Magazine and ammo testing

[Sanders]

Took some guns out that had been at my Mom's since before Y2k, when the world was supposed to go all Mad Max and stuff.

Butler Creek Hotlips 25 round 10/22 mags loaded with Federal bulk pack 25 years ago. Tested in the 10/22 they were bought for. No mag related malfunctions, three misfires on ammo. Picked them up and ran them through again, and they worked.

Didn't clean the 10/22, so I suspected light primer strikes. Sprayed it down with Ballistol and worked the bolt several times. No more light primer strikes. I'm betting WD40 fouled/gummed things up.

Factory 10/22 10 round mag - no problems.

Ruger P89 factory mags loaded with PMC Starfire in one and swap meet reloads in the other. Dad probably loaded these before he died in 1998. I gave him the pistol in 1996 for a birthday present. No issues with the PMC ammo. Had one jam on the swap meet reload - oversized cartridge jammed up in the chamber and it required some leverage to get it out. No mag related problems.

Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle - factory 5 round mags loaded with Wolf steel cased. No problems. Scope was dead on after sitting for a good 20 years, and zeroed to that ammo. No name 20 round mags were problem free. Wish I knew who made them. Tested some discontinued Tapco 30 round mags and they ran flawlessly. I wish I had known about those Tapco mags while they were still in production before I bought them at fire sale prices, I'd have accumulated a lot more.

It was the plastic Butler Creek mags that surprised me the most. I figured they would crack or break after sitting loaded for so long, but they didn't. I had a plastic Ram Line Mini 14 mag crack in half on me when it was brand new, purchased at the same time as the Butler Creek mags.

Lessons learned: Keep your guns clean and lubed with a quality oil.

Don't believe the "experts" who say a magazine spring will "take a set" if you leave your mags loaded. I think 25 years is a long enough test of that theory.

Don't trust swap meet reloads.

[baboon]

Magpul advertised their magazines as ammo storage.

[Sanders]

Originally Posted by baboon

Magpul advertised their magazines as ammo storage.

I'm more concerned with feed lip deformation, which is why I download a 30 round mag to 28 or 27 for long term storage - just to take a little bit of pressure off the feed lips.

[aviator]

Son took my MAC10 to the range a couple weeks ago, shot two mags no problems, after that the firing pin had so much junk it didn't hit the primer anymore. He's yet to bring it back. Maybe some oil and dirt/powder got into the pin area and clogged everything up.

[Sanders]

Originally Posted by aviator

Son took my MAC10 to the range a couple weeks ago, shot two mags no problems, after that the firing pin had so much junk it didn't hit the primer anymore. He's yet to bring it back. Maybe some oil and dirt/powder got into the pin area and clogged everything up.

Sounds like it. Some of those pistol powders can be pretty dirty. I know my reloads with Unique can be dirty, but not as dirty as folks who use Red Dot or Blue Dot in theirs.