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Condition 1. How long is too long?

8K views 60 replies 44 participants last post by  tipoc 
#1 ·
My wife and I both prefer a 1911 as a home defense handgun. She has always said that if she needs to defend herself, she will reach in the safe and grab a 1911. As a result, I have kept all of our 1911s in condition 1. Yes, I know we could just decide that she should grab the first one on the left, the one with the extended 10 round mag, etc. But, I watched a Paul Harrell video (say what you want) and came away a bit concerned about long term spring compression. How long is too long for condition 1?
 
#37 ·
I do disassemble my magazines where I can and lube the mag body and spring with a mix of CLP and moly.
 
#39 ·
I wouldn’t leave your mags fully stacked for long periods of time. Instead I have 1 extra mag that is 1 or 2 less rounds. From the CCW class that I took(the teacher was a master class instructor meaning he is eligible to teach other instructors and an ex-seal), said that 99% of gunfights end with less than 3 rounds fired. I agree about mag reliability issues trying to stuff em all in the tube. Better to have fewer reliable rounds than extra non-reliable ones. If you’re just trying to scare critters away, one shot would do the trick.
 
#41 ·
I would hope the safe is easily accessible. In time of need you don't want to be fumbling in the dark for the combination. I also have a 1911, but in 9mm. But you can buy many different types of suitable ammo that will put an intruder down. I have a backup Snake Slay by Bond arms that has 410 Winchester PDX that will completely ruin your day, that is if you actually survive it.The trick is to have a few locations throughout the house with secret firearm. You never know where and when you'll be in another room and will need something. With it only in one location, you don't want to be caught with your pans down, literally.

My Springfield Compact Ranger Officer Elite, 4 inch barrel in 9mm
 

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#46 ·
This spring compression thing is an old wives' tale (or gun BS, same thing).

They say the best lies contain a grain of truth, and while I'm not calling anybody a liar, I'd say there's a parallel. I would not doubt that there have been crappy mags from China or other 3rd world producers that might take a "set" when left fully loaded, but any proper magazine would have a spring with tolerances well beyond the stress imposed by an expected condition such as being left loaded for long periods.

I'm trying to think back to my engineering classes in college before I changed my major to Finance (which means about 1979) but terms like modulus of elasticity come to mind.
If a metal spring isn't pushed beyond that point, it won't be adversely affected by a load within its design limits.

Just this summer, my wife and I bought a new and much larger house. In the process of packing I eventually made my way to the back of my gun closet and found a bug-out bag with a bunch of 30-round GI mags (Colt, Adventure Line, DPMS, FN, O-Kay, Cooper, Sanchez, etc.) for M16/AR-15. I remember buying those pretty soon after September 11, 2001, loading them up with Lake City green tips and putting them in the bag, which I hung on a peg in the back of my closet. Since then I've bought a lot more ammo and a whole lot of P-mags, and basically just forgot they were there. Probably a couple dozen mags in total.

So, 19 years later I took them out and ran them through my M4 over the summer.
They fed perfectly, no failures of any kind.

Anecdotal, but there's an instance of some good-quality mags that had sat fully loaded mags for a very long time.
 
#51 ·
...

I'm trying to think back to my engineering classes in college before I changed my major to Finance (which means about 1979) but terms like modulus of elasticity come to mind.
If a metal spring isn't pushed beyond that point, it won't be adversely affected by a load within its design limits.

....
I think you meant "yield point". But if this crowd likes "Modulus of Elasticity" better, so it will become fact. Tommy Young will just have to roll over in his grave and face down.
 
#47 · (Edited)
Not a scientific experiment (Barn yard eggsperiment?) I also depend on the 1911 and have kept one in condition one for more than 30 years. About 10 plus years ago I purchased a Wilson Combat Supergrade and it came with 5 No. 47d mags. It was at that time that I began to wonder about spring compression in my mags. And so applied some whiteout correction fluid to the bottom of one of the Mags to identify it and have kept it loaded with 8 rounds constantly. Every few monts I haul it out of the safe, shoot it and reload and store. The spring tension seems to me to be thae same. It always shoots perfectly. I have since upgraded to W.C. ETM mags as they have a little longer tube and seem easier to load. Very reliable. I disasemble, clean and polish ALL my mags, rifle and pistol, a about once a year with Hoppes No. 9. i have heard the constant compression is not bad but it is the cycle of compression/extension that can cause a spring to wear out. I have 8 very active ETM mags in constant use and a few years back I replaced all the springs, not because I was having any problems but more for preventative maint. You ask a valid question. Frankly I would worry about other things. All the best.
 
#48 ·
Many years ago Shooting Times, I think it was, had an article about this very subject.

As I recall, there is no reason to be concerned about magazines being loaded for years at the time.........but the article was using US GI magazines and then current production Colt magazines, not like the vast array of questionable magazines that are available today.
 
#50 ·
I've had 1911s (and similar action guns, e.g. Colt Mustang and BHP) that I've routinely left in Condition One for years at a stretch, with no noticeable effect. I learned a lot about guns from Rabbi Reuven Mermelstein; in addition to not worrying about springs "taking a set", he taught me to clean my guns with non-chlorinated automotive brake cleaner and lube them with automatic transmission fluid. So far, so good.
 
#52 ·
OK. Here's an honest answer, but its not 1911 specific. It involves my Sig P938.

I daily carry her. When I'm out on the street she's on my hip in an IWB holster.

I carried her for a solid year without cleaning her. Yes, I can hear the hoots and hollers already.

For those that don't know, the Sig P938 has a weirdo hinged ejector. Since I had not cleaned her for a year, yet wore her for that year, I guess the oil just went away, from the pivot for that weirdo ejector.

One fine day last year, I chose to take her to the range. Didn't clean her prior, didn't even ram an oily patch down her bore. I just unloaded the jhp from the mags, loaded up with fmj, and went at it.

Halfway through the 3rd stick, she jams, and jams *HARD*. That @$@# pivoting ejector had locked up. It took a fair bit of finagling to get it free.

And no, the mainspring isn't creeping up on her, I checked. Believe me, I checked.

Forget about your springs, people. Like others have said, being compressed doesn't kill springs, constant flexing kills springs.

But neglecting your carry piece? That can kill you.

Won't be doing that again...
 
#54 ·
I just went through an old kit bag in an attempt to clean things out and found 10 M4 mags and 5 1911 mags that have been loaded since 1985 and my time at SEAL TM 3. All fired like they had been loaded that afternoon! They had all been stored in old ammo cans.
 
#55 ·
I received a PM suggesting that I was less than a good guy for
using the phrase "Get Over It."

I was attempting to get my message noticed.

I guess it worked..at least for one reader.

Perhaps I should have said "Remember this!"

So, once again: Springs wear out from being bent back and
forth over and over, not from indefinite compression.

BFN
 
#56 ·
If this topic hasn't been beaten to death just yet, the answer is: "depends".
If you buy a quality 1911 with quality parts and quality sprints, you should not need to worry about the mainspring in Condition 1, as others have pointed out.
A 3rd world 1911 with crappy springs won't be reliable after a few years in Condition 1.
Ask me how I know. (but I'd rather not tell, it is rather embarrassing)

So yes, a good quality 1911 won't let you down. And if you maintain it properly and check the proper tension on the mainspring once a year, you have nothing to worry about. Worst case scenario, replace the mainspring before it gets too weak to ignite and move on.
 
#58 ·
A carry gun should go to the range once a month at the very least, it would follow that it was cleaned and lubed once a month. Not everyone carries but if you do then that is the most important gun you own.
 
#59 ·
As I'm sure many have, I've seen magazine springs, in even high quality 1911 magazines, weaken to the point that replacement is needed for the gun to run with said magazines. I've never seen a 1911 mainspring weaken to the point that the gun would fail to fire. Then again, we all know about recoil springs, especially in compact 1911's.
I carry a compact 1911 daily. When I arrive home each day it is removed from my holster and placed in a safe spot readily available to me. At least once per month I will remove the magazine, while leaving the chambered round in the gun. I will then replace the magazine with a magazine loaded with 230 grain ball, and then I fire the carry round from the chamber, along with the full magazine of 230 grain ball ammo. I then clean and relube the pistol, then reload it with a magazine full of carry ammo. I am then confident that my pistol will function perfectly should the need arise.
 
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