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Making Mags Slicker?


-JQ-

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A friend had a gun and some mags refinished by Robar. They were a nice gray finish but it was very slick. I thought this might be a good idea for competition mags. I also have some sig mags that are factory "slick" although not nearly like the robar mags were.

So my questions is...should I polish/finish my magazines so they drop free more easily?

Specifically I'm curious about mags for single stack. My McCormick mags don't seem to drop as quickly as Wilson. Is this more the mag or the pistol?

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Polishing won't help much. You will find a lot of variation in magazines from manufacturer to manufacturer and even between magazines from one manufacturer. You will also find variations in frame dimensions. You should check to make sure that your grip screws and grip screw bushings are not protruding into the magazine well. You can try and squeeze mags in a vise to make them fit but that is a stop gap measure and they will expand eventually. I find single stack 1911 mags and the tubes especially to be lacking in durability compared to double stack Glock or Sig mags. A good smith can open up and polish the frame well so things will work better in general. I need to get that done...

At $21 a pop for McCormick power mags I just chuck them the second they start malfunctioning (locking slide back, dropping free). It's just not worth my time and I learned a lot of bad reloading habits by sticking with bad mags.

Edited by adweisbe
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A friend had a gun and some mags refinished by Robar. They were a nice gray finish but it was very slick. I thought this might be a good idea for competition mags. I also have some sig mags that are factory "slick" although not nearly like the robar mags were.

So my questions is...should I polish/finish my magazines so they drop free more easily?

Specifically I'm curious about mags for single stack. My McCormick mags don't seem to drop as quickly as Wilson. Is this more the mag or the pistol?

I have seen that the McCormick mag metal follower can be dragged a bit forward by the last round where the leading edge can touch the inside of the magwell. If there are rounds left in the mag when that happens, I would look for either a bulged tube some other interference.

Later,

Chuck

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The answer to my mag hanging was a dirty mag. I didn't reallize it at first but when I went back to my mags I realized the tube was dirty...not bad but enough to feel tacky compared to my clean ones...my bad.

But back to the Robar treatment...his mags were really slick after treatment...no kidding

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Go to Wally World and buy a can of Liqid Wrench Dry Lubricant a 1/4 the price of Mag Slick. Dismantle your 45 mag and use a 410 bore mop to coat the inside of the mag. Be careful with the outside unless you have very loose mag pouches.

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Top secret - napa silicone spray

That's what I use. A generic silicone spray. I spray the inside of the mags and let is sit a few seconds and then run a rag through it to remove the excess. That and magazine cleanliness goes a long way toward trouble free magazines.

fwiw

dj

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The Robar finish is called NP3 which combines teflon with electroless nickel. Very slick stuff. A few years (OK, more than a few) back they had a special promotion going on. They would plate your mags with NP3 for a nominal cost.

Ken

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just looked up robar refinishing for mags...$20/mag. That might be worth a try. The only problem as I see it would be that if they worked really well and then I would have to spend +$20 on all my comp. mags.

The silicone spray sounds easier.

thanks for the help

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  • 2 weeks later...

After loading my mags, I wipe them down with a silicon cloth that I keep in a ziplock in my range bag. Works good, keeps the outsides clean and gives them a little slicker feel.

mog

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Silicon works great..... but where I used to shoot, wind and dust was big problem, stuff like moondust getting on/in everything.... the silicon was a magnet for stuff like that. I used the spray on dry lube, inside the mags. Nothing oj the out.

Now, if your mags are hanging in the gun, maybe the tubes are oversize, or swollen? maybe your grip screws or bushings stick into the grip some, and need to be clearanced? Narrow trigger bow, rubbing on the mag? Mag catch that binds the tube on the left side when pushed too hard? Magwell needs to be opened up some for more clearance?

All else fails get new mags that work.

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