magazine springs

[rooster]

I would like to purchase new mag springs for my pistol.  I called Rohrbaugh and they said no one had tried to buy just mag springs yet and that they would call me back.  In the mean time I went to the Wolf website and it turns out that they do not make the mag springs for that pistol.  I then went to Checkmate and they had nothing on their site, that was useful, so I called back Rohrbaugh and they said that they were waithing to here from their supplier.  Does anybody know of a source for springs?  I find it hard to beleive that we cannot rebuild our mags.

[Michigunner]

I agree with you, rooster.  You often find writers saying that magazines are suspect when a pistol malfunctions.  It would be useful to try spring replacement, instead of buying a new magazine.

On another note, when I ordered a new magazine from Rohrbaugh, the welding seams were no longer visible.  They look much better now.

Bill

[PsychoSword]

Wolff doesn't even make mag springs for the Kahr. I went to their site looking for springs for some 9mm mags and nothing. This after looking on Kahrs website and realizing that ordering new springs costs almost as much as ordering new Kahr factory mags from some of the cheaper places.

[skwurlntz]

I would like to purchase new mag springs for my pistol.  <snip> I find it hard to beleive that we cannot rebuild our mags.

I find it had to believe that you would ever need to replace magazine springs in your lifetime, unless you altered them in some way.  Rohrbaugh does not use cheap springs and you are too smart to believe that urban myth about springs losing their elasticity just because you leave the magazine loaded more than <insert time period here>.

[PsychoSword]

The mags for my Kahr got weak. Mag springs don't get weak from staying loaded, but from being used. In other words when they're used through their range of motion, they'll get weak eventually. If they just stay loaded to a pressure within spec, they shouldn't lose their spring.

[rooster]

You are quite right, after awhile they take a set and I usualy change out my springs when thet are about 2 coils shorter than a new one.  Alot happens quickly after a round is fired and that spring has to get a fresh round up in time to be chambered.  I know that these springs are very good but putting in new ones is cheap insurance.

[harrydog]

The mags for my Kahr got weak. Mag springs don't get weak from staying loaded, but from being used. In other words when they're used through their range of motion, they'll get weak eventually. If they just stay loaded to a pressure within spec, they shouldn't lose their spring.

I find it hard to believe that any owner of an R9 is shooting it enough to cause the mag springs to weaken. I would think that with high quality springs (and Rohrbaugh is supposed to use nothing but the best materials, right?) it would take many hundreds of cycles to weaken them to the point where they might begin to cause problems. Does anyone even have as many as 1000 rounds through their R9 other than Eric Rohrbaugh? 500 cycles, using 2 magazines and 6 rounds per cycle would be 6000 rounds fired.

[PursuitSS]

Almost any spring will take a "set" if compressed long enough. There are many factors involved, how far it is compressed, what are the design parameters, quailty of the steel, proper heat treating, etc.

Bottom line, if the spring is noticeably shorter than a new spring...............REPLACE IT!

Remember, Murphy was an optimist!

PursuitSS

[rooster]

Shooting a pistol does not weaken the mag springs, being compressed all the time makes them take a set, and they can become shorter in length and also weaker in strength.  Whenever I have bought other pistols there is a breakdown of all the parts and usually you can purchase any of the individual components.  Your mag consists of the follower, spring, mag body, and floorplate if it is not welded to the body and the base pad.  Springs can get rusty, bent and or broken.  Followers wear if they are plastic, and numerous other things can happen.  Now if I need a spring for whatever reason I cannot get one without buying a new mag. I mean I can get a takedown pin, grip screws and just about every other part to keep my weapon running except for mag parts.  I just found that odd,  I forgot to mention that Maria called me the other day and said she located a couple of springs for me and they are on their way so my problem is solved.  If any of you other R owners are interested give her a call.  They really are a first class company.

[Fud]

I find it hard to believe that any owner of an R9 is shooting it enough to cause the mag springs to weaken.

As was already pointed out, springs get weaker by being and remaining compressed. I usually load all of my magazines to 80% of capacity -- and alternate every three months with unloaded magazines. That helps prolong the life of the spring and with 6 rounds (80% x 6 = 5.4 + 1) instead of 7, I still have one extra round more than in a J-frame.

[Richard S]

Back in my Army days, our HQ Company Armorer advocated changing out handgun magazines every 30 days -- "30 days on, 30 days off," was his mantra.  Spring technology has made some serious advances since then.  I now change out my magazines twice a year (along with my smoke detector batteries) when I change my clocks.  

[harrydog]

As was already pointed out, springs get weaker by being and remaining compressed.

I think that's very much open to debate. It was also pointed out that they do not get weaker by remaining compressed but rather by being cycled. I can understand recoil springs needing replacement fairly often in a gun like the R9 but I'm not convinced that leaving a magazine loaded will weaken the springs enough to affect functioning, particularly with todays advances in metallurgy.

[Michigunner]

I have often read that it is OK to keep a magazine fully loaded.

Mine might get switched once a year, just for the heck of it.

Here is a statement by Wolff Springs.

5. Should I unload my magazines, rotate magazines, load with fewer than the maximum rounds? How often should I change magazine springs?

Magazine springs in semi-auto pistols are one of the most critical springs and the subject of much debate and concern. Magazines which are kept fully loaded for long periods of time, such as law enforcement applications, will generally be subject to more fatigue than the weekend shooter's magazine springs which are loaded up only when shooting. Magazine design and capacity also affect the longevity of the spring. Older designs where maximum capacity was not the goal such as the 7 round 1911 Colt magazines will last for years fully loaded. There was a lot of room for a lot of spring which reduced the overall stress on the spring. In recent hi-capacity magazines, the magazines were designed to hold more rounds with less spring material. This puts more stress on the spring and will cause fatigue at a faster rate. Unloading these magazines a round or two will help the life of the spring. Rotating fully loaded magazines will also help the problem somewhat but is not always practical. In applications where the magazine must be kept loaded, a high quality magazine spring such as Wolff extra power magazine springs, will provide maximum life. Regular shooting will verify reliability and regular replacement of magazine springs will provide the best defense against failure from weak magazine springs.

Bill

[R9SCarry]

I also feel cycling ''tires'' springs more than remaining compressed but am aware too that my air weapon springs over time finish up shorter even with modest use - they do indeed take a ''set''.

It cannot do any harm to rotate mags anyways - from time to time.  I still do it but not monthly.

[Brenden]

IMO,
I do not feel that leaving mags loaded is a detriment for function..

I have personally shot mags for an AR 15 that were loaded, at the least-15 years..All fed fine..

I am not going to worry about my pup's spring going "bad" with shooting every 2 weeks or so..Again-IMO..

Brenden