While teaching a class the other day, I was reminded that everyone is not familiar with the disassembly of the common 30 round USGI magazine. The procedure is simple, but doing it improperly can cause damage and render it unusable. Magazines don't need to be serviced every time the weapon is fired, but after a high volume of fire or exposure to the elements cleaning is called for.

The stamped aluminum floor-plate needs to be removed from the bottom of the magazine. DO NOT attempt to pry the tabs off of the bottom. They will snap off. Slide a thin screwdriver in the gap between the front edge of the floor-plate and magazine body and pry the floor-plate forward. Another method is to insert a punch, section of cleaning rod or similar tool into the drain hold in the floor-plate and slightly flex the floor-plate down and forward.



Slide the floor-plate all the way off and work the spring out of the bottom of the magazine body.



If you have a USGI green follower they take some effort to remove. Start by pulling the front out and then slightly rotate the follower to get it to clear the tabs.



For cleaning you can run a dry rag through the magazine body and use a USGI M16 "toothbrush" to scrub inside. KleenBore makes a brush specifically for the interior of the M16/AR-15 as well. Do not leave any lubrication inside the magazine, as it will tend to attract gunk. Reassemble in the reverse order.