glock, maintenance, magazine, jamming, storageI’m referring specifically to a pistol “stored” for home defense. In this scenario, storing the weapon unloaded is not an option since having to load the weapon is undesirable in an emergency situation.
I have kept a Glock 27 loaded for several months without use, but encountered jamming problems when taking it to the range. Presumably the prolonged compression of the magazine spring weakened it, causing improper feeding. The problem self-corrected after about 50 rounds, but jams were frequent during the first 20 rounds.
Unfortunately, going to the range to fire the weapon does not occur as often as I would like. Thus I have to periodically manually unload the magazine, wait a period of time (usually while I field strip and clean the pistol), and reload it.
How often should this be done? How long should the magazine stay unloaded when this is done?
Springs are not damaged or weakened by being stored compressed, so it is not necessary to unload your magazines. What’s really causing the jams you experienced is unknown, so you should either test the gun some more to find the true cause, or take it to a qualified gunsmith for repair.
Any magazine of reasonable quality can be stored loaded indefinitely. Springs are weakened by overuse, rather than by staying compressed.
A search I did yielded some interesting information that I do not have the ability to independently verify: http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/defensive-carry-guns/16725-need-answers-about-glock-magazines.html
The statement was made in that thread that “original” Glock magazines would actually deform after lengthy storage, due to their style of construction. Newer steel magazines are supposedly better constructed and do not have this issue.
As to the jamming problem, I would also suggest investigating whether the type and amount of lubrication are appropriate. Too much (or the wrong kind of) lubricant can attract dust and dirt which will affect the operation of the firearm. Too little lubricant will also have a negative effect on its operation.
I’ve owned my Glock 23 for almost 20 years. I have left the stock 13 round plastic mags fully loaded over the winter (4 to 5 months) and never had an issue with them misfeeding. The only time I have ever had a misfeed with it was when I ran dirt cheap ammo with non-reloadable cases (not blazer, they run fine). Currently I buy PMC FMJ by the case and have never had an issue (about 1000 rounds a year for the past 10 years).
One thing I would check is your lube, it may not age well. I use Firepower FP-10 which is a CLP.
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