How many magazines, first time gun owner

[StationOps]

I have between 2-10 for my firearms. I don't shoot all that often and don't participate in shooting events where I drop a magazine onto hard dirt or rocks. Most self defense scenarios are resolved in "less than 5 rounds", so I'm not sure why I need dozens for each firearm. Given how people keep wanting to ban them, I understand the desire to stock up, but at current prices, I have enough for my use.

You'll have to decide if stocking up now at premium prices is worth it to you.

 

[Drail]

Magazines are disposable items. As you use them the feed lips will spread. Every time you seat one in a pistol the stack of rounds slams into and is stopped by the feed lips. Buy good quality magazines, number them so you can tell immediately if one is causing a problem. Most importantly buy a bunch of replacement magazine springs from a quality manufacturer like Wolff or ISMI. Those springs WILL lose tension and cause feed problems at some point. As soon as the last round fails to feed 100% replace the spring. Don't get too attached to magazines - as soon as they cease to be 100% reliable trash them or give them to somebody you don't like and move on.

 

[labnoti]

I'm not sure why you wouldn't shoot the gun you carry the most. Everything else is basically just goofing off. Most classes or schools recommend at least 6 magazines to attend. Bear in mind you may be practicing magazine changes so you can go through magazines in a class session faster than you empty them, but 6 is more than enough to get you through to a break where you can reload them. If you have more magazines and start with them full, you can put off reloading them until the end of the day which makes it so your breaks are less busy loading magazines. I recommend numbering your magazines and also having a container with a compartment or slot for each so you can see at a glance whether you have them all or if you dropped one in the shoot house or whatever. If you just throw them in a pile in your range bag, you'll miss one sooner or later.

 

[Mars5l]

Alright I'll guess I'll buy more, just a few more though. I have taken a CWP class thats it, waiting on my CWP license to arrive. Have been interested in doing other classes but no idea where to start, but thats for another thread.

 

[mrmike7189]

"As pointed out, magazines should be viewed as consumable items. Feed lips get bent, springs wear, baseplates get damaged."
I would add to that list....magazine followers get damaged as well. I have one gun that chews up plastic followers, so I bought a bag of them .

 

[Armybrat]

Three each for my pistols, seven for my PC Carbine.
Two BX-25 and one standards 10 rounder for my 10/22.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

My son says he has enough so he can carry ALL his guns and magazines at once
BUT..all more magazines do is allow you to shoot more and reload less when at the range and have a spare if one crumps..I have 3-4 per handgun ...I have 4 for my Mossberg Predator bolt(all 10R)...4 for my 10/22...
Glock 26-3
Glock 17-3
Glock 42-4

Not really worried about the zombies coming over the fence and needing 50 or so magazines, a barrel of 10,000 rounds of ammo and somebody sitting there reloading the empty ones.

IMHO and YMMV and all that.

You are aware the Polis wants to rewrite the magazine capacity restriction law in such a way that you can't just go buy a "repair kit" right? It's probably not very high on his priority list right now but what if tomorrow all the magazine you have on hand are all you're ever going to be able to get?

 

[Trey Veston]

There is a thread nearly identical to this on another forum and the common answer was 10 per pistol that you own. I did the math and to have ten mags per each of my pistols, it would cost me $2329 at current prices. The most expensive are the P365 mags at $40+ each. Second are the XDS 40 mags at $32 each, then Glocks at $25 each. Oh, and the Taurus mags were around $28 each. Not going to invest $280 in mags for a $200 pistol.

I have 5 mags each for all of my Glocks due to using them in GSSF matches, which I think is adequate. I've been buying the 33rd mags every so often when I find a deal on them since I use them in my SBR.

 

[Metal God]

So he/she is a "first" time gun owner and ...

Started this hobby in early March, so im late to the party. I have 10 firearms currently.

First time owner and in 4 months they've bought 10 guns ???? Somethings fishy here , troll or crazy paranoid ??? Either way , welcome to the dark side .

 

[Styx]

Several for my carry gun, and only the two the gun came with for everything else. I see no need to have 10-20-50 for each and every gun.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Several for my carry gun, and only the two the gun came with for everything else. I see no need to have 10-20-50 for each and every gun.

As long as your carry gun isn't a Taurus

 

[Mars5l]

So he/she is a "first" time gun owner and ...



First time owner and in 4 months they've bought 10 guns ???? Somethings fishy here , troll or crazy paranoid ??? Either way , welcome to the dark side .

Well don't know how you get that, but okay. Thanks

 

[buck460XVR]

So he/she is a "first" time gun owner and ...



First time owner and in 4 months they've bought 10 guns ???? Somethings fishy here , troll or crazy paranoid ??? Either way , welcome to the dark side .

I was thinking the same thing........and at the same time, doesn't know how many mags?

If indeed the OP is real and has the finances to buy guns like popcorn, I'd say get as many as you can. In reality, it comes down to usage and expectations. Are you going into combat or just plinking 20 rounds once a month or so? For my hunting rifles.....two is more than enough as long as they are working. While I have several for the few pistols I have(mostly a wheel gun guy), I don't see a need for twenty. But....to each their own, I am nobody's keeper. For some reason, folks seem to think the amount or magazines is like ammo. How much you have is how macho you are. Back when folks thought hi-cap mags were going to be banned, they bought all they could. For me over the last several years and panics......magazines have been easier to find than the ammo to put in them....or even a gun to use them in. Figure out your own needs and wants. Shoot what you have and go from there.

 

[Hartkopf]

In defense of the OP, sometimes when people open their eyes and realize how late they are, they catch up all at once. There's no monthly purchase limit where I live so I bought several within a few months also. Some of my family needed guns too so that added to the pile. Luckily I started before virus was released on the world.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

In defense of the OP, sometimes when people open their eyes and realize how late they are, they catch up all at once. There's no monthly purchase limit where I live so I bought several within a few months also. Some of my family needed guns too so that added to the pile. Luckily I started before virus was released on the world.

When I first started buying guns I bought a bunch in a short period of time. It wasn't until later that I became discriminating about what I bought

 

[Styx]

As long as your carry gun isn't a Taurus

What difference would it make...

 

[Styx]

So he/she is a "first" time gun owner and ...



First time owner and in 4 months they've bought 10 guns ???? Somethings fishy here , troll or crazy paranoid ??? Either way , welcome to the dark side .

In the current market that's between $3000 at the lowest to approx $5000+. Of course depending on what he purchased. The Sig and M57 alone is over $750+/-. That's not including the mags and extras he purchased. I want the OP's gun budget.

I owned a couple of handguns, but I wasn't a collector or really into to firearms until after Sandy Hook. I mostly focused on firearms and accessories that I thought would be banned thus I wouldn't be able to own in the future. I didn't waste my money paying the panic buying premium for crap that I knew wouldn't be banned.

 

[Walkalong]

Two or three per gun will last most folks a very long time, but the more you use them the more chance of damage and a need to replace them. Watch for sales on mags for your most used/favorite guns and pick up extras as you can until you think you have enough. I have two for most everything, three or four for many, five to ten for a handful, and a bunch of AR mags.

 

[FFGColorado]

You are aware the Polis wants to rewrite the magazine capacity restriction law in such a way that you can't just go buy a "repair kit" right? It's probably not very high on his priority list right now but what if tomorrow all the magazine you have on hand are all you're ever going to be able to get?

That just went to the CO Supreme court with no changes to the law..done deal. So...'kits' are still 'legal'.

Like it or don't, it IS the law of today. What irks me are the gun stores who say, "screw the law, gonna sell greater than 15r magazines"..which not only puts their CO FFL license at risk but also makes potential customers break the law.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

What difference would it make...

None as long as you don't ever have to shoot it

 

[Trunk Monkey]

That just went to the CO Supreme court with no changes to the law..done deal. So...'kits' are still legal.

I may have misunderstood this but my understanding was that Polis wanted an addendum to the current law introduced (I'm not sure how that would work so I might get the terminology wrong) that basically repeals the current statute and replaces it with one that says it any magazine that holds over 15 rounds is illegal period and doesn't have any provisions for "kits".

This is sheer speculation on my part but should he ever succeed in getting such legislation introduced I would not be the slightest bit surprised if the capacity restriction was reduced to 10 Rounds and possession of any magazine holding greater than 10 rounds REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT is criminalized. Which is exactly what they recently did in New Jersey

 

[FFGColorado]

I may have misunderstood this but my understanding was that Polis wanted an addendum to the current law introduced (I'm not sure how that would work so I might get the terminology wrong) that basically repeals the current statute and replaces it with one that says it any magazine that holds over 15 rounds is illegal period and doesn't have any provisions for "kits".

This is sheer speculation on my part but should he ever succeed in getting such legislation introduced I would not be the slightest bit surprised if the capacity restriction was reduced to 10 Rounds and possession of any magazine holding greater than 10 rounds REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT is criminalized. Which is exactly what they recently did in New Jersey

Maybe you wouldn't be surprised but I would. Precedent is a big word and the SCOC just ruled the law stands as written. New Jersey isn't Colorado.
https://www.cpr.org/2019/12/09/colorado-dems-plan-to-pursue-a-variety-of-gun-laws-in-2020/

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Maybe you wouldn't be surprised but I would. Precedent is a big word and the SCOC just ruled the law stands as written. New Jersey isn't Colorado.
https://www.cpr.org/2019/12/09/colorado-dems-plan-to-pursue-a-variety-of-gun-laws-in-2020/

But New Jersey's ruling is lso precedent. And even if the Supreme Court of Colorado ruled that the law stands as written there's nothing in that ruling that prevents somebody else from introducing another bill that repeals that statue and replaces it with a stricter law.

Other than the fact that Polis has stated that he wants to close the "loopholes" in the current law what that might look like is sheer speculation and I admit that. My point is you shouldn't assume that your magazines are replaceable.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

To get this thread back on track.

Started this hobby in early March, so im late to the party. I have 10 firearms currently. I was watching a YouTube video from a smaller channel, it was basically what to buy before the election part whatever "magazines". Now he went on to recommend getting a magazine for whatever firearm you have every time you stop into a gun store. Part of his reasoning is due to possible actions with background in previous bans. Now im not really wanting to get to big into that discussion. But as a new gun owner how many magazines is needed for each firearm that you own?

Most of my hand guns I own 5 or 6 for each one except my Zastava M57 and my new Sig P365. With those 2 to me, the Zastava is a range toy and I have to order magazines online to even get them, the P365 will be my carry, I only need a enough to practice and test as it won't be a dedicated range gun. Im getting an AR in the near future, I've already bought 4 30rd Pmags for it, I'll get a couple more but that's about 200 rds ready to go. How many more do I need for a range day where I bring a few firearms? Other than it saves a little time at the range since I won't have to reload the magazines as much. Is my thought process wrong?

It's your life. You have to make the decisions and you have to live with the consequences.

You need to come up with a number that makes sense to you.

When I was in the army the basic load out for my M16 was 7 magazines. 6 in my magazine carriers, 1 in the rifle.

As a civilian I decided that since I almost never shoot my rifle 3 times that load out would be sufficient. I have 21 magazines.

For my local police department and our County Sheriff's Office the basic load for their handguns is 3 magazines. Both security companies that I have worked as an armed guard for issued me 3 magazines. When I was in the Army the basic issue for a handgun was 3 magazines. So that's what I carry.

Since I carry my handgun far more often than I carry a rifle I decided that I want five times that number of magazines plus 10 or so for range/class use.

So those are the numbers that work for me with an explanation of how I arrived at them.

YMM (and very likely does) V

 

[Styx]

None as long as you don't ever have to shoot it

I can't tell if you're being a troll or if it's in lighthearted ribbing.