How many magazines do you like to have for a given gun? Why?

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jcwit said:
That's a possible. There are many I will never get around to shooting.
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Me too.... Mostly.

For the record I have no spare mags for my revolvers, lever guns, and bolt guns. Shot them all, some way more than some would consider normal but not so much these days. Never lost a mag or cylinder for any either.

Though I only have 5 mags for an mkIII I have 2 so I think 2.5 per gun is on the low side considering that between the 2 ~10k rounds have gone down range in about a year. 5 or 10 more would be nice to keep handy.

Yes I shoot a lot compared to some here. Yes that's ~ 1k a month. I would shoot more if i could.

I've never had too much money, too many women, or too much ammo... Or mags.
 
easyg said:
30 magazines at 15 rounds each = 450 rounds, for one range session....

I wish I could afford to shoot that much.
Around here ammo is just too scarce and too expensive.:(

I seldom shoot more than 50 rounds per session.



You don't think that 85 rounds is enough???

Actually, if you were confronted by an angry mob, it would be much better if everyone in your party was armed with a gun and a few magazines, rather than just you armed with one gun and a lot of magazines.

Just saying...
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No doubt but i'll take what i can get
 
AR's- 5) 30 rd mags plus 1) 100 rd beta may each. AK's- 6) 30 rd mags plus 1) 75 rd drum each. Beretta 92's- 8) 15 rd mags each. Long story made short, high cap handguns, at least 100 loaded rounds each gun. High cap rifles, at least 200 loaded rounds each. My lacking areas are my 1911's, soon as the market levels back out, I need to purchase 4-5 mags each. This is considered my comfort level.
 
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I've no general rule for mine, I've always let price guide me.
Since I collect US militaria, I've got collectible mags too, just for the LBE.
Also, at one point, I had 7 different tools that would accept 1911 mags--I have a few extra as a result.

But, I do know which magazines I have two few of, though. Mossberg M-44, and Colt Target mags. The latter are reasonably available, it's more price. The Mossbergs, though run $47-$49, when they are available. (I've also become adept at finding homes for "Oh, you meant M-44!" magazines, too.)
 
stumpers said:
And when some of my old G19 mags seemed like they were getting too worn and on the way out...I sold them online during the height of the panic for prices I would never consider paying myself.
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That's the way to do it. Unload your garbage for premium prices on unsuspecting buyers who just want the chance to get a standard-capacity magazine before their legislators ban them.
 
Potatohead said:
A minimum of 25 for your "serious" guns?
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I said 24 and I stand by that....for "serious" guns. If all your guns are for occasional recreational shooting, or you don't shoot your "serious" guns much, then one or two will easily suffice.

I guess I'm just a noob, don't practice as much as I should, or something. But I only have a few mags for each firearm and I don't feel like i'm missing out on any shooting at the range or anything.
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How many gun classes have you taken? How many Action Pistol or 3-Gun matches have you shot? Do you own any gun/magazines that hold more than ten rounds? If so, do you care that the full capacity mags will be banned in the future? Do you shoot often? Do you like shooting more than reloading magazines?

If the answer is "no" to all of the above, then 2-3 mags will be plenty.
 
For my EDC, three to five is plenty. I only have two currently, and feel no immediate pressure to buy more.

For a rifle, I'd want six to ten.
 
That's the way to do it. Unload your garbage for premium prices on unsuspecting buyers who just want the chance to get a standard-capacity magazine before their legislators ban them.
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I would hardly call it unsuspecting when I tell them upfront the mags have seen thousands of rounds, need springs and I show them photos of the magazines they are getting.

If someone is willing to pay me $60-70 for a well-used mag that I paid $15-$20 for a decade ago...that's his or her problem.
 
Since I am not carrying more than 45-60 rounds ever on my carry's it's 3 mags. All my guns other than 12 gauge or AR's , my AR has 7, that's enough for special forces operations. I am a city dweller. And I do have one or 2 of those 33 round jobs for my 9's. I am not competing, "that would be the only reason to have more, unless you shoot more than a box per gun and are in a hurry to burn through ammo. Even if I shot more rounds, a reloading break is not a bad thing. People buy more than they will ever use with new shooters, more often than not, they get rid of the gun before ever using all those extra mags they bought for it. Every time I trade or buy a used gun, the person has over bought for it. Either they have ammo, they no longer shoot or 5 mags and 3 holsters, for a gun they just bought a month ago.
It's good for me but a waste of money for them, as I usually don't offer much more unless it's night sight equipped. Those 40 dollar mags are now worth 10-20 bucks, same with holsters and lasers. What is someone going to do with a gun specific part, if they don't own the gun? Most won't go through the hassle of selling them unless it's a really impossible to get part, like S&W mags for M&P's. But just from the classifieds most of the accessories go for pennies on the dollar except ammo.
 
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How many magazines do you like to have for a given gun? Why?

This has got to win me the most stupid answer award but I don't have a clue, well a few I do know but not many. I have two old Remington 511 Bolt guns and know I have 3 magazines between them. Yep, sure about those.

When any magazines for what I have come available at a good price, be it a gun show or private sale I just buy them. Recently just before Sandy Hook I had been eying a Vietnam Era cartridge belt with 4 pouches and original GI M14 magazines plus an original GI Cleaning Kit. The owner is a good friend so in bantering I asked, he gave me a good deal at $40 for the lot out the door so I bought it. I didn't need those mags, I have a pile for my M1A but it was cool. A few weeks later he jokingly wanted to buy them back. That was post Sandy Hook. :)

The same is true for my AR15 magazines, when I see good GI or similar at a good price I buy them. No clue how many I have laying around but can't hurt to have them.

Ran into a guy at a gun show who had 3 magazines for a Remington 7400 which I have one of. OK, he took $5.00 each so I bought them. I think I already had three but at five bucks each? Heck yeah.

Most of my pistols are Colt 1911s and God knows how many good quality magazines I actually have? I sure don't. They have been accumulating for decades.

The list goes on like that. In most cases I don't have a clue. The irony here is when I go to the range I generally bring two unloaded magazines for each gun I drag along. If I bring two AR15s I only bring the same two magazines. They all work but I only drag two along. When I go to my outdoor rifle range it is for pleasure and enjoyment. I shoot a few and load a few, I am not in any rush and call 8 hours on the range of shooting and BSing a good relaxing day. So in conclusion I don't know how many magazines I have or even why.

Ron
 
5 for semiautos. 3 for hand guns. and a rebuild kit for everyone of them. It seemed the cheapest way to have twice as many.
 
One per rifle, because they are built-in: Garand, SKS, FR8s, Yugo Mauser.
Only one per Enfield because lots of changing could cause bent feed lips, and only one good mag per rifle is needed.

When I had the Mini 14 and 30, about two per rifle. If Hezbollah had become active near Memphis (in '08), I would have had five per Mini.
 
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AR-15: 10-20 per rifle.
Pistols: 5-10 per pistol.

I think about how many mags I think I need for a given firearm, then I double that number. Its not practical to carry 20 magazines on your person, but the magazine is still an expendable item. Additional mags can be used as replacements or as parts. They also make a good bartering tool when needed.
You can never have too many magazines.
 
I've been reading a lot of the replies and I think I like Ron's answer the best. I have one AR and I have 29-30rd mags 10-20rd mags for it and 4 mags for my M9. I'll keep buying too when I come across good deals. I bought a bunch of my 30rd and all the 20rd mags for 4.50 a mag a few years ago.

Now Ohio just needs to do away with the mags over 30 rounds making SA's full autos by legal definition. Capacity limitations are dumb IMO.

My wife thinks I'm crazy but I don't understand her obsession with clothes shoes and accessories so I guess we're even:rolleyes:
 
Many people read a thread like this and, despite multiple postings to the contrary, seem to think the question is "how many magazines should I carry on my person daily?" They then provide a totally inapplicable answer, but only after mocking anyone that suggested more than 3.

How many mags depends on the gun and its use. One will suffice for my .25 Beretta, but I'd buy another 1-2 if I found a deal....but I'd have to weigh that against buying another Glock mag instead.

Mags holding more than 10 rds became an endangered species in 1994, so their status, in my mind, has been elevated ever since. For me, the question isn't "how many hicap mags are enough," it's "how many hicap mags are enough....if you can't buy them anymore?"

The answers to those two questions are likely different for most people.
 
For m service pistol, 5 because I plan to try IDPA some day. 4 for my mkiii because that's how many I can carry easily in the holster and pouch. For my bolt guns, 1-4, depending on the rifle. Many for the wife's 10/22 because I can load and she can shoot. :)

Mos of the others are revolvers or tube mags. :)
 
bannockburn said:
With pistols I like to have a minimum of 6 per gun. For my AR-15 and AK-47 I probably have about 20+ magazines for each.
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ditto here bannockburn. i have six each for 2-witness 10mms, 1-hipower.40,and 1-kimber customII .45acp. All are transported with empty magazine in weapon, 1 mag in mag spot with weapon, and 4 in side pocket storage. Cabela's had a sale last year on pistol bags. Transport empty because IL still is dragging feet on concealed carry. Maybe by next year this time they will be permitting CCW.
 
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With a bunch of 10mm witness mags, did you ever have the issue with the mags binding up? Do you have orange or black followers on your magazines?
 
the answer to this question depends largely on the gun, how I'm using it, and how scarce the parts to those guns may become.

Lets just say that I have a few more magazines than I used to for some of my guns, thanks to the new legislative action here in my state.

For competition some of my pistols have five magazines. In my duty gun I carry one in the gun and two on my belt, but have a couple of spare magazines available. My work rifle is packed in a case with 7 loaded magazines... just in case things ever go REALLY wrong out there. Some of my hunting and range guns only have one magazine. It really just depends.
 
A minimum of 3, a primary and 2 spares.
And more than that is better. At least a dozen for the AR, 6 for the P35, etc.
It's hard to have too many.

Don in Ohio
 
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