How many mags?

[Growler215]

For pistols, 3+ mags per pistol as required to have 50+ rounds in mags. For rifles, I like to have enough to have 200+ rounds in mags for each rifle.

Except for range mags, I keep them loaded and stored in USGI ammo cans with dessicant.

 

[Bob A]

Mags for old C&R pistols can be unobtanium. I was horrified to see that mags for my Swiss P210 were running around $200, if you could find them.

So I just took a look at GB, and now they're in the $300 range.

 

[Robert heatterich]

Everything I have 3-4 mags

 

[XCheckR]

Better to have too many than not enough

 

[lazarus]

Mags for old C&R pistols can be unobtanium. I was horrified to see that mags for my Swiss P210 were running around $200, if you could find them.

So I just took a look at GB, and now they're in the $300 range.

That is an issue sometimes. My Cz50 I only have 3 mags. Buckmark is only 3 mags. Cz82 is only 3 good mags. 2 shitty ones. Yugo model 70, 3 mags. Howa 223, 3 mags. Howa 6.5 Grendel, 3 mags.

A theme there.

I think everything else I have a large number because they weren’t super expensive. I’ve got 4 or 5 P1 mags. Several Yugo M57 mags. G19 I only had 2 for a long time, because they make them in pints, I mean can take G17 magazines. I finally got another couple PMAGs for it (the other two are factory mags).

G17, 21, AR15, Garand clips, M1 carbine magazines, AR10 mags, 10/22 I couldn’t even guess. 10/22 might only be 4 10s and 3 25s. But I might have another one or two somewhere. AR10 I think it’s 7 or 8. Probably about the same number of G21 and 17 mags. Which doesn’t include the few fun sticks I have for the 17 and the 21. Carbine is a stack. Several surplus with new springs. A few old, non-surplus that work like crap. A bunch of the KCIs that all work great. Probably only 30 or so Garand clips. AR15? A stupid number. I couldn’t even guess. I haven’t bought any in a few years, but I’d been getting 3-5 almost every time I was going out of state and found cheap ones. So a lot of PMAGs, a bunch of other manufacturers magazines. I even have a few 10 rounders.

I doubt I have that many, but sometimes it feels like I could make a throne out of AR-15 magazines. Maybe for one of my cats. A cat sized PMAG throne.

I even have 3 mags for a few guns I don’t even own, but think I might some days. Never know if standards would get banned. Sounding like I’d be okay, but hey, $60-80 times a few guns ain’t that expensive (beretta 92, Cz75, Glock 20).

I learned long ago to keep an AR-15 10 round and a 10/22 magazine in my range bag. I don’t store either gun in my safe loaded, but one is at the front for HD and loaded mags in the safe. So I wouldn’t want to leave a dry mag in it for transport to the range. My 10/22 is right behind the AR for defense against ground hogs. So same deal. I don’t like leaving loaded guns in my safe and I don’t want to leave a dry mag in it, because it does get used “in the home” pretty often (half those ground pigs get popped out a window).

Which also means over the years there have been a few times I open my range bag/case and go to load my AR-15 or 10/22…and I am single loading it through the ejection port for the range trip because I left the magazine at home.

A couple times since I started keeping those mags in my bag, I’ve forgotten a magazine and boom! I have the spare. Saved a range trip.

 

[Sunrise]

I keep separate carry magazines and training magazines for my 9mm.

6 carry (JHP) magazines: I'll rotate the ammo across them and cycle it within the magazines as well.

12 training magazines: I'll preload these at home. Allows me to get some good shooting in and then I can take a breather to reload them.

As others have said, better to have too many than not enough.

 

[ESMDHokie77]

depends if you're buying for yourself or are you mindful of what your kids and grandkids will need in order to keep family heirlooms functional and active for years to come.

 

[Slowhand]

42... is the answer you seek.

 

[308Scout]

42... is the answer you seek.

View attachment 417806

Only 3% of the time.

 

[Old-School Mark]

I like to have at least two for the range, but usually three. Since I need to fill them, I don’t think filling three at a time really saves me much more time than just filling two once their empty; besides, taking a break after shooting through two mags is frequently necessary.

I also like to have at least three mags, per gun, fully loaded while at home. I don’t bring those to the range more than a couple times a year; I shoot through the home defense ammo maybe every six months which gives me the opportunity to buy more.

 

[frdfandc]

Before my divorce and the selling of most of my firearms, for the 3 AR's I had 3 mags each. For my XDm I had 11 magazines. For my 2 other pistols, I had 3 mags each. Now with the XDm at home, I only used all 11 for target practice. At home it was 2 mags.

 

[JPG]

Well if you carry 18 for the AR you’d need more.

 

[JoeyBimmer]

I didn't read any of this thread.

I am middle class, in Maryland that means I am poor.

I have five mags for My VZ (came with all them), four for my XD (came with two, bought two more, lost one), two for my AR (had four, but the ones with overtravel stops do not fit, so Baltimore County gave me $100 for those two), three for my Glock (came with them), two for my (came with one, bought one) 10/22.

Elite had some 25 round 10/22 I may buy, so that number may increase.

Do strip clips count as magazines?

 

[onedash]

I once bought 18 (i think) glock 22 mags from Honolulu PD. I had to have them mailed out of state because I couldn't get them delivered in Hawaii. When I moved here I finally decided to buy a Glock 22 and 1K rds of ammo. Still never shot the thing. AR mags - I don't think I could carry them if they were all full.

 

[onedash]

Regarding keeping mags loaded...I did recently see a video which suggested keeping pmags to 28 instead of 30 rounds. Not because of the spring, which should be fine and not fatigue, but rather to ease the pressure on the plastic lips of the magazine which get forced out of shape a bit.

Makes sense to me on plastic magazines. Probably not a problem on metal mags. Not sure if it is a myth or not. I guess I'd lean towards keeping them a round or two short. Still ready for most anything. With any warning at all, it wouldn't take long to top up. YMMV. Magpul suggests "P-Mags are designed to be loaded to there specified capacity and stored long term without any deformation." so... probably not worth worrying about.

my glock 17 (refurb) came with an aftermarket mag and when kept loaded for any length of time it would burb out several to a lot of rounds when handled. Needless to say I eventually bought a lot of glock mags. They used to be VERY cheap on base. I wish I would have bought a lot more of the 33rd mags.

 

[rbird7282]

Regarding keeping mags loaded...I did recently see a video which suggested keeping pmags to 28 instead of 30 rounds. Not because of the spring, which should be fine and not fatigue, but rather to ease the pressure on the plastic lips of the magazine which get forced out of shape a bit.

Makes sense to me on plastic magazines. Probably not a problem on metal mags. Not sure if it is a myth or not. I guess I'd lean towards keeping them a round or two short. Still ready for most anything. With any warning at all, it wouldn't take long to top up. YMMV. Magpul suggests "P-Mags are designed to be loaded to there specified capacity and stored long term without any deformation." so... probably not worth worrying about.

That’s why Magpul makes snap on mag covers, they push down the top round and relieve the pressure on the feed lips. Load them to 30 and put the cover on, works great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JohnnyE]

That’s why Magpul makes snap on mag covers, they push down the top round and relieve the pressure on the feed líos. Load them to 30 and put the cover on, works great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This right here has worked for years.

 

[Doctor_M]

According to Del. Diana DeGett, we should all be stocking up:

“These are ammunition, they’re bullets, so the people who have those now, they’re going to shoot them, so if you ban them in the future, the number of these high-capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will have been shot and there won’t be any more available.”

 

[Muleskinner]

I think the standard mag load for the military is something like 14..that's a good number

 

[JoeyBimmer]

That’s why Magpul makes snap on mag covers, they push down the top round and relieve the pressure on the feed lips. Load them to 30 and put the cover on, works great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I put 29 in mine. 30 the mag doesn't go into my AR with the bolt forward. Just to simplify the action of loading a mag into my AR. I keep my mag separate from the gun. If I am half asleep and loading this, I think it makes more sense to jam it in the forward bolt gun and rack a round then to try and bolt lock the weapon and then put the 30 in.

It is a shame 7.62x39 is SOO expensive. my VZ takes full mags without issue.