Spring Fatigue During Storage
Some gun owners argue against storing a cocked firearm or a loaded magazine, fearing that a compressed spring will weaken over time. I myself was unsure of the correct approach, so I took to question to a professional. A friend of mine is a mechanical engineer, gun enthusiast, and combat veteran of Afghanistan. I asked him to teach me about spring fatigue, specifically his experience with spring fatigue in firearms, and his response made a lot of sense to me. To that end, I decided to share it here:
“Although storing energy in a spring for long periods of time will theoretically cause a breakdown of the material, the practical limits of the material (steel) versus the amount of energy being stored (in a magazine spring or other firearm assembly) make this a non-issue. It would take an extremely long time, on the order of hundreds of years or more, for the steel to weaken appreciably.
However, springs are vulnerable to outside forces like any other material. For example, although storing a loaded magazine will not weaken the springs, traces of moisture present in the magazine housing or on items stored alongside the magazine can easily cause corrosion in the spring, potentially in as little as a few days, resulting in an obvious loss of spring strength after the spring has been put back into service."
However, springs are vulnerable to outside forces like any other material. For example, although storing a loaded magazine will not weaken the springs, traces of moisture present in the magazine housing or on items stored alongside the magazine can easily cause corrosion in the spring, potentially in as little as a few days, resulting in an obvious loss of spring strength after the spring has been put back into service."
In summary, there is no need to avoid compressing a spring during storage, but you must ensure that the springs are stored in a dry, clean environment to prevent the introduction of moisture or other corrosives. Additionally, choose springs that have been plated to prevent corrosion or are made from stainless steel, or coat the springs in a rust preventative before storing.
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