You can never have enough (Fill In The Blank Here). That’s a pretty broad category, isn’t it? You can never have enough ammo, money, cars, toys, jewelry…it all depends on what we’re talking about and whom we ask. Today we’re talking about magazines for firearms. Specifically, how many should we have on hand?
The title of this article might be confusing. Do I mean, how many magazines should we take along for self-defense or combat? Or how many magazines should we have in our inventory for a given firearm?
For the purposes of this particular article, we’re going to talk about how many magazines we should own for each gun in our inventory.
For Rifles
As a general rule, I’d say have a minimum of 10 magazines available for any semi-auto rifle that you own. More is always better. In the case of rifles like the AR-15, there’s no reason not to have a plentiful stash of magazines on hand, given the availability and dirt-cheap price that we’re now enjoying.
Why should we have so many?
Attrition
When we use magazines, they can wear out from use. Aside from simply feeding the weapon, they often get dropped, stepped on, and dented. The feed lips can become bent (in which case, the only fix is to trash them), and they won’t feed reliably.
Legislation
During the last AWB (Assault Weapons Ban), we were fortunate, in that it had a 10-year sunset clause. After 10 years, the bill became null and void. Factories could once again make, and we could purchase, standard capacity magazines (as opposed to the 10-round neutered magazines).
Do you think the next AWB will be set up that way? You’d best believe the other side will do their darndest to make it permanent.
If that’s the case, how many magazines do you think it will take to see you through your lifetime? Yeah, a bunch.
Action
Let’s say, for a moment, that everything hits the fan—that proverbial Zombie Apocalypse that we’re always talking about. Suddenly, we find ourselves having to defend hearth and home. Or perhaps riots hit. Or any one of dozens of doomsday scenarios plays out.
Basically, it might be all-out combat. You think I’m insane, right? Well, take a look at how the world is running right now, then call me a lunatic. Go on, I’ll wait.
If we find ourselves battling other armed people, we might drop a magazine during a mag change while engaging hostiles. Will we have time to stop and scoop up that magazine from the ground while we’re being shot at? Maybe…just maybe…it won’t be at the top of our priorities list. Somewhere in the middle of shooting, moving, and communicating, we’re going to lose some magazines during gun battles.
How many magazines do you reckon might be lost in that manner? Yeah, I don’t know either, but I’m betting a few here and there. To which I will ask: how long will your stash of magazines last between combat losses and breakage?
All of a sudden, having a minimum of 10 magazines doesn’t seem quite so outlandish, does it? Yes, I’m going worst-case scenario, but as I type this, nothing seems to be out of the realm of possibility.
For Pistols
I look at pistols a little differently than rifles. Allow me to explain why.
Defense/Carry
Primarily, I carry my pistols for self-defense daily because they’re convenient. And people would look at me strangely if I walked into my favorite restaurant or bookstore with an AR-15 slung over my shoulder. I’d be talking to the police regularly, too, in such instances. That’s no bueno.
We carry pistols because they’re concealable and convenient. For that role, I really don’t need to have 10 pistol magazines on me. I normally have two magazines as spares on my person when out and about.
How many total magazines would I like for each pistol? Having 10, just like for the rifle, wouldn’t hurt, and for the same reasons as the rifle.
Attrition
Magazines can eventually wear out and/or break. Especially depending on your training tempo. High-speed magazine changes, mags hitting the floor, being stepped on, or maybe even lost, will eventually take their toll.
Legislation
During the AWB, full-capacity pistol magazines were selling for well above $100 (and that was nearly 20 years ago). Imagine what those prices would be today if we were under such ban! And again, I don’t think they’ll let the next AWB have a sunset clause if they happen to pass a bill like that.
Action
My pistols aren’t my primary combat weapons, being defensive in nature. Despite that, if I were going into combat, I’d have a pistol on me as a backup. The same goes here as with the rifle — if I engage attackers, I may be going through reloads and not have the time or convenience to pick them up off the ground while fighting for my life.
Magazine Interchangeability
It’s nice when we have a few firearms that can interchangeably utilize the same type of magazine. Maybe they are AR-15s, Glocks, or Sigs. Quite a few firearms companies make magazines that can be used in several of their weapons. For example, the Glock 17, 19, 19X, 26, and every other Glock 9mm double-stack pistol can basically use the same magazines.
A Glock 26 can use mags from the 17, 19, 19X, and larger pistols. Yes, they’ll protrude out the bottom of the magazine well, but they will function. Hell, you can stuff a 33-round Glock mag in the little Glock 26 and fire it. It looks ridiculous, but it functions. Of course, a Glock 26 magazine isn’t going to fit into the larger Glock pistols because their grips are longer and it won’t have enough length.
Many pistols in the Sig Sauer lineup are similar, as well as other firearms manufacturers. It’s great having a handful of magazines that we can use for a host of our pistols or rifles; we get more bang for the buck (no pun intended).
And these days, there are some pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) on the market that accept Glock magazines, as well as mags from other manufacturers. That ups the convenience factor dramatically.
The same holds true with America’s Rifle, the AR-15. As long as the calibers are the same, all AR-15 mags can be interchanged with any number of rifles or AR pistols.
Another spectacular aspect of the AR-15 magazine is that they’re now being made by the tens of millions. They’re plentiful and cheap! How cheap? They can usually be found for under $15 each, and sometimes even under $10, so we can afford to build up a healthy stock of them.
One of America’s other favorite rifles, the AK-47 platform, also has magazines aplenty on the market. There are foreign-made imports as well as magazines made right here in the country.
Magpul’s PMags are stellar performers for the AK series, just as they are for the AR series of rifles. They are extremely affordable and plentiful at the time of writing, selling for as little as $12.99. They also sell their 20-round magazine for the same price, and I really like the 20-rounders for their slightly shorter length and better handling characteristics.
Just like with the AR series, if you have an AK, there’s no reason why you can’t have quite a few magazines on hand, as their prices are incredibly reasonable. And AK magazines are typically very robust, so they tend to last a long time.
Building The Supply
Do I suggest going out and buying scores of magazines for your weapons today? Only if you’re inclined to and can afford it.
Rather, I suggest using the same strategy that I do while I’m trying to build up my ammo supply, which is to do it gradually. Buy a magazine here and there. You might see AR-15 mags for $10 each, so grab one or two at a time. Over the next couple of weeks, pick up a few more. Do the same for your other weapons.
We don’t have to break the bank to do it; treat it like anything else that you’re saving up for. Small, bite-sized pieces are much more manageable than a huge glut of products all at once. You’ll be shocked at how fast it adds up. It will give you peace of mind to have a goodly supply of magazines on hand.
In Conclusion
As I write this, it’s amazing to me how great of a time we live in to get our magazine-fed firearms stocked up and ready for whatever might befall us. Hopefully, the most challenging hurdles we will face will be at the firing range, punching holes in legions of harmless, paper targets. Or perhaps making steel targets ring to the notes of clever musical compositions.
Why assume, though, that life will be all flowers and unicorns? I believe in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. We can slowly build up our inventory of magazines (and other essentials) to where we have a healthy reserve to get us through hard times.
How about it — do you have enough magazines for the long haul? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section!
