Magazine Care and Storage

Most feeding problems start in the magazine, not the gun. A few minutes of care keeps them running.

Magazine care checklist

Cleaning

Slide off the base plate, pull the spring and follower, and wipe everything down. Use a dry brush inside the body. Skip the oil: it attracts dirt and powder fouling.

Surefire 60 round magazine taken apart showing springs and followers
A Surefire 60 broken down for cleaning

Inspection

Look for cracked or spread feed lips, dents in the body, and a follower that tilts or sticks. Number your magazines so a problem one is easy to track down and retire.

Diagram of box magazine parts: feed lips, body, follower, spring and base plate

Storage

Store magazines in a cool, dry place. Loaded or empty is fine. Keep them away from solvents that can attack polymer bodies and followers, and keep a few spare springs on hand.

Pistol and rifle magazines laid out next to a handgun
Keep magazines organized and labeled