Magazines by the Numbers....
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My favorite number of magazines for ANY firearm I own is easily calculated by a simple formula:
(Box of ammo) divided by (number of rounds the magazine holds)
It's based on having enough magazines to at least load up a full box of ammo. Because I like to spend more time shooting at the range and less time reloading.
For my Colt 1991A7, with 7 round magazines for example, that works out to be a minimum 7 magazines. (That puts 49 in magazines and the 50th in the chamber.)
My Walther CCP-M2 magazines hold 8 rounds. So 6 is the minimum (48 + 1, close enough).
My Beretta 92FS holds 15 rounds…so 4 is the minimum number (3 is 45 + 1, which leaves 4 rounds floating around. That’s a good start on another magazine, so I add one more magazine just because.)
For my M&P-15, that's a different story. A box of Wolf Gold .223 is 20 rounds. The magazines for this are 30 round magazines. My minimum count for this firearm is 2 magazines, because I can load 3 full boxes of ammo, making it nice and neat. Additional magazines are multiples of 2 based on this.
What this means is my home prep for a day at the range can include pre-loading all the magazines for whatever I intend to shoot ahead of time, so when I get to the range I can start shooting that much sooner…and spend more time shooting and less time reloading between emptying magazines.
Obviously, more is better, especially when prepping for a day at the range.
(Box of ammo) divided by (number of rounds the magazine holds)
It's based on having enough magazines to at least load up a full box of ammo. Because I like to spend more time shooting at the range and less time reloading.
For my Colt 1991A7, with 7 round magazines for example, that works out to be a minimum 7 magazines. (That puts 49 in magazines and the 50th in the chamber.)
My Walther CCP-M2 magazines hold 8 rounds. So 6 is the minimum (48 + 1, close enough).
My Beretta 92FS holds 15 rounds…so 4 is the minimum number (3 is 45 + 1, which leaves 4 rounds floating around. That’s a good start on another magazine, so I add one more magazine just because.)
For my M&P-15, that's a different story. A box of Wolf Gold .223 is 20 rounds. The magazines for this are 30 round magazines. My minimum count for this firearm is 2 magazines, because I can load 3 full boxes of ammo, making it nice and neat. Additional magazines are multiples of 2 based on this.
What this means is my home prep for a day at the range can include pre-loading all the magazines for whatever I intend to shoot ahead of time, so when I get to the range I can start shooting that much sooner…and spend more time shooting and less time reloading between emptying magazines.
Obviously, more is better, especially when prepping for a day at the range.
alpharius
Well-Known Member
Two mags for my rifle and one mag for my pistol.
I used to load them all but found that I tended to unload them often for various reasons -- mainly because I wanted to put different ammo in them. I'm not gonna shoot all my hollow points in one range sesh, for instance. Got tired of wasting my time and figured if I fired 30 rounds and reloaded and fired 30 more then fired 17 out of my pistol its time to start thinking about running away or giving up.
I used to load them all but found that I tended to unload them often for various reasons -- mainly because I wanted to put different ammo in them. I'm not gonna shoot all my hollow points in one range sesh, for instance. Got tired of wasting my time and figured if I fired 30 rounds and reloaded and fired 30 more then fired 17 out of my pistol its time to start thinking about running away or giving up.
I am somewhat afraid to start counting to see how many I actually have, but some responses in this thread beg another related question. How many different firearms do you have that can take the same magazine? A chest full of magazines does you little good if the one firearm that uses them breaks. Clinton's election inspired me to try to get more than one firearm for several different chamberings and to try to have more than one firearm that would use the same magazine.
Trevillian
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Every single mag fed firearm must have at least a spare. It bothers me if I don't have at least three per
I don't get antsy at 5 minimum for rifle or pistol. But most are well above that.
I don't have nearly the number some do. Wish I had the cash during the "Troy mags by the case" days. But last time I bought pmags, I happily filled them and opened my ammo can where I keep them and just said "oh". I had apparently filled it up already. So now I sit somewhere over 50 loaded. I'm actually going to have to buy more cans because my biggest can I moved them to is darned heavy and it's not full🙃
Now that I'm into the ak world. I look for magazines as much as ammo. I have enough ammo already to not be hyper focused on more. But only having three mags for it has me on the lookout.
I don't get antsy at 5 minimum for rifle or pistol. But most are well above that.
I don't have nearly the number some do. Wish I had the cash during the "Troy mags by the case" days. But last time I bought pmags, I happily filled them and opened my ammo can where I keep them and just said "oh". I had apparently filled it up already. So now I sit somewhere over 50 loaded. I'm actually going to have to buy more cans because my biggest can I moved them to is darned heavy and it's not full🙃
Now that I'm into the ak world. I look for magazines as much as ammo. I have enough ammo already to not be hyper focused on more. But only having three mags for it has me on the lookout.
I value mag compatibility, too. Bedside, truck, and carry gun...as well as their backups...all use the same mags. Who knows how many of those I have.
Have probably a hundred or so AR mags with maybe 25 sets of replacement springs and followers.
I do have one offs that arent compatibile with any other mags in the house. Those I typically keep maybe 4 or 5 mags for.
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OP
I've tried to upgrade all my USGI 30 round magazines with fresh springs and anti-tilt followers. Spare spring sets are something I need to get hot on as well.
That's reasonable as a rule of thumb for people who only see guns as a necessity, of course the folks in here would say stockpile as many as possible but for someone not interested in getting that deep into guns the rule of 10 would be fine I think.
I prefer a minimum of 10 loaded magazines per AR. This was my magazine solution from a previous thread:
carolinafirearmsforum.com
The importance of extra magazines?
Kinda going through my stash, go-bags ect tonight, and It hit me. In a SHTF scenario extra loaded mags are a plus, but lets say things get real, and your posse are fighting to get back home. You're dumping empty mags and reloading full mags....do you have the time to pick up the empty mags? I...
carolinafirearmsforum.com
Once I have 10 mags for my serious guns I get picky and only buy additional when I see something cheap. Lately I have really only been squanching m&p surplus police magazines.
Random guns or ones that could be on the chopping block I don't care much about as long as I have an extra. For example 3 mags for a Ruger LCP is plenty. I'm not winning any wars with a pocket 380. If I have money i'm better off buying a dozen more pmags.
Random guns or ones that could be on the chopping block I don't care much about as long as I have an extra. For example 3 mags for a Ruger LCP is plenty. I'm not winning any wars with a pocket 380. If I have money i'm better off buying a dozen more pmags.