Clean Your Mags

[PA_USPSA]

I shot a Level 1 match this past Sunday.  The pits had a sandy surface.  Halfway through my second stage my gun jammed with the slide halfway back.  Looking down the cartridge was almost vertical.  I dropped the mag and the jammed cartridge fell out the mag well.  I put a new magazine in, racked the slide, and finished the stage.  Inspecting the faulty magazine I found the follower had jammed and wasn't pushing the cartridges up.  Sand had gotten between the follower and the magazine wall and was causing enough friction to prevent the spring from pushing the cartridges up.  After that I made sure to empty my magazines after each stage and knock out as much sand as I could before loading them for the next stage.

[JoeMKY]

I usually clean the match mags at the end of the year.

[MHicks]

26 minutes ago, JoeMKY said:

I usually clean the match mags at the end of the year.

 

Do you shoot outdoor matches regularly? The ground at some matches is hard or gravelly and doesn't get in the mags much. But some of the ranges end up with piles of powdery silt.

 I once barely saw the corner of a mag buried in a pile. My 1911 mags or 10 round Production mags are a little more forgiving if a little dirt gets in there. But full capacity double stack mags with extended baseplates are much more finicky when it comes to getting dirty. People who only shoot at indoor ranges can get away without cleaning. I don't see how you can shoot outdoor matches regularly while cleaning mags once a year.

[JoeMKY]

I only shoot at outdoor ranges usually mid to heavy gravel and some parts are dusty.  Mostly shoot single stack, carry optics and open.  If they look dusty when I pick the, up I wipe them with my shirt and give them a a light blow and use them again.

 

Never shot a match at an indoor range but wish I could during the cold winter days.

[JoeMKY]

52 minutes ago, MHicks said:

 

Do you shoot outdoor matches regularly? The ground at some matches is hard or gravelly and doesn't get in the mags much. But some of the ranges end up with piles of powdery silt.

 I once barely saw the corner of a mag buried in a pile. My 1911 mags or 10 round Production mags are a little more forgiving if a little dirt gets in there. But full capacity double stack mags with extended baseplates are much more finicky when it comes to getting dirty. People who only shoot at indoor ranges can get away without cleaning. I don't see how you can shoot outdoor matches regularly while cleaning mags once a year.

I only shoot at outdoor ranges.  Mostly grave from heavy, medium and pea gravel, and some parts have dirt, if they look dusty when I pick them up, I wipe them with my shirt, give them a light blow and use the again.  I mostly shoot single stack, carry optics and open with no problems so far for the last 15 years.

 

I wish I can shoot some matches at an indoor range, would be nice during the cold winter months.

Edited October 10, 2023 by JoeMKY

[JoeMKY]

Oh yeah and then there is the home range which is more partial grass and mostly dirt.

[MHicks]

1 hour ago, JoeMKY said:

Oh yeah and then there is the home range which is more partial grass and mostly dirt.

 

In our area in the hicap divisions shooters pretty much clean their mag if it hits the ground at most clubs. It's not just a matter of being overly cautious either with the experiences I've seen at our matches.

[PA_USPSA]

Shooting outdoor competitions with grass or dirt surfaces I haven't had any trouble.  The sand surface, though, really messed my mags up.

[DavidSeavey]

high cap divisions, especially open i disassemble any mag that touches the ground and run a brush through it at least.

 

i've been trying to see how long my 1911 mags will go without cleaning since theyre a pita to clean at matches and there's so many of them but it's been pretty good so far. i shake them out well and bring a spray can of air just in case but haven't really needed the air yet.  of course theyre getting pretty nasty looking inside so i'm just going to clean them soon anyway.

[MHicks]

I have an MTM plastic  magazine can that holds 16 1911 mags. During a match after a stage I can will push down on the follower a couple of times. If it feels gritty I set that mag aside and pull out a clean one. Then I can clean them at home.

I have other cases that hold double stack mags. I just clean the one mag per stage that I let drop while reloading. It only takes a minute. I just shot a 10 stage level 2 match and used 3 mags total, cleaning one as needed.

[JoeMKY]

9 hours ago, MHicks said:

 

In our area in the hicap divisions shooters pretty much clean their mag if it hits the ground at most clubs. It's not just a matter of being overly cautious either with the experiences I've seen at our matches.

yeah I can see that with the 2011’s. But my open gun is a tricked out Sig P320 ( shooting minor of course ), so it’s pretty forgiving in that aspect.

[Rich406]

17 hours ago, JoeMKY said:

yeah I can see that with the 2011’s. But my open gun is a tricked out Sig P320 ( shooting minor of course ), so it’s pretty forgiving in that aspect.

When I shot a p320 I never cleaned mags and replaced springs every other year. Since I’ve switched to a 2011, I clean them every time they hit the ground. They are exponentially more finicky. 

[JoeMKY]

8 hours ago, Rich406 said:

When I shot a p320 I never cleaned mags and replaced springs every other year. Since I’ve switched to a 2011, I clean them every time they hit the ground. They are exponentially more finicky. 

I've heard that about the 2011's, how they can be very sensitive to dirt and dust and other things, but when all those are not a factor, they run great.  I still would like to own one someday.

[Duck_Duckalo]

Do you mark or number your magazines and rotate them?

[StefVanHauwe]

Mags that are dropped onto the floor, both on indoor and outdoor ranges, during training and matches I make it a habit to use the mag brush to clean the inside and a cloth for the outside. So far no issues.

[JoeMKY]

4 hours ago, Duck_Duckalo said:

Do you mark or number your magazines and rotate them?

 
i number them, comes in handy to write down the number if I think it is starting to fail.

[flyinverted]

A local shooter recommends and I have adopted the practice of cleaning a mag if it has touched the ground. I use MBX mags and it's very simple to take the baseplate off, run a brush through and reload. I was very surprised when I did it the first time 'just because'. SO much dirt came out, I never hesitate to clean em again if they touch the ground.

[maur]

If your mag hits the ground at a major, you clean it

[Signal7]

On 10/10/2023 at 5:22 PM, JoeMKY said:

I usually clean the match mags at the end of the year.

 

We Florida bro's clean ours before, during and after the matches thanks to the (very often) sugar-ey sand and loose-loamy type of surfaces we have here in the Gunshine state.

[DenC]

I use Tanfoglio 16 rounders in Production (downloaded to 15 rounds) and whenever a mag hits the ground I wipe it down with a rag I always have with me and tap the mag, without disassembling. I also check that my baseplates are in position. I learned the hard way after my first match.  I disassemble and clean the mags when I get home.

Shoot outdoors and usually its grass and dirt, maybe some rocks here and there.

Edited December 14, 2023 by DenC

[Russty]

Ummm, has USPA Production gone to 15 rounds and I missed it?

[LDRIDER]

Cleaning mags that have hit the ground is second nature for me. We shoot in

the PNW at a range known as the "Cat box". Sand, lots and lots of sand. If you

fail to clean a soiled mag it WILL bite you in the butt eventually.

[DenC]

 

15 hours ago, Russty said:

Ummm, has USPA Production gone to 15 rounds and I missed it?

I shoot IPSC

[scroadkill]

most of our bays are sandy..
I typically use the same starter mag all year.. and it gets cleaned every time it hits the ground.
all match mag get cleaned between matches, disassembled and allowed to rest until the Friday night.

 

[Nathanb]

Just went through this. Had a big stick that would catch a nosedive randomly.  After the third time in several matches I put it away. I should have just pulled it apart and cleaned it. It’s hard to imagine the amount of crap that gets caught in a tube with a semi open end