How many mags per weapon...

SilentStalkr

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  • Oct 8, 2012
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    So, while Maggot was asking about how good GunMagWarehouse is, I was excited to learn that many of you have purchased many times from this vendor within the same year and I jokingly asked how many mags you guys need. And while that was a joke it does make me wonder how many mags people typically store for each weapon. I don’t mean for a load out on your plate carrier to larp around the basement. I mean how many do you think you should have stored long term for each weapon for whatever reason? So let’s here it. How many mags for say ARs/AKs, sub guns, pistols, bolt guns and so on?
     
    I can shoot 600-800 rounds for ARs, before I have to reload mags, and close to 100 for everything else. Not per weapon, but per caliber or mag type. Im sure its more or less for some, but averages something like that.
     
    No no, 4 ain’t bad. Really depends on weapon for me. But I’m curious why 4?
    A winchester 52 is not going to need more than 4 Mags during my lifetime. A browning HP either. Things that may have to live a more active life, that is between me and the idiot I am engaged with.
     
    Mags are cheaper when you buy them 100 at a time.
    I literally do this when PMags go on sale from PSA, etc. Have my shooting buddies, my sons friends, etc. chip in for whatever amount they can easily afford, and they get their share of how ever many we buy at the discounted rate…shipping’s usually cheaper that way too.

    Sometimes that means they only get 1-2 mags, but we average around $8 per mag (non-windowed gen 2 mags) by purchasing in bulk, so they get them cheaper by going in with the group. I put the rest away in temp controlled storage with other stuff for a rainy day.

    Trying to find a similar deal for the 300BLK specific mags from Lancer right now as a matter of fact…those Lancers are my preferred 300 BLK mags.
     
    Buy more. Trust and believe that that faggot gavin is positioning himself for a run at the White House. When he does, you won’t be sorry that you have more mags. Or ammo. When he closed internet ammo sales in kali, I bought all I could and then started reloading. During Freedom Week in ‘19, I bought all the mags I could. Bought mags for guns I didn’t have then and even some I still don’t. Unless you’re drowning or on fire, never heard of anybody wishing they had less mags or ammo.
     
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    As noted above, that depends on the firearm in question. I'd love to have an AX50 ELR. 4-5 would be plenty and I'd probably only ever use 1-2 actively.

    I don't think I'd want more than maybe 20 in reserve for something that will see hard use, especially if it's a firearm that uses super common magazines.
     
    Don’t get me wrong, 4 is probably plenty for a dedicated hunting rifle. I have 4 or fewer mags for a couple of my bolt guns that take expensive AICS patterned metal mags.

    That said, my most often used bolt guns all take the cheap magpul polymer AICS patterned mags, and I tend to buy a couple extra of those whenever I find a smoking deal on ‘em, so they’re starting to stack up too.
     
    My vote is at least 4. For my 1911's, that ends up being 4x10, apparently.

    If a pawn shop has Wilson Combat mags for less than $20, I end up convincing myself that they need to come home with me.
    Nighthawk had a sale on their 1911 mags a couple years ago…somehow wound up with many more than what’s realistically necessary, LOL

    Back before their prices got stupid, and before I retired, I’d also grab a Wilson Combat ETM mag from the BX every paycheck, so I have a pretty good stack of those now too.

    edit: ditto for the factory 13-rd G21 mags; they used to be dirt cheap on base. I also bought several of those G21 mag extensions (30-rd total) from Kriss too, so my G21 and the PCC that also takes those mags will be kept fed for as long as I have ammo for ‘em!
     
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    I just checked the inventory sheet.

    The two firearms with the fewest mags are:

    AR10 (Aero M5): 4 mags
    SA Hellcat RDP: 5 mags

    Next lowest was around ten. Most is hard to say, since I have a few AR’s and I have dozens of AR MAGS.
     
    I literally do this when PMags go on sale from PSA, etc. Have my shooting buddies, my sons friends, etc. chip in for whatever amount they can easily afford, and they get their share of how ever many we buy at the discounted rate…shipping’s usually cheaper that way too.

    Sometimes that means they only get 1-2 mags, but we average around $8 per mag (non-windowed gen 2 mags) by purchasing in bulk, so they get them cheaper by going in with the group. I put the rest away in temp controlled storage with other stuff for a rainy day.

    Trying to find a similar deal for the 300BLK specific mags from Lancer right now as a matter of fact…those Lancers are my preferred 300 BLK mags.
    I run P-mags for 5.56, and metal mags for all the other AR calibers. Luckily, the 6.5 Grendel works just fine with the 7.62x39 mags. I simply have to color-code identify the mags for clarity. The wrong ammo in the wrong chamber is no bueno.

    IMG_5153.jpeg
     
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    Hobby guns, things that are fun to have and I am not serious about all have the baseline 4 (or that's the goal, a few have 2 or 3 so far).

    Mostly otherwise I want enough to get through a range day with little or no reloading. I mean a match day or a reasonable round count class.

    So for the main pistol, I have 10 mags that are loaded in the bag +/- all the time. And 2 more that are full of carry ammo. Then, for failures and backup, another about 4 if I recall. 16 total owned I think without counting.

    For the AR I have something like 32. About half a dozen with social ammo in various places, then normally my 5.56 bag (I have other than AR mags in there) I have 12 loaded and ready to fire, but when it's time to do a class I'll ditch the others and go to 16-20 AR mags.

    I'd like to be able to use my SIG, HK, Galil, M17S 308, etc for exercises and classes and matches sometimes, so am bringing them up when convenient. It is not always convenient. But right now I have from 6 to 12 for each of those also.
     
    I run P-mags for 5.56, and metal mags for all the other AR calibers. Luckily, the 6.5 Grendel works just fine with the 7.62x39 mags. I simply have to color-code identify the mags for clarity. The wrong ammo in the wrong chamber is no bueno.

    View attachment 8178960
    I do something similar. All .223 and 5.56 goes into PMags , GI metal mags (several flavors, but all with Magpul anti-tilt followers), or Hexmags, and all 300 BLK goes into the Lancer mags. The only other calibers I have for small frame ARs are 6.8 (very distinctive metal mags for those uppers) and 450BM.

    The 450 can fit in pretty much any AR mag as a single stack, but no mistaking round that for anything else, LoL. I have a couple specific metal mags with wider/opened up feed lips for center feeding that I typically use for the 450 upper anyway, and those mags are marked very clearly as well.
     
    I have an AR with olive drab furniture....it gets the OD pmags
    I have one in black, it gets the black pmags
    I have one in FDE...obviously FDE mags
    My one black AR308 gets the sniper gray mags, my other FDE AR308 gets the FDE or black mags.
    I hate colored tape or markers, it looks cheap and cheesy to me.
    Hard to mix up 1911, G19, CZ97, and DE mags, you can pretty much tell them apart in the dark by weight and/or feel.
    I don't swap mags in the bolt guns too much, just load thru the top on most of them.

    Oh, wouldn't mind getting a few more ar308 pmags in sniper gray but they are a bitch to find nowadays.
    Anyone seen them in the last year or so ? or.....did they stop making them ?
     
    I do believe that OP allowed that type and purpose of weapon is a consideration and I totally agree. I have hunting rifles that have only two mags if they are mag fed. I don’t believe I’ll ever need more for those. Same goes for my original Marlin bolt .22 I bought as a kid. A seven round and a ten round more than covers it.

    Competition rifles and pistols will have some more, but having and lugging around 30 loaded mags for a match is both ridiculous and not happening. Since I’m not preparing for an uprising I’ll satisfy my meager budget by buying a reasonable and appropriate number of magazines for each weapon according to its purpose.
     
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