Ammo in your mags...what do you do?

[Underwhere]

For starters, I never refer to my carry gun as my weapon.

Too many negative vibes.

I try not to do the same thing but it slips all the time

 

[Vintovka]

For starters, I never refer to my carry gun as my weapon.

Too many negative vibes.

Not that I disagree with your reasoning, but I figured I'd chime in... I had someone once (not on this board) correct me when I referred to a firearm as a "weapon". He pointed out that I don't call my kitchen knives "weapons", so why would I refer to another tool as a weapon? My response was that if I were wielding a kitchen knife in self-defense, then yes, it was a weapon. Likewise, when my carry gun is lawfully in use (concealed, on my person, for the purpose of self-defense), then it, too, is a weapon. If I'm using it to open beers in my kitchen, then, ok, it's a utensil.

Anywho.... +1 to the "the magazine stays loaded" argument, at least for any guns in "weapon" mode, whether in a holster or in a safe.

 

[JRyan]

Stays loaded.

 

[News Shooter]

Mine stay loaded all the time for one simple reason...


I'm REALLY lazy

 

[M1911]

You get home, take off your weapon, remove the magazine and put them both in their safe. Do you remove all the ammo each time, some of the ammo (to relieve the tension on the mag spring) or simply leave the ammo in the mag because you'll be back tomorrow for your pistol?

I keep my CCW gun in a lock box. I get home, take gun out of my holster, put it in the lockbox. Why unload it?

As far as "removing tension from the magazine spring", why? Springs fatigue through movement -- compressing and releasing the spring. Simply sitting there loaded isn't going to hurt the spring.

 

[M1911]

What about the round that was in the chamber? I've heard (on the internet, so it has to be true) that constantly loading / unloading the same round can lead to the bullet being pushed back into the case. Any truth?

Yes, setback is a possibility. I would worry about it more in a high pressure caliber (e.g., .40 or .357Sig) than 45 ACP.

 

[Radio]

loaded always

 

[Jose]

I once asked a metallurgist, and he said the same thing. That the constant compression and decompression of the spring will cause fatigue quicker than having it compressed all the time.

He actually asked me if I put my car on jacks every night to keep the leaf and coil springs fresh on my Jeep.

Yet no matter how many times metallurgists and engineers continue to say this the myth just won't die.

I leave my magazines full 24/7. The only time I empty one by hand is when changing from defensive to target loads at the range.

And not dealing with idiotic storage laws, I leave whatever guns I need fully loaded.

 

[Cuda444]

Always loaded with one in the chamber.

 

[SKS Ray]

For starters, I never refer to my carry gun as my weapon.

Too many negative vibes.

Not to drift off topic here or start another set of arguments, but that reminds me of a situation the LEO that gave me my safety course told me about.

He said to never refer to my carry gun as a weapon and gave me an example of a licensed gun owner being arrested when asked by police one night if he had any weapons on him and he said yes.

The guy eventually was cleared but what a pile of shit to go through.

From that day on I always refered to my carry gun as a firearm.

 

[clinotus]

I follow the same routine as Andy in NH does. I have lets say, two guns in rotation that I will carry about on my person at different times, depending on style of dress and holster. Those two have adequate magazines for the range so if I plink with either I can send the chambered round down the lane and load a plinking magazine.
Later when I swap out I take a live carry round from the box-o-twenty and add it to the top before rechambering/'charging'.
Every three or six months I send the carry magazine down range..though no real need to do so other than to make sure I'm comfortable with the recoil and reliability of my carry ammunition.

 

[clinotus]

Not to drift off topic here or start another set of arguments, but that reminds me of a situation the LEO that gave me my safety course told me about.

He said to never refer to my carry gun as a weapon and gave me an example of a licensed gun owner being arrested when asked by police one night if he had any weapons on him and he said yes.

The guy eventually was cleared but what a pile of shit to go through.

From that day on I always refered to my carry gun as a firearm.

I'll quip in on this as well, and admit I try to use the word firearm as much as possible. Occasionally (I think even in my last post) I use the word gun or weapon, but for the most part I try to keep the definitions strict.

 

[dwarven1]

You get home, take off your weapon, remove the magazine and put them both in their safe.

The firearm goes into the safe (if it's not on me) fully loaded. If I want to get it out, I want it ready to shoot RFN. (Right Now!) I assume that all my firearms are loaded, and if I want to clean it or dry-fire it, it gets cleared.

What about the round that was in the chamber? I've heard (on the internet, so it has to be true) that constantly loading / unloading the same round can lead to the bullet being pushed back into the case.

100% true. I have a friend who does the load/unload on his Llama large-frame .45 and it's really weird to see a shortened .45 ACP round. Avoid doing that to the same round constantly; the bullet pushed back in the case decreases the case volume, which drives the pressure way up when the round is fired... which could lead to a broken gun and an injured shooter.

Also, I found it useful to number or mark your mags.

Being the technogeek I am, I use a Brother P-touch to put a number label on the bottom of each mag.

 

[EddieCoyle]

For starters, I never refer to my carry gun as my weapon.

Too many negative vibes.

I try not to either. I had to wear a "W" necklace once.

 

[rscalzo]

Also, I found it useful to number or mark your mags

The paint pens sold at AC Moore or other craft stores work well for this purpose. they come in many colors and tip thickness. Fine or medium work well and it will not wash or rub off. I put initials and number on each.

 

[Twigg]

Carry mags always stay loaded and pistol is put away with one in the chamber.

I think this might be the most often quoted post in a single thread.
... and exactly what I do.

 

[gerrycaruso]

Why do you remove your weapon and ammo and lock them up out of your reach when you get home?

 

[delgrifith]

Not to drift off topic here or start another set of arguments, but that reminds me of a situation the LEO that gave me my safety course told me about.

He said to never refer to my carry gun as a weapon and gave me an example of a licensed gun owner being arrested when asked by police one night if he had any weapons on him and he said yes.

The guy eventually was cleared but what a pile of shit to go through.

From that day on I always refered to my carry gun as a firearm.

So what was the charge using the word weapon? This makes no sense to me, after finding the "weapon" to be a firearm which the carrier is licensed to have there is no arrestable offense.

 

[drew]

6+ mags each gun, three mags loaded -1 round each, and magazines get roatated every 3 months. Always one in the chamber and always by my side no matter what... except for the places you can't carry into..

 

[Mike-Mike]

I try not to either. I had to wear a "W" necklace once.

You must have taken the same class as me.

 

[Palladin]

in the house ..fully loaded, one in the chamber, G30 & G23 all the time.
summer carry is a 442

 

[Will Brink]

Here's a common scenario for most of us with CCW....

You get home, take off your weapon, remove the magazine and put them both in their safe. Do you remove all the ammo each time, some of the ammo (to relieve the tension on the mag spring) or simply leave the ammo in the mag because you'll be back tomorrow for your pistol?

Curious minds (including mine) want to know!

Nope. Gun goes in safe loaded, extra mag goes in safe loaded. When I leave, all I have to to is stick gun in what ever CCW method is being used and grab mag. Every few weeks or so I will rotate out those mags that have been loaded for other mags and that's about it. Mags can stay loaded without issues in my experience.

 

[Ray-500]

in the house ..fully loaded, one in the chamber, G30 & G23 all the time.
summer carry is a 442

In home, always available to me is an L.A.R Grizzly in .45 Win Mag. loaded with 260 gr. JHP. Take it to the range at least 6 times per year for function and familiarity. Do not shoot more than 50 rounds at each session. I trust this piece....explicitly.

 

[Lynne]

I try not to either. I had to wear a "W" necklace once.

I know what that means!

 

[codenamepaul]

My GF stopped letting me use her nail polish after a late night reinactment of Buffalo Bill's Drag scene in Silence of the Lambs

But yeah marking your mags is a good idea. Especially when you have sh*tloads of them.

My carry guns stays loaded 24-7, with periodic ammo refreshment.
If I had kids in the house it'd be different.

It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again!!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tDgS6qLsVM4

 

[rep308]

my two cents...

- Watch out for bullet set back. Some of you guys may be chambering and unchambering the same rounds over enough that you will cause the bullet to set back in the case...and then...BOOM.

I seem to remember a story about an kidnap attempt on Princess Margret where her body guards gun jammed because of change in length of the cartridge from loading the same bullet into the chamber for a couple of months. I rotate the ammo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne,_Princess_Royal#Kidnap_attempt

Princess Anne was the target of a failed kidnap attempt on 20 March 1974. It remains the closest in modern times any individual has come to kidnapping a member of the British Royal Family.

The incident occurred as Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were returning to Buckingham Palace from a London charity event on Pall Mall. Their Austin Princess Limousine was forced to stop by a Ford Escort.[2] The driver of the Escort, Ian Ball (later judged to be mentally unstable) jumped from his car, firing a gun. Inspector James Beaton, the Princess's personal police officer, responded by jumping out to shield the Princess as he tried to disarm Ball. However, his gun jammed and he was shot in the head and chest.

 

[GSG]

Every night the gun goes in the safe with the spare mags, all fully loaded. When the gun comes out, the loaded chamber indicator lets me know there's one in the pipe, and I check the mag before holsttering. Setback is a concern since 2 of my 3 carry guns are chambered for .357 Sig, and I see no reason to unload my guns. Every few months I rotate the mags, and 2-3 times a year I shoot off the carry ammo.

 

[2000GM]

Replacement springs are dirt cheap. I just replace mine every once in a while.

 

[Ham Slam]

I think there is an actual term called point elasticity that means a spring will always return to its shape unless it is bent pass the point of elasticity. At the point it is bent past the point of elasticity it will not return to its original shape again. Basically my understanding is that you could keep 10 rounds in a 10 round mag forever. but if you 11 in it once, it will never be the same.

 

[NH40VE]

this post reminds me..i need more mags.
one 15rnd and one 10rnd for my 92d and i always keep the 15 full.
(10rnd needs replaced(or fixed) i think,rnds seem to catch on edge)