Gun Magnets , Quick Access to Your Concealed Weapon : Gear Review
Tred reviews some popular gun magnets products and finds some great tools for staging your home defense and everyday carry weapons.
Gun Magnets Firearms
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- A bright spot in firearms storage tools that has gone mostly unreported on are Gun Magnets.
Available for many years now, this solution to a common firearms access problem has helped a lot of gun owners and has become a real must-have accessory for your car, safe, bed storage locker, bathroom… the list goes on an on.
These magnetic gun mounts have a lot of great applications. You can use them to organize your gun safe by adding storage options or mounts on every available open wall space. I have one on the wall next to my bathroom toilet where I hang my firearm for safe keeping while I am… “reading”. The obvious uses are under office desks and in cars, but magnetic gun holsters/holders work just as well on metal bed frames, sides of refrigerators and on work-out equipment.
I have seen a lot of comments from folks who say the magnets are too weak or they will make my gun barrel, rail or slide a magnetic dust collector. Well, both those arguments don’t hold water. For one the neodymium magnets in all these products are pretty durable and will hold most all handguns and even some rifles and shotguns. They are cheap so I recommend you buy two for long guns. Most if not all come with the standard warning that if you have a pacemaker to keep your distance, the same goes for that metal plate in your head. If you fall into one of these categories, you may have to look for another gun holding solution. The magnets are strong, and the real danger is scratching your gun’s finish. Now on my everyday carry gun, that was not so big a worry as that weapon is worn smooth already. But if you have a nice sidearm you may check and see if a softshell gun holster will stick to the magnet as I found that worked for me on my office filing cabinet, but with two magnets side-by-side.
As far as magnetically contaminating your handgun, the claim individual component magnet polarities on these are charged in the factory, so you do not have cross contamination of nonmagnetic metals. For what that is worth I would still not slide my everyday carry weapon back and forth on the magnetic surface, it is better to pull it straight off to avoid charging your gun’s metal parts.
The variety of gun magnet product choices continues to grow, and some are slightly better utility design than another, but since they are so inexpensive, you may do what I did and buy more than one of each and more than one variety as they defiantly have their niches and you will find multiple uses.
Different Gun Magnets with the Mossberg Shockwave test subject.
In the magnetic products we featured below, we tested the holding strength on two firearms: a Mossberg Shockwave Other Weapon and a Ruger Super Redhawk 44 magnum (each is heavier than most everyday carry weapons).
Here is rundown of the gun magnets products I liked with the manufacture’s descriptions and some comments in no particular order:
My comments: The Keeper brand magnet is a nice 1pc unit with a rubberized cover that is low profile at 0.30″ high. Out of all the magnetic gun holders, we tested this unit had the least holding strength and just barely held the Ruger Super Blackhawk and could NOT hold onto the Mossberg, but it worked as designed with a variety of average handguns. Ironically the package warning says: “Not for use with loaded firearms or for quick draw purposes.” huh? what? I guess it is just for storing your guns long term?
From the Keeper Magnetic Gun Mount product description:
“The Keeper Magnetic Gun Mount is a high grade N35 Neodymium magnets rated at 35 lbs. It has a single piece metal design, build for strength and durability. The thick high quality rubber cover protects your firearms from any scratching. Our unique four magnet setup provides a strong grip while also keeping your firearm straight. Each Keeper Magnetic Gun Mount comes in protective packaging and includes four self-tapping screws and installation guide.
Go for flexibility with the Keeper Magnetic gun mount: No longer do you need a specific magnetic holder for each gun, if it has metal you can mount it. Mount almost any gun type and model in various ways for quick access or storage. Store your firearms in your office, car, truck, entryway, safe, bedroom, desk, table, wall, garage…
Keeper Gun Magnet Exploded view with the rubberized top off. You can see the neodymium magnets configuration, glued to the backing plate. Besides the Taction Halo the other firearms magnet products did not come apart or appeared to be one 1 piece construction.
The Keeper Magnetic Gun Mount has a sleek beautiful design that measures 3.75″L x 1.4″W x 0.30″H. Our design allows for a low-key concealed gun mount that has marked countersunk screw holes that makes your screws sit lower than the rubber cover. Flat square metal back makes it ideal for installation with double sided tape. High-Tech Halback Array setup clears the back of magnetic force, stopping interference with electronics.”
GO-Magnet Gun Magnet Low Profile :
Go Magnet Magnetic Gun Holder
From the Go Magnet Magnetic Gun Holder product description:
“The GO-Magnet Gun Magnet Low Profile model incredibly strong gun magnet is less than 0.5″ thick and can hold just about any pistol on the market* in just about any location.”
“Coated in soft a soft rubber-like substance, it will not scratch your weapon, and will hold firmly without slipping. Each GO-Magnet comes with a separate metal mounting plate a screws, in order to mount to wood or plastic surfaces. If mounting to steel, no screws are required. GO-Magnets is a Veteran Owned Company, and all GO-Magnets are made in Austin, TX. *Does not work on Hi-Point Pistols “
Concealed Carrier Gun Magnet with Adhesive Backing, 2 Pack :
From the Concealed Carrier Gun Magnet product description:
“The Concealed Carrier Gun Magnet with adhesive backing is the Anywhere Magnet set that will fit anywhere you can imagine needing to have access to a firearm.
Most of the “other guys” selling gun magnets don’t provide you with the hardware to install it. WE DO! There is a limited number of places you can store a gun and chances are it’s never where it truly should be if you were to need to use it.
The Concealed Carrier Anywhere Magnet will hold up to 25 lbs. so this will hold any firearm you attach to it, big or small. The product is small and discreet. Specs: Dimensions (L x W x H): 1.5″ x 1″ x 3/4″
The Concealed Carrier Gun Magnet with the included adhesive backing is incredibly light weight at only a few ounces. You can purchase multiple magnets to hold extra magazines or use two magnets to hold one long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun, etc.) This can be easily mounted in a vehicle. Preferred locations are inside the glovebox and under the steering wheel. The magnet comes standard with an adhesive backing to make mounting easy. Simply stick the magnet to the location to mount of your choice, put the screws in, and you’re done!”
Tac-Mag Gun Magnet
Tac-Mag Gun Magnet
My comments: The TAC Mag Firearms magnet is a compact 1pc design with two pillars with neodymium magnets. The Tac-Mag held all our test weapons quite well. The plastic covering is stiffer than the keeper brands and is similar to the Concealed Carrier Gun Magnet in both design and scale. No adhesive backing comes with this magnet so you have to screw it in place. No screws provided either.
From the Tac-Mag Gun Magnet product description:
“The Tac-Mag Gun Magnet is the The absolute strongest and most durable firearms magnet on the market. Multiple magnets for better contact and capable of supporting up to 25 lbs. The Tac-Mag Gun Magnet is strong enough that guns can be mounted perpendicular or parallel and priced so that you can afford multiple units. It is ideal for under a desk/coffee table and bed side mounting for when time is of the essence. Great for the home, office, car, garage, inside safe etc.”
“The Tac-Mag Gun Magnet is made with neodymium magnets. Also known as rare earth magnets. They are the strongest type of permanent magnet commercially available and incredibly resistant to demagnetization. Each magnetic gun mount easily holds fully loaded Glocks, XDMs, .45s and almost anything else you can throw at it including shotguns and rifle. Measures 2.39″L x 1.04″W x .79″T 4″
Things you should know about our design 1. We incorporate multiple magnets into each of our units. This was done to remedy the problem of having slide releases, safeties or general indentations or extrusions of your firearm from cutting down severely on surface contact. It also served to keep the firearm square to the unit. With only one magnet the gun could spin as if it were a wheel.
We used a special polymer that prevents marring on your expensive firearm while being durable enough to offer a 100% guarantee. We spread the magnets in a lineal fashion to change the fulcrum point. With one gun magnet the barrel could be pressed to the mounting surface easily creating an unsafe condition by limiting contact.
By spreading out the magnets the leverage effect of the barrel is dramatically reduced by creating a contact point far away from the fulcrum. This also prevents spinning that can occur with a single magnet. Lastly we fixed the price. At our price you can actually afford to have these mounted in every place that you believe it should be. They also make great gifts for your gun buddies.”
TACTICON HALO Gun Magnet
TACTICON HALO Gun Magnet
My comments: The Tacticon Halo is the strongest of all the gun magnets we tested, in fact, they were a pain in the @$$ as they stuck to the included screws as well as each other, even pulling in the other gun magnets when I was trying to get the glamor shots. But that same magnetic attraction lets this pair hold all our test weapons and most any firearm or rifle for that matter. With an advertised 30lbs for each magnetic disc, just one was pretty much as strong as the other comparison magnets. Each Tacticon magnet has a removable rubberized cover. The Tacticon comes with screws and a 3m adhesive backing.
“We have revolutionized the way you can mount and store your firearms for easy and discreet access.You don’t ever need to buy another gun rack again. The TACTICON HALO Gun Magnet will fit anywhere you can imagine needing to have access to a firearm.
The Tacticon Armament HALO Magnets will hold up to 30 lbs. so this will hold any firearm, including most long-guns guns you attach to it, big or small. The product is small and discreet to put anywhere you can imagine. Dimensions: 1.25″ Diameter and .25″ height
The product is incredibly light weight at only a few ounces and about the size of a quarter! You will receive 2 gun magnets per order to hold extra magazines or use your two magnets to hold one long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun, etc.) This can be easily mounted in a vehicle. Preferred locations for mounting a gun in your vehicle are inside the glove box and under the steering wheel.
The gun magnets come standard with an adhesive backing to make mounting easy. Simply stick the gun magnets to the location to mount of your choice, put the single screw in, and you’re done!”