MAGS - How many is enough?

[Dobber]

I'm hopeful I'll get some good answers here. My primary weapon in a non-home-defense scenario would be a 5.56 'Assault Weapon.' I am curious, though, how you all have prepared for this scenario. I don't want to hear that I picked the wrong gun or there is no feasible scenario, blah blah blah. What I want is a clear answer: How many mags have you or would you like to accumulate to support any scenario in which you would need more than one.

Personally I've acquired as many as I can carry in my rig and as many as I would expect a +1 to carry. Thoughts?

To reiterate: If you don't want to throw out your numbers just share your rationale. I'm not looking for one liners like "one more than it takes to do the job" or "one less than it takes to make me immobile."

-Dobber

 

[jd4320t]

When available buy enough to last your life and the lives of whoever inherits your firearms.

 

[mvician]

Minimum of 10 per rifle/pistol


Maximum - you can never have too many

 

[paintman]

i just think you can never have enough mags or ammo. if i see it at a good deal, then no reason to pass it up. in my eyes i could have 100,000 rounds of every caliber and a million mags and it would still not make me satisfied. i would still want one more.

 

[Mosinguy]

Most all my guns are tube fed or bolt action, but my 92FS sports 20+ 15 round magazines and I still want more. If they are cheap enough, why not? I plan on doing lots of training when I get a job and turn 18 so I'll use those magazines a lot.

 

[Combsie]

When available buy enough to last your life and the lives of whoever inherits your firearms.

My thought's exactly^^^^

There is no such thing as "enough"

 

[the1kidd03]

You can NEVER have "too many."

Before that though, I recommend having a minimum 2 combat loads per defense weapon. What I mean by that is;

Assume yourself to be in a survival situation or in some way actually putting your rifle and gear to it's intended use. Assuming you have a chest rig which allows you to conveniently carry them, they are typically loaded with about 6 magazines (+1 in the gun). This makes a total of 7. I recommend having twice that at the ready, just in case and for each of your primary defense weapons.

Example: If I have an AR and my wife has an AR, that would be 2 combat loads per gun. That makes it 24-28 magazines in all (depending on if you're counting the 7th mag that's in the gun). If there is a third in there, then there should be another 12-14 added. While your immediate family may not take up use of each of your arms, it doesn't hurt to have the ability to adequately equip some other trusted and close person(s).

Tip: Just to point out the MTM Case guard platic, 50 call ammo cans will fit EXACTLY 24 loaded AR magazines in them. That's right at 2 weapons load outs in one can.

 

[churchmouse]

You can NEVER have "too many."

Before that though, I recommend having a minimum 2 combat loads per defense weapon. What I mean by that is;

Assume yourself to be in a survival situation or in some way actually putting your rifle and gear to it's intended use. Assuming you have a chest rig which allows you to conveniently carry them, they are typically loaded with about 6 magazines (+1 in the gun). This makes a total of 7. I recommend having twice that at the ready, just in case and for each of your primary defense weapons.

Example: If I have an AR and my wife has an AR, that would be 2 combat loads per gun. That makes it 24-28 magazines in all (depending on if you're counting the 7th mag that's in the gun). If there is a third in there, then there should be another 12-14 added. While your immediate family may not take up use of each of your arms, it doesn't hurt to have the ability to adequately equip some other trusted and close person(s).

Tip: Just to point out the MTM Case guard platic, 50 call ammo cans will fit EXACTLY 24 loaded AR magazines in them. That's right at 2 weapons load outs in one can.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^at minimum.
one ammo can for pistol mags, 1 for AR, 1 for 2nd battle rifle.

 

[tdmman]

Way back when, think Jimmy Carter as President, we thought the end was coming. Anyway, the magazine racks were full of survival type magazines. A common theme was how much ammo to have. The general concensus was that you would be dead before you expended a 1000 rounds. So depending on if you have someone to reload for you, I would opinion a max of 30 or so and a minimum of 10.

 

[Electronrider]

10 minimum. I went the route of a lower number of mags (over 10 ), but I have all the parts to rebuild them all twice. Followers, springs, and floor plates are cheap and easily found.

 

[Expat]

I would have 10-15 for each rifle (so if someone had 4 ARs, I would have 40-60 mags total) that I have (that takes detachable mags) and 6-10 for each pistol. I certainly wouldn't be upset to have more than that.

 

[JT Meeks]

Do you have an " Assault Weapon " or are you talking about an AR15 semi-auto?

 

[Bennettjh]

With all this flying around D.C. about high-capacity mags, it's hard to not get 20-30 rounders whenever you get a good deal on them just in case they get banned or whatever, that's just MHO though. I like to have 10-12 30 rounders for each rifle. Why would you choose 5.56? That is awful for SHTF scenarios, .22LR is better. I'm sorry I had to do it. 5.56 is probably my favorite rifle caliber to be honest.

 

[foszoe]

Need? 2-3. If I ever am ACTUALLY being shot at and go through 3 magazines, there are probably more then enough attackers I am already dying or dead. But like any irrational gun owner, I own more than that for just about every if not all firearms I posess.

 

[shadow6492]

My thought's exactly^^^^

There is no such thing as "enough"

Yup!

 

[japartridge]

I have 16 for my rifle... planning on getting about 5 to 15 more when and if I can find them... I chose a vz.58 as my primary rifle, great rifle, but hard to find mags for.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

5 is the magic number for me. I can't think of a realistic situation where I go through more than a hand full of magazines without a chance to reload and am still alive.

Why 5? One in the gun, one in a butt stock pouch, 3 in a standard ALICE ammo carrier. Easy to carry, reasonable weight, and again what am I doing that I expend 150 rounds without the chance to reload but am still alive?

 

[Lonestar6]

Army basic load is 210 rounds in 7 magazines, pistol is 45 rounds in 3 magazines. That is where I start.then I do multiples of this so 7, 14, etc. Or 3,6,9 etc.

My exception is .22lr which tend to package in multiples of 50 so 5 10-round magazines or 2 25-rounders.

YMMV

 

[terrythegamer]

You can never have enough of anything firearm related the question is how many do i have enough room for

 

[stormryder]

My personal load out for Family & myself-

AR-15 & M4gery- 32/30round mags between two LBVs(960 rounds).
Cetme- 24/20 round mags(480 rounds) on LBE
2/1911a- 10 mags(70 rounds)
M9- 4 mags(60 rounds)
Saiga 12- 20 round drum