Anyone have experience mounting their guns with magnets?

[musicman]

I've seen all kinds of things advertised to mount a handgun or rifle in a convenient place with rubber coated magnets screwed to a nightstand, headboard, etc. A vendor at the last Murfreesboro show had some and I thought it was a great idea... shoulda' bought some, but powder & primers were callin' my name. Most seem to be $20+, but I'm thinking about getting a can of Plasti-Dip and coating some countersunk neodymium magnets I can get less expensively.

What are your experiences with these things? I was talking with a friend about this idea, and he brought up the point that maybe you could magnetiz something that you don't want magnetized by doing that. Sounds plausible, but is there anything in an average revolver or semi-auto that would begin to malfuntion if magnetized?

I've got an online cart full of stuff I want to try from a magnet store, but I just don't want to spend the money until I hear some testimonies. Fire away!

[Guest Keal G Seo]

As far as magnetizing something you don't want magnetized there is little worry. The force that would be applied would only be relevant to hair trigger sears. Only concern I could see is metal particles building up on a moving part.The bigger concern is just making sure the main magnet(s) wont pull the sear while still being strong enough to hold the firearm. I'd say go for it but do plenty of testing to make sure the magnet wont pull the sear...or just use a revolver or double action auto and don't cock the hammer.

[jgradyc]

I've done this. I have neodymium magnets with countersink holes in them. I cover them with shrink tubing, slick a vertical slit to insert the screw and then pull the tubing over the screw.  I think the liquid tape would work just as well. You want to cover the magnet with something to prevent scratching. It's REALLY easy to scratch the finish on a slide if you attach it to a bare magnet.

 

How does it work? Well, you might need to mount the magnet with a metal spacer or else use two magnets. I found that it was hard to get my hand around the grip unless there was more spacing than one magnet provided. I also found that bumping the handgun with my knee would cause it to fall off. This was only with the heavier handgun. The lighter gun (a Kel Tec P11) stayed put. If you put it in a place where it can get bumped inadvertently, you might want to double up on the magnets.  I'll see if I can find a link to the magnets I used.

 

Oh, I mounted mine flat on the side of the slide. Obviously, if you mounted them vertically with the magnet on the top of the slide, the grip issue I mentioned wouldn't apply. I like the sideways mount because the gun is invisible under a table

 

EDITED: Here's a link.  http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BX082CS-N

Edited October 10, 2013 by jgradyc

[musicman]

Awesome! I'm looking at a few diffefent magnets from KJmagnetics too! I'm looking at stuff between 23-30lbs pull weight, as it's going to hold a full size M&P.

I hadn't thought of the depth issue. Excellent point! They have one countersunk block that's 1/2" thick. That sounds perfect.

[RED333]

I have one as well.

Shelf with 4 magnetron magnets glued to the bottom, covered with rubber.

My Glock hangs from it, by the bed.

[Erik88]

Get a strong paint stir stick, some electrical tape and 3 magnets from Home Depot/Lowes etc. Lastly you will need to screws.

 

The magnets rest on the stick, you hold in place by wrapping the tape around both. You need to leave enough room on both ends of the stick to screw it into your desired location.

 

I have a Bersa Thunder resting under my coffee table using this method. It's hidden but still easily accessable.

[musicman]

I like that idea, too Erik. I've got a bunch of those 5 gallon paint stirrers already. They make great target stands! ;-) I've got a few different things coming from KJMagnetics... I'll try a few different things and then post 'em up here.

Eventually I'd like to figure out a few long gun solutions, too.

[tnguy]

If you have any old hard-drives, the magnets in those are pretty impressive.

 

Magnetization may be an issue but I don't expect it would be enough to cause any issues. You may just have to make sure the bad guys are in a northerly direction.

Edited October 10, 2013 by tnguy

[Jonnin]

The biggest aggravation would be trying to mount one on the side of something where it could slide by gravity.   I have a number of super strong magnets from old hard drives and I can't pull the better ones off the door of my safe, but I can slide them as easily as rolling a ball across the floor.  If I put a 2 pound gun on them, they would slide to the floor.   Granted, the safe has a slick exterior.... 

[tnguy]

HD magnets are usually mounted to some kind of plate. I'm thinking you could drill & mount them. The plasti-dip is probably a good idea and would make the surface less slippery also.

[musicman]

Yes, all the magnets I'm getting are countersunk for mounting via screws. Sliding will not be a problem. :-)