Interim lubing and PMAG dust covers

[Captain_America]

Couple of questions from an FNG:

Lubing between shooting: Tore down, cleaned and lube the new gun last week. If one were to want to lube during or between shootings, what is the proper way? Should you open it up and pull the BCG out to lube? Is lubing through the ejection port good enough (doesn't seem so to me).

PMAG dust covers: What is the longest you could store them loaded without the covers?

Thanks in advance!

[GermanSynergy]

During extended firing session I pull the BCG out and lube it generously with LaRue MG oil or Slip 2000 EWL. One could lube the bolt while still in the weapon with dust cover open, but I prefer to take the entire BCG out and lube it.

I have mags loaded from early 2008 w/o dust covers w/o issue thus far.


Couple of questions from an FNG:

Lubing between shooting: Tore down, cleaned and lube the new gun last week. If one were to want to lube during or between shootings, what is the proper way? Should you open it up and pull the BCG out to lube? Is lubing through the ejection port good enough (doesn't seem so to me).

PMAG dust covers: What is the longest you could store them loaded without the covers?

Thanks in advance!

[devildogljb]

Me personally i pull out the whole bcg and lube it up, oil tends run off of the parts when it sits for awhile. You should look into using a good gun grease. As for the pmags with the dust covers i your going to get various answers most of it will be all from opinion, i dont think there is a dead set answer at least none that ive heard but i keep mine on for 6 to 7 months at a time and change out the rounds to a new mag, unloaded you dont have to worry about any thing.

[ChicagoTex]

PMAG dust covers: What is the longest you could store them loaded without the covers?

I read that Magpul has tested PMAGS which were fully loaded for 5 years without dustcovers with zero measurable change in any part of the magazine, but my google-fu has failed to find the link.

Either way, there's lots of people on this forum who've kept PMAGs loaded without dustcovers for various degrees of forever with no ill effects - whatever you have in mind, I think you'll be good.

[chadbag]

However, if you have the dust covers, why not use them? Most uses of stored magazines will not suffer at all from using them.

[Captain_America]

However, if you have the dust covers, why not use them? Most uses of stored magazines will not suffer at all from using them.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I was just wondering if there was a reason they supplied them. I know they're pretty much bullet proof.

[ChicagoTex]

I was just wondering if there was a reason they supplied them.

When Magpul initially released the PMAG even they weren't quite sure how rock the solid the mag they built was. The dust cover was initially included as much for the purpose of relieving pressure on the feedlips as keeping crud out during storage. It was only after years of extensive T&E (mostly by customers) that they discovered the dust cover wasn't necessary as far as maintaining the reliability of the magazine, by then it was basically tradition.

If you're storing your pmags long-term there's certainly no reason NOT to use the dustcovers, but it's not necessary.
As far as alternate uses for the dustcovers, I personally keep the cover on the bottom of my Rev-M pmags because it gives me a little more security when grabbing them from a pocket or pouch, they're kind of like a poor man's ranger-plate (I do, however, intend to get proper ranger plates soon enough).

[michael word]

http://cdn.magpul.com/downloads/PMAG%20-%20Product%20Guide%20090430_BETA.pdf

On page 16, magpul recommends using the dust cover if storing a loaded magazine for over one year.

[Stegadeth]

From reading around the web of late, Magpul has been quick to point out that they are calling them "impact covers" and focusing less on the dust cover aspect. I read somewhere that they have examples in house loaded up for five or more years with no measurable expansion of the feed lips. I keep the covers on most of my stored magazines, but I don't worry too much about those I keep at the ready without the covers on.

Besides, magazines are, for the most part, consumables in the end.