# Any such thing as lubricating a magazine?



## Glock17 (Nov 29, 2017)

I have an M&P Shield and a Glock 17. My seat of the pants sense is wherever there are moving parts there's some kind of lubrication involved, but while I see videos about cleaning mags I never see any reference to lubricating them. It seems the piece that experiences friction is the follower.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Cleaning mags is a good thing, and smoothing rough spots, maybe. But oil collects dust and gums up, so I would avoid that...personally.


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## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

There is definitely some friction in a magazine, both between the follower & the mag body & between some parts of the spring & the mag body. It's not advisable to apply _drops _of lube there because it can deactivate primers and attract grit, but I occasionally wipe the springs & followers with a rag that has traces of Break Free on it, more to prevent corrosion than to lube.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

I find that my M&P's do need periodic lubrication to ensure reliable feeding. I disassemble them for cleaning and then use my normal lubricant for my carry guns; Hornady's One Shot Dry Lube. Best product of its kind on the market.


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## Outlaw (Feb 5, 2017)

I use dry lubes on my mags. Liquid Wrench makes a great dry lube. It goes on wet and dries as a Teflon coating.


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## Babbalou1956 (Sep 2, 2014)

Another good choice is Dri-Slide. It's moly & graphite, goes on liquid & dries, stays on a long time & slick as wet ice. Also using it for trigger assemblies & the bolt on my Ruger 22/45.


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## Cannon (May 1, 2016)

I clean them at least twice a year, more if their in a area where there exposed to sand dirt or wet areas. Its a good habit to get into.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

I clean mine, inside and out, on a regular basis. I just use a very light coating of gun oil, after I have the magazine clean.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

Use Ballistol. It dries and does not streak. fwiw


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Lubricating a magazine makes it difficult to turn the pages............ :mrgreen:


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

I believe in using oil and solvent only on guns. I don't at all like "one size fits all" type products like Ballistol, WD40 and so many others. They are mostly penetrators and soap. Most have a very low percentage of lubricant and often that is merely vegetable oil like Crisco. The cleaner ingredient is often not a nitro solvent but soap. If it claims it's good for leather and wood, it's probably not very effective on metal. A bad compromise, at best. 

I find Hoppes or G99 Nitro solvent works as it's designed to clean and a good light weight gun oil or grease to lubricate. I use Rig for grease and auto motor oil I pour in a small spritz bottle for lubricant. On magazines, I take them apart and use a magazine brush to remove the shmutz then clean them completely with solvent. After completely dry, I use a rag with a very little oil on it to lube the spring, follower and outside of the tube. Very light application is the key here. Lately, I've been using a silicone rag on the outside instead of oil. I keep one of those in my range bag too.

So many times over the years during an evening after hunting with friends, I've shown friends who've used on the the "all in one" solutions. I've recleaned their gun they'd just supposedly cleaned. They are amazed on how much black comes out of the bore and action with real solvent after they'd pushed a clean patch. I also am a believer in Bore Snakes. I used to make them for shotguns back in the 1960s from women's nylon stockings, nylon string and a metal nut on the other side. Drop the nut down the barrel and pull the stocking through with a little solvent on it two or three times. Follow with a second stocking with a couple of drops of oil or grease on it. Very light lube. No, the nut doesn't damage the barrel.


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## uniemaia (Feb 26, 2018)

subscribed, this seems like a very interesting thread


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## DLYskes1976 (Sep 15, 2015)

i did this to some aftermarket mags i bought for my HK P30L .... my mistake was using wd40 lol...... the only way i would explain it is, i was getting a squib load fire.... what was happening was the WD40 got into the primer and would caused a lighter than normal discharge of the round.... sometimes so light it would cause Fail to eject, would fully run the slide and all that stuff.... didnt end up with a squib load ( i would unload the gun and check the gun everytime ) but ya it was not a fun time at the gun range when i did this.... 

Now the plus side lol.... i used brake cleaner to re-clean all the mags and after that didnt have any issues..... even told one of the guys at the gun range about it, and he's like ya using WD40 if it gets into the primer will cause issues.... 

and the only reason i even went to lube the mags was they seemed a bit tight when loading them


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Don't lubricate magazines!
Grease and oil attract and hold dirt, which will eventually keep the magazine from functioning properly.

Magazines should be disassembled (if possible) and then brushed out, so all accumulated dirt and grit are gone.
Do not lubricate the parts.
Just reassemble the magazines, and load 'em up again.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Don't lubricate magazines!
> Grease and oil attract and hold dirt, which will eventually keep the magazine from functioning properly.
> 
> Magazines should be disassembled (if possible) and then brushed out, so all accumulated dirt and grit are gone.
> ...


That also depends upon how much you clean your magazines.


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