Sal a question

[docwatson]

Should I store my Citadel open or closed?

[lamorak]

Should it make a difference? A well conceived auto knife uses a spring that will stay within its elastic limit, open or close. So the strength of the spring won't be affected by storing it open or close. For the same reason, you can store a magazine empty or full, it should not make a difference, at least for the magazine.

[TBob]

Agree that it shouldn't matter. I've store mine closed for over 4 years w/no issues. To be honest, it never occurred to me to store it open. That could make reaching in a drawer more interesting, though.

[Owl45]

The question gets asked on BF now and then and the concensus is that is does not matter.

The most knowledgeable person who has stated that is Bill DeShivs, who restores antigue to modern autos.

On Beltrames site he recommends storing open for long life. I don't know if that recommendation is just specific to the Italian stillettos he makes or not.

[The Deacon]

And yet, the "traditional" view has always been that it's best to store a spring in the position that puts the least tension on it. Guns with the hammer down, magazines empty, cameras with the shutter released, switchblades open.

[Daniel]

Open or closed, it is the same.

The opening and closing is what stresses the spring-leaf or coil.

[TBob]

And yet, the "traditional" view has always been that it's best to store a spring in the position that puts the least tension on it. Guns with the hammer down, magazines empty, cameras with the shutter released, switchblades open.

Steel has progressed. The average mainspring on a M1911A1, made to carry cocked and locked, is overdesigned by about 30%. Newer quality magazines can sit fully loaded for decades w/o significant loss of function. My father-in-law had GI M1 Carbine magazines loaded for probably 30 years, and they functioned perfectly when I found them. OTOH, I had old AMT .380 mags that were toast after being left loaded for just a couple of years. There's no blanket answer other than quality of the spring steel.

The same should be true for auto knives. Cheap knives will likely have cheap springs. I'm not worried about anything that comes from Spyderco.

[DaBird]

I would say that the old "leaf / flat" springs will take a set faster then coil springs.

As to mag springs for a semi-auto --- I know that the old GI mags springs were VERY good --- had one fully loaded mag that sat for close to 25 years and it fed/worked fine --- BUT --- you should always have extra mags AND mag springs for every semi-auto you own -- and rotate the loaded mags.

I've seen more then one riot shotgun that had feeding problems because the mag tube spring lost its power from being left loaded.

I change the mag springs on my IPSC competition mags every 10,000 rds. -- better safe then sorry.