How many magazines do you have for your pistol?

[nuke]

Since this is my first pistol, I'm not sure if I've gone overboard or not... I currently have 6 mags. How many mags (max) do you have for any one pistol?

[Barth]

How many mags (max) do you have for any one pistol?
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Most of my handguns I had a minimum of six.
Three for carry that stay loaded with SD ammo.
And three for the range.

But with Obummer attacking?
I've stocked up on additional high cap mags for most of my pistols.
http://www.ascertainthetruth.com/att/images/stories/hitler.jpg

[melissa5]

I like to have 5 mags for each Glock since I compete with them.

[Bawanna]

I like to have at least 6 for any pistol that I carry from time to time. I like one in the gun and 2 spares. The other 3 rest. I used to swap about once a month, don't do that nearly as often anymore, I just have a lot more faith in springs these days.

That being said I don't think it's possible to have too many magazines.

Loaded magazines stacked from here to the horizon and back is a beautiful sight.

[chrish]

I had to average it out. I have 4 for my TP9. I used to have 3 each for the TP9 and P9. Since I no longer really carry the P9, I converted the 8 round extended over to be used in the TP9 and so I only have 2 mags for the P9 now.

I have 8 for my Sig P250.

But overall, I think it's good to have at least 4-6 for any given gun. More is always better though.

[muggsy]

There's no need to rest magazine springs. Old wives tales die hard.

[phil413tx]

I have about 5 for each gun. 3 with SD ammo and 2 fir later. At the range it is also nice to have 5, especially with my single stack Kahrs. I got tired of reloading the only two that came with the gun. I also like to have 5 for my Glocks too.

[QuercusMax]

The sum of all my handgun mags, divided by the number of semi-automatic handguns I own = 3.8

For one particular gun I only have 1, for another just 2, but mostly 3 - 4 for each of the rest, with no more than 5 for any unique mag type.

I really don't understand the need to have piles and piles of mags. I can understand having a few spares, but I'd rather use my money - and storage space - for guns and ammo.

Yes, I need to reload when I go out shooting. I actually *like* that, because it paces me. My object is never to rip off a huge number of rounds in minimum time, so reloading prolongs the pleasure. But I never shoot at public indoor ranges and I have an UpLULA, so that might make things different.

This question has come up on some (all?) other gun boards from time to time. Recently on another board one of the senior members flatly asserted that 50 was the optimal number. :eek:

It's a free country. I've found that 3 is about right for me, for handguns at least.

[CM9carry]

I have 3 for my cm9 and 4 for my xdm. I wouldn't mind picking up 2 more for each of my pistols though.

[ltxi]

I answered seven but it's all kinda confused. I accidentally seem to have acquired seven mags for my G23. But they'll also fit my G27 for which I have four. So is that 11 for the G27. And then there's my current count eight or nine 1911 .45s. Figure maybe 40 or so mags lying around after 50 years that will fit any of them? More if catering to the short handled.

[tv_racin_fan]

We currently have three Kahr 9mm handguns in the house and I have ten mags that fit those handguns. Generally we employ two of those handguns and carry two spare mags per handgun employed. However my wife has a holster with a single mag holder integral and thus she normally carries one reload. On occasion I or my son will carry the second double mag pouch as well as our normal loadout.

I would say that five mags per handgun is a good number.

[doublebarrel]

Average about 6,some newer gun I only have a couple,1911 mags 15,but I have 4 1911's.

[Rob_0t]

3 mags.. 1 6 for carry and 2 7's for back up.

20 rounds of crit d on tap.

[rjt123]

My Glock 19 is my only "hi-cap" pistol. For that one I have the two 10-round mags it came with (I've had it since 2002), 6 standard capacity 15 round mags, and 1 of the 33 round mags (just because).

Some of those are recent acquisitions, and I may add some more. However, I realize that keeping pace with some folks on the mag wars is just impossible. :)

[JFootin]

I have 3 mags for each of my semi-auto pistols, and I have two speed loaders for my J-frame. I run on a tight budget and that number seems right. I generally keep one mag empty and I use it to lock the slide back when I need to at home. (My crippled hands can't manage to rack the slide and push the lever up at the same time.) Before I go to the range, I fill those empty mags, as well.

[Jules Winnfield]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/03/6u9ana6a.jpg
2 for my PM9 (6 round flush, 7 round extended), 1 fifteen round flush for the new Sig Sauer P250C 9mm, 5 for Glock 26 (1 ten round flush, 2 with Pearce +3 extensions, 2 fifteen rounders left over from my old Glock 19).

I plan on buying 2 more mags in the near future for the PM9 (6 rounders). I have searched high and low for spare mags for the Sig but have come up empty as high capacity magazines right now are worth their weight in gold. Eventually I will purchase 1 more as I intend on using the Sig as a home defense/range gun only. Too big for concealed carry on my frame. That's what I purchased the Kahr and Glock for.


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[Rob_0t]

I like that +3 pierce....

[Jules Winnfield]

I like that +3 pierce....

Yeah. They provide for a more sure grip than the 10 round flush. Of course I wouldn't use them while conceal carrying the weapon as they cause printing. I bought them for spare mags for CC and for range shooting. They're high quality and look OEM.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[KKing]

I tend to only have 3 or 4 for most of my handguns that don't interchange. Now with my Glocks, in total I have...well, a lot since I run 9mm only and so many interchange. My favorite of which are the 33 round mags for the range, pretty sure every time I insert one a little bit of Feinstein dies.

My rifles are a different story....with 3, about to be 4 chambered in .223/5.56, I have around 40 magazines for those. But that's another thread altogether

[Dogman]

The least magazines I've got for one of my pistols is 3 (Star PD), up to 25 for a couple of my Glocks. 10 for my PM9.

[ripley16]

Since this is my first pistol, I'm not sure if I've gone overboard or not... I currently have 6 mags. How many mags (max) do you have for any one pistol?

I like to have enough magazine capacity to load a box of 50 rounds at a time. I have as few as one mag for a certain pistol, to as many as over twenty for another. I bought a Kahr P9 that came with 13 mags a few years ago. Combined with the other Kahrs I have and the extra mags I picked up, these are the leaders in my mag collection.

HK accounts for a bunch, I think I have 13 to fit my P2000sk, and Sig comes in third. These are the guns I tend to shoot the most, so extra mags are good for range time.

Having guns that share mags, such as the K9, T9, P9 and TP9, or the HK P2000sk and the USPc, also make sense to me and that compatability gives me reason me to invest in extra mags. I even managed to come by 8 mags for my HK P7. I'm patient and wait for deals.

[nuke]

There's no need to rest magazine springs. Old wives tales die hard.


I'd like to hear more on this. I've heard that new mags should be loaded to capacity and old mags in storage should be loaded to only have 1/2 or less capacity but that's from a gent at work.

And btw, great feedback on the #'s. :)

[Bawanna]

I'd like to hear more on this. I've heard that new mags should be loaded to capacity and old mags in storage should be loaded to only have 1/2 or less capacity but that's from a gent at work.

And btw, great feedback on the #'s. :)

My take on this is new mags need to have the springs take their set, just like any new spring.

For a long time many felt that over time a loaded magazine would over time weaken the magazine spring and it was better to rotate them periodically to let the springs return to their full length. I did this for years on a weekly basis.
I was told by some that it wasn't true but didn't see any harm in it and I still don't for that matter.

An experience a few years ago eased my mind considerably and while I still rotate mags I don't do so nearly as often.

The experience was a 1942 Army 1911 that a friends uncle gifted me. He brought it back in his duffle bag fully loaded, empty chamber. He hadn't taken it out of his duffle bag since 43 or 44. I never could get him to tell me why he left it in there, just wasn't a gun guy I guess.
Anyhow he started to empty the magazine and thinking of the above stuff I asked him not to.
I took it apart to make sure it was all there, basic wipe down and a little lube and shot that magazine without a single hiccup. All rounds went bang, all fed perfectly. Must have been good springs.

Now days I think springs are far better than they were back then so I'm not a spring worrier any longer.

[Barth]

I'd like to hear more on this. I've heard that new mags should be loaded to capacity and old mags in storage should be loaded to only have 1/2 or less capacity but that's from a gent at work.

And btw, great feedback on the #'s. :)

It's the act of compression and uncompressed that causes metal fatigue.
A fully compressed or uncompressed spring, left alone, has no adverse affect on service life.

[QuercusMax]

Much has been said about magazine springs in gun forums, and like most such topics, most of what has been said is a mixture of truth and urban legend.

The following is highly simplified, but should give an idea:

Engineers classify springs as "static" or "active." A static spring is one that is expected to go through a small number of compression cycles in its lifetime (perhaps 10,000 or fewer), while an active or cyclic spring (such as used in an automotive suspension) is designed to handle many more cycles. Metal fatigue can become a factor for active springs but is not a design consideration for static ones. Given the amount of usage expected of a typical magazine, manufacturers would typically choose a static spring for that application. In contrast, the recoil spring in an automatic pistol might well be subjected to significantly more cycles, and of a severe nature, and that is why gun manufacturers usually recommend replacing such springs after a few thousand cycles, more or less.

Does leaving a spring in a compressed state for a long time weaken it? The answer is definitely yes, but whether the amount of weakening (called "relaxation") will noticeably affect spring performance to a point where it becomes a problem depends on a number of complicated factors, one of which is the quality and type of alloy that the spring is made from, along with the degree of compression, length of compression time, and the exact shape of the spring. If a magazine spring relaxed by some small amount, say 5%, over a period of time, would that be noticeable? I doubt it.

So the bottom line on spring wear in a magazine is: "it depends." Magazines can wear out for many different reasons.

Despite all this, I tend to leave most of my magazines unloaded, but I admit this is not necessarily for sound engineering reasons.

[voodoo54]

I'm a firm believer that you should have at least five magazines per weapon. Of course the more the merrier.

[steve666]

I have one pistol for which I only have 2 mags, because that is all I've been able to find; one for which I have 4; and between 5 and 8 for all of the rest.

[ESAFO]

i have 4-5 for each of my guns & if the price is right then i'll just add more, you can never have enough mags besides they don't take up that much space.

[Double3]

Can never have enough mags IMO.

[wyntrout]

Can never have enough mags IMO.

Ditto on that.

I like a lot of mags for the range and when it looked like some kinds of bans were coming, I decided I would get the Glocks and all the magazines I thought I needed. It's nice to load up several boxes of ammo to shoot when I get tho the range. The 13 and 15-round Glock mags eat up a lot of ammo fast... less than 4 mags to a box... unless you're using the Value-Pack 100 boxes! :D

I do have larger mags for the Glock, but haven't tried them, yet. I'll just hold onto them and maybe do a carbine thing later... maybe with a G21 lower. I can't see taking my pistol down to make a carbine!

Wynn:)

[ESAFO]

i'm good for awhile now....
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae35/ESAFO/IMG_1571_zps5c45bc72.jpg (http://s955.photobucket.com/user/ESAFO/media/IMG_1571_zps5c45bc72.jpg.html)

[jeepster09]

6 each.

[wyntrout]

I shoot for 10 or more, but am still buying them when I can find decent prices! For my recent additions, the Glocks, I have 12 or more and have ordered even more... yesterday... and for guns I don't have... yet!

Wynn:)

[Planedude]

I average four per gun. That average covers the one mag for my 1908 Colt .32 (have not found another mag for a fair price) and the many I have for the three 1911 that are around here.
Four just seems prudent to me as too many autoloader malfuntions are magazine related. Got to have the extra good "go-to Mag" around when you need it.
That said, I don't pass up a good deal on mags for any guns I own...

[Bad Cheese]

Three per gun, is enough for me. Thanks to the others that keep America working!

[phil413tx]

At least 5 per gun.

[LorenzoB]

4 to 6 for me.

[JFootin]

I have 3 mags for each of my semi-auto pistols, and I have two speed loaders for my J-frame. I run on a tight budget and that number seems right. I generally keep one mag empty and I use it to lock the slide back when I need to at home. (My crippled hands can't manage to rack the slide and push the lever up at the same time.) Before I go to the range, I fill those empty mags, as well.

I just added two more mags for my high capacity home defense gun (PPQ), making it 4 mags for that gun. The rest of my guns are compact CC guns.

[7shot]

I've got 4 mags for my K9 and 3 for my XDm

[downtownv]

Having a k9 and a cw9 the mags are interchangeable so 8 mags in total
sig 229 6 mags
kimber 45 4 mags

[jocko]

I shoot for 10 or more, but am still buying them when I can find decent prices! For my recent additions, the Glocks, I have 12 or more and have ordered even more... yesterday... and for guns I don't have... yet!

Wynn:)

this weekend. One dealer had over 300 G19 mags for $30..

[Barth]

I shoot for 10 or more, but am still buying them when I can find decent prices! For my recent additions, the Glocks, I have 12 or more and have ordered even more... yesterday... and for guns I don't have... yet!

Wynn:)

Haven't yet bought mags for guns I don't own.
I've come close many times though.
Promised myself not to buy accessories for guns I don't at least have on order.

Of course we all know what my promises are worth - LOL!

[muggsy]

Holy crap! No wonder the cost of magazines is so high. You guys are hoarding them and driving up the price. I don't expect to last longer than 2 mags in a gun fight. :)

[wyntrout]

The Glocks and magazines for them and the G21 I don't have were a direct result of the political climate and Great Ruler's push to limit or eliminate these things... as were my ammo purchases over the last 15 months or so. I didn't want to wait until those things were gone and my choices WERE gone.

Magazines can break or get lost and it's nice to be able to load a bunch for the range and just shoot for a while without having to stop and load each magazine when you only have what came with the pistol!:eek:

It's also nice to NOT have to unload my SD mags for use at the range.

I also worried about Internet sales of ammo and gun-related stuff being curtailed or taxed, so I got as much of everything I thought I might need for a while. I barely beat the "shortage" with receipt of my last order's arrival back in February of a case of +P .45 Gold Dots from Underwood. It was getting to be about the only thing in stock at that time. I didn't even realize that it was +P at the time, because I don't shoot +P in .45, but it will work fine in the larger .45's. I don't plan on shooting any more of that in my PM45, though, as two brand new mags developed splits shooting that... one would not fit in the grip after just two mags full! Kahr replaced ALL of my .45 mags.

I listened to a financial advice radio show this morning and a woman was talking to the hosts... she had just taken the class and applied for her CWP and one of things she WASN"T going to do was convert her IRA and 401K to GUNS and AMMO.:D That WAS one of the things I did a bit... buy more guns, lots more ammo, and magazines for the possibility that our money supply tanks and things get really hard. These things are for defense and possible barter commodities... possibly more valuable and easier to use than gold or silver... in several ways.:D Paper money won't be worth as much as toilet paper and other necessities.

A lot of new Kahr owners can't find extra magazines and ammo to break in their new pistols, and this condition could last a long time, because all of a sudden, many people who didn't have those things suddenly wanted to exercise their options before those choices were taken away!

If there were a Dow Jones type market indicator on ammo, it would probably show a 300 to 500% increase or more in some calibers of ammo! How soon these shortages end is really open to debate and much speculation... small comfort if you have little or no ammo... for defense... let along breaking in your new guns and determining reliability with particular ammo types.

Wynn:)

[HighLife]

I always have the same answer for the "How Many" question. And that's "One less than I already have." Actually, I have 6 each for my K40 and SA 1911. And my wife has 6 each for her CW9 and SA XD9. We're comfortable with that amount. For now. You can never have too many at the range. That reloading just interferes with the shooting.

Bob

[Kahrdriver64]

Not a question of how many for me. If I see a mag that fits one of my kahrs at a fair price, i buy it. Same is true for comp ii spread loaders for my revolvers.