Post by jaypee on Jun 28, 2017 19:08:44 GMT -5
Here's an article I wrote for a police retiree page not long ago. Thought you guys might find it interesting too.
"Back in 1991 the police agency I worked for converted to the Smith and Wesson M4006 .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Most of my fellow officers at the time were revolver folks and had little experience with auto pistols, especially when it came to managing their magazines. In keeping with the theme that the magazine is the heart of the auto pistol, the Department adopted a system of magazine management that was simple and very effective. So effective in fact that I still use it today, 26 years later. I have even recommended it while instructing my new home state’s Handgun Carry Program classes. I can’t say enough for it. It went something like this.
1. Magazines were divided into duty magazines and range magazines and were suitably marked with different colored baseplates.
2. Range magazines were the only magazines permitted to be used in training exercises. They were never allowed to be carried on patrol.
3. Duty magazines were the only magazines permitted to be carried on patrol, and could never be used for training exercises. They were to be test fired at specified intervals, (which I believe was once or twice a year.)
4. If a duty magazine hit the ground or the floor, it was to be removed from service until it could be test fired in the pistol it was issued to.
5. Duty magazines were to be disassembled and cleaned after any and all test firing.
My magazines don’t have different colored base plates, but the range magazines all have a small piece of silver duct tape on their base plates. A small drop of nail polish or modeling paint would do just as well. My range mags are kept in my range bag, but my carry mags are never allowed in there with them. They are kept completely separate as further insurance against getting them mixed up.
In retirement, the two things we cops are left to decide for ourselves is how often to test fire our carry magazines, and when to rotate them out for new ones. This is entirely up to you. My personal standard is based on my region’s climate and operating conditions, and on my own sense of self-preservation and confidence in my equipment. So it may not be your cup of tea. Some of you will think it’s too conservative and others will think I’m going overboard. So for better or worse, here’s how I choose do it.
1. I test fire my carry mags three times a year with my carry load. I normally have two carry mags in rotation – one in the gun and one in my belt. I maintain two other mags in nylon pouches in the console of my car, and I swap my carry mags for these annually at the time of their test firing. (I only test fire the mags in the console annually.) I disassemble and clean them every time I test fire them.
2. Here’s my standard for replacing carry mags: I fire my carry mags three times a year and rotate them out annually. In a 5 year period each mag will have fired roughly 150-200 rounds, which isn’t a lot of firing. But I go ahead and buy new carry mags at this point in accordance with the principle of quit-while-you’re-ahead.
3. If one of my carry mags ever malfunctions during range firing, I will remove It from service, replace it with a test-fired new one, and rotate the bad one into the range mag bag. No second chances. Boom – gone.
I hope this little diatribe will give you a place to start in managing your own magazines. It is really important that you do if you’re going to carry a pistol. Best wishes to all.
JayPee
"Back in 1991 the police agency I worked for converted to the Smith and Wesson M4006 .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Most of my fellow officers at the time were revolver folks and had little experience with auto pistols, especially when it came to managing their magazines. In keeping with the theme that the magazine is the heart of the auto pistol, the Department adopted a system of magazine management that was simple and very effective. So effective in fact that I still use it today, 26 years later. I have even recommended it while instructing my new home state’s Handgun Carry Program classes. I can’t say enough for it. It went something like this.
1. Magazines were divided into duty magazines and range magazines and were suitably marked with different colored baseplates.
2. Range magazines were the only magazines permitted to be used in training exercises. They were never allowed to be carried on patrol.
3. Duty magazines were the only magazines permitted to be carried on patrol, and could never be used for training exercises. They were to be test fired at specified intervals, (which I believe was once or twice a year.)
4. If a duty magazine hit the ground or the floor, it was to be removed from service until it could be test fired in the pistol it was issued to.
5. Duty magazines were to be disassembled and cleaned after any and all test firing.
My magazines don’t have different colored base plates, but the range magazines all have a small piece of silver duct tape on their base plates. A small drop of nail polish or modeling paint would do just as well. My range mags are kept in my range bag, but my carry mags are never allowed in there with them. They are kept completely separate as further insurance against getting them mixed up.
In retirement, the two things we cops are left to decide for ourselves is how often to test fire our carry magazines, and when to rotate them out for new ones. This is entirely up to you. My personal standard is based on my region’s climate and operating conditions, and on my own sense of self-preservation and confidence in my equipment. So it may not be your cup of tea. Some of you will think it’s too conservative and others will think I’m going overboard. So for better or worse, here’s how I choose do it.
1. I test fire my carry mags three times a year with my carry load. I normally have two carry mags in rotation – one in the gun and one in my belt. I maintain two other mags in nylon pouches in the console of my car, and I swap my carry mags for these annually at the time of their test firing. (I only test fire the mags in the console annually.) I disassemble and clean them every time I test fire them.
2. Here’s my standard for replacing carry mags: I fire my carry mags three times a year and rotate them out annually. In a 5 year period each mag will have fired roughly 150-200 rounds, which isn’t a lot of firing. But I go ahead and buy new carry mags at this point in accordance with the principle of quit-while-you’re-ahead.
3. If one of my carry mags ever malfunctions during range firing, I will remove It from service, replace it with a test-fired new one, and rotate the bad one into the range mag bag. No second chances. Boom – gone.
I hope this little diatribe will give you a place to start in managing your own magazines. It is really important that you do if you’re going to carry a pistol. Best wishes to all.
JayPee
