AR Mag Questions

[Pat C.]

I have a number of mags that work great and when the last round goes out the bolt locks back. And one or two that don't. What do i need to look at to see why? Are They worn out or do they just need tweeked?? Second have you ever painted or reblued a mag? If so what works best? Thanks Pat

 

[Welding Rod]

Make sure the follower goes easisly all the way to the top. Springs may be too weak to allow the follower to push the slide lock into place.

The mags that don't lock back may have bur inside the body or on the follower. What brand are they any how?

Are you shooting 223 or 556? If 223 you may actually have a condition where the gun is short stroking, 2 of the mags may have a weak enough spring that the bolt still moves just far enough to the rear to allow lock back. And the mags with a stronger spring, not the case.

 

[rcmodel]

Take one that won't and one that will and swap out the mag springs.

If the problem follows the spring?

Well, that should be easy.
You need new springs in a couple of mags.

rc

 

[TechBrute]

Are they all the same brand, type? All mags are not created equal.

As an example, 20rd Pmags have a known issue with locking back on some rifles. This should be mitigated with the 3rd gen (M3) mags, but I'm not sure those have even shipped yet.

 

[MrCleanOK]

As far as refinishing goes, you can't blue them. Most metal AR-15 magazines are aluminum. You can spray paint them if you want, but they'll be subject to all the same wear and tear that anything else spray painted is. You could go the duracoat/alumahyde/durable-firearm-finish route, but that is a lot of expense just to refinish magazines that don't really need it.