How many mags per gun is enough?

Agree with you. I have one spare now but gonna get another one along with a two magazine holder.

Daily carry, with no family to protect, one. Should be enough to get out of there.
SHTF one. And a rifle.

All my primary carry pistols have at least 3 mags. I do have a few handguns where mags are hard to find/unreliable non factory so I carry those less. Normally don't carry more than 1 or 2 mags daily so the third is more as a backup/spare/spend less time loading at the range mag.

3-5.

There are certainly good reasons for having more on hand than that, but that it what I need to carry and practice.

4 minimum is what I prefer. However as the above poster mentioned. I have some guns where it might take another 50yrs to find 4 mags for a couple of my guns.

Three per gun for range but I'd only carry one in the gun and one in reserve if I were using it for a defensive piece.

With 16 rounds to a mag there's no man on the planet that won't be able to hit their target with 32 shots that should have a concealed carry license.

Just buying the arm, I want two extra mags. Except 1911 mags, I have a few of those already. Ideally, I like having enough mags to hold a box of ammo for going to the range.

If the price is right, and I can afford it, I'll always pick up another magazine, "just because."

For carry, I don't feel right unless I have one extra on me. Given that those mags are only 7-10 rounds apiece; I often carry two. But, I've carried more.

At least six magazines.

I'll go along with that.

This is purely for convenience at the range. It's impossible to determine "how many you will need" in a SHTF situation. How many can you carry and trade for food and water is likely the more realistic scenario.

However for range and informal competition use, 6 is a minimum, 8 or 10 is better, IMO.

For daily carry? at least 2, and maybe a spare in case one gets damaged.

16 rounds in your pistol will get you out of 99.87% of "carry" scenarios. IMO

If one had two guns of the same model, ten to split between the two, would that be enough or would one need more?

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Similar to the question of how many guns one should own or whether they choose to carry a reload for CCW, answers will be subjective.

I like having a lot of mags. Over time I've accumulated quite a few Glock 9mm magazines, which fit both my night stand gun and my IDPA gun. Also, I came from a cold weather climate where trips to the outdoor range in biting wind and subzero temperatures was better spent shooting than numbing the fingers while reloading. That said, here's how it's panned out:

-One in the HD gun.
-An extra in the night stand.
-10 in the range/competition bag. I get to spend less time reloading, and more time helping the match run smoothly or talking to other shooters.
-One reload in each vehicle.
-2 reloads in the go bag.

I also picked up one or two each time I found a good deal on them with the idea of never having to worry about magazines again in the event of legislation or panic buying. I probably hit about 15-20 before I felt content to the level of lifetime supply.

For range guns or BUGs, I'm fine having 3-4. For guns that see occasional competition use, I prefer having 5.

Just a couple more....that will be enough....

You can only have a good idea of how many once you see just how many "hostiles" are around.

If you need multiple 16 round mags, you should probably run. How many people do you honestly think you can stop if they are all shooting at you? This is real life and not a video game. The range is another story.

' a few' will suffice. Except when I need more.

I have two additional for my carry guns (one 12 round other is 7 round) but I also have 5 extra for both for range work. I have one other semi auto that mostly serves as a range gun and that one I also have 7 magazines for.

One to the gun and two extras minimum.

"Spares" for me start at the fourth one.

Ultimately, I gots ta have 5 before I feel comfortable against loss, damage, legal/ban action, etc...

As to reaching excess - I'd say for me that occurs just after magazine number 13.

ApacheCoTodd said:

One to the gun and two extras minimum.

"Spares" for me start at the fourth one.

Ultimately, I gots ta have 5 before I feel comfortable against loss, damage, legal/ban action, etc...

As to reaching excess - I'd say for me that occurs just after magazine number 13.

Click to expand...

Simple solution is to get a second, or third, or fourth gun that uses the same mags....

If I don't have three mags I don't feel like I have enough. That said, I more typically have 5-6 with one of them being the "designated dropper" for practicing mag changes.

Everyday carry, at least one reload.

To possess for general purposes, 24 magazines for "serious" arms or guns that are shot often.

SHTF, as many as possible.

All kidding aside, it depends on the gun. As much as I love 1911s, I feel the need for LOTS of mags for them - like 30 mags for 2 1911s. These stinkin' ugly Glock magazines just seem to work, and work, and work, and (stop and swish it around in a mud puddle to CLEAN it) then work some more...

It seems like if I drop an empty 1911 mags, 25% of the time it suffers functional damage. It also seems like I can throw a full G21 mag down a river gorge, find it a month later, scrape the dirt off and it'll work fine.... I know that both are exaggerations, but there IS a difference in durability. Something that ugly HAS to be strong!

Every gun I own that takes magazines (including bolt rifles) has at least two mags, not matter how little I shoot it. If a mag fails, I want to still be able to use the gun.

Carry guns have a minimum of three mags, 30 rounds total.

Range guns get 5 minimum.

It gets really fun when you own multiple Glocks that can use other mags. My G26 has 3, but also accepts the 11 G17/34 mags I have on hand. My primary carry is a G30, with 5 mags, but it also accepts my 7 G21 mags. My G36 is an orphan, with 3 mags.

Even my Browning 1911 22 has 3 mags.

Five or six, gives me three that are loaded with defense ammo and carried. Then I have two or three that can be used for range ammo so that I don't have to empty the hollowpoints from the carry mags everytime I hit the rage.

I've also gotten into the habit of buying two of the pistol model that I intend to carry. Since they always come with one or two mags to begin with, it's easier to get up to the level of six or more mags when you just buy another pistol just like it.

Murphy's 1st. Rule of Magazines law.

1 = 0 - If you only have 1, it will break, get lost, or run over by a truck.
2 = 1 - If you have 2, one will work and the other one won't.
3 = 3 - If you have 3, all will work, and none will ever get lost or broken.
4+ = You are set for life for that gun.

This especially applies to older guns with expensive and hard to find mags.

If you carry a SD pistol?
Carry a spare magazine for it too.
(See Murphy's Magazine Law #1.)

A pistol without a working magazine makes a very poor impact weapon in a fist fight against a gun or knife.


rc