Can you paint a pistol magazine?

I have two heavily worn magazines for my pistol that I would like to paint. They are all steel hard anodized Sig magazines. I would like to colour the magazines bright shiny blue so I can instantly see them on the range. I do a lot of run-and-gunning and have stepped on them, walked past them, and almost lost them before.



My concern is that they will no longer be slick. As worn as they are, they still fly out the mag-well when released. Has anybody ever coloured a pistol magazine body? Since its not aluminium I can't colour anodize it. Its not polymer so dying is out. Any thoughts, suggestions or experiences would be appreciated.

(P.S: This is my first started thread, so feel free to correct me if I'm doing something wrong.)

 

Why not simply remove all the blue/black? That way the magazines will be easy to see, If you are concerned about bright magazines in a defensive shooting situation, get some black/grey magazines for carry and shoot them just enough to be sure they work.

Jim

 

I'd try a stripe around the bottom to test it out and see what happens. Just take some masking tape and cover the top 3/4's then spray paint it.

 

If the mags are blued, I'd be tempted to polish them to bright, then clear coat them If bright, I'd try cold blueing. Or browning.

Do not have an answer for stainless.

 

Most of the Cerakote services have magazines on their price lists, so I'd say yes.

 

I don't see why not though I wonder how long the finish is going to hold up with constant use.

 

Probably the easiest, most functional, most durable option would be to polish the body, and paint the bottom plate your bright color.

 

Get some inexpensive Rustoleum and paint one. Check it for ease to remove, if you like it, keep it and paint the others. If not, it is easy enough to strip the paint back off and try something else.

I would probably go with this route as opposed to a more expensive finish, and not be too concerned when it gets scratched up whether from internal components of the gun or from hitting the ground, etc. Would be simple to touch up as needed.



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+1.

 

I would just polish them bright so they will reflect light and wax them. The wax will prevent rust and make them even slicker and dust will be easy to wipe off. When you clean them just wipe with wax again to keep it renewed. Johnson's Paste Wax is excellent for this.

Of course you can paint them like you asked. And repaint and repaint because they are going to get scratched and chipped as you use them.

 

The only thing you are doing wrong is not owning at least ten magazines for a firearm you are using as a run and gun popper....

You want to paint a magazine, here is a suggestion, paint a bright blaze orange or yellow band about one inch wide around the middle of the magazine.

 

I've painted a stripe around the bottom of 1911 mags to distinguish Officer's length from Government Model length using this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-1-qt-Gloss-Black/17011202

and I've painted some used Mini-14 mags that had minor surface rust with:

https://www.amazon.com/VHT-SP652-Satin-Black-Weather/dp/B000CPIN34

Both have held up over several years of light use.

 

Yes you can. I have used Aluma-Hyde 2 from Brownells with very good results. Then again there is a learning curve as to how to get good results with this stuff. Better buy the extra spray nozzles.

 

Wow, lots of responses here! First let me show you my progress. I am using one magazine as a test piece. I started by sanding the body down a little. Than I taped off a small section. A coat of white Rustoleum metal primer, followed by light sanding. Than a coat of Duplicolor chrome, the only bright colour I had on hand, followed by more sanding. Finally a coat of Rustoleum gloss finish, followed by hard denim buffing.

Once dry I loaded & unloaded the magazine many times. The paint is only rubbing off in one area. However it does not eject as smoothly as my nicer magazines (shown top). So I sprayed it down with Hornady one-shot dry lube. Now she's running fine. This experience however raises doubts. Would a completely painted magazine run smooth?


Capt. Ct.

As usual Brownells has a product for everything! Unfortunately this doesn't appear to come in bright colours.

Onmilo

Very true. But at $45 per magazine it is going to take me awhile. I must be daft to run an 8 shot pistol!

doubleh

I have little experience with wax. Maybe I will try this. It does seem like wax would solve my smoothness issue.

Acera

This is were I am starting. I like things pretty, but can live with scraped up corners on my magazines. One advantage this gives me is a great deal of colour choices.

badkarmamib

The pistol in question is also my carry gun. I don't want it to stand out while wearing it. However I only carry one magazine currently. Perhaps I could paint all but one of my magazine plates. Know of anyone who sells weighted bases for a p239?

toivo

Ah Cerakote, why did I not think of that. If my experiments with spray paint go well, I would think Cerakote an option. Now I just need a craft oven.

CapnMac

Polishing them down to bare metal is an option. The old Sig magazines were cold welded from medium strength stainless steel. Or so I read somewhere. However I'm going for colours that really pop out. Blued magazines are no harder to spot than aluminium ones in my experience.

reddog81

We think alike.

Jim K

Good thinking. I may just have to keep one or two black for daily carry.

 

Painting a magazine is something I've never done or even thought about, so bear with a few guesses. Anywhere bluing wears off, so will paint, only it would take the form of strips or flakes of paint peeling off inside the gun. Painting also adds thickness. The magazine may not want to fall free of the gun when you eject it. However, painting just the magazine floor plate, or maybe the bottom half an inch of the body, strikes me as being a very good idea. A bright or fluorescent color would help you find them on the ground. You could also paint them different colors so, in case of magazine-related malfunctions, you can readily identify a particular magazine as the cause.

 

Paint the baseplate, not the mag. Paint on the mag body will chip fast, and may interfere with the mag dropping free.

Some bright orange paint on the baseplate though will make it easy to spot in the grass.