Is is normal for a new 20-rd (not 30) mag to turn SHINY after 120 rounds.  This is a NEW, fresh from wrapper, vintage 1970, Colt mag.  I have used it twice, 60 rounds each session, for a total of 120 rounds fired using this mag.  I have never applied any cleaner, lubricant, nothing on this mag.  Then, last night, I was using a soft cotton T-shirt to wipe off the soot.  The soot wiped off easily, and left a very shiny surface.  I was using a clean cotton cloth with NO cleaner or anything.  I just gentely rubbed off the soot, which rubbed off very easy.  However, this left the mag looking as if was polished aluminuim.  It looks nice, as if I polished the mag. But, the only problem is that it adds a BLING-BLING appearance to my "all business" AR.

Is it normal for a 1970 vintage Colt 20-rd mag to quickly acquire a shiny appearance ?

G35...no name?

I have lot's of these Colt mags and all of them get like that. The old Moly coat wears off in a hurry. Some of mine are NIW and look like that from just sitting in the bag and rubbing. You can clean them off and shoot them with Perma-Slik and they will look better. If you need any let me know.

Bushman15

Troy,

If I'm not mistaken I think UI/Simmonds made alot of the Colt 20 for them, so they no doubt used the same Moly. Do you know who else made 20's for Colt between '65 and say '70?

Troy,

do you know if there is a way to tell which are newer or older manufacture, beside the fact as the thread author has indicted, the finish vanishes on the older ones.

.
* * * U P D A T E * * *
.
Ok, so after seeing that this is normal... I felt it was safe to apply a little CLP to this shinny surface.  Big surprise.  This is not shinny bare aluminuim.  It is some substance (coating, paint, etc.).  It comes off VERY quick with CLP.  I now see the anodizing under this fragile shinny "paint/coating".

So, now I suppose I will diassemble the mag and dunk it in a solvent (acetone maybe, have not tried variuos solvents yet) to get this messy stuff off.  It is truely MESSY.  The slightest hint of CLP will, on contct, start dissolving this silver-color paint/coating.  It leaves my fingers covered with black smears.

Is this normal ?  How do you handle this messy situation ?  Has this happen to other 20-rd users ?

[img]http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL33/1216349/2303971/32245802.jpg[/img]
[img]http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL33/1216349/2303971/32245812.jpg[/img]

Well, I know now !!! [noclue]

No one warned me last night, so I applied a little CLP.  Hey, CLP never hurts anything right ? [banghead].

This is my first vintage 20-rd mag.  Can you say "Learning Curve" ? [chair]

When I discovered this little "dirty" secret the hard way, I was left with a dull, gold blotch on my silver, shinny mag. [pissed]

So, my only recourse now is to strip all of the moly off in order to get rid of the blotch. [brick]

Plus, what good is the moly if it smears at the slightest hint of CLP, and leave black, black smears everywhere ?  I know to not apply CLP to mags on normal basis... but, hey, CLP in trace amounts will find it's way to the mag (wet fingers).  The moly seems to melt instantly with CLP. [soapbox]

Suggestions are welcomed for future reference.  I do appreciate the feedback. [beer]

Thanks for the help guys !!!

Damn.. how hard did you rub ??

See... that's my point.  This stuff comes off with a gentle wipe.  No pressure or scrubbing needed.  Just using a q-tip or cloth, slightly dampen with CLP, and gently rub, and this stuff will leave a black, black smudge on the q-tip or cloth and a dull frosted spot on the shinny surface of the mag.  Now, granted, to get below to the gold anodizing, some rubbing is needed to work your way thru the thick coating, but it is not difficult.. just gently rub a bit longer and bingo... gold anodizing and black mess over the fingers.  

This is a new, fresh-from-the-bag, mag.  HOW DO OTHER PEOPLE HANDLE THIS MESSY SITUATION ??? Please advice ???  Have you used a new 20-rd mag (dated 1970) and did you encounter this mess ??  I am wanting to learn the ins-and-outs of these vintage mags.

Even with clean, dry fingers (no CLP on my fingers or on the mag surface), I can rub with a bit of pressure on the mag surface with my finger and my finger will have a gray or slightly black appearance from the moly rubbing off.

As a side note - CLP is NOT to be blamed.  I tried plain rubbing alchol and the alchol dissolves the coating too. I tried TW25B and TW25B dissolves it too. I think nearly any solvent will attack this coating.

Too fragile and messy for me.  I probably will strip the moly off (an easy job I am sure !!!!).

But, I am eager to here from others of thier experiences with these new 1970 mags.

Just buy some permasilk G and shoot it!

Yeah, you can use this cool new finish. Or, you can stop worrying about how the mag looks and shoot the damn thing! [}:D]

I have many of these mags, and as ekg98 and GoGators suggested already, you can refinish the mag using the step-by-step instructions tacked to the top of this site using Perma Slik.  It is EASY!  And actually fun.  I never worry about the finish as you can always replace it to look good as new.  They're aluminum and won't rust.  If you're shooting the mag then you're not interested in its 'collector' value anyway.  The only thing to worry about are dents that may affect mag function.