Should Autos Have More Than One Mag?

[Confederate]

I have a number of autoloaders that have only one magazine. While I have four spare mags for my Smith 645 and about four for my 659, my Beretta 21A, 70S, and 950 all came (as far as I can tell) with one. My little Jennings J-22 has two.

Question, should all autos have more than one magazine? How many here have autoloaders and only have one mag for it? And finally, where's the best place to find Beretta magazines that don't cost an arm and a leg? I'm leery about buying off brands. Are there some I should specifically avoid?

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

The only pistol that I have ever purchased that only came with one mag was a Bulgarian Makarov.

 

[Jackal]

I always like to have at least 2 mags for any gun I own. That way, if one mag gets messed up, you have a spare.

 

[rcmodel]

I am a firm believer in having a minimum of at least two, or even better, three mags for every pistol I own.

Of course there are exceptions.
Like so many 1911 mags I can't count them easily.
10 or 12 Model 41 S&W mags.
7 or 8 Glock 23 mags.

Why?

First, I really believe in Murphy's Law, all of them.
*If you have only one of something, it will break, just after you can't get them anymore.
*If you have two, they might not break, but probably will at some point.
*If you have three or more, none of them will ever break, even after they stop making them!

Then there is always the possibility it won't break.
*But get lost or misplaced.
*Or dropped & stepped on.
*Or just not feed right some day, and you don't have a spare mag to rule out a mag problem with the first one.

Try CDNN for mags:
http://www.cdnninvestments.com/beretta.html

rcmodel

 

[RyanM]

If it's just a "fun gun," one mag is probably fine. For a CCW piece, I like to have two spares.

 

[foghornl]

Proper question is "How many more than 1"?

I have 10 USGI and Springer mags since I have 2 1911's to feed

4 to fit my KP-90 Ruger

4 for my MKII

 

[Storm]

I try and have between four and eight mags for each pistol depending on price and rarity, not counting extended mags. Eight is my magic number where I will stop.

 

[PPGMD]

You should have as many magazines as you can afford. Only my PPK do I not have any spare magazines for it. But that gun is rarely used beyond a range trip once or twice a month.

 

[buzz_knox]

For a fun gun, a minimum of two makes sense as it cuts down on a loading time. For a concealed carry weapon, you want a reload with you as mags are the most likely cause of malfunctions, and getting rid of the mag is step 1 in most clearance drills. It makes sense to rotate those mags so having spares makes sense as well.

Add in the fact that magazines wear out and/or can be damaged relatively easily, and having multiple mags for every weapon you are likely to use significantly is a good idea.

 

[Hokkmike]

Question, should all autos have more than one magazine?

Do you mean should all auto-loaders be sold with more than one mag or should the owner see to it he has extras? My answer is yes to both. Two is an absolute minimum.

 

[NG VI]

even the G 27 I bought a week ago already has four magazines, with more on the way. even for a fun gun, range-use only, I'd still advise buying at least two more than the gun came with. and if standard capacity is over ten, buy four more than it came with, just buy them here and there, never hurts to have a few extra to keep it running smoothly. And most importantly, who knows what will be goingon 18 months from now.

I say buy a few more if you can afford it, and shop around online, that's where I've gotten all but two of my magazines from.

 

[sigp6]

I try to have a minimum of six per gun. For some I have a lot more - my Glock 19 for example has 19 magazines.

 

[Mot45acp]

G 17 mag inventory:
9 17 rounders.
4 19 rounders.
7 33 rounders.

In my defense as a mag monger, I have a G26 and a Sub 2000 in G17 format.

For my G30 I have 4 10 rounders and 2 13 rounders.

For the Mil Pro PT145 I only have the original 2 that came with it. Reason being I havent decided if its a keeper yet.

 

[Mot45acp]

G 17 mag inventory:
9 17 rounders.
4 19 rounders.
7 33 rounders.

In my defense as a mag monger, I have a G26 and a Sub 2000 in G17 format.

For my G30 I have 4 10 rounders and 2 13 rounders.

For the Mil Pro PT145 I only have the original 2 that came with it. Reason being I havent decided if its a keeper yet.

 

[Gun Slinger]

The magazine is a crucial component of any semi-automatic pistol (rifles too). Without a magazine, the semi-auto becomes an overly complicated single shot at best.

Given that, I try to keep ten magazines per pistol plus the one in the gun on all of my serious SD/CCW pieces. Ten is an arbitrary number in that I chose it because it seemed to be an adequate number to ensure the presence of spares, replacements and the inevitable breakage(s) in the years to come without having to worry about model discontinuations and the like.

GS

 

[mpmarty]

Two is one, one is none.

 

[UnTainted]

yes, the law of entropy

 

[strat81]

One magazine... how quaint.
A magazine is not an accessory. It is an integral part of your weapon.

4 mags for my 24/7
6 mags for my G26
8 mags for my Spartan
9 mags for my WASR
9 mags for my Stag-15
"buttload" of en bloc clips for my M1

And I consider myself very understocked in the mag department. I think those Arfcom guys who buy mags by the 100-count case have made me feel inadequate.

 

[Mac45]

At least 2 for anything except plinkers.
2 for the plinkers ain't a bad idea either.

 

[floydster]

I sure would think so, who wants to drive a car with one mag and three steel rims, that wouldn't look good.
Just my opinion, Floydster

 

[littlegator]

I have 4 mags for my M&P 9, mostly because it makes it easier at the range.

 

[NewGuy77]

I like to have 3 mags for my Glock 19, that is kept in my dresser. I have one that is loaded with hallow points and I rotate every two weeks or so. This way the spring does not wear out. I do not worry about needed more than one loaded, because the hold 15.
That said, I have two more low capacity magazines in my range bag.

 

[Moonclip]

I have a few that only have one or two due to cost, laziness in tracking down more, ect. Only one that I remember off the top of my head include a Helwan(one didn't work from the get go), a Star 30M(only have one Pro Mag!),my Sig Sauer P239 9mm. All autos IMHO should have 3, ones use for serious purposes should have 6. Guns that are or may become obsolete should have magazines acquired as they turn up and are fairly priced.

 

[kd7nqb]

I have 4 mags for my M&P .40 (2 with the gun+ the free mags offer) and I very much would like 3 or 4 more. This way I dont have to unload my carry ammo when I go plinking.

 

[legion3]

I have 10 mags for my Walther P88 - go price those things, now how many G 19 mags do you guess I Have for my 3 G19's?

Never have to many mags, EVER!

I guess I am a mag hoarder.