Magazine Maintenance: Do’s and Don’ts

[Graybeard]

https://patriotgunnews.com/2019/11/14/magazine-maintenance-dos-and-donts/

Every semi-automatic gun I can think of has a magazine, as do some bolt-action rifles. That means a lot of my guns are reduced to very inefficient single-shot weapons without a magazine.

On that thought, we should probably look into ways to extend the service life of these critical components.

Notice, I said service life. Magazines are consumables. They are not consumable in the manner that ammunition is, but they are sort of like drill bits. They wear over time and when they become faulty, they must be repaired, replaced or destroyed.

As such, there are things to do to repair or rebuild them. But, at some point, there really isn’t anything left to do but render them inert and properly dispose of them in favor of a new one.

Why Do Magazines Fail?
Magazines are typically some type of box housing a spring and a follower. The box provides structure for the storage of the ammunition, an anchor point for the spring and a method of securing ready ammo in the gun.

The spring provides the energy to lift the next roundup, ready for chambering. The follower sits on top of the spring and provides a stable platform to lift the round for chambering. Sure, that is a very basic description as there are other things, like the mag catch.

However, as a general rule, when that part fails, it is time for magazine destruction.


What a disassembled magazine looks like.
Magazine Maintenance Don’ts
So, what are the do’s and don’ts when it comes to magazine maintenance? Let’s start with the “don’t” list:

Don’t attempt to deep clean the magazines without disassembling—you won’t remove much dirt or grit and the cleaning tools might get stuck or damage the magazine.
Don’t just drop it in an ultrasonic cleaner—metal mags may come outstripped of paint; plastic mags and followers may not withstand the chemical bath (depending on chemicals).
Do not use Simply Green on aluminum mags or mags with non-steel metal components—corrosion, damage of the metal and destruction of the mag may occur.
Do not lube polymer mags—it only attracts dust and grime, as they are self-lubricating.
Magazine Maintenance Do’s
No for the “do” list:

Wear eye protection—a spring or follower to the eye is no joke.
Confirm chemical compatibility with magazine components—standard gun cleaning products are normally safe.
Have plenty of clean paper towels or disposable fabric cloth—for cleaning and lubing duties.
Carefully disassemble the magazine–watch a video if you don’t know how.
Carefully clean and inspect all components—watch for dirt, carbon, rust, weak spots, wear issues and spring tension.
Replace all overly worn components–Magpul and others make repair/upgrade kits.
Be sure to remove cleaner—apply a light coat of oil to metal mags and apply non-evaporating/dry lube to spring components.
Reassemble magazines–generally, the reverse order of disassembly.
Function check by handloading and manually cycling a full load of ammo–it should find binding or feeding issues
Smile, your job is done and the magazine should last a lot longer based on a few minutes of work!


A little elbow grease can make your mag collection last longer.
When to Maintain Your Mags
With the exception of my carry gun, I do batch work. Carry mags have a two-year lifespan for me. After two years, they work into the range only or 3-Gun rotation (if applicable). I work on each magazine type at a different time of year.

The AR mags get broken up (as there are so many of them). The 3-Gun mags and range mags get done together before the season starts. The SHTF mags and all other AR mags get done in mid-summer.

All the hunting mags get done preseason and again postseason if they were used. By doing things in batches, it only takes a short period of time and I don’t mix up parts or job descriptions.

Your method can vary greatly from mine. The point is not that my method is the best, but that you need to develop a method and maintain your mags to extend their useful life and to make sure your fancy bangomatic doesn’t become a single shot when you really need it.

[RaySendero]

Yeah.
I've had to take my 10/22 rotary magazines apart several times to clean'em.

[Argent 88]

Is it ok to leave them loaded? Or does that weaken the spring as some say.  I rotate mine out.
The Navy went through 1911 mags like crazy.

[Graybeard]

Fine to leave them loaded. Modern springs don't take a set.

[Argent 88]

Fine to leave them loaded. Modern springs don't take a set.

Thank you, I didn't know that. The old ones sure would, causeing feed problems.

[JustaShooter]

Yeah.
I've had to take my 10/22 rotary magazines apart several times to clean'em.

Yep, those things do tend to get crudded up if you shoot them much.  I always have to look up how many turns to give them to re-tension the spring...  My rememberer ain't so good these days. 

[JeffG]

Great post, Bill. 

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got routine for my pistol and ar mags. I number all of them. When I go to the range I used #1 today then #2 the next ect. If one acts up I put a mark on it. Then I start again with #1 and go through them all. If one of the marked ones acts up a second time it goes in the trash and again for a third time with any two time offenders getting trashed.  after the third time there used I put them in a box and when ive gone through all of them I spend a day cleaning them. Only exception is I keep one 5 round mag for each caliber  for load development and mark them as such and those rarely get cleaned. I know I probably toss mags that could be tweeked or fixed that aren't running right but I can get a magpul ar mag for 10 bucks and ive probably bought close to a 100 of them and have never had a bad one. . Its not worth risking my life on some old metal mag that's getting finiky. Now if you only shoot a mag or two when you go to the range its probably not necessary to clean them after 3 uses unless you dropped them in the dirt. But its peace of mind. I do the same with all my handgun mags. But have to say ive never had to toss a glock or m&p or sig man. About the only junk mags ive ran across for handguns is some generic 1911 mags.

[JustaShooter]

I know I probably toss mags that could be tweeked or fixed that aren't running right but I can get a magpul ar mag for 10 bucks and ive probably bought close to a 100 of them and have never had a bad one. .

You might consider separating the finicky mags and use them for training - having mags that randomly cause failures is a great way to practice clearing stoppages.

[Lloyd Smale]

when I practice seriously I load up a few rounds of ammo with a spent primer and put one in about half the mags I load. I just like the peace of mind knowing that all my mags run well. If they cost 50 bucks a piece maybe id try tweaking them or use them for causal work but for 10 bucks a crack I can get magpul ar or glock mags that work in all my guns all the time. That's another thing that some of us need to take into consideration. I have 7 556 ar15s. mags no good to me unless it can run in each and every one of them. Same with my 3 300 bos. Yup I could use 556 mags like some and live with an occasional stoppage. But I can also buy dedicated 300 bo mags for 12-15 bucks that work in all three guns EVERY time. Ar15s are guns that may be called on to defend my home and family. My main concern even with loading for them isn't accuracy its reliability. Its why I use small base dies and trim brass after every shooting and ANY sign of primer pockets loosening gets a piece of brass tossed in the trash. Years ago I tried getting every shooting I could out of a piece of brass and had primers come loose and fall into the fire control group and tie up a gun all the time. Call me anal. I know my buddy who shoots a lot shakes his head at the stuff I throw out and even asked me to save him mags I toss. told him NOPE then if one cost you your life or your kids life id have to live with it. If you are going to keep them for training youd better mark them well and then if you do that wont you be expecting a stoppage?

I know I probably toss mags that could be tweeked or fixed that aren't running right but I can get a magpul ar mag for 10 bucks and ive probably bought close to a 100 of them and have never had a bad one. .

You might consider separating the finicky mags and use them for training - having mags that randomly cause failures is a great way to practice clearing stoppages.