Frequently Asked Questions

How does a gun magnet work?

As the name suggests, GO-Magnet assemblies use magnetic force to hold your firearms, knives, flashlights, or other objects in place. If you are mounting it to a steel surface, you don't need any screws at all. Just stick the GO-Magnet to the slide of your item and stick your item to the metal (bed frame, coffee table, etc.). If you want to mount it to wood or plastic, the GO-Magnet comes with a small metal plate you simply screw into the wood or metal surface. The magnet then sticks to the plate. If you are mounting to a vehicle, a non-slip vehicle mounting plate is recommended. This mounting plate will prevent the object from moving or slipping from vibration. See examples below:

How do I install a GO-Magnet?

It is so easy! If you are mounting to a steel surface, just stick the GO-Magnet to the slide of the pistol, then stick the pistol to the desired location. If you are mounting to wood or plastic, simply screw a mounting plate to the surface with the screws provided. Then stick the GO-Magnet to the slide of the pistol, and stick the pistol to the plate.

What do I need to install a GO-Magnet in my vehicle?

In order to mount in your vehicle (please check your local laws prior to installing), you will need at least one GO-Magnet:

http://go-mags.net/products/go-magnet

And one vehicle mounting plate:

http://go-mags.net/products/vehicle-mounting-plate-textured-black-non-slip-coating

How big are the magnets?

They are pretty small. Below is a picture of a GO-Magnet prior to having the grommets installed:

My gun is pretty heavy. Are you sure that little magnet can hold it?

We haven’t found a pistol yet that the GO-Magnet cannot hold. We use the strongest magnets available in the world. In fact, we keep the magnet small on purpose. If we made it any bigger, you would have a hard time getting objects off of it. How much can it hold? In normal conditions, a single GO-Magnet can hold about 15 lbs. We have customers that use a single GO-Magnet to hold a fully loaded .45 under their dash while driving on ranch roads in Texas. The gun never moves.

What will my magnet stick to?

Anything with iron, nickel, or cobalt in it. That being said…if you are like us…and you have no idea what items from the periodic table make up the surfaces in your home, just test the surface with a regular fridge magnet. If it sticks, then you should be good to go!

My pistol appears to be mostly plastic/polymer, will the magnet still hold it?

There is about a 99.9% chance that your slide is made of steel. If it isn’t, then your barrel is. Having a plastic or polymer grip simply means that your pistol is lighter, and will hold even better when mounted to the magnet.

When I pull the gun away, will the magnet come with the gun or remain on the metal surface?

If you are using our vehicle mounting plates, you will most often have the choice. One side of the magnet has a seam. The other side does not. In order to ensure that the magnet stays on the plate, put the seam of the GO-Magnet away from the plate, facing out towards your weapon (in other words, put the side without the seam against the plate). If the seam is facing out, the magnet should stay on the vehicle mounting plate However, on other metal surfaces (and on the small mounting plates) you may have mixed results (depending on the surface’s iron content). This is why the grommets are on the GO-Magnets. If it is absolutely imperative that the magnet remain on the surface when the gun is pulled away, just put two smaller screws (not provided) through the grommets and the plate to hold everything in place. See below:

Will my gun become magnetic and pick up metal particles?

This is a common question. The short answer is that it won't transfer any significant magnetic force. There is some well-spread wives' tale about a police officer walking by an MRI machine and it causing his gun to misfire days later. It always come from "a guy who's friend knows a guy that...". It is simply not true and entirely impossible. If you look on our Facebook page, we have a video where we fire pistols with the magnet still attached. All pistols fired properly with no malfunctions (and that is with the weight of the magnet on the slide!). Should any small magnetic property be transferred to the gun with the magnet removed (which would be less than the force of your average fridge magnet), it would rapidly be dissipated by the heat produced when the gun was fired. With this, neither brass nor lead are ferrous, so bullets are not impacted. However, if you put one of our magnets on your gun, toss it into iron ore rich dirt, kick it around for a while, pick it up, and then proceed to shoot it, it would be possible to have iron particles magnet to the steel parts. If you do a lot of this, our product is not for you. And maybe guns are not for you either…

I have a Hi-Point pistol and it does not stick to the magnet. What gives?

Unfortunately, the problem is that the pistol is not compatible with a magnet. Hi-Point Pistol slides are die cast from a zinc-family alloy that includes aluminum, magnesium, and copper, rather than machined from forged steel. What all that means is that magnets won't stick to it. This is unfortunate. Sorry Hi-Point owners!