How many AR mags is enough?

[Magic_Man]

I'm bored so I figure I'll ask. Let's say somene has 1 to 3 AR-15 rifles of the same caliber. How many mags would you say is enough? I know a lot of folks say you can never have enough, but let's be realistic and realize not everyone has unlimited funds, storage, etc etc.

 

[edelbrock]

I would say 5 mags per rifle would be enough realistically, for me at least. I know there are going to be some that say no less than 40 loaded mags.

 

[Gunnerpalace]

Read of a guy who bought 950 P-mags,

6-7 per rifle for me,

 

[P.B.Walsh]

Whatever you deem nessesary, and 1 Beta 100 round mags for each rifle (non-varmit/target rifles).

 

[Eschaton]

I have 8 for one rifle.

 

[P.B.Walsh]

That 950 mag. owner needs to get a better hobby than buying enough mags. for a whole d**n brigade!!!!

I mean...... really...... why.......???????.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?.?......??

Mabey he was trying to open up a gun store...... but...but....

Mabey that's what he deemed nessesary

 

[FlyinBryan]

we only have 8 mags for our 2 ar's.

they are really good quality g.i. mags but i would like to get more.

maybe 8-10 per rifle would be good.

 

[blkbrd666]

I have 13, but most of them were given to me by a friend that didn't have a rifle for them.

 

[sarduy]

i said....6 mag and 1 betta mag in the rifle

 

[JWF III]

I have 3 30s and 4 Colt 20s. I don't have an AR, or even want one. Do I have enough? And I don't have or want a rifle that'll except them.

Wyman

 

[cbrgator]

I have 12 Pmags and the 1 USGI mag that came with my AR. Might be a lot but I like knowing they are there.

 

[DMGunn]

I try to have at least 10 reliable mags per "platform" per caliber, although I've never had more than 2 rifles that accept the same mag. 10 mags is enough to make me comfortable. Your comfort level may require less (or more) mags.

Another thing to consider is strength. FAL or steel AK mags will certainly outlive any AR or HK mags on the planet under similar usage, so reason would suggest less............ah hell, go with whatever you are comfortable with.

 

[tacweapon]

I have 25 AR Mags for my 1 XCR but I would feel comfortable with 12 for each rifle as long as I have actually used them and am sure they will function correctly

 

[cbrgator]

Magic Man,

Is this for a SHTF rifle or just a range gun?

 

[lvcat2004]

I was reading in some other forums as to how many mags. an infantry would carry. I read that a German soldier would carry 4 extra mag. in addition to one in the firearm. U.S. soldier would carry 6 mags, 180 rounds. Obviously this may vary from unit to unit as well as the misson.

So, if a infantryman carries 4-6 mags to fight AlQaida and other BG's armed with full-auto weapons and RPG's....I would think that 4-6 would be adequate for us average joes. But I have one AR and 13 mags..... then again, I have 2 more uppers on the way, so I'll have 4+ for each...plenty IMO.

 

[Quiet]

Many years ago...
I remember getting issued seven 30 round magazines.
But, I use to carry ninteen 30 round magazines on patrol.

Now...
I have four 20 round magazines and twenty-three 30 round magazines for use between two AR rifles.

 

[NC-Mike]

Readiness

How many mags is a good question but for what purpose?

Readiness is a other subject. I have ten mags for each RA but all of them are unloaded, stored in boxes and locked away.

 

[charliewood]

10 to 12 with a couple spares

 

[Roadwild17]

I would feel good with 6+1 loaded and ready to go with a few more for spares. The fill a vest +1 in the rifle approach.

That being said my vest holds 12 so I have 13 loaded and ready to go and about another 5-6 spares. All p-mags except 2 c-prod I got from a friend on a bet.

My next AR is a precision rifle, I don't imagine doing mag dumps or anything like that so I will probably get ~10 20 rounders for it.

Also I you buy into the whole next AWb thing, you can never have enough, once that happens its to late to pick up any at a good price, gee seams like that already :banghead: .

I have 10 steel AK mags, which I feel are enough to last forever because they are pretty much bomb proff.

 

[Badlander]

I have 2 ARs and 22 mags. 2 FALs and 20 mags. I don't stock up on them on purpose. When I find A deal on one I buy it. I only have 2 mags for the Ak but I seldom shoot it.

 

[Brian Williams]

I have 10, 30 rounders for my AR, 2 10 and 3 25 for my 10/22.

 

[4thPointOfContact]

Sadly, I've lost track . Last time I looked, though, there were enough 20-rounders, 30-rounders, and P-Mags to fill a half a dresser drawer. (The other half is filled with AK-mags. I lost track when they started to spill into the drawer that used to hold FAL and pistol magazines and then the top of the gun safe.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Well, since SHTF will likely never ever happen**, then probably 3 or 4 is plenty. UNLESS you like to go to the range and have a bunch of them loaded up beforehand, so that you don't have to load them at the range. So it's strictly a function of limited range time and how much you want to shoot. Maybe 10 or 20 or more depending on how much you shoot.

**and even if it does, the chance of an extended firefight is small - mostly it would be escape and evade - throw down enough covering fire to facilitate escape from a larger force.

 

[Orlando]

How many can you carry at one time? Thats the number you need

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I see this come up a lot, actually.

A lot of guys claim you need dozens of magazines per rifle, however, when are you really going to need 100 AR-15 magazines?

I can see if you plan on selling them in the future in the event of another Federal Assault Weapons Ban, but for personal use between 10-20 will basically last you forever.

Most people who own AR-15s aren't conducting military operations, however, if you ever need to "bug out" and you decide to take your AR-15, having between 10-20 magazines is more than enough to take with you, wherever you go. When you see guys saying you need 50 magazines minimum for these "bug out" type situations, they clearly haven't taken into consideration the survival aspect of the scenario. You're going to need supplies other than your rifle in order to survive. A backpack full of loaded mags is about as useful to you in a situation where you need to be self sufficient, as having a car in the Amazonian rain forest.

In other words, have enough magazines that will be enough for you to go to the range, and carry with you. Have a couple extra in case you break one.

I would suggest buying a bunch of new springs, floor plates, and followers, though. If you use your magazines enough, they may wear out after a while. How long is that? Well, probably a very long time, but there's something to said for the prepared person.


Im not, however, trying to say you can't have all the magazines in the world. For all I care, go out and buy 1,000. It just doesn't make much sense to me if you actually plan on being realistic.

EDIT: I also think that if you ever get into a situation where you need more than 1 magazine to stop a threat (whether that be a person, animal, or cybernetic organism), you're likely not going to be alive long enough to shoot all of your ammo.