I’m not sure if they’re nickel or stainless but you’re probably right. All I know is the three I’ve used works great in my Mark IV Hunter. I hope the two I just purchased are just as reliable.

Joe

 

Thanks Joe! I was just going by what they say on Shopruger.com. Lady I talked to at Ruger knew nothing at all about em.I guess all the new mark IV come with em.Maybe a nickel plate finish.Lots of the better ammo are nickel plated for smoother reliable feeding so maybe they did em for that.

 

I'm guessing that eventually all Ruger Mark/RST mags will be done this way.

 

i would GUESS....

stainless, not plated, maybe we will find out soon.

 

Optics planet says E-nickel finish,material steel for Ruger 90645 So is the material really stainless steel? What about the nickel stuff

 

The nickel is almost certainly plating over a steel base. If the magazines were really stainless steel I'm sure Ruger would say so.

 

E-Nickled magazines

I have done the Electroless Nickel finish for my frames, and magazines for many, many years, and it is not a plain plating, as some of the old nickel finishes in the past. It is a chemical reaction on the metal, that will not chip or peel, if done correctly, and can hardly be cut with a file. You have to have the EN kit that works, and some of the ones sold today, you can't heat without changing the color, and the kit I found years ago, could be heated for an hour to make very hard surface. You have to prepare the metal better than bluing, with proper acids, to enhance the chemical reactions to have a bond that lasts for years. I have done 45 1911's, and people refused to believe it was not stainless. I used to use some acids in the past, that you can't hardly get today, as they were so caustic, and dangerous, and rough on the respiratory tract. You will be pleased with the EN on the magazines, or frames if done correctly. The sears and hammers will be smooth as silk, and pristine release if properly prepared. I use EN on all my frames, and leave the slides blue, as I, and acid in skin to not work with bluing. Yes, even the alloys can be done with EN; however, it takes a different preparation, and only quality metal will work. The cheaper parts and frames have some zinc content, and this will not work. I only do my own EN today; however, don't worry about your magazines if properly done. The best adhesive to the EN finish is a light glass beading, and this method is much more economical for the gun company, than the SS metal.

 

Thanks bullseye4854 for that explanation.I bought one of the new magazines yesterday to try out. It does seem to be smoother everywhere with no noticeable burrs or anything like I have had on the blue ones. So hopefully these new magazines will be a big improvement.Hopefully the feed lips won’t have all the problems either.

 

I don't know about the magazines put out by Ruger but I sent my mags off to Robar Industries for their NP3 finish and I can tell you that there is a difference. The NP3 finish is a nickel teflon coating that really makes them feel smoother. Carbon and wax wipe off with a Q-tip. No scrubbing needed. They were $30 per mag to coat so that was a bit expensive but worth it now.

 

Personally I have been surprised that Ruger has not gone to either stainless steel or nickel plating on their magazines some time ago. Having said that, I have never had any problems with the blued steel magazines rusting before.

 

A few days ago a Ruger customer service who seemed very knowledgeable told me the new magazines also have stronger springs.

 

I needed a few more magazines for my Mark III and bought 5 from Midway. They work flawlessly in my gun.

 

I've found Tombstone Tactical to be the best source for extra magazines, specifically the 2-mags per pack.

 

Are the EN mags more expemsive? Seems like they would be more costly to make, compared to stainless, or blued.

Stainless mag bodies and followers were a plus on my NAA Guardian. Mags are subject to a lot of wear, and blue never holds up over time.

 

Are the EN mags more expemsive? Seems like they would be more costly to make, compared to stainless, or blued. EPA regs have made any plating more costly than before.

Stainless mag bodies and followers were a plus on my NAA Guardian. Mags are subject to a lot of wear, and blue never holds up over time.

 

I paid $33.00 with free shipping for a two pack off eBay. I didn't shop around much, so I'm unsure if they can be found much cheaper.

 

i saw those too



the lowest price, 32.00 with free shipping. excellent price.

 

nickle mk 4 mags

Recently purchased a Talo special edition hunter model which came with the new nickel mags . The springs are definitely stronger and they redesigned the follower button flatter .Now I use the mag loader on the Ruger site to load the mk4 mags.