolvers always have one in each of the 6 chambers...
Seriously, I think if the gun is laying around, its not a safe practice to leave a round in the chamber. Once had a shotgun where I left one in the chamber and one day I picked it up and accidentally hit the trigger and blew a hole in my mattress. I consider myself a very lucky man that no further damage was done. To this day my wife thinks it was a mouse..(seriously) Yes I tried to replace the mattress without her knowing it. Was going great but the mattress people showed up little early and my wife decided she was going in late... 

Point is, I learned a lesson. Semi's I dont leave one in the chamber.


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## MIGHTY (Sep 21, 2013)

As others have said, the mag spring might get weak over time from being compressed and cause some issues feeding, especially the last round.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Won't hurt to leave it loaded. Won't help you if it's unloaded.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Loaded 24/7..


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## Drm50 (Dec 26, 2014)

A round in the chamber is no problem as long as chamber and ammo is clean. Loaded magazines
are a different story. There are big differences in the quality of magazines and magazine springs.
Springs are made through a heat treating process, even the same brand can differ from different
production runs. Springs to get weak from whatever the cause. Some springs will take a "set"
if left compressed for long periods. So there is no set in stone answer for this. I have pistols that
are close to 100yrs old and still have good mag springs. I have seen mags with new pistols bad
NIB. I like to rotate my mags that are loaded. It only stands to reason that there is less stress on
a spring that is not compressed.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Seems a lot of mag springs today aren't what they used to be. They just aren't made the same. Plus, many mags today are double stack instead of single stack. And it seems gun manufacturers are building more and more smaller/compact handguns for conceal carry purposes then ever before. That equates to designing the smallest handgun they can with the most capacity possible. And that often equates to small double stack mags. with smaller built springs. Just stands to reason these smaller coils on one of these springs crammed into a small mag and compressed to almost nothing when fully loaded won't take the stress of the heavier coiled, say old colt 1911 mag springs that could be left loaded for years and still function properly. The mag housing itself is big enough in the full size, single stack mag that when fully loaded the spring Isnt compressed nearly as tight as on the smaller compact pistols.

Used to be the idea that these older, single stack, full size mag. springs hardly ever got weak from being loaded regardless of time. They got weak, broke or failed from being loaded and unloaded(compressed-uncompressed). They would take a 'set' when they were new and 1st loaded and left that way for say a week or so but that 'set' was figured in to their making process. They operated fine with that set. And they weren't overcompressed cause there was room in the mag housing.
Today, again with all the compact pistols being made, and many are double stack mags even in full size pistols, I'm not so sure that the same idea holds true.
The springs are just compressed down as far as they can go.

One of my house guns has 17rd double stack mags.
For the above stated reasons, I rotate the mags. out every month or so and always keep 14 rds in them instead of a full 17 figuring Im not mashing the springs to their max compression. And, my range mags aren't my house mags. cause they get loaded to the max and fired which is working the springs more. They will fail...and have, long before the house mags.

P.S. Tell your friend he needs to shoot his Sig. more than every few years. Lol!


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Seems a lot of mag springs today aren't what they used to be. They just aren't made the same. Plus, many mags today are double stack instead of single stack. And it seems gun manufacturers are building more and more smaller/compact handguns for conceal carry purposes then ever before. That equates to designing the smallest handgun they can with the most capacity possible. And that often equates to small double stack mags. with smaller built springs. Just stands to reason these smaller coils on one of these springs crammed into a small mag and compressed to almost nothing when fully loaded won't take the stress of the heavier coiled, say old colt 1911 mag springs that could be left loaded for years and still function properly. The mag housing itself is big enough in the full size, single stack mag that when fully loaded the spring Isnt compressed nearly as tight as on the smaller compact pistols.
> 
> Used to be the idea that these older, single stack, full size mag. springs hardly ever got weak from being loaded regardless of time. They got weak, broke or failed from being loaded and unloaded(compressed-uncompressed). They would take a 'set' when they were new and 1st loaded and left that way for say a week or so but that 'set' was figured in to their making process. They operated fine with that set. And they weren't overcompressed cause there was room in the mag housing.
> Today, again with all the compact pistols being made, and many are double stack mags even in full size pistols, I'm not so sure that the same idea holds true.
> ...


load em all the way partial load creates spring memory!!!


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## Longhorn (Oct 26, 2014)

My S&W Model 457 that I bought 20 years ago remains loaded along with all the mags (as do both my 1911s, my Px4 Compact and even my Mark II). I have never had even the slightest hint on an issue with any of my firearms. Oh, I also keep my AR & AK magazines full up at all times as well. An unloaded firearm is otherwise known as a paperweight.

I found a link where Greg (aka Hickok45) weighs in:


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