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View Full Version : When Was The Last Time You Cleaned Your Mags!


Mr. Beretta
12-24-2013, 2:39 PM
My Yearly Public Service Announcement!

The vast majority of issues with semi auto pistols are mag related! It doesn't matter what brand or caliber, sooner or later, they not going run if you don’t take of your mags!

When was the last time you cleaned your mags? I don’t mean just wipe them down. I mean when was the last time you took them apart and cleaned ALL the components?

I know all you high speed low drag operators are super busy, but take the time to clean your mags. I clean mine every other range outing, which means once a month after approximately 400 rds. downrange.

It’s OK to spend hours cleaning your favorite semi (92F) but take 20 minutes and clean those devices that feed it.

It’s time well spent!

Now go shooting! :)

tbc
12-24-2013, 2:47 PM
Never on my Glock 10 rounders. They are just pain in the @$$ to take apart.

For the other mags, I cleaned them after every range trip.


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bruss01
12-24-2013, 2:58 PM
When they look or feel dirty, or when they appear to not function smoothly.

The dishwasher does a great job on them, disassembled.

A light swipe of CLP on the blued ones, wiped dry, and left to stand open for the volatiles to evaporate leaves a microscopic thin layer that cannot be seen, is seldom felt and will not accumulate crud, but will protect the metal. The stainless and plastic are assembled dry... magazines should not require any lubrication.

razr
12-24-2013, 3:32 PM
Havent cleaned mine even after 3500 rounds, drop them all the time. No issues. I wipe the exterior after each session.

sjm9877
12-24-2013, 3:53 PM
Never,

Same Sig German mags since 1996. Never cleaned never failed.

Fastattack
12-24-2013, 3:56 PM
Other than a little soot on the follower and dirt on the outside I have yet to find my mags dirty on the inside. I don't even disassemble them anymore.

uhlan1
12-24-2013, 3:57 PM
Seriously? I shoot too much to much to clean my mags after every range trip. In fact, I never disassemble and clean them.
No way I'm doing that. I have to struggle to find the time to even clean the gun. Have had no issues.

NRAhighpowershooter
12-24-2013, 3:58 PM
I haven't cleaned my Wilson Combat mags in over 25yrs now..... :o

drifter2be
12-24-2013, 3:59 PM
I cleaned the mags for my dad's old PPK/S when I first got it. His problem he had with the gun is that he would get a FTF almost every time he went out with the gun. Mags were filthy, he's L.E., kept the gun itself in immaculate condition as far as dirt and grime go (gun's finish was beat to hell, but he carried that gun almost every day of his life since 1990) but the mags were absolutely horrifying. After about 20 minutes I managed to get both of them squeaky clean, then gave them a light coat of oil, wiped that off, then reassembled. Put 100 rounds through both mags without even the slightest hint of an issue.

While I never really feel the need to clean mags very often, if your gun is giving you some kind of an issue, I would suggest they are the first place to start.

Paperchasin
12-24-2013, 4:05 PM
I clean my mags everytime I clean my guns.

SOAR79
12-24-2013, 4:27 PM
only when they fall in the dirt

JLM Ranger
12-24-2013, 4:36 PM
I wipe them down and clean any obvious dirt every time I shoot. If they fall in the dirt, I'll take them apart and clean they well.

gotime
12-24-2013, 4:58 PM
Never crossed my mind. (Maybe because I have Glocks and I went to battle with one once to add a +1 base plate... not doing that **** again)

FRIZZLEFRY
12-24-2013, 4:59 PM
I have never cleaned the inside of a mag. Ever. No issues.

xSARSx
12-24-2013, 5:17 PM
After all these years never.... only the outside

bsg
12-24-2013, 5:46 PM
i clean magazines perhaps once a year or so, unless they have been exposed to external conditions that can muck them up. i prefer the inside of the magazine to be dry and clean of oil because of my concern that oil will attract what i'm trying to eliminate; dirt and other unwanted matter.

P5Ret
12-24-2013, 5:48 PM
Glock mags are a PIA, this is the best $12 I ever spent.
http://www.mygtul.com/product/gtul-9mm40sw

It depends on where I shoot. Used to shoot at a very sandy range for quals every month, so it was every month. Now I only have to shoot there once a year, and they get cleaned after that trip.

AK4me
12-24-2013, 5:54 PM
Only if I dropped them in the dirt. I have over 9000 RDS through my 92F and have never cleaned the mags. Never had a problem.

Sent from space.

Corbin Dallas
12-24-2013, 6:04 PM
Never on any of my glock mags. I have over 100k in some of my mags, dirt, grime and other nasty crap.

My ar mags are the same. High round counts never cleaned.

Only my 1911 mags get a wipe down about every 3 months.

Reelemup
12-24-2013, 6:04 PM
Clean mags ?

hundreddollarman
12-24-2013, 6:07 PM
IF the follower looks a little dirty, I'll wipe it off with a patch soaked in CLP. Seems to do the trick. Other than that, I don't clean my mags as thoroughly as my pistols.

Sheperd80
12-24-2013, 9:14 PM
I never bothered cleaning mags until i started uspsa. The dirt at our range is very fine and can really clog them up after u drop them in it a few times. It never caused me a malfunction but a few were so dirty that the follower was grinding and would have probably jammed if i didnt clean it out. Now its something i do once in awhile just for good measure.

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Sputnik
12-24-2013, 9:19 PM
I clean the outside and the follower, especially with .22s, but I can't say I've ever felt the need to take one apart to clean. I've disassembled to replace the spring and follower on really old mags and they really didn't seem dirty inside.

Inkman
12-24-2013, 11:20 PM
I never bothered cleaning mags until i started uspsa. The dirt at our range is very fine and can really clog them up after u drop them in it a few times. It never caused me a malfunction but a few were so dirty that the follower was grinding and would have probably jammed if i didnt clean it out. Now its something i do once in awhile just for good measure.

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Same. Once i started shooting matches, i clean em twice a month or more and replace springs and followers once or twice a year. Makes a difference shooting lead and then shooting your own cast boolits with tumble lube on em.

Al

Sabian722
12-24-2013, 11:38 PM
whenever I clean the guns. no reason to leave the mags hanging, gotta show them the same love!

faris1984
12-24-2013, 11:40 PM
29fs M9A1 never from March when I bought it.

bruss01
12-25-2013, 12:38 AM
If all your shooting is at a bench, at the range, you may go a long, long time between cleaning.

If you take actual training, where you are shooting on the move, you may have drills where you are REQUIRED to drop the magazines on the ground, and or crawl around on the ground, dragging your gun, holster, magazines and all your other gear through the dust, gravel and mud. If you spend a day doing this and do not clean your gun and magazines before day two of the class, you are just asking for problems that will stop you dead in the middle of things and hold up the rest of the class... worse, you will spend your time focusing on resolving a function issue rather than learning the intended material... still not without value, but you can practice malfunction drills on your own, can't you?

I'm no great fan of James Yeager but he did post a clip recently that I do agree with... if your gun NEVER malfunctions, you are not training hard enough. If you wallow in mud, dust and gravel with your gear it will get dirty and anyone with good judgment and good gear would expect it to get you through the day but by the same token, would make sure that gear is ready to perform as intended for the second day... and for the most part that means cleaning and inspection. A failure at the range can teach you how to deal with a malfunction... but the proper take-away is to always make sure your gear is ready to perform at the peak of it's potential, so that it will not let you down. By training under these difficult circumstances you learn just where that point is... a valuable lesson for anyone whose life may depend on their gear.

Why You Need to FAIL At The Range (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4maarBq1NJc)

G21Shooter
12-25-2013, 6:45 AM
Never clean my mags, maybe that will be one of my new years resolutions.

enzo357
12-25-2013, 7:48 AM
In competition, if a mag gets dirty, it gets cleaned. Plinking around is another story, if one gets dirty, just use a different one.

bsg
12-25-2013, 9:45 AM
If all your shooting is at a bench, at the range, you may go a long, long time between cleaning.

If you take actual training, where you are shooting on the move, you may have drills where you are REQUIRED to drop the magazines on the ground, and or crawl around on the ground, dragging your gun, holster, magazines and all your other gear through the dust, gravel and mud. If you spend a day doing this and do not clean your gun and magazines before day two of the class, you are just asking for problems that will stop you dead in the middle of things and hold up the rest of the class... worse, you will spend your time focusing on resolving a function issue rather than learning the intended material... still not without value, but you can practice malfunction drills on your own, can't you?

I'm no great fan of James Yeager but he did post a clip recently that I do agree with... if your gun NEVER malfunctions, you are not training hard enough. If you wallow in mud, dust and gravel with your gear it will get dirty and anyone with good judgment and good gear would expect it to get you through the day but by the same token, would make sure that gear is ready to perform as intended for the second day... and for the most part that means cleaning and inspection. A failure at the range can teach you how to deal with a malfunction... but the proper take-away is to always make sure your gear is ready to perform at the peak of it's potential, so that it will not let you down. By training under these difficult circumstances you learn just where that point is... a valuable lesson for anyone whose life may depend on their gear.

Why You Need to FAIL At The Range (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4maarBq1NJc)

good post and good perspective.

Baboosh
12-26-2013, 7:24 AM
I've never taken any mags apart and cleaned them unless they were ones I bought a long time ago and were caked with cosmo.

I have some mags 10 years old in guns that I have had to replace the barrel because so many rounds have gone through them and never once have I had an issue because of a dirty mag. I've taken 3 separate 4 day handgun classes within a year where you shoot 600 rounds and drop and kick your mags in the dirt. Not one issue.

Clean them every 400 rounds? Majority of issues with semi auto pistols mag related? I'd have to disagree.

Fate
12-26-2013, 9:28 AM
If I ever have a firearm that is so finicky as to need a spotless mag to function, I will sell it and buy something that will work in real world conditions.

echoThreeOneSix
12-26-2013, 9:30 AM
i've never cleaned a magazine. maybe i should take them apart and see if they're dirty.

Virus55
12-26-2013, 5:52 PM
Ive never cleaned my mags, and the seem to work just fine.

lachinami
12-26-2013, 5:57 PM
The dishwasher does a great job on them, disassembled.http://cuinsurance.org/12b.jpg

GM4spd
12-27-2013, 2:39 PM
1971.

sirgiles
12-27-2013, 3:40 PM
2006.
ran it through with hose after being required to crawl on a muddy course.