Handguns and Magnets

B

BarryLee

New member
I received an email today featuring magnets designed to hold guns and/or magazines under desk. It reminded me of a discussion I had with a friend sometime back about these items. He told me to avoid them because continued exposure to a magnetic field might cause changes in the metal. He went on to say this could cause weakening of parts and possible failure of the gun.

So, any truth to this?
 
W

wogpotter

New member
None that I can think of.
The biggest problem with these things is they really REALLY grab the gun so its easy to mar the finish removing them even if they're coated.
 
9

9x18_Walther

New member
The only time I ever heard of a magnet doing something to a handgun was when a police officer who was having a MRI walked into the room with his service handgun (a Series 70 1911).

An MRI magnet is crazy strong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BBx8BwLhqg

The gun was holstered, came flying off and the magnet caused the gun to discharge. The thumb safety was on so I imagine it didn't cycle and caused a ton of damage to the firearm and MRI machine (which can cost millions).

For those who want to read the whole story:
http://www.ajronline.org/doi/abs/10.2214/ajr.178.5.1781092

The only legitimate reason for a Series 80 1911, but then again you probably should know better when the assistant informs you to remove all metal objects from your person.

Edit: Whoops! It was a Series 80 pistol. Well there isn't much you can do when a MRI magnet is involved and you don't follow instructions. :D

The gun likely discharged as a result of the effect of the magnetic field on the firing pin block. The firing pin block was probably drawn into its uppermost position by force of the magnetic field. The firing pin block has to overcome only light pressure from a relatively small spring to release the firing pin. The pistol was likely drawn into the magnetic field so that the muzzle struck the magnet's bore first. With the firing pin allowed to move freely in its channel, the force of the impact on the muzzle end was sufficient to cause the firing pin to overcome its spring pressure and move forward to strike the primer of the chambered round.
Click to expand...

But regular magnets? They aren't going to do anything.
 
T

T. O'Heir

New member
It's nonsense. In any case, it'll take an extremely powerful magnet to hold any handgun to the bottom of a desk. Won't hold SS at all.
No metal of any kind is even allowed into the ROOM an MRI machine lives in. Had one as part of being a lab rat for a study after the heart attack. I now have photographic, scientific, proof I have a brain. snicker.
"...the magnet caused the gun to discharge..." Not a chance in Hades. Bashing a 1911 on the machine or whatever, hard, might, but a magnet will do nothing.
 
M

mkiker2089

New member
I will say that in theory a magnet is (marginally) weaker than the same metal that is not magnetized. Magnets are brittle due to magnetic energy pushing the atoms apart. Break a magnet and you'll see that the poles reverse, it's because of the same forces.

That said I don't think it will affect a gun at all. The gun would have to be heavily magnetized. Also the effects would have to be VERY strong.

I think this is one of those cases that don't really translate to the real world.
 
W

wogpotter

New member
In any case, it'll take an extremely powerful magnet to hold any handgun to the bottom of a desk.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's why they use the new "super strong neodymium rare earth magnets" rather than the old ferrites. They claim holding power of 25 Lbs.

I've seen them at gun shows, you have to be "Conan the Librarian" to get the gun away.
https://www.magnetgunholster.com/

Break a magnet and you'll see that the poles reverse, it's because of the same forces.
Click to expand...
I don't know what kind of magnet you're thinking of, but if you break a bar magnet in half the "N" end stays "N", but a new "S" forms in what used to be the middle opposite it & the second piece still has the same N<>S alignment as well.
 
D

DaleA

New member
I suspect after being on the magnet for a while the gun itself would become slightly magnetized.

We used to put a piece of metal across horseshoe magnets when we stored them and the metal we used became slightly magnetic.

Could be an advantage, extra steel cased rounds would just hang on your gun...eliminate the need for speed loaders or speed strips.:D

It certainly would not adversely affect the metal of your gun.
 
M

mkiker2089

New member
My point about the magnets is that when you break one you can't stick it back together. You have to flip one side to reform it. There is a theory that magnets are constantly under stress because the atoms are held by one force while magnetism is actually pushing it apart. It further states that non-magnetic items are actually magnetic but in random fields that cancel each other out. That's how anything magnetic or not can be levitated with a HUGE magnetic field. I off course don't understand half of it so I could be wrong.

Stainless steel can be magnetic but isn't that a sign of it being lower quality? I've always heard that the more magnetic it is the more corrosion prone it is.
 
R

reddog81

New member
A magnet is not going to change the metal of a gun. It might cause a problem if you can't remove the gun from the magnet.

I use magnets to hold magazine onto my gun safe door. They work great. I wouldn't buy any special gun magnets for that task.
 
E

eviltravis

New member
I don't want my pistol to be even slightly magnetized. I work in a shop where metal shavings abound, and I have enough trouble keeping the thing clean as it is.
 
L

ligonierbill

New member
For mkiker, 400 series stainless is ferritic and magnetic. It is not of lower quality than 300 series austenitic stainless. In general, 400 series is stronger and less corrosion resistant than 300, they just have different applications. When I made an honest living, I was a metallurgist. Other than the attraction of filings mentioned above (annoying) a magnet will not affect the metal of your firearm in any way.
 
A

Aguila Blanca

Staff
mkiker2089 said:
Stainless steel can be magnetic but isn't that a sign of it being lower quality? I've always heard that the more magnetic it is the more corrosion prone it is.
Click to expand...
No, it's a sign of it's being a different alloy. Very few alloys of stainless steel are non-magnetic.
 
D

DTOUR

New member
>>>I'd be more concerned about the paper clips in the desk migrating into an infuriating ball over the magnet below.<<<

I'd be more concerned about a wallet or money clip containing credit cards being on the desk over those magnets. Any card with the strip on the back will not like a magnetic field. Generally, the flux thru a desk top won't do much damage though. I used to work with magnets in the range of 14000 to 18000 Gauss. Those can wipe a card in a heart beat, especially if one would sit on the box they were shipped in. Good practical joke on the "new guy" when we would get a magnet change situation. We also used beryllium wrenches - nonmagnetic!

My wife got me an under the desk mountable sleeve through the NRA store a few years ago. Four screws to mount, holds anything I have. No scratches either on any finish of any handgun I have in it. I'd choose that over a magnet any day.
 
T

TailGator

New member
I've seen them at gun shows, you have to be "Conan the Librarian" to get the gun away.
Click to expand...

I always wondered if that wouldn't be the case, but never had the opportunity to mess with one. Thanks for the confirmation.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
I don't want my pistol to be even slightly magnetized. I work in a shop where metal shavings abound, and I have enough trouble keeping the thing clean as it is.
Click to expand...
This is the only negative effect of magnetizing a gun or gun part. It will attract any ferrous metal in the vicinity. That includes small pieces of metal debris which can cause damage or malfunctions if they lodge between two moving parts of the pistol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top