Tips & Techniques: Sticking Glock Mags

by
posted on July 26, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
sticking-glock-mags.jpg

Everyone who has shot a Glock has experienced it: You’re shooting a string of fire, the slide locks open and you go to perform an emergency reload only to find the magazine stuck in place—it can be quite frustrating. How can you fix it? Clean your gun differently. 

Many Glock magazines stick due to solvent or lubricant in the magazine well. To avoid this, clean the polymer frame with a baby bottle brush, dry scrubbing the dirt and debris out. These brushes have a wide but soft bristle that is designed to work well on plastic. You will see the crud come out quickly and easily compared to trying to get a cleaning patch into the nooks and crannies.

Once the frame is clean, apply a coat of car wax to both the inside of the magazine well and the exterior of the polymer magazine body. Just like on the body of your car, the wax will dry and become pasty. When it does, take a clean rag and buff both the magazine well and the magazine body. Make sure you get all of the dried wax away from the inside of the magazine release button. Your magazines should now jettison cleanly away on a reload.

Additional Reading:
Tips & Techniques: Rotate-To-Fire In Close Encounters

Tips & Techniques: Stay in the Scope
Tips & Techniques: "Take Out The Slack" To Keep Accessories In Place
Tips & Techniques: Stock Drag
Tips & Techniques: When Adjusting Sights, Remember "FORS"
Tips & Techniques: Cast Bullet Fit in Revolvers

Latest

target with holes
target with holes

Resisting the Temptation of "Good Enough" for Firearm Performance

No matter what firearm you're using for whatever purpose, even if it's simply a trip to the range, always resist the temptation to accept “good enough” if there is the possibility of better performance.

Armed Citizens Stop a Lot More Criminals Than Most in the Media Will Admit

Since January 2025, the Crime Prevention Research Center has documented 16 defensive gun uses in which police say armed citizens stopped mass public killings.

Federal & Mossberg Collaborate on Autonomous Airborne Drone Defense

Federal and Mossberg are working with Palladyne AI in the creation of SwarmShot, a kinetic defense system that employs swarms of armed drones to shield troops from unmanned aircraft system threats.

Cold Performance: How to Prepare for the Uncertainty of Self-Defense

Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.

Derya Goes Silent: The OBone Suppressor

In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 26, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.