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Handgun Magazine Maintenance

Talyn

Talyn

Emissary
Founding Member
Those carrying a defensive handgun know that maintenance is simply part of the process. You need to make sure your gun is well lubricated, clean, and functional in case you ever need it.

But many people overlook what is usually the first failure point, the magazine. In many people’s eyes, magazines are considered disposable items. Once they start having issues, they simply throw them aside and replace them. While magazines will indeed eventually wear out with a bit of maintenance, we can extend their life.

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nah...not me...it is a "throw-a-way item, especially with age.

i have a "few guns" that have the original magazines, and as such, many rounds thru them.

springs cost money, and you have to order quite a few, to offset the high shipping costs. then, what about the followers..??? they are plastic, they wear too...

nah...too costly to repair, over throw away
 
Magazines are disposable items period. However not all are created equally. I have seen a lot more longevity from my HK mags tjan other makes.

That said my practice is my duty mags I don’t generally use at quals or training of let hit the concrete with emergency reloads. I run 3 or 4 loadings through them (so a 15 round would be 45-60 rounds etc) and then they stay loaded until I swap ammo. I have range mags for quals and training.

Then every few years I will pick up a handful of be mags and the duty mags become trainers.

You can keep them loaded for years and they won’t weaken line if you load and shoot them all the time.

But everyone has their own method
 
Jsimon78 said:
Depends on the magazine depends if it’s worth it. Glock magazines are cheap plastic type that I don’t clean. The rest of my collection get some kinda cleaning. I just hate the “new” feeling of some like my XDM.
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Beg to differ, factory Glock mags ain’t cheap and they are metal lined, not all polymer……I usually clean all my magazines at least once a year.
 
I generally have 10-12 magazines for each of the guns I carry or use in training. I load them all before a training session and rotate through them during the session. If my magazines are going to fail that is where I want it to happen. I drop empty mags in the dirt during combat reloads without a thought. I do regular inspections and cleaning on my magazines. If I start getting malfunctions I replace springs and followers. I hate to consider how much money I have spent on magazines over the years but it is important.

BTW my Wilson Combat 1911 mags have been stellar.
 
Not going to tick me off, if you want to just throw expensive Glock magazines away, your choice, to me it’s kinda stupid to throw any magazine away unless something is wrong with it, not just because you don’t want to clean them, btw, I still have and use Wilson .45 magazines that I bought some 30 years ago, they have the polymer follower, never an issue…..while Wilson isn’t my favorite magazine for a 1911, I still use them
 
Annihilator said:
Not going to tick me off, if you want to just throw expensive Glock magazines away, your choice, to me it’s kinda stupid to throw any magazine away unless something is wrong with it, not just because you don’t want to clean them, btw, I still have and use Wilson .45 magazines that I bought some 30 years ago, they have the polymer follower, never an issue…..while Wilson isn’t my favorite magazine for a 1911, I still use them
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You rolling with the wrong crowd😏😉
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Annihilator said:
Not going to tick me off, if you want to just throw expensive Glock magazines away, your choice, to me it’s kinda stupid to throw any magazine away unless something is wrong with it, not just because you don’t want to clean them, btw, I still have and use Wilson .45 magazines that I bought some 30 years ago, they have the polymer follower, never an issue…..while Wilson isn’t my favorite magazine for a 1911, I still use them
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I still use mine but not a fan of them. Actually have 8 for my G23.5 but I wish Glock would do a little better
 
NMEDGE said:
I keep using them until they fail. By the way I have never had a Glock magazine fail.
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I’ve had little issues with mine but after a little while they start to create a sharp edge where the rounds feed into the barrel. The G23.5 mag.’s are a tight 13 round magazine. I usually try to keep them loaded to make it a little bit easier but round #13 is right there.
 
HayesGreener said:
I generally have 10-12 magazines for each of the guns I carry or use in training. I load them all before a training session and rotate through them during the session. If my magazines are going to fail that is where I want it to happen. I drop empty mags in the dirt during combat reloads without a thought. I do regular inspections and cleaning on my magazines. If I start getting malfunctions I replace springs and followers. I hate to consider how much money I have spent on magazines over the years but it is important.

BTW my Wilson Combat 1911 mags have been stellar.
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A must for my 1911’s are either Wilson or Chip McCormick….they are the only way from my experience!
 
Transitioned all my 1911 mags to Ed Brown some years ago - never looked back and lifetime warranty.

Only factory for Glock and Sig. BTDT with Asian garbage once. Never again.

I do “spot” maintenance on the lock and G m time to time, but the cost is such that I’m inclined to just trash and buy new.

Sure wish I would stumble across a stash of OEM Smith & Wesson 3rd Gen magazines. I continue my (treasure) hunt.
 
I rarely do mag maintenance, every now and then i will take one apart if it has been used in a suppressed firearm for many rounds. Never had a glock mag fail. even the high capacity ones. wish they made one for 45 auto.
 
I have found that disassembling my magazines about once per year, wipe everything down with a dry cloth, then pull a shop towel through the magazine tube to clear out any debris is sufficient to keep them running. More often if I am in unusually dirty conditions. I wipe the outside down with a silicone cloth but never lube inside, petroleum products will cause all manner of dust bunnies and things to stick to the innards of your magazine. Inspect the feed lips and magazine catch notch and follower for damage. If you find rust on the spring or follower, replace them. When re-assembling, be sure the stud in the base plate lock is firmly locked into the base plate. More than a few times over the years I have seen a student's (and my own once or twice) magazine fall apart on the range due to that stud being worn out, the hole in the base plate wallowed out (wallered, as they say here in the south), or not firmly seated. Ammo and magazine failure are the main causes of malfunctions in semi auto pistols, you need to maintain them. I also everyone who carries a pistol to carry at least one spare magazine, or speedloader for revolvers. If you only carry the one magazine that's in the gun and it fails, you are down to a 2 pound club in your gun hand.
 
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