USGI mag refinishing question.

[imanaknut]

Being new to the AR scene, I am not used to seeing mags with the finish worn off. AK mags are easy to repaint being gloss black, but how do you refinish the gray on the gov't issue AR mags?

Thank you!

[Lenny]

Well..I can tell you what I do... I use a grey Rustolem spray paint . 1.) I disassemble the whole magazine. 2.) I spray the whole mag body down with WD-40 and scrub it well with a old tooth brush. ( dry it very well) 3.) I take and stand the mag bodies up on their end(no floor plate) and VERY LIGHTLY spray a coat on the whole magazine. I let it dry for at least 1 hour. 4.) I repeat this process 2 more times. Let them dry for 24 hours and they come out nice. I have put too much paint on before and then they(mags) wont drop-free. I know USGI mags dont rust, but I like the end result. I dont do anything too the magazine like sanding I leave them the way I get them. I hope you find a solution that suits you. Also I got the paint @ Home Depot.
Respectfully,
Lenny

[imanaknut]

Thanks for the idea. I will try it on one mag. If I like the look, I will refinish the others. Somehow it seems too simple just to use spray paint but sometimes the best answer is the simplest.

Thank you again!!!!

[sfc ret]

that paint thing sounds like a good idea....I used solid film lubricate spray and it came out like a brand new mag...a bit expensive for the spray, and it didn't hold up well to rough handling.

[UGACherokee]

sfc ret:

Doesn't that solid film lubricant have HAZMAT issues as far as shipping? What's the story with that stuff?

I've got a couple of USGI's that I'd like to smooth out m'self.

[Lenny]

I was gonna blu them. Somebody in the chatroom said to paint them, so I went out and found what I thought would work best.
SO FAR they have seemed to do okay. If ya'll find something better PLEASE let me know. Lenny

[sfc ret]

we used the solid film lubricant or dry film lubricant to spray our mags when there was a TA-50 layout, to make them look good. but it was mainly used to spray the links of the vulcan feed system, to keep rust and corrosion off of them.....so before I retired I kinda procured a couple of cans and did my own mags ;). as for HAZMAT question I don't know about that. check the auto parts stores, or industrial supply stores..this stuff is used in many industrial application, and automotive field.

the original coating on M16 mags is a type of dry film lube, except I think they also heat cure it.

[kanewtervalve]

I used grill paint from Walmart, baked them in the oven for about an hour (mag bodies only), and they came out fine.

[imanaknut]

Thank you all for the ideas. I never thought about grill paint but when I looked at my grill, it is the exact same gray as some of the mags! I will try each idea on one mag to see which comes out best. I'll report sometime next week, I'll be too busy this weekend, gunshow you know!

[RAB]

Yep,you want Permasilk-G its available here http://www.neelyindustries.com/prod03.htm

[Fat Rudy]

check out this site. I haven't done this yet, but I've heard other guys say their mags came out like new.

http://communities.msn.com/TheMarylandAR15ShootersSite/howtorefinishyoumagazines.msnw

F R

[imanaknut]

Thank you Fat Rudy. Can has been ordered.