How many mags?

A

Adamr955

Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
17
Location
Salem, IN
I know there are a ton of opinions out there.. but looking for others thoughts on how many mags you all keep on hand for your handguns. I live in a free state but other states passing "high capacity magazine" restriction laws have me wondering. I try to keep 10 mags on hand and several of my mags are interchangeable between guns. I keep a mixture of fun stick type mags (30 to 33rd) on hand and other 15 to 20rd mags as well. When I see deals I buy as long as shipping doesn't kill the deal. My local shops rarely have good deals, but when I do see them I definitely like to support my local shops.

Just looking for opinions.
 
I used to want at least three full-sized mags so I could fill all three with a single 50 round box of ammo, but now when I go to the range I just keep one of each pistol in my bag. I don't bother buying a 3rd mag if the gun didn't come with one.
 
I tend to max out at 7 or 8 magazines for a pistol. It's not that I don't think about getting more, but then I ask myself why? With 7 or 8 magazines, I have more than enough for a lengthy range shoot, without having to reload. I also figure I have plenty if magazines for my guns become unavailable in the future. But at some point, I figure that $$ spent on a bunch of extra magazines is $$ that I could be spending on other toys.

I also live in a free state, so I get the largest magazines that fit within the grip. Except for my VP9SK, for which I have magazines that extend just far enough to give somewhere for my pinky to rest.

I've never seen the purpose of the extra long magazines. It isn't practical to carry with one. And I don't see the purpose at the range either. Perhaps the extra long magazines are sponsored by the ammo manufacturers, to get shooters to burn through more ammo? :giggle: Just kidding.

The VP9SK came with 2 10 round magazines. At first, I considered getting an extended grip for them, to turn them into 12 or 13 round magazines. But I decided to keep them as 10 round, so I will be legal when traveling through one of the less-free states. I think I'm also going to get a couple 10 round magazines for my other pistols.
 
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2strokeNorthstar said:
There is no background check for mags. One of the few things CA still lets you buy online
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Till they find me out in the desert shooting and want to know why I have so many with me. I don't trust the California govt one but.

A few years ago I wanted a gun for longer distances. I bought an old 30-30 instead of an AR. It's under their radar so far.
 
Chris142 said:
Till they find me out in the desert shooting and want to know why I have so many with me. I don't trust the California govt one but.

A few years ago I wanted a gun for longer distances. I bought an old 30-30 instead of an AR. It's under their radar so far.
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Good choice, 30-30 is a devastating round. On the hunt now for a used Winchester 94 to add to the home defense arsenal.
 
Chris142 said:
Till they find me out in the desert shooting and want to know why I have so many with me. I don't trust the California govt one but.

A few years ago I wanted a gun for longer distances. I bought an old 30-30 instead of an AR. It's under their radar so far.
Click to expand...
Good call. The AR is the devil in CA. Semi auto ranch rife is perfectly fine though. The wood stock makes it less deadly 🤔
 
they don’t last forever so buying one when on sale can’t hurt. Load up all before a range session, less time reloading. Mark ‘em somehow, if one acts up, make sure it comes out of circulation.

hit send too soon.

Id want at least two per gun. Enough to digest a box of ammo could be nice too.
 
Chris142 said:
Just 1 California legal one per gun. I don't want the gestapo showing up at my door.
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Minimum for me would be three per gun.

If a mag gets damaged, and you only have one, then the gun is no longer functional.

That’s unacceptable.

Three mags/gun allows you have one (or two) for a quick reload, then a spare should one get damaged.

Further, sometimes companies stop making mags for a gun*. Replacements become NLA and extraordinarily expensive on the used market. If you have three, then you won’t be subject to this problem.


* This happened to a couple of mine. The magazines for a S&W 1006 are going for well over $100, for a used magazine, on the gun sites. S&W stopped making them a while back, and scarcity has driven prices up to ridiculous.
 
A standard handgun carry load is 3, one in the gun and two on the belt.
One spare for loss/damage and you are at 4.
So I maintain 4 mags per hand gun when I own more than one of that type and 5 when I own a single handgun.

So I have a minimum of 4 for each unique handgun.

Now in a tactical rifle, magazines are expendable and if you ever use the rifle, such an an AR15, to its full potential you will drop mags on emergency reloads left and right.
So those are expandeable, you should have have tons of those.
 
It has been my experience that anything with a capacity larger than 20 is unwieldy and adds too much weight to the firearm.

Except for my Thompson. But the drum magazines are very cumbersome to load. 30 round sticks are better.
 
At least 5 mags especially if you plan on training with it. Nothing worse than the 2 mag guy who slows up the class cause he always needs to top off mags. Rifle as many you can afford and store. I’d said 20-25 is a good goal. If it just a range toy or safe queen it doesn’t matter though.
 
I usually figure 3 per gun unless its for competition were I need 3 working and then I may get 5. But I shoot all the mags I have until I am sure they all function perfectly then I only take 2 to the range just incase one gets damaged I dont have to go home in the middle of practice. Of course if you do compete on a regular basis or you shoot several hundred rnds a week, having replacement springs and followers so you can rebuild one is not a bad idea.
I bought 10 mags with my first Colt 1911 50 years ago, 7 of them are still in the bags and I did replace 1 spring in the 1 I left loaded. I wouldnt even like to imagine the thousands of rounds that have been through those 3 mags. My great grand kids might need to open those spares if they shoot allot.
 
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