Do you clean magazines?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Clean and very light lube once a year.

I have found globs of cosmoline in military magazines, which with a little fouling and dirt would have been a mess, so I clean all new-to-me magazines before use.
 
I have found globs of cosmoline in military magazines,
Click to expand...
oh yes!
I've bought M1 Carbine magazines marked as "for parts" that were just full of waxy greasy Cosmoline, those were the ones I didn't even bother to take apart, just shoved the followers down and sprayed them out, after which they're perfectly fine as range magazines.
 
I disassemble new magazines and give them a double coat of car wax. Inside, outside, the follower and the springs.

From then on, I just wipe the outside with a soft cotton cloth or run an appropriately sized bore mop inside when I think they need it. I do rewax the top of the followers from time to time when the mood hits me.
 
When I fire such as corrosive 7.62x25 I give the magazine a good cleaning.
Click to expand...

I'm on my 10th can of surplus 7.62x25 and I've yet to do anything to the mags other than wipe off the outsides to keep my hands reasonable clean when reloading them. None show any rust or corrosion that wasn't there when I got them.
 
I clean anytime they get dropped in the dirt, feel gritty, or just look like a cleaning is in order. I disassemble, use a magazine brush followed by a cloth.
 
My 10-22 mags get cleaned much more than the 9 or the AR, just because my bench gun doesn't like a dirty mag, it will stovepipe or fte if mags are dirty.
 
On occasion, as when a mag exhibits feeding issues, i'll disassemble and clean it, or when it feels gritty or has been in the dirt.

I like dry graphite for lubing mags, personally. No oily component to it, but after applying it and working it in, you should blow off any excess, lest it get into any oil or grease used in the gun itself.
 
I'm on my 10th can of surplus 7.62x25 and I've yet to do anything to the mags other than wipe off the outsides to keep my hands reasonable clean when reloading them. None show any rust or corrosion that wasn't there when I got them.
Click to expand...
I've got some high dollar 7.62x25 drum magazines that rusted bad because I didn't think to clean them one time. After about 2-3 weeks I happened to pick them up. They weren't ruined but the top looked like they were sprayed with salt.


I have some PPS43-C stick magazines that were thrown in on a deal. From corrosive ammo a couple of these are rusted almost clean through the metal. I suspect they were stuck away for a year or two after firing corrosive ammo.
 
I'm on my 10th can of surplus 7.62x25 and I've yet to do anything to the mags other than wipe off the outsides to keep my hands reasonable clean when reloading them. None show any rust or corrosion that wasn't there when I got them.
Click to expand...
I've got some high dollar 7.62x25 drum magazines that rusted bad because I didn't think to clean them one time. After about 2-3 weeks I happened to pick them up. They weren't ruined but the top looked like they were sprayed with salt.


I have some PPS43-C stick magazines that were thrown in on a deal. From corrosive ammo a couple of these are rusted almost clean through the metal. I suspect they were stuck away for a year or two after firing corrosive ammo.
Click to expand...

I don't know what to say, my PPsH drum is not rusted and its not been anything but wiped off after a few uses, neither are the stick mags I use with it or the modified PPsH-43 mags I use with my AR-15 7.62x25 upper (which have seen a lot more use).

Maybe the Polish and Romanian surplus ammo is not really corrosive, but I do clean the guns with water, followed by Hoppe's and have no issues with them either.

I doubt your part of Texas is more "corrosive" than Houston -- sterling sliver turns a blackish-bronze color here in a few years if you don't polish it often. We got a few pieces as wedding presents and neither of us care enough about them to keep polishing them after the first few times -- just too much trouble for something we don't use or particularly care to display.
 
I am somewhat obsessive about cleaning guns themselves, but I rarely clean mags. I will wipe down the outside and top of the follower with a dry rag, but that's it. I ensure they have no oil inside whatsoever.

I do take my carry mags down once a year or so to replace the spring, so I will clean them at that time, although they don't really need it.
 
I'll go ahead and be the first to admit.....

I've never cleaned a magazine in my life. My guns run just fine.

YMMV
 
At the range at the farm my mags can get pretty dirty from being dropped on the ground, this past trip there was a good bit of mud and gunk on them. If that is the case, they get cleaned after every session, with the followers and springs wiped down with an oiled cloth.

If it was just at a range without the mags being dropped on the ground, they get a quick inspection, but a cleaning is typically unnecessary.
 
They get disassembled and cleaned if they end up in the dirt. Blued magazines get a thin coat of CLP only to prevent combat rust.

Other than that, I normally dont worry unless I'm changing magazine springs, and have to take them apart anyway.
 
I wipe down the follower, feed lips, and outside of the mag with a dry rag, so I guess I do clean them.

Solvent? No, Lube? No.
 
About once a month for my competition mags. Once or twice a year for my carry gun mags.
Range gun mags? Oh yeah, I should probably do them sometime.....lol.
 
I have two sets of mags:

1) 6 x 10 round and 2 x 5 round mags for a Thompson Center R55 Benchmark
2) 1 x original and 2 x Black Dog mags for a SIG522

The Thompson mags I bought at different stages: the oldest ones are 5 years old (since first use) and the newest around 7 months (since first use). These mags I completely strip after every third visit to the range. I run a cloth through the mag shell, wipe down the springs and plastic parts with a cloth and then spray the springs and the shells with WD40. I have a silicon-based spray for the plastic parts. So far these mags have remained rust-free and reliable. The round count amongst those mags is 10,500+

The SIG522 mags: the original one is 13 months old (since first use) and the two Black Dog mags are 4 months old (since first use). I didn't strip the SIG mags at all, only cleaned obvious gunk off the exposed part of the follower. That was until last week, when I decided to open them all up and give them a clean.

Just as well I did it, because I found the spring of the original SIG mag rusted (really thick brown rust) along half of it's length. It was really weird, the rust was only on the bottom half of the spring. The Black Dog mags had no signs of rust.
So I cleaned those springs as best I could and sprayed them with WD40. I am going to be checking those SIG mags as regularly as the Thompson ones from now on...
The round count amongst those SIG mags is 4500+
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Cleaning magazines?
Replies
9
Views
983
Standing Wolf
S
D
  • Locked
  • Poll
How often do you clean guns you haven't shot?
Replies
18
Views
21K
DWARREN123
D
L
  • Locked
  • Poll
How Often Do You Clean Them?
Replies
23
Views
2K
ryanrichmond
R
Warp
  • Locked
  • Poll
Do you disassemble and clean all new magazines?
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
Walkalong
Walkalong
A
  • Locked
Magazine cleaning question
Replies
5
Views
619
javacodeman
J
Back
Top