Magazines by the Numbers....

USMC6094

USMC6094

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I decided to post a new thread because I couldn't seem to find one that addressed the question.

What is your ideal number of magazines for each type of firearm you own? As for myself, for rifles I live by the "Rule of Ten", for semiautomatic hand guns I go by the "Rule of Five", but these are the minimum. For the exception(s), revolvers and the M1 Garand, speed loaders a minimum of three, and enbloc clips, fifty is a good round number.

As I said each number is subjective and up to the shooter.

Anyway, just pondering the numbers since I started an accounting of my magazines.
 
There is not set number for me. I want as many as I can get for stuff I carry. My CCW, a 15 round in the gun and a 15 round in my holder, plus 3-5 in my backpack. I realize that in the very remote chance that I’m in a rolling gunfight, I still want to have enough to end it. My pistol gets me to my rifle, a motto I’ve alw lived.
 
A semi auto is a single shot without a functioning magazine. Many years ago Botach had police trade in Glock mags for less than $10 each. I bought several. A lot of trades that I've made included extra magazines. When I go to a gun show I'm always on the lookout for cheap used magazines. I have no idea of how many magazines that I have but I'm comfortable with what I have. I have a large box with magazines for guns that I no longer own.
 
Having lived through one magazine ban has made me a mag hoarder. When Preban Glock mags were $100+ And I made $12 an hour in 1990s dollars, it never felt like you had enough. “What if I lose one? How will I replace it?”
 
USMC6094 said:
Great replies so far folks, the Klinton Crime Bill of the 90s also taught me to be a hoarder as well. I can also harken back to the days of fifty dollars a pop for M-14 magazines, and I don't miss those days...
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Wow! It's honestly kinda hard to believe we're living in the good ol days. But sure enough, we are!
 
At least ten for every gun that's meant to be reloaded with a new magazine quickly. Bare minimum, more is always better and of course in most cases I have more. If it's a basic 4-5 shot hunting rifle with a DBM that really isn't meant to be quick-change, I don't care, but tbh I don't have any of those so I didn't care anyway. For AR, AK and Glock mags though? Like 30+ of each. Even if you for some reason don't have an AR, AK or Glock (and you should, even if you don't "like them"), they make good trade fodder in the event of SHTF or an AWB. Magazines are consumables, and Pmags are cheap - you can (almost) always use more.

I want enough mags that, if I were never able to "just go out and buy more mags" again, I could be okay for the rest of my life on what I have if I take care of it. Magazine bans are lame, and I don't want to be caught with my pants down.

Also, cheap crappy mags don't count. Get *good* mags if you're making sure you have enough. OEM, Magpul, Lancer and Mecgar, that's about it for me in terms of what I'll trust.
 
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I literally have a large drawer full of 30ish rnd mags of different calibers. I'd say 4+ is good for range use.
 
I’m sure I’m an amateur compared to many here, but when Covid hit I started buying AR mags almost every week if there was a deal to be had. And I already had a range bag full and one of MTR cases full. So now I’ve got unopened new mags lying all over one of my gun closets. But they don’t seem to be going bad. I’ll probably never need them all, but I’ve got friends and neighbors so you never know when they may be needed.
 
One of my local pawn/gun shops always seems to get a load of magazines from a local gun guy selling his accumulated mags to finance a new gun or something else. In the last year two years I've gotten a load of Orlite, Lancer, and multiple USGI mags of various manufacture, home, cleaned, and put up. The Lancers are ALL new in the packaging.
My 6.5 Grendel AR is the only one I have less than twenty magazines for, but that'll change.
Funny thing is, I have 450 Bushmaster upper that needs some attention, as well as a lower, and I don't have a single mag, or any ammo for it. Lol
 
I have a pretty handy bandoleer that I got from Midway, from the package it'll carry 4 thirty round magazines. It's MOLLE compatible, so I added a three magazine carrier to it, so in the truck, on the road I have seven ready mags in addition to the one in the rifle or AR pistol I have as company.
 
CZfool68 said:
I’m sure I’m an amateur compared to many here, but when Covid hit I started buying AR mags almost every week if there was a deal to be had. And I already had a range bag full and one of MTR cases full. So now I’ve got unopened new mags lying all over one of my gun closets. But they don’t seem to be going bad. I’ll probably never need them all, but I’ve got friends and neighbors so you never know when they may be needed.
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I go by it’s always better to have and not need than need and not have .
 
Unfortunately my detachable mag bolt gun only has 4 magazines as of this writing, but even the Magpul iterations of its magazines are not cheap (neither is its ammo).
But, as with others, that'll change too.....
 
Don’t know but I got 1068 rounds loaded in mags since the burn your city down, murder cops, and steal TV mostly peaceful rioting. Should be good while someone reloads.
 
I have some pistols that I only have a handful of mags for because they are more collectors items and not “serious use” pistols.

Otherwise I am also a buy em cheap and stack em deep guy who picks up mags whenever I see a decent deal.
 
Long time members here have no excuse for not having AR magazines. @kcult was selling Troy Battle Mags for great prices. He sold cases of them.
 
Geezer said:
Long time members here have no excuse for not having AR magazines. @kcult was selling Troy Battle Mags for great prices. He sold cases of them.
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The wife scolded me because I was only marking them up a dollar, per. In some instances, I merely rounded it up to the next whole dollar.

The way I saw it, I had the means to get them, and I wanted all my buddies to be able to get some, too.

In the end, I sold enough so that my last case was free. Yay me!
 
cubrock said:
Having lived through one magazine ban has made me a mag hoarder. When Preban Glock mags were $100+ And I made $12 an hour in 1990s dollars, it never felt like you had enough. “What if I lose one? How will I replace it?”
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Yup. I've got several Glock mags still marked "law enforcement only" and it's a good reminder of what can happen overnight.
 
Ideal? Take the Scrooge McDuck scene where he's swimming in piles of gold, but in addition to piles of gold, there are also piles of magazines of the same height to swim through.
 
Here I’ve been thinking in terms of how many magazines will I empty during a trip to the range so I don’t have to reload there. I do need a few more magazines to keep up with my 556 and 6.5CM. My kids will run through a lot of 22LR. On the lookout for more of each.
Reading this thread apparently I need a lot more. 😁
 
I would need to know how many will fit in a 40 qt tote and multiple that by 3. Then I have out and loaded 10 rifle and 5 handgun.
 
jimmyheadgear said:
The more important question is.......how many loaded mags do you have?
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All of them, except for the ones I use for dry-fire practice.

ETA: I have two magazines for my 10/22 loaded…the rest of them are empty.
 
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Depends on the gun. I have a .410 mag-fed bolt gun. I have two magazines and not likely to stack those any deeper.

I don't have a ton of mags. I guess I'm screwed when the feces hits the fan blades. Meh. Can't afford ammo anyway!
 
NKD said:
Depends on the gun. I have a .410 mag-fed bolt gun. I have two magazines and not likely to stack those any deeper.

I don't have a ton of mags. I guess I'm screwed when the feces hits the fan blades. Meh. Can't afford ammo anyway!
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For something like that .410, I wouldn’t stack many mags, either.
 
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