Dirty mags

[Bravo11]

I've never seen an IDPA or IPSC shoot before live but I have seen a few on the TV. I cringe everytime I see a shooter eject a mag and have it fall on the ground. It always looks sandy/dusty at those ranges. Do the competitors wipe them off and re-use that day, wait until they get back home and disassemble and clean or what?

[dukeofurl]

I never clean my mags and they're fine. After dropping them on the ground I just shake the dirt off.

You're there to shoot - not play "cuddle the magazine"

Besides, the experienced folks bring 10+ mags so if one gets dirty they stow it and use others to get through the day.

[nhhillbilly]

I clean IE wipe down my mags after I shoot in a dusty or dirty envirment. The same time I clean my firearm. During a match I pick them up and reload them and keep going. They only get cleaned when I clean my gun.

By the way do not oil your magazine that will increase the amount of crude it collects.

[eerw]

depends on the range conditions..

if it is a dust bowl, muddy , etc..I may wipe them down and brush them...otherwise pretty much load and go..

if I am cleaning them..wipe the mud or dust off...use a tire brush to brush them out with and then a silicone cloth to wipe the spring, inside of the mag and follower..

I am not as religous about it as others..but will not zero a stage due to something that takes a minute to do...

[Correia]

I just blow the dust out and wipe them on my shirt before reloading.

[Ktulu]

High capacity limited and open gun mags can be very susceptible to a little bit of dirt or sand. Most shooters disassemble and clean these between stages.

[Correia]

My regular mags are 14 round .45 mags. I have never had a problem, and my range is very dusty.

[Chris Rhines]

If there is actually dirt or mud inside the magazine body, I pull them apart and run a silicone-cloth-on-a-stick thru it. Expecting a magazine to feed while full of dirt is not realistic.

Otherwise, I just wipe them off with my gun rag.

- Chris

[sm]

What they said ...

Also a can of Canned Air [ Dust off] is handy for really sandy conditions.

I agree - have spare mags , then have some more. In practice - I include enviroments like rain , sleet , snow mud, and sand. For instance the 1911 style does quite well after one takes a header in a mud puddle...it'll run. Sloshing the
gun and mags in a clearer puddle or bucket of water , blow with can air , rack slide and drop of lube...so as to not hold up folks...works. :D

If the gun don't make that "Krunch" sound when you slap a mag in - you ain't shooting enough or giving your best. The Gasps from others are kinda fun to hear...:p

You wanna hear how I get mud out of shotgun....LOL...Hint , either a creek , resevoir , swamp....garden hoses or car washes work. :p

Its only a firearm...

[Treylis]

I use 7 and 8-round mags in IPSC, and it's dusty as hell outside in Arizona. I just wipe them off, use them again, and then disassemble them when I get home.

[Navy joe]

Depends on the gun. An SV mag should be cleaned everytime it is used, on the other hand I've cleaned a Glock mag or three in a likely looking mud puddle. For a big match I would also strip the glock mag and brush it out though. Between stages, takes a couple of minutes.

[CZ52GUY]

I just blow the dust out and wipe them on my shirt before reloading.

I try to have a good Barney with me as a backup just in case (sometimes another spare or two in the range bag), but I've never had an issue and our range is very dusty. As an RO, I do try to retrieve the dropped mag' for the competitor to minimize chances of additional crud getting in there. Most seem to appreciate that their mag' doesn't get stepped on or kicked through the dirt. I'll give it the "treatment" if I know the shooter...most of our RO's do the same for me.

Safe shooting,

CZ52'

[Heraclitus]

I wipe them externally between stages. Imagine what the grit'll do to your magwell if you don't, let alone the magazine.

Inside cleaning is another story. No time to remove the stuff that creeps in through the witness holes, so I wipe the cartridges with a saturated silicone cloth.

[ted murphy]

FWIW,

The 'hi-cap' magazines your typical USPSA/IPSC competitor uses will hold upwards of 28 rounds. They do not resemble your typical factory hi cap mag at all. They get finicky if they get dirt in them-- but they also are designed for easy dissembly and cleaning. Just about anytime they get dropped they get broken down and brushed out.

For my glock and single stack 1911 mags, I do clean them a few times a year, and I do change springs now and then. They certainly will get dirty enough to affect functioning if you use them enough.

I have had to dissemble magazines after a match to remove a small rock or two, but they do hold up for a while. I have a set of range mags and a set of carry mags though- and the carry mags are kept very clean.

Ted

[Round Gun Shooter]

Aredondo Mag brush:
http://www.arredondoaccessories.com/images/brush.jpg

Kleen Bore Mag brush:

http://kleenbore.bizland.com/store/media/MagBrush.gif

Regards,