How long can you keep a gun cocked?

I own a Maverick VP .30cal.

I cock my gun when I put the magazine in right before I close the hatch on my SUV. It may stay cocked for 4 or 5 hours, or however long I am out hunting. After I get back to my car, if I still have a round in the chamber, I shoot it in the dirt most often, but if I am somewhere that I can't do that (or simply choose not to waste another Hybrid Slug), I remove the magazine, decock the Maverick, and put a flag in the breech so I know there is still a round in there, even though the gun isn't cocked.

I don’t cock anything unless it’s pointed down range @ intended target! Safety first!!!

I don't use safeties, so I always decock my air rifle if I'm in a hunting situation. As for the "recommendation" of how long to leave one cocked, I don't think you will find one, and I don't think you will ever damage a spring by leaving it cocked during the time required in the typical hunting trip. Coil springs will, over time lose compression strength if left in a compressed state. This is the argument presented by some shotgun makers for the use of leaf springs. They don't lose power, they just break (often at an inopportune time). I've never replaced a coil spring in any air rifle or firearm due to fatigue. It's one of the top 10 things on my list of things that cause me no worry.

I don't keep my guns cocked unless I am just going to squeeze the trigger

as long as i 'need' it cocked .. just leaving it cocked isnt exactly safe ...

i dont leave it cocked to long unless im waiting for tree rat to get back in my x hairs if he dont return i disgarge the gun

I have left my rifle cocked overnight by mistake twice, once with my Ataman m2r, and my Taipan veteran. Both lost around 30 fps and the spring had to be replaced.

They say it shouldn't matter but it did in my case

I accidently left my RWS 34 cocked for about 6 months one time. I then checked it with my chrono and found absolutely no loss in velocity, in fact it actually gained a few fps.

Seth0764 said:

I have left my rifle cocked overnight by mistake twice, once with my Ataman m2r, and my Taipan veteran. Both lost around 30 fps and the spring had to be replaced.

They say it shouldn't matter but it did in my case

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Are you sure it was the spring, and not a pressure loss. That is very unusual.

owesme$ said:

Maverick VP .25

What are the recommendations for keeping a gun cocked?
Sometimes while waiting for game I will have the gun cocked. Not sure the length of time has any affect on the air / accuracy / rings /etc. advice?

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You can rule out leaving it cocked causing the hammer spring to "take a set" or to have reduced power. Leaving it cocked for an hour or a year, makes no difference. In fact, cocking / de-cocking is what causes spring fatigue, not being held in a compressed state, so by de-cocking it rather than leaving it cocked, you have introduced one more function cycle which will actually reduced the life of the spring more so than leaving it cocked, albeit by a very small amount - one cycle in 10,000 if that is the design life of the spring. This has of course been hashed and re-hashed for decades and will probably be for decades to come but that doesn't change the laws of physics.

Seth0764 said:

I have left my rifle cocked overnight by mistake twice, once with my Ataman m2r, and my Taipan veteran. Both lost around 30 fps and the spring had to be replaced.

They say it shouldn't matter but it did in my case

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I would chalk that up to coincidence. If you did indeed lose a measurable amount of spring pressure, it was not caused by leaving it compressed overnight, but rather by the compression that was applied when you cocked it and you would have had the same results either way. The spring just happened to fail at that moment, making you think that the overnight compression time was the cause.

Of course, one needs to be aware of what the design limits are of the spring. If you are compressing it beyond the length / pressure it was designed for you can cause failure in that compression cycle, but leaving it compressed after over compression will not change anything.

Geezerhood said:

You can rule out leaving it cocked causing the hammer spring to "take a set" or to have reduced power. Leaving it cocked for an hour or a year, makes no difference. In fact, cocking / de-cocking is what causes spring fatigue, not being held in a compressed state, so by de-cocking it rather than leaving it cocked, you have introduced one more function cycle which will actually reduced the life of the spring more so than leaving it cocked, albeit by a very small amount - one cycle in 10,000 if that is the design life of the spring. This has of course been hashed and re-hashed for decades and will probably be for decades to come but that doesn't change the laws of physics.

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I have not heard this, but it makes sense. Most mechanical things wear out with use. I'll continue to decock rather than use a safety. The spring will still probably outlast me. After fiddling with a lot of triggers over the years, there are very few safeties that I trust.

The pressure in the plenum is controlled by...o-rings. Just like the rest of the gun !
There's no reason that having a gun in the loaded and cocked condition for long periods should be any more of a big deal, than having 200+ bar in the air bottle/cylinder...for long periods !
Again, the pressure is controlled by similar...o-rings as the rest of the gun.

And as for the shooter above with the "apparent" spring problem, having a "quality" coil spring compressed does NOT do any damage. Read up on it in "Spring design" manuals.
I'd bet that there was no actual problem, unless the spring was...Chinesium (junk in the first place) material.

Mike

Umm, I'll give one of my guns a try. What's a worthwhile timeframe, a week, a month ?
Shoot a couple of shots, verify the fps, cock the gun, and set it up for...I'll try a week first .

It's funny that so many choose not to cock their gun out of safety concerns. My number one safety is trigger discipline. I couldn't imagine doing a 4 man door breach with a weapon on safety, and my soldiers are right in front of me. If trigger discipline and barrel attitude is good enough for the US Army, then it's good enough for my squirrel hunt!

owesme$ said:

Maybe I am missing something.
Are some reply’s talking about airguns that are springers?

The question I am asking is about a PCP.

Maybe there is a spring in the pcp that I am unaware that will be affected like the hammer spring.
But I guess that’s a different question.

I will assume from the most responses that if I cock the gun and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour while it will not be an issue.

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Correct. 30 minutes to 3 years, no difference, not an issue. Also no difference between the hammer spring on a PCP and the piston spring in a springer gun.

The hammer spring is the the only spring being compressed in your PCP gun of any significant power when cocked. The springs in the trigger mechanism would also be at a different compression level than uncocked, but, no issues there either.

I don’t leave it cocked ever.

I de-cock if I load and don’t fire

As has been noted, good quality springs should be just fine. Chicom springs, not so much. The hammer spring in my liberty sacked out and I had to replace it and I never left it cocked!

My Gun is always cocked and ready to go. My air rifles, only when I am ready to fire.