Internally lube 1911 mags ?

R

Road_Clam

New member
Hey guys,
I had an odd occurrence at the range yesterday with my SA RO 1911 in 9mm . I was having a random issue with the mag not locking the slide on the last shot. Have not shot this gun much this year. Took the gun apart and it seemed the mag follower did not have enough pressure to raise the lever that engages the slide lock. I have not cleaned the mags since the gun was new and that was about 5 years ago (and they were very dirty internally), At first I could not figure out how to remove the mag follower, then after watching a few vids I was able to remove them. After a really good cleaning, and cleaning and lubing the slide lock pin everything functions perfect again. I sprayed the mag internals with some Rem Oil, and is this a good idea or not ?
 
Cleaning probably helped and made for less resistance but the mag spring sounds like it’s giving up the ghost and you might want to replace.
 
Road_Clam said:
Hey guys,
I had an odd occurrence at the range yesterday with my SA RO 1911 in 9mm . I was having a random issue with the mag not locking the slide on the last shot. Have not shot this gun much this year. Took the gun apart and it seemed the mag follower did not have enough pressure to raise the lever that engages the slide lock. I have not cleaned the mags since the gun was new and that was about 5 years ago (and they were very dirty internally), At first I could not figure out how to remove the mag follower, then after watching a few vids I was able to remove them. After a really good cleaning, and cleaning and lubing the slide lock pin everything functions perfect again. I sprayed the mag internals with some Rem Oil, and is this a good idea or not ?
Click to expand...
I would suggest a dry lube or a lube that dries. I like spray silicone. It dries in a few minutes after spraying and will not accumulate dust and dirt.
 
What brand mags are you using? I had some older mec-gar 10 round 9mm 1911 mags that wouldn't lock back the slide. The gun was fine with metalform mags.
 
No lube in mags, it just collects dirt. Mag springs are consumables and should be changed when they stop working. Buy them from Wolff Springs, run you about $8 per. I change mine every 3K rounds or so.
 
mags

Mag maintenance is part of firearm maintenance, but often neglected. Stay after those mags.

My instruction was always that inside of mag were to be left clean but dry.
 
You definitely want something that will dry completely and that won't attract dust.

Maybe something like Hornady One Shot.

Apply it to an empty mag and don't reload the mag until it is completely dry.

You might also check to see how the mag springs are doing. It sounds like they might be on the weak side and need to be replaced.
 
Thanks for the advice. My mags are factory SA. I'll dissasemble the mags again , clean and run them dry. I generally shoot outdoors in a dusty enviroment, mags ocassionally fall in the dirt from shooting drills. I tested my Kimber 10mm mags in my 9mm frame and they feel like they have more spring pressure on the slide lock lever. I think i may just buy new mag springs.
 
I've had mags for two different guns turned into malfing junk by lube on the internals.
In both, three mags that had worked perfectly were double-feeding, and were just as quickly restored to reliable use by cleaning out all lube.
 
wiping inside the mag with a silicone cloth is enough to keep it working smoothly

if you spray some WD40 or REM lube just make sure to wipe out the excess, just the residue left from cleaning is enough.
 
Inside a magazine is about the only place a dry lubricant can work well in a firearm.

I've been having excellent luck with WD-40 Dry Lubricant With Teflon.
It comes out as a fine spray, sticks to the area and the carrier almost instantly evaporates, leaving a thin layer of dry Teflon lube.

However, for many years I lubricated magazines by putting a few drops of CLP Breakfree on a small piece of paper towel, wrapping it around the magazine spring and sliding it down the spring to leave a very fine coat of lube.
This was to mostly prevent springs from rusting on carry gun spare mags.
The coating is thin enough not to hold debris.
 
I sprayed the mag internals with some Rem Oil, and is this a good idea or not ?
Click to expand...

As others have said, no wet lube is needed inside a mag and is undesirable. If anything at all use a small amount of dry graphite. You can get this at any hardware store. It's often used by locksmiths to smooth out the key turning in a lock.

tipoc
 
Stock Springfield mag? I've never had much luck with those mags for my Springfield. 45. Replaced them all with Chip McCormick and have never had any issues with them.
 
Road Clam: said:
I had an odd occurrence at the range yesterday with my SA RO 1911 in 9mm
Click to expand...

Try cleaning the mags inside & out with CRC quick dry electronic contact cleaner, which doesn’t leave a residue on the internals of the mag, any residue will just attract more combustion grime. And I use (& recommend) Wilson Elite Tactical magazines with my 9mm STI Trojan 1911.
 
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YMMV but in carrying various 1911s over a 30 year time span I never once lubricated the inside of a magazine. As others have said or hinted, it just attracts crud.

Clean regularly, replace springs as needed, but don't lubricate the inside, or the outside for that matter.

Dave
 
Especially with lead reloads, am cleaning my 1911 mags out with hoppes dampened cloth on a mag brush. They get very lightly oiled in same manner, and the oil wiped out. Have dealt with many older firearms over the years with rusted mags, and no inexpensive replacements.

While not buying many firearms as i age, the first thing i did with buying used semi was clean and lubricate the gun and the mags.
 
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