Ah, presidential elections. Nothing brings out the worst in both parties like grand-standing, mud-slinging, and character assassination on a national stage. While modern politics in America are more patrician and over-the-top than ever, one thing stays consistent through the past few decades: democrats reject private ownership of certain firearms as a right.
In this same vein, nothing would make Senators like Diane Feinstein happier than banning all guns in America save for those in the hands of military and police forces. Despite the hypocrisy of stating in the same breath that the police are corrupt and shouldn’t be trusted. But I’m not here to write an article that’ll give my readers high blood pressure, watching the news can do that for me.
No, the point of this article is to simply point out which magazines a shooter should buy preemptively, in case of a so-called, ‘high-capacity magazine’ ban.
The first thing to wrap your mind around with this mental exercise is that there is no set metric for what is, or isn’t a high-capacity magazine. It’s all up to the whim of politicians. New York residents discovered that the hard way when their ridiculous 7-round magazine limit was put into effect. What this means for shooters, is that they should balance what mags they should stock up on based on value to others, and value to themselves. This brings me to our first magazine.
1. 17+1 9mm Glock 17 Magazine
Sure, they’re a bit ridiculous inside the 26, but in the model 19, they only protrude an inch or so from the magazine well. If you’re wondering why I don’t advocate simply buying Glock 19 mags, it’s because the 17’s mag well only accommodates 17-and larger magazines.
Additionally, many pistol caliber carbines now feed from Glock magazines. So having a dozen of these on hand means safeguarding both an ample supply of pistol magazines for a very common handgun, and magazines for a carbine as well. Not to mention the fact that they’re not terribly expensive, and they normally outlast the shooter. – If your bank account can’t handle OEM or factory magazines, Korean mags are the next best thing, as current production SGM mags feature steel reinforcements like the originals.
2. Magpul 30-round PMAG
These magazines feature anti-tilt followers to provide more reliable feeding, and unlike aluminum or steel magazines, are much harder to crush. PMAGs are available in a couple of different colors, but if a shooter wants something special, they should buy sand-colored magazines. These can be easily dyed in any shade of color imaginable with simple textile dye like RIT Dye.
Also, like the Glock mags mentioned above, PMAGS aren’t just for AR-15 carbines. Since they are STANAG-pattern, they fit in a daunting array of different guns chambered in a handful of calibers. So no matter what 5.56mm rifle you buy in the future, chances are, you’ll have spare mags for it.
3. Gibbs Matra AKM/AK-47 Magazines
“Idiot!” “Charlatan” “Imbecile!” “Fool!” They’ll call me in the comments section. Doesn’t everyone know that Magpul makes the best polymer AK magazines on the planet!?
First off, they don’t – they make a very close second to the Bulgarian Circle 10 steel-reinforced magazines.
Second, I recommend these magazines over Magpul variety, because they’re cheaper and damn near indestructible. Plus, they look like an AK magazine should. Not that there’s anything wrong with a Magul AKM mag, but far more shooters buying an AK are more interested in a semi-traditional look. Plus, as countless third-world countries have shown, these magazines can double as makeshift entrenching tools in a pinch.
Beyond the duality of garden tool and gun magazines, Gibbs Matra steel magazines are just great mags, period. Not only are they military-grade and affordable, they also have a distinct advantage over Magpul’s magazines – the last bullet, hold open.
See, the Matra magazines are based on Yugoslavian mags, which were the first AK mags to implement a special follower that keeps the bolt locked to the rear when devoid of ammunition. Now, these mags normally run about 13-15 bucks each, making them a great deal for the price. Plus, if you’re going to buy a few and not use them all right away, they ship in a grease-laden plastic wrapper. Rust won’t be an issue for decades.
4. Bedside / Carry Gun Magazines
Regardless of what type of firearm you use for home defense or concealed carry, shooters should purchase spare magazines for these first. Not only to future-proof their weapon of choice but to ensure they’re never stuck with a single mag that will eventually malfunction.
While this seems like obvious advice, it’s important to mention. Even if you carry a wheel gun that uses moon clips, but a handful. In fact, especially in that case, since they’re cheap and easy to break (ask me how I know).
With all of these mags, don’t go overboard and buy pallets of mags; if something draconian like the NY Safe Act were to happen, it would be terrible to lose all your mags in a tragic boating accident. That’s a lot of money tied up in something a shooter wouldn’t be able to legally sell.
What’s too much? I don’t know. I do know, that for any gun that I own, I like to have at least six full-capacity magazines for it. Just enough to make sure I can normally carry about 150 rounds of ammo if need be. Because who the hell likes having to load magazines at the range anyway?
