First, I am a "mag whore" in that I have 10+ mags for my most-used pistols, and I keep them loaded so that when I get to the range they are ready to go. I don't make range trips as often as I'd like, so when I'm there I do not like to spend time loading or reloading mags.
A few years back I had a bad experience with a few GSG-522 rifle mags busting open at the seams after I left them loaded for some time. Clearly that's a cheap gun and cheap mags, but since that happened I have not kept any .22lr pistol or rifle mags loaded except the Ruger 10/22 mags as I feel they're higher quality.
Lately I've been shooting my .22 pistols more often (Ruger SR22 and Walter PPQ, both excellent btw), and I find loading at the range really annoying. I do sometimes load them at home while packing them in the range bag, but that doesn't help if I get a free hour and make a last minute decision to make a quick range trip.
So... do you keep your .22lr pistol and/or rifle mags loaded when not in use? Why or why not? Have you ever had any issues?
Nope. Don't regard it as a defensive weapon, so no need to keep loaded.
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
Can't imagine .22LR mags are any different than CF mags. There is more stress on the mag springs when loading/unloading than in static storage mode.
______________________ An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing. --Nicholas Murray Butler
Posts: 4670 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: June 29, 2006
I have always been a guy 5,10,15 mags for my 22lr pistols type of guy. I like to be able to load a whole box of 50 at one sitting. Well, 2 or even 3 boxes at one sitting. I currently have 15 p226 22lr, 15 Smith and Wesson victory, 10 Beretta 87t, 10 Smith 41, 6 sig trailside. All are kept loaded.
Posts: 6633 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 23, 2010
Originally posted by ensigmatic: Nope. Don't regard it as a defensive weapon, so no need to keep loaded.
Same. .22LR is recreational ammo to me. Shoot for shits and giggles. The only mags I keep loaded are 9mm and 5.56. But one of these days, I will keep .308 mags loaded
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
Posts: 17700 | Location: Texas | Registered: May 13, 2003
Originally posted by timbermart: I keep them loaded. Haven't noticed a problem.
Yup. Not because it's a 'defensive weapon', it's because I hate loading at the range. I go there to shoot, then go home. So I load 22LR mags and training mags for other weapons beforehand - often days or weeks before - then leave them that way.
Often after shooting, I will load them with ammo as I store weapons / magazines / stuff after that trip. I usually stage my range bag at the same time, so next time around it's simply a need to check I have the correct training magazines in the bag, put the correct weapons in, and then go. Everything else is already set up - re-stocked - stapler, targets, tools, etc, etc.
I recently found a half dozen loaded Ruger 10-.22 mags that were untouched for over 15 years. They shot perfectly.
************************************************ "Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done". {George W. Bush, Post 9/11}
Posts: 842 | Location: Long Island, N.Y. / Stephentown, N.Y. | Registered: March 20, 2010
