Pistol magazine springs.

[skeet]

I got a WWII P-38 that was a bringback that had the mags loaded for 40 yrs. It functioned fine with the WWII ammo in the mags. Accuracy sucked but the mags worked fine. The springs that actually will take a set are usually flat springs but most all mags use coil spring wire mag springs. Don't worry about it. Load 'em and shoot 'em ocassionally

[PJgunner]

A friend of mine inherited a Colt 1911 with a serial number that dates it to 1913. It's magazine was loaded with ammo headstamped 1915. It not only shot just fine, there was no problem with feeding from a magazine that had been left loaded for only God knows how long.
I remember reading somewhere that loading and unloading magazines affected the springs more than just leaving them loaded. I found a couple of magazines for my 1911 that I'd misplaced years ago a while back that were filled with some of my handloads from the mid 1960's. I know they were that old because the bullets I used then, Lyman #452460 IIRC never shot worth spit in my gun. Now those were loaded before I left California for good and that was in 1970 and I'd quit that bullet some time before the move. I shot them up just to get the brass back and those two magazines functioned just fine.
Paul B.