I was at a class recently where an instructor said that a magazine spring would likely never have to be changed as long as you own the gun. Normally I try not to be argumentative, so I didn’t say anything, but as I thought about it a little more, I decided I would address that topic here.
In a semi-automatic gun there is primarily one major cause of malfunctions; the magazine. This could be from deformed lips, but more often than not it comes from the magazine spring. So why would you not regularly change magazine springs? Is it because they cost too much? Surely you can afford a $5 spring for you $1,000 Colt. Money isn’t the issue, so what is?
Most of you simply never think about the operation of your gun. If you pull the trigger and it goes bang you are happy. This type of mentality works fine for recreational shooters. Why fix it until it’s broken. However, if you just got to the state IDPA match it might be important for that gun to run properly. Further more, if you carry a weapon for your job it only takes one malfunction to send you on a permanent vacation.
Don’t let $5 stand in your way. It’s simply to easy to make sure you don’t have problems with your magazine springs. Change them every year in your duty or competition gun, and you may never have one problem. It is no doubt a great investment.
I would also recommend changing the mag spring in any gun you carry. If it fails to go bang at the range, big deal. Replace it when you get home. If your carry gun doesn’t go bang when you need it to, you are in trouble.
Mag springs are cheap. Most are relatively easy to replace (NB: watch your eyes if you change them yourself).
I know a good gunsmith that would probably replace your mag springs for you in return for a small fee.
I’ve heard that it’s smart to leave one bullet out of the magazine if it’s going to be stored temporarily. For instance I have a Glock 23 and two extra mags that I keep on my person when I carry.
Should I leave one round out of each magazine until I get ready to leave the house? -or- Can I keep them ready to go and replace springs as needed?
Great question. Magazine springs take on what is called set. This is the when the spring is compressed to where it will eventually remain. If you ever pull out old springs and compare them to new ones they are shorter. Because you have loaded the mag already and carried, you probably have experienced all the spring set that it is going to take, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Just be preemptive in changing them before they become a problem.