Is 20 Rounds of 5.56 Enough?

[Balrog]

The first shot will bring the cops in 10-50 minutes. How much do you want to have till then... 20 is 14 more than my home defense weapon.

A shot from an AR will not bring the cops or anyone else where I live.

 

[someguy2800]

Its enough if you needed 20. Its more than enough if you needed 19. Its not enough if you needed 21.

 

[AJC1]

A shot from an AR will not bring the cops or anyone else where I live.

In that case 20 is not near enough because no one is coming...

 

[Charlie98]

I think 20's work really, really well. When I was in the Army, it's all I used... I had them all to myself because everyone else wanted the 30's. Granted, I was never deployed, but I suspect I still would have had a 20 in the rifle, even if I had 30's in my kit. That is still my basic setup today... I have 30's in my carrier, 30's in my GoBox, but 20's for immediate use. A 20rd mag also fits easily in a pocket without hanging out.

Although you can't prepare for every eventuality, I would think if you burnt through 20 rounds in a HD situation, there is something else going on... and you are in heap big trouble, anyway.

 

[TonyAngel]

I'm a big fan of 20 round magazines. Always have been. Frankly, I'm a big fan of 10 rounders too. I prefer the shorter magazines when I'm hiking around or even when running a course. Many don't realize how often that 30 rounder gets in the way when you're practicing odd shooting positions, until you try it with a shorter magazine and then you realize how often you were catering to the magazine. Always carry a spare though. Not just in case you need more ammo, but in case you need to clear a malfunction.

 

[Peakbagger46]

And completely made up

That said, estimated 2 million defensive uses per year, 330 million people (call it 400 million for Aggie math…) = 0.005. That is use, not shot…. Now that would be per year, over a life time would be different…. Odds are small, but not zero….

I get you, lol. Obviously most of the “defensive users” don’t carry every day. Besides, 37 percent of all statistics are made up.

By the way (while we’re talking stats), did you know that 3/4 of people make up 75% of the population? Crazy.

 

[amd6547]

I’m a big fan of the 20’s for general use and HD with my homemade AR. I have a few GI 20’s, but the Lancer 20 is my favorite.
Oh sure, I’ve got a good selection of 30’s, both polymer and metal. Even a Magpul 40rd mag.
But you know, I often rely on an M1 carbine as my home defense longarm, and feel fine with the standard 15rd mag.

 

[Peakbagger46]

I would say yes. FAL's and 20 shot mags did a lot of good service. Aussies in particular used them in all the same wars and kept up. The reasons to move away from this were logistical as well as tactical. Not to get into a 308 vs 223 argument of course.
I myselfworked in several 3rd world countries after leaving the military. A couple of things which occurred to me are
1.extended firefights work better when its force on force since you can absorb a few % losses. For a 1-1 duel, which is what HD is, any ''losses" on your side are somewhat more catastrophic .
2.The second time you come up against someone as good as yourself, statistically its your turn to die.
3.If you come up against someone who really knows what he is doing even if he has an old bolt action you have a nightmare on your hands.

What it taught me is Im not looking for the most capacity for a gun as a result, but Im also not knocking it. Just be able to use whatever whatever you have and be aware how quickly the three things above can kill you even on your best day.

Lots of wisdom here, absolutely agree.

At the end of the day, it’s most always the Indian and not the arrow. A lot of us (myself included) spend too much time and money on the arrow.

 

[Peakbagger46]

None taken. My J-frame is a Pro Shop 3" with adjustable rear sight. I'm an even worse shot with the more usual 2" fixed sight snubby, one of which I also own.

View attachment 1091746

Beautiful 3” you have there! I too pack one hiking for bear/cat/snake defense.

 

[Ignition Override]

With no infantry or LEO background, no idea.

But the 20-rd. Hungarian Tanker mags I use in AKMs were always so popular that they Still cost far more than standard 30- rd mags in AKMs.

There must be some solid reasons why the 20s , whether for ARs or AKMs, are so much in demand.

It might be interesting that every normal mag produced for the G3 military rifle was a 20-rounder.
Even the original Spanish CETME mags are so.

Was this limitation to better suit soldiers lying prone or behind unanticipated cover, vs. a large 30-rounder?

 

[shafter]

I have a lightweight AR chambered in 5.56. I like 20 round magazines as they’re compact and keep the gun streamlined.

Is it enough firepower for defense?

There is never a way to know beforehand if it will be enough, but I would feel comfortable with that for home defense, especially from a carbine.

 

[GBExpat]

... I like 20 round magazines as they’re compact and keep the gun streamlined.

Is it enough firepower for defense?

IMO, yes.

You will never need more than 20 ... until you do.

Seriously, I, too, am a fan of the 20s. That may have something to do with the Generation to which I belong, but ...

While I have a bunch of assorted 30s, the ones that I almost always reach for as I am about to walk out the basement door are from my aluminum 20rd pile. USGIs are my favorite but I also really like the Brownell straight 20s.

 

[JShirley]

That should be enough to neutralize 20 armed threats. That's a pretty bad day.

This is not a trained view.

There are no magic bullets. When I was practicing close range shooting in the infantry, we always shot the target at least twice.

John

 

[JShirley]

I keep 20rds in the well & 30s for a reload. Its more compact & handles better.

I've frequently done this, too- same with "extended" mags on carry guns. Short mag in the gun, long mag in the reload carrier

John

 

[Archie]

What is the threat?
-Stan

Excellent question. What is the problem? For a reinforced regiment of Red Chinese regulars, it might not be enough. For the local chapter of Kill Krazy Mo-ped Hop-heads, maybe. For one guy - if you miss a lot - maybe not. Elephant stampede? Not likely.

I have an M1 Carbine for the house. With the cat as my lookout, I'm serene.

 

[JShirley]

Let's put this in perspective. On a lot of FOBs, COBs, and bases I was on during my 2011 to 2012 deployment, one magazine was required to be carried on you*. One popular carry method was a single magazine carrier attached to an M4 or M16 buttstock.So, not a combat load, but the general idea of what might be needed for immediate self-defense if we had a threat on base.

For home defense long arms, I like a mag in the weapon, and another mag on the buttstock or immediately accessible, with a vest with full combat load somewhere in the house. I have a single shot New England Firearms available for my wife's use, because the manual of arms is so simple. It's got a round in the chamber, and five reloads on the stock.

At my last house, I heard several drive-bys, including at least one with heavy return fire. Police may have been called, but I never heard any sirens. You don't tend to think of rural Alabama as having a lot of drive-bys, but it happened. Thinking about engaging a threat in a vehicle changes your perspective a little bit, on what could be useful.

*On that deployment, one magazine was a single M9 Beretta magazine of 9x19 mm fmj.

 

[Sav .250]

To some, 20 may not be enough.

 

[trackskippy]

These days, on the one AR I keep out and handy around the house, I keep a 30 rounder "on" the gun in an Israeli carrier meant just for that. Its a simple and safe solution for having the gun basically ready, and its quickly loaded if necessary.




I have a bunch of 20 and 30 round mags and the 20 rounders dont really get used much. I do keep one 20 rounder handy loaded with "critter" rounds, for the varmints out in the yard should the need arise, but that's about it.

Ive never found the 30 rounders to be a problem with gun handling or interfering with anything. If you like the way it looks better with the 20 rounders, go with that. For most of us, I dont think the capacity issue is really an issue here, at least for most of how we likely shoot them anyway. Its a simple switch if you feel the need for something else.

I do still download all of them by two, regardless of how many rounds the mag holds. Just makes reloading on a closed bolt a bit more positive and secure.

 

[jmorris]

I have a lightweight AR chambered in 5.56. I like 20 round magazines as they’re compact and keep the gun streamlined.

Is it enough firepower for defense?

Against how many targets, at what range and what are your capabilities as far as placement with 100% certainty at that range?

 

[wbm]

Is 20 Rounds of 5.56 Enough?

Yes.

 

[JShirley]

Yes.

Home invasions commonly have multiple perps. As others have said, 20 is enough, until it's not.

 

[citizenconn]

I have a lightweight AR chambered in 5.56. I like 20 round magazines as they’re compact and keep the gun streamlined.

Is it enough firepower for defense?

I concur with most of the replies here: 20 is a great option for the reasons you mentioned and all the ones they mentioned. I do have a few doodads that clip my 20 rd mags together so I can pop the mag out and reverse it for another 20 if needed. It doesn't solve your issue of weight, but I find this works better for me overall than 30 or 40 rd mags. I only have a couple of my home defense ARs loaded like this.

I have ARs in a dozen or more chamberings and the extended mags for 7.62x39 and 6.5 Grendel can get a bit wonky to store. So even in those other chamberings I tend to stick to 17, 20, 23 etc. Whatever the medium sized mags are for that chambering. I also have a lot of 10 rd mags for ARs I take hunting.

If it works best for you, then go for it. I do have some loaded mags in the chambering of my home defense ARs stuck in spots around the house where I think I might need them in a HD situation if things go beyond the 2 mags. You never know. Here in the Houston area, home invasion and carjacking crews increasingly come with 3-5 guys. Heck, last week there was a 6 person crew that carjacked this jeep owner at the car wash a few miles from my house.

So I'd say 20 is a good start. You might want to stage some other 20 round contingencies around your abode for HD. You'll likely never need them. I pray not.

 

[CapnMac]

The quantity is probably less an issue than the geometry of the magazine.

A 20 lets you get neat twice a "prone" as a 30 will. A 20 will let you "break" around corners and at stairwells (up or down) significantly easier, too.

"Enough" is a complicated question. Manning a Guard Post, it's probably 20 too many. In a tree surrounded by cranky javelina, it's probably 30-40 too few.

 

[Risky buisness]

While having 20 rounds at your disposal is superior to 5, 6, 8, its really easy to get tangled up with this kind of thing, nuancing various stuations only makes it worse.
I have and use both, my house rifle carries a 20, little less sticking out= more manageable in a tighter place. I would add, as per my own opinion that the rifle requires a quality white light, a usable quickly adjustable sling, and an immediately accessible spare magazine, all the time.

 

[jmorris]

In a tree surrounded by cranky javelina, it's probably 30-40 too few.

If they are in a trap, you’ll have plenty of time to reload. If they are not, you probably won’t get off 5 rounds before you can no longer see any of them, just the sound of them hoofing it out of there.