O.K. .... I "think" I get it now ... you're sayin' that locking the slides back while in storage has NOT improved functioning of any of my pistols. Not one bit; basic physics and all.
I don't "think" that's what I was sayin' .... "spring wear" ..... but if "it" was and I'm not recognizing it or I'm just senile:
Then tell me why functioning has improved since I started doing this .... ??? Same ammo -- same pistols -- same person.
Sorry, should have been more clear/particular. All springs take a 'set' after they've been exposed to stress initially. The more stress, the more of a set the springs takes (ie. the shorter it becomes). Fatigue can be an issue in higher capacity mags where there is minimal room for spring height when compressed, but for most applications, the manufacturer takes this set into account. Generally, in actions, the locked back position is nowhere near as compressed as the spring can go, and thus isn't going to fatigue it nearly as much as the shooting stresses it experiences.
Anecdotal evidence aside, there are a host of different views regarding care of springs, both action and mags. Everyone has their way of doing it and their reasoning. Me? I leave mags loaded all the time and have never had a spring failure or a FTF as a result of a weak spring. I prefer actions to be tighter, so they stay closed.