Magazine maintenance

[desertrider]

I searched this forum and couldn't find any threads on this subject, so please post a link if I missed it, which I probably did because it seems like such an obvious task.

More specifically I'm talking about biued magazines, not aluminum, plastic, or stainless.

I recently opened up a tub with several different mags that I keep in a rack in my garage and found some light to medium surface rust on some steel AK mags.

Admittedly, the tub isn't airtight and there are no desicant packs in there, but this is the first time in almost twenty years that I've encountered this.

I'm mainly bringing this up because I recently bought some blued mags for my 1911 and they were delivered with a light film of oil in the packaging, which thankfully encouraged me to check my stored mags in the garage.

Is it fair to say that a once yearly regimen of disassembling the mags and wiping (inside and out) the bodies and components with a lightly oiled cloth is the way to go? Maybe every two years since I live in an arid area (the IE)?

Of all my steel mags (FAL, M1A, AK, USP) only a handful of the AK mags had corrosion. Maybe just a bad batch?

[LeadFarmer74]

Once a year or even once every two years would benefit this problem. If the AK mags are starting then it's probably only a matter of time till the other steel ones start.

[heidad01]

"Is it fair to say that a once yearly regimen of disassembling the mags and wiping (inside and out) the bodies and components with a lightly oiled cloth is the way to go? Maybe every two years since I live in an arid area (the IE)?"

Yes. That is fair to say and even more often.
Every time I clean a gun, I wipe down the outside of the Mags with the same lightly oily rag that I wipe the out side of the gun. That is for all mags. If you drop your mags on the ground and in dirt, I would take them apart and clean the inside after every range trip. Mags that are stored get sprayed with Rem Oil before they go into the storage box.

[desertrider]

"Is it fair to say that a once yearly regimen of disassembling the mags and wiping (inside and out) the bodies and components with a lightly oiled cloth is the way to go? Maybe every two years since I live in an arid area (the IE)?"

Yes. That is fair to say and even more often.
Every time I clean a gun, I wipe down the outside of the Mags with the same lightly oily rag that I wipe the out side of the gun. That is for all mags. If you drop your mags on the ground and in dirt, I would take them apart and clean the inside after every range trip. Mags that are stored get sprayed with Rem Oil before they go into the storage box.

Oh man, I clean my guns after each range trip, but I rarely do maintenance that frequently with my mags.

My mags hit the ground often. I won't say regularly, but at least a few times each range trip. When I do reloading drills I drop mags to the ground and make sure to blow them out with compressed air when I get home. But when a mag just slips or falls off the bench I usually just shake it out and blow into it. If I don't hear any rattling and it functions well it just goes back in the bag when the day is over.

Cleaning all of my mags on a regular basis is just out of the question. I am considering taking a day to do that now that I see some corrosion, but it would probably be a once every five years type of thing.

[Mr. Beretta]

Here's my thread on the topic.

Originally posted Christmas Eve 2013.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=870530

[desertrider]

Here's my thread on the topic.

Originally posted Christmas Eve 2013.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=870530

^^^ I took the liberty of quoting your OP from the thread you shared above.

I would agree with occasionally cleaning my mags if I only used maybe three or four.

I'm a mag hoarder though. I have several mags for anything I own that uses a mag.

I also don't like wasting time loading mags at the range, so it's not uncommon for me to show up with 10 plus mags per firearm already loaded. I would rather load mags while sitting in my garage than out at the range.

If I go on a weekend BLM shooting trip to the desert, which can be sandy and windy, and take at least fifteen mags for maybe ten different guns, that's 150 mags to disassemble, clean, and put back together.

The only times I'll take a mag apart to clean is if it is dropped in mud (very rare), or kicked around in the sand after being dropped, which has definitely happened.

I guess the point of my thread is relating to long term storage. Inspect and lube once every 1, 2, or 5 years? I was wondering what other people do, but I'm thinking inspect every 5 years and clean as needed.

The mags that have the corrosion had been stored for several years. And I do realize that if the exterior of the mag has corrosion, the inside of the mag body could also. Although I'm guessing it could have just been the body oil from my hands or maybe some surface moisture from when they were put away.

[bug_eyedmonster]

I bought some mag brushes and clean my mags after every range trip, especially the pistol mags since they get dropped and kicked more frequently. It's a pain, but it helps me check functionality and note any problems before they become real issues, and keeps them clean and rust free. I use the brushes dry, and have a rag sprayed with RemOil that gives them a good wipe.


Jerry