How Many Extra Magazines Per Handgun?

[LiveLife]

I'm sorry you had a rough time 32 years ago.

That doesn't mean everyone needs 20 loaded magazines for every handgun they own.

It was scary time for sure and decades later when wife made us move back to LA basin/surrounding city due to her mother having stage 4 cancer overrun by gangs that committed home invasion robberies with multiple armed attackers (They would overwhelm even armed home owners and sometimes killed home owners when they cooperated or not due to gang initiation kills) with squatters moving into empty houses with prisons paroling inmates to these houses with weekly arrests with 7-10+ patrol cars, it surely did not make me happy with wife carrying multiple guns on person in/around the house.

Since my work took me away from home for week-long surveys of hospitals, I equipped my wife with tactical gear/vest full of magazines for .223 initially then .300 BLK AR15s and Glock pistols along with phones and told her, if there was a home invasion that got past our three guard dogs to keep shooting until she ran out of ammo while on the phone with 911 ... sad but true reality for us ... And believe me, she had more than 10 magazines on that vest ... And I trained both my wife and sister (who later shot matches) and wife got proficient enough to hit anything that moved inside the house, fast point shooting with pistols and rifles.

Glad we moved away from that chaos to our peaceful and tranquil retirement location ... On the day we packed up the moving van to drive away, we saw the largest 15+ patrol car response bust with long line of parolees lined up against the wall in squatted house across the street ... Maybe I am a bit "sensitive" to harshness of reality because of my life experience.

Oh, I did clarify magazines "for ... defensive pistols"

So for me, I need to have enough magazines on hand for defensive pistols/rifles to fend off multiple waves of looters

 

[trackskippy]

That doesn't mean everyone needs 20 loaded magazines for every handgun they own.

LOL, sure they do! Ammo and mags, its as natural as the miser playing with his gold and silver coins.

I may have a bunch of mags, but "most" of them are not loaded until they get used. Dont see the point of loading everything up.

That said I do keep some mags for the gun(s) I carry/use loaded and readily available.

 

[dh1633pm]

I like to have at least five clips per firearm. Clips, I mean mags. Regardless of purpose.

 

[Gun-Reck]

Double-stack: 3
Single-stack: 5

This allows a dedicated range magazine, a coupla loaded work magazines, and a spare or two for the single-stacks.

No complaints.

 

[The Night Rider]

The board members who plan on pushing an armored wheelbarrow full of loaded handgun magazines through a post-apocalyptic action movie never cease to amuse me.

What about the board members who want to keep enough grandfathered magazines on hand to hand the gun down to their son or grandson or great-grandson?

Nobody thought that the magazine ban in Colorado was going to pass until it did.

Now nobody thinks it's a magazine band is going to be enforced in Colorado until it is.

When the ban passed in Colorado the price of "Pre-ban" magazines tripled overnight.

I got caught short on a few items and I vowed that it was never going to happen to me again.

I said it in another post but when I buy a handgun or rifle I buy enough magazines or what I think is enough magazines that I'm sure that it'll last me for the rest of my life

 

[sevt_chevelle]

The board members who plan on pushing an armored wheelbarrow full of loaded handgun magazines through a post-apocalyptic action movie never cease to amuse me.

And the board members whom bury their heads in sand never cease to amaze me.

I'm sorry you had a rough time 32 years ago.

That doesn't mean everyone needs 20 loaded magazines for every handgun they own.

LOL
That's the reasoning antis use...
No one needs more than 10 rds
No one needs a semi auto
No one needs a high powered sniper rifle

 

[Tallball]

IDC how many magazines other people have. I'm fine with a couple per pistol. Maybe one if it's antique and outrageously expensive. Maybe three, if they come in different sizes.

I have a shooting buddy whom I like very much. He lives in a small town in a gated community with virtually no random crime. When he's doing yardwork he carries around a 9mm CC pistol (with spare mag) that continues to increase in size and capacity. He sleeps with a service pistol and five loaded magazines next to him.

IDC. That's his deal. It's not bothering me.

It's just mildly annoying when he insists I can't be safe if I don't do the exact same things that he does.

I ended up retiring to the poorest neighborhood of a small town. There's a fair amount of random street crime here. I stay safe mostly by looking broke, having tall wire fences, and keeping a large intimidating dog. A stack of loaded magazines would be a poor substitute.

Like I said, NBD to me how many magazines other people buy. Some people don't want to reload magazines at the range, or own a reasonable number of pistols, or just enjoy redundancy. It's all good.

We're all in different situations, with different wants/needs.

I got both of these in 1988. I have (only) the two original magazines for each one. They both still go bang just fine. I don't do shooting competitions and have owned a bunch of different pistols over the years. Given those circumstances, I have yet to wear out a magazine. Lots of people do. We're all in different situations.

FEG Hi-Power Clone

• Tallball
• Feb 28, 2023

Makarov380

• Tallball
• Jan 23, 2018

 

[tarosean]

IDC how many magazines other people have. I'm fine with a couple per pistol. Maybe one if it's antique and outrageously expensive. Maybe three, if they come in different sizes.

I have a shooting buddy whom I like very much. He lives in a small town in a gated community with virtually no random crime. When he's doing yardwork he carries around a 9mm CC pistol (with spare mag) that continues to increase in size and capacity. He sleeps with a service pistol and five loaded magazines next to him.

IDC. That's his deal. It's not bothering me.

It's just mildly annoying when he insists I can't be safe if I don't do the exact same things that he does.

I ended up retiring to the poorest neighborhood of a small town. There's a fair amount of random street crime here. I stay safe mostly by looking broke, having tall wire fences, and keeping a large intimidating dog. A stack of loaded magazines would be a poor substitute.

Like I said, NBD to me how many magazines other people buy. Some people don't want to reload magazines at the range, or own a reasonable number of pistols, or just enjoy redundancy. It's all good.

We're all in different situations, with different wants/needs.

I got both of these in 1988. I have (only) the two original magazines for each one. They both still go bang just fine. I don't do shooting competitions and have owned a bunch of different pistols over the years. Given those circumstances, I have yet to wear out a magazine. Lots of people do. We're all in different situations.

FEG Hi-Power Clone

• Tallball
• Feb 28, 2023

Makarov380

• Tallball
• Jan 23, 2018

None of that has anything to do with the fact that they are wear items.. just as other springs in your pistol. You do you though.

 

[LiveLife]

I got both of these in 1988. I have (only) the two original magazines for each one. They both still go bang just fine ... and have owned a bunch of different pistols over the years. Given those circumstances, I have yet to wear out a magazine. Lots of people do. We're all in different situations.

None of that has anything to do with the fact that they are wear items.. just as other springs in your pistol. You do you though.

I agree that magazines are consumable wear items in need of replacement, just like recoil springs if worn after "X" number of rounds.

"Different situations", yes.

There are people who shoot very low round count in their firearms to not reach wear/replacement point ... And as you posted, "yet to wear out a magazine ... still go bang just fine" and keep shooting with original magaziness/spring/followers along with recoil springs.

Just because your pistols are still working fine doesn't mean they won't need replacement. It means you haven't fired enough rounds to need replacement. (If you shoot enough rounds, you will eventually need to replace extractor, ejectors, firing pin/striker, even barrels/linkages and associated springs)

When I was shooting USPSA matches, I was shooting several thousand rounds a month for practice and matches (In one Glock 17 alone, I shot over 120,000 rounds and I had several pistols ... Current round count, over a million pistol/rifle rounds shot both factory/reloads). Although I had several magazines per pistol, I was replacing magazine springs, mag followers and recoil springs on a regular basis (Recoil springs with solid and twisted wire springs ... This was before captured flat recoil spring assemblies and I also used dual spring Springco recoil reducers).

While I recycled the metal lined magazine tubes, ultimately I reached wear point where metal feed lips were worn/rounded and tubes had to be replaced (And CA was even sued that owners of larger than 10 round capacity magazines should be allowed grandfathered tube replacements which ultimately lead to Duncan v Bonta)

So for many of us who shoot a lot, having more than 10 and even 20+ magazines per pistol/rifle is not for current use but also anticipated future replacements as well, not just from wear but also from damage/loss.

While my primary MOS in the Army was field medic, I was also assigned to our unit's armory to make new weapons reliable (Out of the box 1911s were notoriously rough and would not even reliably cycle the slide and feed from magazines and required 15-20 minutes of work to make them reliable) and maintain issued weapons. With many rounds shot through the magazines, both pistol and rifle magazines were tossed from wear and damage. I also saw M16 barrels wear rifling to become smooth bore and barrels replaced when they stopped grouping (M60 barrels were swapped out before they turned red/orange/white hot to where you could see bullets travel down the barrel, which extended service life of each barrel).

 

[NeverEnoughFDE]

At least 5 for every handgun. If it is my EDC, many more as I keep loaded extra mags in my cars + the house.

Also, many mags for everything = less reloads at the range.

 

[GEM]

If the gun is used for competitions, then 15 to 20. Reloading during a match is a pain. For classes, twenty works but we do have reloading breaks.

 

[NeverEnoughFDE]

I agree that magazines are consumable wear items in need of replacement, just like recoil springs if worn after "X" number of rounds.

"Different situations", yes.

There are people who shoot very low round count in their firearms to not reach wear/replacement point ... And as you posted, "yet to wear out a magazine ... still go bang just fine" and keep shooting with original magaziness/spring/followers along with recoil springs.

Just because your pistols are still working fine doesn't mean they won't need replacement. It means you haven't fired enough rounds to need replacement.

When I was shooting USPSA matches, I was shooting several thousand rounds a month for practice and matches (In one Glock 17 alone, I shot over 120,000 rounds and I had several pistols). Although I had several magazines per pistol, I was replacing magazine springs, mag followers and recoil springs (With solid and twisted wire springs ... This was before captured flat recoil spring assemblies and I also used dual spring Springco recoil reducers).

While I recycled the metal lined magazine tubes, ultimately I reached wear point where metal feed lips were worn/rounded and tubes had to be replaced (And CA was even sued that owners of larger than 10 round capacity magazines should be allowed grandfathered tube replacements which ultimately lead to Duncan v Bonta)

So for many of us who shoot a lot, having more than 10 and even 20+ magazines per pistol/rifle is not for current use but also anticipated future replacements as well, not just from wear but also from damage/loss.

While my primary MOS in the Army was field medic, I was also assigned to our unit's armory to make new weapons reliable (Out of the box 1911s were notoriously rough and would not even reliably cycle the slide and feed from magazine and required 15-20 minutes of work to make them reliable) and maintain issued weapons. With many rounds shot through the magazines, both pistol and rifle magazines were tossed from wear and damage.

What is the average wear point for mag springs, though? I've never worn out a mag & I shoot almost every week. Around 10k rounds, if not more, in multiple calibers a year.

I've also never had a problem with mags kept loaded for years.

 

[trackskippy]

Im still shooting a bunch of KCI and KHAN Glock mags I got about 15 years ago and have had on average around 300 rounds a week through the lot every week all that time, and they are still going strong.

I have a couple of factory Colt 1911 mags that Ive been using pretty regularly since the mid 90's and they are starting to balk a little and not lock the slide back on empty.

Another lot of GI contract mags I bought about the same time and get shot along with the Colts every time I shoot one of my 1911's, are still going strong too. No idea how many round/cycles on them at this point, but Ive still been shooting them a couple of times a month since I quit carrying a 1911 back at the turn of the century.

I do have a few other GI 1911 mags that are a bit older than the others that have started to split lengthwise up the front of the mags. Those mags were mags I constantly kept loaded when I was carrying a 1911. None of the others have done that, and Im assuming that being constantly loaded might have something to do with that, but, who knows.

Choot'em til they croak and then either try and fix'em or chuck'em.

 

[GRIZ22]

3 minimum. Depends on how many firearms I have in that category. A couple dozen 1911, Glock 9mm, or Beretta 92 mags. Down to my 1960s Colt 25, one mag.

 

[LiveLife]

What is the average wear point for mag springs?

Could vary slightly for make/model of magazines but for Glock factory magazines, conduct following check whenever you experience feeding issue (Along with checking follower for wear) and annually:

1. Unload ammunition from the magazine​

2. Carefully remove floorplate and insert from magazine (There are tools available to squeeze tube to clear locking tabs)​

3. Allow the magazine spring to fully extend​

4. When the follower and spring are fully seated in the magazine, the bottom of the spring should extend out at least 1" from the bottom​

5. If the spring extends less that 1", it should be replaced to ensure strong and positive feeding​

With loss of spring tension, last round in the magazine starts to get loose with the follower (By this time, mag follower wear could add to feeding issue and both may need to be replaced).

And I prefer to use extra power Wolff springs for replacement as once they break-in, they are at near factory spring rate - https://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=5#148

And I suspect new factory Glock magazine springs to be extra power and require break-in (I keep them loaded with as many rounds as I can fit).

BTW, none of Magpul Glock magazines needed spring replacement so far and spring feels slightly extra power then older generation of Glock magazines. (FYI, those curious about all "polymer" construction including feed lips, I wondered how long they would last and have been using for range practice only but surprisingly, they are doing great with no wear issue to affect reliable feeding. I would not hesitate to consider for defensive pistols use if factory magazines were not available)

I've also never had a problem with mags kept loaded for years.

Same here.

 

[mavracer]

I probably fit the bill for "I have a magazine collection problem".
I'm a little obsessive/compulsive so mags need to be even numbers.
1 is none and 2 is 1 lol.
The collector stuff like my 1903 Colt or Colt huntsman need at least one and a spare, although the P38 and Makarov have 4 each.
The pocket guns like my Hellcat and LCP Max have the one in the gun and a spare plus a duplicate pair.
I shoot in a informal rimfire league that shoots 50 rounds 15@7 yards 20@15 yards and 15@25 yards so the Mk1, Mk2, Buckmark, Sig Trailside and CZ kadet all have 6 mags.
My centerfire range guns have at least 6, my FN FNS 40 has the most of any single gun at 16. I have more than 30 1911 45 ACP mags but I have 3 1911s in 45 and they each have their own.
For Rifles I do much the same a couple of the rimfires have just 2, the non standard AR calibers all have 4 cause AR cases have 4 pouches duh.
I use P mags for 300 blackout and have 16 that go to 3 different guns. For 5.56 I have a lot of GI mags. I have a dozen mags for 308 AR

 

[silicosys4]

The spares box.
Because who wants to be down to their last mag.

 

[WisBorn]

The spares box.
Because who wants to be down to their last mag.

View attachment 1201877

Nice picture

 

[Ed]

I lived through the AWB. Never again will I be in that situation. I’m not saying that you need 500 mags per gun. But I buy larger than 10 round mags as if I will not be able to in the future. I want to be able to keep my guns useable as long as possible. Whether a mag breaks, get lost etc. and honestly, they dont usually decrease in value. If it’s something like a P3AT I’m good with 3. I don’t shoot it much and I don’t think those are gonna get banned. I also have been known to get magazines for guns that I would like to own someday. In 2001 a G20 mag was going for $150. If you had 10 and didn’t want them you could have sold 5 still been good and bought a new gun with the money. Also. What if I like the gun and my kids do too then some ban happens and they want good mags for the gun they bought? If I have 3 then they are out of luck. I have a lot? They now can enjoy them.
That’s just my reasoning.

 

[commygun]

Depends on use and price

Pretty much. Magpuls can be bought like a gas station Butterfinger. Original FN 1900 magazines, not so much. I try to have at least 3 for every semi-auto. HD and CCW pistols at least 4 or 5.

 

[weisse52]

6+ per gun. Now I have multiple 1911’s in .45 so that could be viewed as 6 or “a bunch “ per gun.

 

[FL-NC]

4 is the minimum majic number for me. This gives me 2 loaded and 2 on standby. I color code them with a paint marker, and swap them over on thanksgiving and memorial day. The 2 empties can be loaded and used at the range if desired. Any additional mags I have or may aquire get tossed into the big rubber maid bucket for range use.

 

[Bazoo]

I like to have 4-5 extra, to no more than a 8-10.

 

[JohnKSa]

For a range-use only gun, it doesn't matter that much.

For a self-defense gun, 5 is my minimum.

For a gun that's going to be used in competition then I like enough to get through a match without reloading mags.

What's this aversion to loading magazines at the range?

Maybe it's a retirement thing but I'm never that pressed for time.

For just general shooting, I don't mind loading at the range. For matches, I like to focus on the competition and expend my resources and energy and concentration on performance.

• Loading at home means I don't have to take time to load in between stages. I can rest or watch others shoot, or think through the next stage.
• I can double-check the mags to make sure I have all of them loaded with the right ammo and the right round count. I've seen people screw this up and it will really ruin a stage.
• If empty/partially empty mags are getting dropped during reloads, I don't have to clean them at the range.
• I can let my hands rest in between stages rather than stuffing rounds into magazines.

 

[Wolfshead]

I voted 1+3-5 extra as that is my experience to date.
After reading through this, I’m rethinking my vote, especially since I reside in NewYorkistan where you are only allow ten rounds per mag.
After reading LiveLife’s posts in this thread you really get an idea how quickly Sh*t can hit the fan. We are so comfortable in our lives and situations right now that we are not truly prepared for what can happen, and can happen so quickly.
This has really caused me to reconsider some things for sure.