Cleaning magazines?

[SomeKid]

I read occaisionally someone talking about cleaning their magazines on here, but not often. How important is it that I take magazines apart and clean them (or use some kind of dry-lube as I saw referenced once)?

 

[rangerruck]

if it is for semi auto, especially ar's it is a very good idea. go check out the new mag that just came out, book of the ar15, this month. very good article , soldiers here and still 'over there' about some of their missions, and also on their maintenance. consensus was, clean everything daily, lube it up wet, except the mags. clean them , shake them out, dry lube or graphite them up.

 

[psyopspec]

I clean mags on my semi-autos every 100-200 rounds, but I believe most manuals recommend every 1,000.

 

[buttrap]

I clean the things after cheep corrosive ammo..out of that if they start to hang up. Most the time if it needs a cleaning to run it needs tossed.

 

[BIGDADDYLONGSTROKE]

On the Ars you can buy mags with graphite followers, I got some and haven't had problem yet and I have put atleast 1000 rnds through one of the mags. No malfunctions yet.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I'm a little less anal than most about magazine cleaning - shooting only Glocks will do that to a guy. I clean my magazines after every match/training day - dissassemble, brush out the mag body, run a silicone cloth through the mag body, wipe off the follower and spring with same, reassemble.

- Chris

 

[mete]

A 22 pistol is the worst as the 'blowback' action blows powder residue back into the action and magazine .For something like combat matches where you drop the magazine on the ground you can pick up some very abrasive dirt and sand.It's not a big deal to clean them .I lube ,just lightly, with RIG. You could also use a solid lube.

 

[mainmech48]

Looking over the several different makes and calibers that I have on-hand, virtually all of the centerfire models' magazines have a removable floorplate on the mag. Removal should be covered in your pistol's manual. It's a straight forward job, the only caveat I'd offer being to be very carefull to keep track of which end of the spring is which and how it's oriented in the body.

I'll second the recs already posted re: dry lubes and cleaning drill. I wipe mine down to remove residue on the follower and body after every range session, and do a detailed cleaning/relube on my CCWs with every ammo replacement, about 3-4X a year.

Metal magazines lacking a removable floorplate needn't be that much more of a chore. Spray products like "Gun Scrubber" work well, as does sloshing them around in a coffee can with kerosene, mineral spirits, or the like. Compressed air is the easiest way to get rid of solvent residue, but a rag and some Q-Tips will work too. Use a light hand with the lube, wet or dry. Too much causes more problems than it avoids.

Plastic mags, followers and baseplates need some caution when it comes to solvents. Depending on the material, there is some possibility of chemical reaction which could render them unusable. Read the product label carefully for cautions and choose one which specifies that it is harmless to plastics and wood finishes. Not 100% foolproof, but more likely not to ruin them.

I detail clean rimfire semi-auto mags (except aftermarket 10/22 high-caps) after every session. Those get lots of Q-Tips and some occasional swearing. The ones on manual repeaters, including tube mag models, get a dab of Hoppe's where the soot is and a good wipe down to dry, followed by a light coat of preservative/lube.

 

[Nhsport]

I am way to lazy to spend much time cleaning mags.
I do tend to buy quite a few for every gun I have.
Most of my shooting is at a fairly clean range so the only mags that get pigged up much are the rimfire mags.
Good mags are kept with the gun or in the gun case,if I suspect a mag related problem it gets chucked into the ammo bucket (or brass bucket) and then into the dirty mag bucket back in my gun room).
Every once in a while when I am in the mood I will gear up ,get my brushes ,rags and spray cans out and clean all or a bunch of dirty mags. I generally treat them after clean and dry with spray silicone. Nohing fancy,just chain store spray silcone lube.You know, the junk that is $2.65 .
Any gun I carry or shoot in competition has special clean,tested mags set aside in a special place, (Ding Ding Ding,you guesed right if you guesed another bucket!)

 

[Standing Wolf]

Two simple solutions:

1. I drop the magazines into a jar of Hoppe's No. 9, along with the slide, after coming home from the range, then clean the gun the next day. A very little work with a Nylon bristle brush is about all that's ever needed.

2. Once a year or so, I disassemble all the magazines for a given gun, clean them inside and out- with Hoppe's No. 9 and a Nylon brush, let the springs soak awhile, oil lightly, and put everything back together.

I have very few magazine-related alibis.