Do you clean magazines?

[Chris-bob]

Once every blue moon.

 

[animator]

Range mags never get cleaned. Maybe a wipe down once in a while, but other than that, I don't think I've made an effort to disassemble and clean them. They stay in the range bag unless in the gun being used.


Mags that get dirty from nature, either being out riding around on an ATV or getting dusty, muddy, or whatever will get cleaned if or when needed.


Daily carry magazine gets cleaned when the carry gun does.

 

[tactikel]

Disassemble and clean, inspect, and lube lightly with CLP once a year.

 

[LAK]

Good idea to at least look at them once in awhile. Even if they are stainless or polymer the springs can rust, and dust etc can accumilate inside. If you are out in the cold and return into a warm home there might be some condensation inside. Living in a humid and or dusty environment I would check them often.

 

[forestdavegump]

Clean once a year or if they are failing.

 

[SwampWolf]

Interesting responses to this thread in that I've read countless posts in other threads where one of the invariable suggested remedies to a malfunctioning pistol was to "be sure and clean the magazine". Now, there's no downside to keeping the magazine clean and, doubtless, there may be an occasion or two when cleaning a dirty magazine "cures" a malfunctioning pistol but, as many here have reported, I think that a dirty magazine is rarely the cause of a pistol/ammunition jam. The magazine spring is big and stout and the tolerences inside the body of the mag with reference to its proximity to the spring and follower are generous, making it harder for particles of dirt to impede the proper movement of the ammunition to the chamber.

The most vulnerable area for most mags are the "feed lips", which can be easily deformed by dropping onto a hard surface or other kinds of rough handling. Deformed lips, a spring weakened over time (or the wrong spring) and damaged followers are the most common magazine induced pistol malfunctions. Obviously, if the magazine is subjected to treatment where it is exposed to dirt/sand/mud it should be stripped, cleaned and lightly lubricated (mostly as a rust-preventative measure).

I have fond memories of the mandatory gun cleaning sessions following our bi-annual firearms qualification courses when the instructor would without fail admonish all of us to "make sure your clips are clean". Most of the time back then, I thought that cleaning mags was a waste of time, lube and effort. I still do.