How many mags?

V

voodoo

New member
This may seem like an odd question, but I was wondering how many spare mags all of you have for your pistols. Most pistols usually come with two mags when you buy them - do you usually buy more?

I know when I was preparing for the non-event called Y2K, I picked up 10 spare mags for my Glock 17, but that was an act of paranoia. The only other time I bought extra mags was when I bought my HK PSP, and that was only because they are extremely hard to find.

Please share your thoughts.
 
The least I have for one gun is 3 mags; I usually like one in the gun and 2 in the mag holder. I too, stocked a lot of mags for y2k and hicap shortage.
 
I think three is the minimum:

One to go in the weapon.
One for reloads if needed.
One spare because the mag is often the source of mechanical problems.

Of course, how many spares you need depends on how many rounds they hold and how much ammo you expect to expend on one occasion. I know people who have a bucket load of mags because they don't want to spend time reloading at the range.

The maximum is up to you.
 
On a certain level, I think that you can never have too many mags (saves wear and tear on the thumbs if nothing else). In the day of $100+ full caps, however, we need to do some careful requirements analysis. Heck, even a few ten rounders will set you back a noticeable chunk (you Mak people have the right set up on this score). I generally try to keep my carry mags and range mags separate. Otherwise, I'll get myself confused as to which mags have which springs, etc. I am thus also free to train/practice/compete without thinking about babying my gear.


Glock 17 Four full cap. I rotate them (two loaded two "resting") for defensive use. Four ten rounders for range and IDPA.

Glock 19 Two full cap. I rotate these and use a 17 (above) reload for carry. Four ten rounders for range and IDPA.

P7M8 - Eight. Four were factory new and I rotate these for carry. The other four were used and get taken to the range/IDPA.

P7 PSP - Five. All factory new and used for range at the moment.

Kahr P9 - Eight. Four rotated for carry and the other four for range/IDPA.

Here's the ironic part. My BHPs are not used as carry/defensive guns. Yet I have at least half a dozen factory full cap (came with the guns). I also bought three factory ten rounders for range/IDPA since (I hate to admit it) I like the convenience of the little ejection spring.


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Best,
- Jawper
 
I think it depends on the gun. For a small pocket pistol, you won't usually carry a spare mag. I have one or two mags for my smaller guns (P11, PPK, PSP-25). However, for my larger guns, 3 is the minimum, 5 is preferable, and 7 is ideal.

I usually don't carry extra mags (most of my guns are hi-caps, and 13-17 rounds should be enough), but when I do it's an extra two in a double mag pouch (Bianchi, Safariland, etc.). I prefer to have 5 for competitions, as some of the stages require more ammo. The only reason I have 7 mags for my Beretta is that I got such a good deal on the last two that I couldn't pass it up, and I didn't want to drop my shiny stainless mags into the dirt.
 
I try to have at least 2 magazines per pistol. If I do not have two I will not fire the weapon. Why? As in the case of my Taurus PT57 32 acp , a weapon is damn near worthless without a working magazine. There are 10 or less PT57s in our country and I have no way to find another. If I could find another magazine I would shoot it. Regards, Richard.
 
THREE?!?! A while back (y2What?) I standardized on Glock 9mm's and Colt-pattern .45's. I have since breathed a sigh of relief, and have taken to dabbling in Makarovs. If the opportunity presents itsetlf, I'd like a CZ75. The point being, unless I have a dozen mags or so, I feel positively bereft. Admittedly, not all my mags are hi-cap, and I do have a non-factory Glock mag, but mag availability and price figure into my acquisitions. I got 10 perfectly servicable Makarov mags for $30 bucks, delivered. I figure that to be a bare minumum for my 2 Maks. Milsurp .45 mags aren't too much more expensive. Hope this didn't sound too snobby, 'cause all my buddies know I'm just paranoid, is all.
 
About 8 for a service auto. 3 loaded, 3 resting, 2 spares.

Concealed auto. One spare for a reload, til I locate more. Then 3 loaded and 3 resting.

Revolvers: half a dozen speedloaders. If for a hard to locate model, any extras I see. I have 4 41's. A two pound coffee can holds twentyfive to thirty filled N frame speedloaders .

[This message has been edited by Rusty S (edited July 25, 2000).]
 
Two for most, except:

Vis-35 Radom. Came with 1, havn't been able to find another original at a decent price.

Beretta 92. It has the old-style mag. release, so I picked up 5 15-round mags. when I got the gun. That way I won't have any problems later on.



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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
For a defensive handgun, I recommend a bare minimum of six magazines: (3) shot a few times and kept specifically for defensive use; (3) range magazines for use in classes and at the range, preferably ones that you are willing to drop during speed reloads, what have you. They should be kept separate and marked as such. Defensive mags should be tested once every couple of months for function. If they do not work flawlessly, re-mark them as range mags (which will allow you training opportunities to practice immediate action drills, etc.,)

Tim
 
For compact/carry guns --> 6 (2 loaded, 2 resting, 2 spare/virgin).

For full-size/home defense guns --> 9 (3 loaded, 3 resting, 3 spare/virgin).
 
Spare magazines? I have magazines for guns I don't even own...

I am not actually sure exactly how many Hi-Power or AR-15 mags I own. It's more than 10 but less than 30 by my estimation.

However, most of that just seems to be some odd tendency to accumulate magazines... I think three should be sufficient (six if they are pre-ban). 1 for gun, 1 for spare, 1 for immediate back-up.

Double the 3 to get six in the case of pre-ban since access to those might be cut-off at any time and you would be stuck with what you have.
 
For me its a minimum of 6 mags per pistol, compact, fullsize, preban...

also carry 2 spare cylinders for revolvers :D
 
I know it cost a bundle, but I usually figure ten mags per pistol. My arthritis is getting progressively worse. I like to load my mags a day of two before I go shooting. That way my hands don't cramp up as quickly during a match or practice session.
If you aren't using high caps they are usually less expensive. Of course you want quality mags, but I have found MecGar mags to be really decent for the price.
Neil Casper
 
I think it would be a good idea if you can afford it to keep 10 mags at the ready. One never knows when something could happen and you'll be glad you were prepared. Of course I'm talking about the gun you will use defensively in an emergency. For your other guns I would guess that a couple of mags would be enough. Though I would say to cycle the mags a couple of times a year so as to keep ammo fresh. It's just that when things go wrong it seems to happen very quickly. I even keep a 3 day survival kit at the ready just in case. They say that after a catasrophy the first 3 days are the most critical. Like the boyscouts motto says, "Be prepared."

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***Torpedo***
Youth and strength will never overcome age and treachery. And I'm a treacherous old so and so!
 
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