How many mags?

[mclina]

Same here. 3 years into my new New Hampshire life, I think I have more mags still in their plastic than out. Every time I think about Nov. 8th, I place another PMAG order. Think I'll order another 5.

And when the GI mags at Palmetto go on sale for $6.99 I can't help but order at least 10.

I don't hold any illusions that I will ever need all of these mags. They are a savings account at this point.

 

[JayMcB]

with my carry pistol, I carry 2 extra mags, but I have a total of 6. Always full. I have at least 10 pre-ban 30 rounders for my AR's and another dozen for my AK in MA. All mags in MA are loaded, except my Garand, which just needs to have a clip (and it IS A CLIP) pushed in for it to be ready. I have at least a dozen clips for the Garand ready to go with Korean ball

I have a bunch of magazines in NH, but they can never cross the line between good and evil.
Sometimes I just load magazines while I sit next to the wood stove up there and contemplate life. Then my kids empty them

 

[Howland]

Setting up GHB's. I carry a 1911, Lady Radtekk carries a G26. Multiple vehicles, multiple bags, many mags for each. Hence my ongoing WTB ads for mags (and yes I'm still looking).

Out of this process I started acquiring mags for other guns also. AR, AK, other handguns, other long guns. So the question is, how many is enough? I have guns I shoot occasionally, others I shoot a lot. What about the 22 (pistol or rifle, got both) I shoot twice a year?

And then the next question: How many to keep loaded?

Interesting exercise...

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For every human alive, another fifty have come and gone. When the zombie apocalypse comes, it's going to be pretty crowded.

How many mags? All of them.

How many loaded? All of them.

 

[MAGA99]

I keep at least two mags for each handgun, carry or otherwise, loaded with JHPs at all times, then a handful of FMJ ready to roll. Always keep two 33rnd glock mags loaded with FMJ just incase I want to dump a mag....or otherwise. And every now and then I buy more mags, just because.

Rifle wise, hunting rifles I store with snap caps and the trigger pulled, just habit. I keep almost half of my AR mags loaded with a variety of ammo. A few rifles stashed in strategic locations in the house, along with loaded mags.

 

[Duxprep]

10 per gun minimum. Mags are a disposable. They fail, they get lost. If you were ever in a fire fight during SHTF would you have the presence of mind to pick them all up? What if you were retreating and couldn't get back to where you dropped them? Assume that tomorrow you could never buy another one...how many do you need?

 

[dennism]

4-6 mags per rifle

2-4 mags for pistol.

Stripper clips with loaded ammo for rifle if more needed. If you have a belt or rig set up that can hold 4 rifle mags a bandolier with a reload for 4 more mags is a nice lightweight way to maximize ammo on hand.

Edit: Note this is what I think makes sense for a baseline. More is of course always better. But on your person after 4 mags IMO it makes more sense to add a bandolier vs more mags to save on weight. In a vehicle/home that is different.

 

[ioman2]

my extra mag philosophy for handguns is mostly about the range. I want to have enough so i don't have to reload them at the range but not too many that i will shoot more ammo than i'd want to.

 

[LuvDog]

my extra mag philosophy for handguns is mostly about the range. I want to have enough so i don't have to reload them at the range but not too many that i will shoot more ammo than i'd want to.

I'm kind of the opposite, my extra mag philosophy is about needing them in a crisis. At the range I have the time to reload, so I'll usually only take a minimum number of mags.

 

[Maui5150]

... but not too many that i will shoot more ammo than i'd want to.

What is this strange foreign concept you speak of?

I can understand limiting shooting for economic reason, but never out of a want. Can you really ever shoot ENOUGH?

no no. That was a rhetorical question

 

[Radtekk]

Lots of interesting comments and ideas, diversity at its finest as I said initially in my OP, I'm setting up multiple GHB's.

So now my answer to my own question... On me, normally, my 1911 8+1 and 2 10-rounders. In day/EDC bag, 3 more 8 rounders. Plus the usual knives, lights, matches, etc. All three vehicles have identical GHB'S, including first aid stuff, bandanas, water, straws, snacks, blankets, etc. Each also includes a pair of G26 and 1911 8 rounders.

Well hidden but immediately accessible in the house I have a folding kel-tec su16 (cool gun, takes standard 30 round AR mags) in a Hazard4 bag, with 4x30 and 2x20 magazines. Padlocked with key within reach (but not visoble) means a grab-and-go rifle in 5 seconds out the door.

For HD we have AR's AK's and Hi-Points in various safes up and downstairs. All have loaded mags close by. Anywhere from 6-10 loaded depending on the gun. ALL handgun caliber magazines have HD ammo, regardless of location.

I don't have quite as many magazines as mclina, but I'm well past the point of likely ever needing them all at once and getting to the "investment" state.

l definitely agree with the "why have unloaded magazine" and "you may not be able to recover them after you empty them" philosophies.

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[M1911]

my extra mag philosophy for handguns is mostly about the range. I want to have enough so i don't have to reload them at the range but not too many that i will shoot more ammo than i'd want to.

You don't want to reload mags at the range? That would be nice, but I don't have enough Glock mags to hold 300 rounds.


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[robjax]

This kind of relates. Seems to me it is kind of subjective but by erring on the side of caution as many as you can afford....

A good quote from the attached text is this....

"A gun without spare ammo is a temporary gun! "


http://gunsmagazine.com/spare-ammo/

 

[1903Collector]

Minimum 5 mags/gun for me but for most of my pistols I have at least ten. I like to load up all my mags prior to going to the range so I can shoot, cleanup, and go.

 

[Malodave]

That would be nice, but I don't have enough Glock mags to hold 300 rounds.


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I have,
two 50 round Drums,
eight 33 round sticks,
two 30 round sticks,
and three 17 round mags,
total of 475 rounds for my G17.

Malodave

 

[thebusinessend]

i us to be crazy about mags and then I got realistic. For my comp guns i have at least 5, for CCW 3 is plenty and I never carry anything more than a second mag on me. If I ever carry a second mag which is almost never. Chances are you wont need more than 2-3 rounds in a real world gun fight. As much as well all want to prepare for some apocalypse i just dont see the need for a pile of money spent on a pile of mags. Focus on hitting where your aiming and you most likely wont need more than a round or two.

 

[Terminator03]

My philosophy these days is to try to have enough mags to contain most of my spare ammo, since ammo not loaded would be kind of worthless if you ever actually NEEDED it. Of course, it's an effort in futility!

 

[Frizzle Fry]

My personal rule is 6 magazines per weapon, minimum. Keep 3 loaded, 3 unloaded - switch them up every 6 months for the sake of the springs.

There are a few that I have more (a lot more) magazines for, and I only keep 3 speed loaders/strips per revolver because that's the most I'd carry and they don't have spring memory to worry about. When I buy a new pistol/rifle I intend to keep, I always grab as many magazines as it takes to get the total to six. In the case of two weapons taking the same magazine, I have at least six magazines per weapon. I want to be able to immediately toss in a loaded mag, and stuff two loaded mags in my pocket/pouch/jacket/vest/whatever - per weapon.

 

[rudiewhitebwoy]

I don't have any mags in my GHB/BOB. Depending on the day I one to three extra mags on me loaded with with Carry ammo. I have the rest loaded with Ball. Five at home, three in my truck and five up at my bug-out.

 

[BrianWilson]

For the three range guns in the "active" rotation I'm on the half dozen 100% reliable for each of them bandwagon myself. Unloaded and brushed clean. However the pile of mags that didnt lock the slide back,locked the slide back too early, didn't drop free, didnt stay in, didnt feed, fed two, got damaged hitting the ground/floor on a reload, got stepped on while taping and brassing, or got robbed of parts to fix same is enormous. For the carry guns three each,loaded.

 

[E.Stoner]

I have at least 5 for every gun I shoot with regularity. For the guns I carry or guns that share mags I have many more.
If we are taking post-ban 10 rounders, it's nice to load up 50 rounds at a time.
In the case of the Sig 229/226, P320, or Glock 19/17/34, 1911 that share common mags I have lots and lots.
In woodworking they say you can never have too many clamps. With guns never enough mags, never enough ammo!

 

[BREWINZ]

I generally stick to 10 mags per gun as a rule. About 15 for rifles.

 

[weekendracer]

Man, to think coworkers used to make fun of me for having FOUR M4 mags in my truck. We had rolling shootouts a couple times a year, so I thought I was being smart. Listening to you guys, I was under performing.

 

[Cur]

I like 10 mags per rifle, and 6 per handgun. All loaded all the time. Speedloaders I think I only have 4 or so each.

 

[jibbr71]

Lots of interesting comments and ideas, diversity at its finest as I said initially in my OP, I'm setting up multiple GHB's.

So now my answer to my own question... On me, normally, my 1911 8+1 and 2 10-rounders. In day/EDC bag, 3 more 8 rounders......

Why wouldn't you throw some preban 15 or 17 rounders in the bag for the 26? If I'm going to a spare mag, I imagine that my life has gone completely to shit in a short amount of time, and I want as much pew between reloads as possible.

 

[Radtekk]

Why wouldn't you throw some preban 15 or 17 rounders in the bag for the 26? If I'm going to a spare mag, I imagine that my life has gone completely to shit in a short amount of time, and I want as much pew between reloads as possible.

Good idea. Except 3 bags * 2 mags per is a second chunk of change. Good goal though and something to consider. Weight isn't really a factor since they sit in the vehicles.

As to the "one or two max is enough" ideas... First off, "two is one, one is none." shit happens, mags break, get ejected early, fall during reloads... Second, there was a cop a while back that got in a gunfight and ran through over 100 rounds on a psycho, hit him I believe 8-10 times. He carries a lot more ammo now. Can't remember the story but it was posted on here at some point.

Id rather get home with 2 full mags than be empty and wishing I'd grabbed one more...

Anybody got some pre-bans for the G26?

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[jibbr71]

Good idea. Except 3 bags * 2 mags per is a second chunk of change. Good goal though and something to consider. Weight isn't really a factor since they sit in the vehicles.

As to the "one or two max is enough" ideas... First off, "two is one, one is none." shit happens, mags break, get ejected early, fall during reloads... Second, there was a cop a while back that got in a gunfight and ran through over 100 rounds on a psycho, hit him I believe 8-10 times. He carries a lot more ammo now. Can't remember the story but it was posted on here at some point.

Id rather get home with 2 full mags than be empty and wishing I'd grabbed one more...

Anybody got some pre-bans for the G26?

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Yeah, I hear ya....kind of. The cost is considerably less up here, so my 19 goes in the holster with a 15, and everything else is a 17 rounder. As to your original question, there are never enough. I usually carry a spare (17), and keep a small goody bag close at hand with 2 more full of 124gr Gold Dot. I try to keep the remainder of my pistol mags loaded all the time with 124gr FMJ. As for rifle, I work to keep 10 good condition Pmags loaded and ready to go in various spots, and the rest(a bunch of GI 30 rounders, and Pmags that have been beat up) I load if I remember for training.

ETA: I have had, more than once, the issue of finding magazines that I didn't even know I misplaced. Once was at my good friends wedding, to which I was the best man. I had ridden my bike down to Newport, RI, and had his parents bring my suit. When we all got there, his dad hands me a loaded mag from my Springfield XDm, and say "This fell out of your 2 suiter when I put it in the car" To this day, I don't know how it got there, nor did I ever tell him what a shitstorm it would have been had he been found in possession of it in Ma or RI.

 

[whacko]

I like 10 mags per rifle, and 6 per handgun. All loaded all the time. Speedloaders I think I only have 4 or so each.

Do you have a load bearing vest or "kit" for those 10 magazines?

I hope all you guys talking about 6-10 mags per rifle all have some way to store it on your person. Basic combat load for an army rifleman is 210 rounds (7 each 30 round mags) and it ain't something your gonna stuff in your caarharts or Levi's.

- - - Updated - - -

I generally stick to 10 mags per gun as a rule. About 15 for rifles.

30 rounders? If so you know That's more than double a basic load for a rifleman right. What are you guys getting ready for a squad sized assault on a fixed enemy position?


I'm not busting balls here really I don't give a crap what you keep "ready" that's your business. Just trying to put it in perspective for all you guys that an infantryman goes out to take care of business with 7 mags.

 

[Terminator03]

Do you have a load bearing vest or "kit" for those 10 magazines?

I hope all you guys talking about 6-10 mags per rifle all have some way to store it on your person. Basic combat load for an army rifleman is 210 rounds (7 each 30 round mags) and it ain't something your gonna stuff in your caarharts or Levi's.

- - - Updated - - -


30 rounders? If so you know That's more than double a basic load for a rifleman right. What are you guys getting ready for a squad sized assault on a fixed enemy position?


I'm not busting balls here really I don't give a crap what you keep "ready" that's your business. Just trying to put it in perspective for all you guys that an infantryman goes out to take care of business with 7 mags.

Excellent points! For me these days, it's all about having an excuse to store extra ammo, since mags are a reasonably risk free investment in states such as MA, since they almost never go down in value. When I move, I can easily flip any pre-bans on my way out and easily get back my investment at the very least, or likely make a decent profit, so it's really a no-brainer to buy when the price is fair.

 

[JoseyWales]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/4...ar-15-223-remington-30-round-black-pack-of-10

Hard to resist, 10 pack Magpul AR15 PMAGs, $80.00

I'm from Massachusetts, so I can't buy them. *wink *cough

 

[Radtekk]

To clarify... My original post was regarding "Get Home Bags" and how many magazines (in addition to EDC) to put in them. I carry 8+1 in my 1911 with two spare 10's on me. In my "day bag" I have 3-8's.

In my GHB I have a pair of 8's for my 1911 and a pair of 10's for Lady Radtekk's G26. She has the same in her GHB, what she carries on her varies based on attire. Since we have 3 vehicles there are 3 identical bags.

The diversion to rifle mags is interesting, but I doubt any of us actually cart a rifle around daily. What I have loaded in my safe for AR's and AK's far exceeds the 6-10, and I have several 1911 mags loaded as well.

As far as "standard rifle man loadout" that's for a guy in a squad with some sort of backup or support available. Whole I pray I never have to use every magazine I have loaded, I'd much rather not have to find out. And if the zombies ever DO come, 3 or 4 of us will go through a dozen or so magazines fairly quickly.

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