Storing Mags

[Bugs100]

I have a large collection of handguns and with it a lot of mags. My problem is keeping the mags seperate in the safe. The 1911 mags are easy because they can be used in other 1911's.

But I still have close to 70 other mags that are in the safe that I have to sort through to pick them out.

I usally leave a empty one in each pistol. But trying to sort out all the other ones is crazy. A lot of mags are just not marked with the company name on them.

The 9mm and 22's are the worst. Any one have any tricks to storing mags?

 

[jhrosier]

Ziplock freezer bags.
They have an area that can be used with a marker to ID the contents.

 

[FPrice]

Ziplock freezer bags.
They have an area that can be used with a marker to ID the contents.

Ditto.

 

[Lugnut]

My mags are in tupperware containers.... not in the safe though- no room.

 

[dwarven1]

Wow... two great ideas. I have the same problem with with storing mags, too.

thanks for the ideas!

 

[M1911]

I got some plastic bins at Home Depot. Put a stick-on label on the bins and put them on a shelf in the safe.

 

[Chuck]

I got some plastic bins

Sort of what I'm doing. I got plastic drawers that my wife was using for makeup and such before I refinished a table for her. Their labeled by pistol.

For metal mags (most of mine are polymer) a long thin magnet glued/taped to door of your safe should work well. Seen guys do that in their shooting boxes and it makes sense.

-= chuck

 

[dwarven1]

For metal mags (most of mine are polymer) a long thin magnet glued/taped to door of your safe should work well.

That would work well for the blued steel mags; stainless steel, however, is non-magnetic.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Another way to deal with it is using a Sharpie on the lower side and mark it. I do this and add mag # to it in case I have a suspect mag, I can more easily isolate it for possible repair/scrap.

Sharpies come in "ultra fine point" in black (good for SS) and white (for blued) mags. Staples solved my problem.

 

[dwarven1]

Staples solved my problem.

For a minute there I had a mental image of you stapling your mags to your safe door...

 

[Len-2A Training]

For a minute there I had a mental image of you stapling your mags to your safe door...

Naw, too hard to shoot with them that way!

"Staples" = office supply store . . . for those who haven't had their morning coffee yet.

 

[vellnueve]

The best solution is to shoot all your guns until you can tell the mags by their weight and feel. It may take a couple hundred thousand rounds, but that's the fun part.

 

[Lugnut]

I noticed some of you lock all your mags in your safe. I thought I did some research on this and it was law... I'd need a huge safe just for the mags!!

I hope Scriv isn't reading this... I'll get blasted for not searching on this first.

 

[Bugs100]

The real problem is most safes are set up for lon guns. I'd like one with just drawers for the handguns and mags..

 

[adweisbe]

Why in the world would you put mags in the safe? Do you put your spare parts and springs in the safe too? There is no legal requirement and I am %100 percent sure Scriv isn't going to come and lambast me for saying so.

 

[drgrant]

Why in the world would you put mags in the safe? Do you put your spare parts and springs in the safe too? There is no legal requirement and I am %100 percent sure Scriv isn't going to come and lambast me for saying so.

If I had room in my safe to store the magazines, I would put them
in there, too. I'm pretty sure at this point that I have well over the
value of an expensive handgun invested in just magazines.

Also, if you have "large capacity" magazines, and other residents of your
household are unlicensed, a low brow PD might try to pull some BS during
an exigent circumstance. EG, say someone dials 911 (while your not
there) and there's an 20 rnd AR mag on your counter. Cops show up and notice
the magazine. If the people in attendance are unlicensed, they could make an
attempt to construe that the unlicensed person constructively posesses the magazine.
(and bust them for unlicensed possession of an LCAFD). It's pretty improbable that
this would happen, but given the wrong set of circumstances, not impossible.

-Mike

 

[EddieCoyle]

The real problem is most safes are set up for long guns. I'd like one with just drawers for the handguns and mags..

Like this?

The model that I got is not the one in the picture, but it's close. If you don't mind moving them, you can find these things cheap at used office supply vendors. Many of them are fireproof too.

 

[M1911]

Why in the world would you put mags in the safe?

Have you priced any pre-ban, standard capacity mags lately? How much do you think my 6 pre-ban ParaOrd P14 mags are worth? Or my 6 Glock 17 mags? Or my 6 CZ-75 mags?

 

[vellnueve]

During the ban each one of those Para mags could go for over $100 easy. Now, outside MA of course, they can be had for cheaper.

 

[Len-2A Training]

6 Glock pre-ban mags = $15 x 6 = $90!

I paid that or less for them for my Wife's G17 . . . all with U-channel, thus no question of pre-ban status.

Yes, I know some places are still charging 3-5x that for pre-bans. Caveat emptor

 

[adweisbe]

I never spent much more on a preban magazine than I would on a new magazine. Para-mags are insane expensive even without the ban. The fact that I am mostly a 1911 guy helps.

 

[TY43215]