How many magazines is enough?

[Guest carter]

I know everyone is aware of the magazine crazies out there... just wanted to know how many mags you think is enough to have for your rifle/pistol... I'm a simplistic man... being I don't own more than one AR and a shotgun... have a few glocks and a 1911...that's all i need... magazine wise I have 10 AR mags...about 7 glock mags which 2 only for the g27... and about 8 1911 mags... just was curious about everyone or what you think is a good number to have on hand... and im not talking about for reselling

[mmirob]

I'd say you are good to go for any situation as long as you have ammo to fill them!   The world would have to get really bad if you "needed" more.  After all, surely  you saw what Django did with a couple six shooters!

 

Now, for us zombie slayers and "walking dead" aficionados, more is always better!  :o)

[Guest carter]

I'm going to see that movie tonight! haha ...and yes i do have ammo to fill them all... i mean to load out my chest rig i was thinking i had enough... but ya never know... trying to make a decision cause i did find a source with AR and glock mags... and they aren't price gouging people... so i respect them...

[UncleJak]

You are well on your way...maybe double what you have. And I am in the market for some new Glock mags myself, so if your supplier has extra, pm me some details.

[TGO David]

I'd buy as many >10 rd mags as I could afford right now.

[LngRngShtr]

I use the +3 method seems to work out pretty good..

 

as many as you think you will need and then at least + 3

 

Spares and if you should damage or lose one .

 

Glock 23  1 in gun 1 on belt +3 =5

 

AR  fill pouches in case/vest +3  = $$$$$ in P-Mags  before this panic buying I was looking into 6 Lancer L5s and some 20 rd for bench shooting..

 

1911  after many years of running the 1911 platform in IPSC/USPSA the count is 27 with 3 lost due to damage (3 different calibers)

 

Speedloaders for the wheelgun about a half dozen each platform ( K and L frame S&W ) belt + 3

 

:panic: clearing out a spot in the safe now to put them as replacing them would break me LOL

 

John

[willis68]

I have 20 pmags and about 15 USG metal 30 rounders, so I am good to go

[TMF]

I'm institutionalized so I consider myself fully stocked with 7 mags per rifle and 3 mags per pistol. That is what some consider a basic load, so I don't see the point in owning more than what I could reasonably carry. Especially in a combat loadout where I need to leave room for candy bars and iPods.

[Guest sL1k]

I had 6 good mags for my 1 Ar then decided to build one in December so i added about 9 more since then. For my 1911's though i have about 6 quality carry mags then a bunch of range mags (somewhere around 10).  For my glock 19 i have 3 glock 15 rounders 1 glock 10 round and about 3 metal 15 round mags and 1 obligatory metal 30 round :D.  I wish i had purchased some glock 17 mags but im not really worried about it. My carry gun the warthawg i have 2 factory 10 round mags and 1 thirteen round.  

 

Sounds like you are in a good shape. I have always thought you needed at least 3 quality mags for each gun handgun. Ar i figure at least 6.

[Caster]

On one hand, as an investment and as insurance against breakage and wear, You can never have too many.

 

BUT....I think some of us [up until recently I was very much guilty of this] need to be honest with themselves.  How long do you expect to last hashing it out with some form of opposition.  Fire fights are over fast.  Lives are over just as fast.  I won't last long unless I'm taking on geriatric zombies.  SO, 10-12 magazines per rifle is MORE than enough.  I can only speak for Caster, but I doubt I'll last long enough to do a mag change.  I'll either be dead or using my French military tactics.  I keep 12 for ever rifle and 6 for every pistol.  

Edited January 7, 2013 by Caster

[TGO David]

When I consider how many magazines I should have on hand, in general, I am not considering how many I will carry.  I am thinking long term and viewing magazines as consumable items.  Springs wear out.  Housings break, get dented, etc.  While you can replace springs and followers, if a housing is destroyed you are now down one mag.  And if the parasites in power have their way, that is one mag you won't be able to replace.

 

My statement stands.  Buy as many as you can afford until you feel like you've acquired enough to last you for a long while.

 

Carry as many as is practical.

[Stegall Law Firm]

Exactly as I see it DY.  It's a lifetime relationship.  How many times last year did I go to my regular online retailers and see quality AK/AR mags for $10 and think, yeah I'll get around to getting some more of those...later...there's plenty out there.  Luckily (or smartly) I did get a good amount at what are now prices we may not see for a while, maybe never.

[willis68]

Now since we are talking about pistols, 21 1911 mags, 3 for my P220, I do to think I will have to worry about the 8 rounders so I should be ok

[2.ooohhh]

I generally keep 4 per pistol per caliber minimum, but several of my pistols share magazines or have 3 or 4 calibers so for some pistols I technically have many more.

 

As for rifles if 2 dozen 30 round mags isn't enough I've got bigger issues.

Edited January 7, 2013 by 2.ooohhh

[swim615]

I think it has everything to do with the current political climate. I have a new AR I have never fired. I also have 10 new pmags for it. Up until a few weeks ago I had never given a thought to needing any more mags for it. I could just go to the store and pick up more if needed. Now I have 14 more mags for my never fired AR and can't stop looking for more. :shrug:

 

Same with my other mags. I buy ever one I can afford at normal or just slightly marked up price.

 

SO I am with TGO David. I buy all I can afford.

[charlessummers]

Need to buy more for the pistols that don't fire without the mags in place.... I hate those. But, I've got some and as soon as this craze is over with, I'll have to find some more. As far as the others, I only have the 3 that came with each Glock, the usual 2 that come with the Rugers, (excluding the LC9 and LCP) and I think 8 for the AR. The Ruger 10/22 has plenty including a 30 rd'er, the Marlin 60 is a tube fed, and the shotgun is a single shot.

 

I'm with Caster here... I'm not going to last too long in a gun fight that lasts over 2 minutes. Hopefully it'll only be seconds. Being an old, fat man is hard. :surrender:

[Superman]

I would think you need atleast 10 rifle mags and 10 pistol mags. They wear out and break. I have plenty of mags for the rifles and pistols I have, but I do have 6 Glock 19 mags that are on their last leg and 1 that will double feed atleast 2 times for every 15 rounds through it. I have thought about throwing it out, but at the sme time I feel it is a good training aid. Instead of setting up a double feed that mag will do it for me, not exactly unexpected but better than setting it up yourself.  However, I dont have any AR mags, but then I dont have a completed AR either, snooze you loose. I am not going to overpay for anything.

[TGO David]

One side note...

 

I past fighting pistol / carbine classes that I've attended, spent magazine retention was not emphasized.  It was more of an eject, let it fall, insert new mag, keep shooting mindset.  I've seen mags bust apart when they hit the ground, especially if you were training on a hard surface instead of soft dirt.

 

Back then, if a mag blew apart it wasn't a big deal.  Go home, order another.  With the current political climate and supply being diminished with worst case projections being that Swinestein might get a mag ban through, I am likely going to abandon the practice of just letting the empty mag fall free and will rather seek to retain it in some fashion or another during my reload process.

 

That's not to say that in an active shooter scenario, God forbid, I would slow down to retain a mag.  Just saying that in a training class, I'm likely going to start stuffing empties in my pockets instead.

[Jonnin]

if they work, you only need 2-3 in any realistic scenario.  Really, 2 for shooting and a third as a backup if one malfunctions.  3-4 for a very low capacity gun (single stack 6-8 rounders like a 1911 for example). 

 

Nothing stores 223 and similar ammo any better than a mag, though --- 30 rounds stored in about the space that 30 rounds takes up, and ready to use -- yes please, need it or not, that is ideal and 10+ mags is not unreasonable.  Any other method of storing that ammo usually wastes some extra space.

[RED333]

My $0.02, no more than you can swim with loaded, I know "What the He$% are talking about".

Well if you carry more than you can use, you have to many.

[Lumber_Jack]

I have 9 GI mags, and 10 magpul 30 rounders, and 3 magpul 20 rounders.  I am waiting on a backorder of 10 more pmags.  If i can find a good deal Id probably pick up and additional 10 or 20.  

 

My thoughts are the same as TGODavid,  these are consumable, and if we cant buy more, someday you'll wish you had bought them when you could.  If no ban passes, you just keep them for a rainy day, or easily sell them.  That's why its important to not overpay for them.  

[Major Kong]

I agree with David, get as many as you can afford. I've also stocked up on followers and extra springs so I can keep the mags I have running for as long as possible.

[BrandonTN]

In terms of USGI mags, I keep multiples of 10...they fit so nicely in Pelican 1200 cases.  

 

*borrowed pic

[viscero]

I agree - buy as many as you can afford.  

 

I am trying to achieve the 5 per pistol and 10 per rifle level and then anything over that is just extras.  Almost there too except for ak74 mags.

[Guest carter]

indeed i will not be part of the panic buying craze... i mean i will pay like 4 dollars over what i originally was paying for AR mags...that was 9 bucks a piece... in November i accidentally left my car unlocked and had a g22 and a g23 mag stolen... so now i do not leave extra loaded mags in the car :) lesson learned i guess... they are on me or in the safe... I guess i'll keep buying what i can find at a reasonable price... or invest in a wheel gun that doesn't need them which is a serious thought... not sure if speed loaders are in this craze or not haven't searched for them... i was talking with my friend tonight and we decided the shotgun is where its gonna be at... no mag to worry about and cheap ammo... and being you can make about any load you want out of a 5 dollar box of target/bird shot loads... a wax slug coming at you at 1100 fps is bad news for anything