So all I hear is horror stories over the magazines, is this a legit worry?
They can be problematic. I have found that as long as I don't leave them loaded they seen to work fine. In the past I have ruined a few by leaving them loaded for extended periods of time. I believe the springs take a set and fail causing jams and Miss feeds.
I am actually in the market for a Ruger Precision rimfire just for this reason.