Clean your mags even if they do not need it

[Poppa Bear]

Been shooting indoors all winter so the mags are not getting dirty. Shot my first outdoor match yesterday. While loading up mags for the match I had a mag where the last round went in tight. Hey great it loosened up enough to get 21 in now!! Figured I would check it out just to make sure and 1,2,3... 18,19. Something is not right here, so I popped the pad off and found a round stuck inside the spring. Apparently when the mag dropped with only a few rounds there was enough room for a cartridge to pop past the follower when it struck the concrete.

[chevyoneton]

Been shooting indoors all winter so the mags are not getting dirty. Shot my first outdoor match yesterday. While loading up mags for the match I had a mag where the last round went in tight. Hey great it loosened up enough to get 21 in now!! Figured I would check it out just to make sure and 1,2,3... 18,19. Something is not right here, so I popped the pad off and found a round stuck inside the spring. Apparently when the mag dropped with only a few rounds there was enough room for a cartridge to pop past the follower when it struck the concrete.

Murphy at work!

[Mark R]

Had a shooter at a match a couple years ago who stored his gun in his range bag along with those little desiccant bags. He came up to the line, at make ready he crammed a mag into his gun, but it would not seat. Upon further investigation, he found a desiccant bag jammed up near the extractor. Guess it found it's way into the mag well and he didn't notice it until LAMR.

[lawboy]

Those are funny stories. I cannot tell you all the funny equipment stuff I have seen guys dealing with at a match that could have been avoided with a standard, pre-match equipment check. I do mine the night before every local match. If I am on the road, I do it the night before I leave for the match, and every night in the hotel before the next day's shooting. Mainly it is about confidence in your equipment but every now and then you find something amiss and save yourself some headaches on the clock.

[Desmo412]

I have seen the round stuck under the follower MANY times. This is why I always count the rounds as I load my mags. I have seen my buddy get screwed by thinking his mag was full, but was actually short 3-4 rounds because of a round sitting vertical inside the mag spring.

[Panic Flinch]

Ouch...never had the round under a follower, but will definately count them in the future.

[Roe14]

I always completely unload a partial mag and then count as I reload it. Made the mistake before and don't want to do it again.

[JPorter]

I recently purchased a mag and had it shipped to me. When I disassembled it,there was a round under the follower. Based on the back brass I was there for a while:)