funny stuff on Ruger mags

Deserthunter · Feb 12, 2017

This is a magazine question on a rifle magazine, so I hope I'm on an appropriate forum. In my last few orders of 30-round factory Ruger Mini-14 magazines, some of them had a white powdery buildup/substance on seams toward the bottom, including floor plate seams. The substance is a bit hard but can be scraped off. I'm wondering what it is and what's going on. Did not check interior of mag body to see if that stuff also was inside.

amflyer · Feb 12, 2017

If they were blued, sounds like some of the bluing salts remaining.

Deserthunter · Feb 13, 2017

amflyer,

The mags are blued and it could be residual bluing salts. Raises another question. Ruger puts a light coat of oil on the mags, so could the bluing salts leach out or built up in spots desite the coat of oil? I'm flummoxed, but salts seem plausible.

chicharrones · Feb 13, 2017

I've seen the salts on new blued hand tools as well.

Take apart the mag, knock off the white crust, lube heavily, wipe off lube, and reassemble. It should be good from there on out, but it would be worth checking once in a while in the beginning to put your mind at ease.

GBExpat · Feb 13, 2017

amflyer said:
If they were blued, sounds like some of the bluing salts remaining.

IMO, that is the most likely answer.

After removing an item from the bluing tank it goes into a hot-water bath to rinse away the bluing salts.

Bluing salts will sometimes "hide" in crevasses/folds/seams and only appear later, as a white powder/crust, when the item is dry.

I would thoroughly wash/rinse the item/area in hot water, dry it and then soak it for awhile with a water-displacer like WD40 ... before cleaning & oiling normally.

Afterwards I would periodically eyeball a spot like that, just to make sure that no trouble was brewing.

To be clear ... I would not consider such a thing to be a Big Deal, just one more tiny aspect of our Hobby.

BrocLuno · Feb 13, 2017

What he said

Deserthunter · Feb 13, 2017

Thanks, gentlemen. Yes, it has to be bluing salts. Incidentally, I called Ruger customer service on this and the rep I talked with had no clue, would not attempt to find an answer to my question, nor have someone who might know call me back.

rule303 · Feb 13, 2017

Any bluing salts left on steel quickly turn to serious (as in pitted and crumbly) rust. Whatever it was I can just about guarantee it isn't bluing salts.

Varminterror · Feb 13, 2017

Dang... I was hoping there was going to be a new trend of some kind of inside joke in the roll stamps on the mags or something... as in funny stuff [written] on ruger mags...

Deserthunter · Feb 13, 2017

Don't give up; it might come to that.

funny stuff on Ruger mags

Deserthunter

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chicharrones

needs more ammo

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