Magnets for retention

[kgoerz]

Please don't ban me for this ridicules question, there's a reason

Has anyone ever used Magnets to secure a tool like a breaching shotgun, firing device.....etc. to their kit.

[head]

Wow, I thought this was going to be about the "Stay SF" magnets you get for re-upping

[PRB]

interesting concept but tying something to you (lanyard, sling) served the other purpose of keeping your weapon on you in the event of close concussion .... concussion would strip it away like your hand pulling it off.

[kgoerz]

Something I heard the other day. Just trying to find out if it's possible.

[CDRODA396]

Seen the mag holders that use magnets....but I suspect you have too and that may be the basis for asking about bigger items?

All the mag one's I've seen looked/felt secure, but I still wouldn't use/trust them.

I guess a decent magnet could secure a slung shotgun in lieu of the normal shotgun retainer to secure it in a vertical position when not in use.

[Snaquebite]

Not sure I'd want the additional weight a magnet strong enough would weigh.

[alelks]

I do use a bar magnet at my business to hold my pistol on the side of a filing cabinet.

[blue02hd]

Would you trust your life on a fastener that requires clean surface contact between metal and metal? Factor in weapons oil, dirt, blood, etc? It would be a hard sell from my point of view.

[Max_Tab]

I've heard of people using "Earth Magnets" for this. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page...arth%20magnets

It was a while ago, but I think they had it sewn into a small cordura pouch, with Molle straps on one side, and smooth cordura on the other. That way they could place it where they needed it.

I don't know if they ever had problems with it, but I have heard of it.

For the record the Earth Magnets our supposed to be ridiculously powerful. One of the guys from Mythbusters is always using them. They say with, the bigger ones (hockey puck size) you have to be extremely careful, because you can loose a finger if it gets between them when they connect.

Originally Posted by blue02hd

Would you trust your life on a fastener that requires clean surface contact between metal and metal? Factor in weapons oil, dirt, blood, etc? It would be a hard sell from my point of view.

supposedly they are strong enough that this isn't a problem.

I know it's Wikipedia but it fits with what I remember: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_magnet

The greater force exerted by rare earth magnets creates hazards that are not seen with other types of magnet. Magnets larger than a few centimeters are strong enough to cause injuries to body parts pinched between two magnets, or a magnet and a metal surface, even causing broken bones.[6] Magnets allowed to get too near each other can strike each other with enough force to chip and shatter the brittle material, and the flying chips can cause injuries. There have even been cases where young children who have swallowed several magnets have had a fold of the digestive tract pinched between the magnets, causing injury and in one case intestine perforations, sepsis and death.

[head]

I would think that a magnet strong enough to break a finger might cause concern due to effects on the internal mechanisms of the gun?

[Papa Zero Three]

Originally Posted by kgoerz

Please don't ban me for this ridicules question, there's a reason

Has anyone ever used Magnets to secure a tool like a breaching shotgun, firing device.....etc. to their kit.

Yes, but I haven't used it personally. It was for a breaching shotgun in lieu of the standard methods. The gun is still on a pig tail to you but the rare earth magnet is sewn inside of a piece of nylon that attaches to your carrier via molle. I'll dig through my book marks as I may still have the website saved. If I find it I will post it.

The problem with rare earth magnets is they do attract small pieces of metal and shit if you do any rolling around outside or have other metal objects by them, like sitting in a bird or next to your buddy's kit or in a vehicle. My concern with the shotgun is that a serious sprint/movement might be enough to cause it to come loose then you end up getting beat to death by the gun as you're running/moving to your next position.


I've actually found that the bungee cords used to secure the tarps to those ceremony events tents with the big plastic ball on one end work well for securing shotguns and other items if you route them through the molle. It takes a bit more to re-secure it after use one handed quickly than the old J hook retainers but it's a lot cheaper and takes up less space on your kit.

[Toaster]

The rare earth magnets are nice, and very very strong. If they are heated they lose nearly all of their strength...I think it somehow realigns the magnetic field. They have a small area that they pull things, however it is very strong in that small area.

Breaking a finger....I don't think so, it would have to be entirely too large and too powerful for you to pull it off. Worst that happened to me is getting blood blisters as a kid.

The magnets are plated in nickel and the coating can wear off when things are placed against it. It creates sharp slivers of metal, and they are incredibly difficult to remove. They are incredible brittle as well, don't let them slam into each other.

I'm exposing ignorance here, but couldn't some velcro tape be glued around the shotgun and strips of velcro tape be used to hold it in place?

[FlagDayNCO]

Never used them for weapons retention, but have used them in other tool applications. The source is KJ Magnetics and you can obtain sample packages. Even the tiny magnets are powerful and can draw themselves into places you don't want them to go.

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/

They have a FAQ page that answers some questions.

KJ notes standard neodymium magnets will lose strength if heated over 178°F.

I will note that you do not need to roll in the dirt to attract iron bearing soil. Take that into consideration when using for waepons.

If the magnets are mounted on the weapon itself, will it affect the reliability to chamber or cycle rounds? Definite no-go with a semi-auto shotgun, I would think. They will affect a standard compass and possibly comms in general, so you'll have to inlcude your Echo to test the use. KJ indicates their magnets are RoHS compliant, but then they also can not ship amounts over a specific power through aircraft. This has to do with airborne electronics or navigation equipment.

[Team Sergeant]

I have a small rare earth magnet and it's extremely powerful. To use one to hold something to your kit would be silly. It will grab onto anything it can and will collect any and all metal materials. If and when you removed your shotgun from your kit that magnet will attach itself to anything you might walk near. I's sure would not want to "be that guy" that had a rare earth magnet on when someone threw a grenade or a flashbang past me and the magnet grabbed it...... they are that powerful.

Edit to add: It's also got to make noise to remove a shotgun from the magnet, another reason I think it silly to use.

[Box]

We have some of these rare earth magnet weapons retention bars in the company. Mostly used to hold on to the breachers shotgun or to keep an M-4 from swinging around during a search.

A few guys think they are awesome.
...IMHO these same guys would think anything offered in Mutli-Cam is awesome. These same folks think anything that an SMU has ever touched needs to be aquired and put to use by the ODA's

I think the magnetic weapons retention kits are useless. The attached picture shows one being used to hold a zippo lighter in place.

I say get a decent sling and use it right.
Or buy a magnet. Different strokes for different folks I guess.