Magazine Cleaning Question

[russp1]

I clean all my guns as soon as I get home from the range but I haven't cleaned the magazines other than to wipe any gun shot residue off the top. How often should this be done (if at all)? Can not cleaning the magazines lead to problems down the road? The pamphlet that came with my Sigma shows you how to dissassemble the mag but doesn't say anything about cleaning it while the gun instructions are very specific about cleaning and oiling.

 

[OKFC05]

My routine:
1. Disassemble mag
2. Spray with a good solvent (I use CRC Silicone, which has heptane as the solvent)
3. Wipe everything clean and DRY with an absorbent cloth. We have lots of dust here, so anything sticky picks it up FAST! The CRC Silicone leaves the metal slick but dry.
4. Reassemble, being sure you have the spring correct.

How often: Anytime they need it. I shot one match in a sea of mud at Greenville, TX, and we were rinsing the mud out of magazines in water buckets at every stage.

 

[firearmsunlimited]

Residue will accumulate in the magazine over a period of time depending upon the powder that you are using. Kleenbore makes a mag brush especially designed to clean the inside of magazines. Oiling the inside of the mag will only serve to attract residue. Disassemble the mag as per the manufacturer's instructions and clean the inside of the mag with Hoppes or whatever cleaner you are using for your gun. Cleaning of a magazine or any other part of the gun has absolutely nothing to do with lead or copper fouling.

 

[HspncElvis]

I've broken down and cleaned my mags once in 1300 rounds. I clean my gun after each trip to the range. I also wipe the magazine feed ramp with solvent after each trip to the range.