+1 on the UpLULA...a very good investment and makes reloading actually fun.  My wife and son both have their own because the kept stealing mine!

The type of handgun often influences the number of mags I consider.  For service size/HD guns, my goal is 10-12 magazines.  This really helps cut down range time when doing drills and allows you to cycle through loaded magazines to keep an eye on any potential magazine problems.

I include all compacts and double-stack sub-compacts in the same category: 10-12 magazines, however some may be mixed with the standard or higher-capacity extended magazines.  

Any handgun with a standard magazines capacity over 10 rounds will always be at political risk of a ban.  I would really recommend getting to 10-12 magazines on-hand as any scares will dry up markets and drive up costs.  Magazines are expendable for the most part (especially if the out tube is damaged or feed lips are broken/cracked) and will require replacement over time.  

With my smaller, single stack magazines (think Kahr, P225, P938, Shield, Ruger 22/45, Buckmark and Kimber UC, etc.), I try and get close to 10 per handgun, but no less than 6 magazines.  It’s hard to swallow too many $40 6-round magazines!  Still, these are more often carried and are still excellent range guns to practice your CCW drills; more magazines are better and cut down on reloading time at the range.  My wife’s primary CCW is a Ruger LC9 and I buy her a couple mags for Christmas and her B-Day every year; she’s up to 10 which allows her to run through several drills quickly without needing to reload.

Pocket guns and the smaller BUGs (P3AT, P32, and Beretta 21A) usually get 5-6 magazines.  I’m less concerned about the smaller ones as they don’t get used a ton at the range and only for very short drills needing a few magazines to stay proficient.  

Lastly, don’t neglect magazine maintenance for all your magazines.  I still have a dozen 60-70’s era 20 round M16 magazines that are fully functional.  I’ve replaced all the springs, some followers and base-plates.  There were all military surplus, so there is no telling how much use they could have seen, but structurally, they are still sound.  They just get used for bench shooting and zeroing, but I suspect I’ll be able to hand them down to my son after another 20 years…not a bad lifespan for an expendable item.  Magazine care and maintenance is important and often neglected.  

ROCK6

I have 4 mags for carry on my full sized handgun.15 round FNX 45 mags are $52+...sooooo....
I'll get more as time goes by, but 4 mags carry 60 rounds, and that's enough for carry.
For my SCCY CPX-1 9mm sub-compact, I carry 2- 10 round mags + 1 in the pistol. I have 4 more for range.

I like to start with 4-5.  Maybe more depending on role and use.

At least 10.  If you can do extra capacity mags, go for it.  I have a bunch of standard 1911 7 round mags, but more 8 round mags.

I have 10 for every rifle I have, but with handguns I usually have 5 minimum.  Ones I use and shoot more often can go up from there, but 5 minimum.

I have 5 mags for every pistol and 20 for every rifle.

5 is a good start.
Add more when or if you want.

I have somewhere near 55-60 mags for 2 Glock 19's and the Glock-mag AR SBR I'm building. My only other mag fed pistol is a dedicated AA conversion kit host G19 frame. I currently have 4 mags for it, and should probably buy some more one of these days.

Having lived through the 94-04 Federal AWB, I vividly recall the prices for magazines. I'm also smart enough to realize that the anti-gun folks learned some lessons from that ban. I have no doubt that any future bans would include prohibitions on transferring existing mags, as well as prohibitions on transfer/manufacture of newly manufactured mags. So, I'll stock up now, while they are available and at a reasonable cost.

I also have a couple hundred mags for my AR's, for the same reasons.

Minimum of 6.  5 spares and 1 in all the time.

Wife has a Glock 19 and I carry a G17. We have 5 G19 mags and 20 G17 Mags. Adding another 10 this month and will call it good.

AR mags I think 50-100 would suffice most SHTF situations and all the shooting I'll do for now. Have bags of GI mags laying around that I swap magpul followers into when I find them on sale.

1st of all, thanks to the OP for reminding me I need to add some mags for some of my guns.  I'm not too concerned about most things 10 rounds or less but need to add some Hi-Power mags and 2011 .38 super mags along with AR mags and M1A mags.  Another thing to consider is obsolete guns.  I recently tried to buy extra mags for my ole model 39 Smith.  They don't make them anymore!!  Took me a while to find the new 9 round "will work in a model 39" versions too.

6 as a minimum, however, I have way more than that for everything.

10-15 for important guns such as home defense, daily carry or even commonly used guns. 3-4 for guns of less importance but still more is better.

I standardized on the glock 9mm platform for my go to pistols. I have 2 g26, 4 g19 and uhhh 20 or more g17 mags. I don't even own a g17! If I only had 1 pistol,  I'd try to have at least 10 mags for it.
Being in the glock 9mm game, magpul really changed the mag situation. I'm buying them up whenever I see the at a good price. Great mags for the range...I only carry factory mags though.

Those that lived through the 1994 - 2004 ban know the answer to your question: buy cheap and stack deep.

I was cleaning the six Glock 23 mags I bought from AIM last week for $11.95 a piece and thinking to myself that at one time...that was $600.

I have 10 or 11 of the 33's (1/2 still niw) & prolly 20 std cap mags for my 17&19.
But also have a 26 to feed

I feel like 4 is my minimum number for a handgun. I try to have 6 per pistol though. More is always better.

Low use guns 6 minimum.  Three duty three range.

Moderate to high use guns, x+1.  X being the current number I have.

Because I plan on my grandkids not running out of magazines.

This! I like to have 10 mags per pistol as a minimum for my go to pistols and even more for AR15's & AK's. I like to keep spare magazine springs handy as well with dessicant packets in parts bin drawers as well to make mags easily serviceable.

For my fullsize Sigs and Glocks that get shot a lot at matches and classes?   Probably 30 or so.  They get lost, stepped on, whatever.   I aleays need more as I came up during the AWB too.

3 minimum

The way this have gone in the past with   CLINTON's Gun Policy:
And sense we have a 50/50 chance to have another Clinton in the white house again. If you have a 100 mags per gun.
IMHO I would keep buying them while you can!
It has been stated before: one or two a mouth/ or a year!  No I do not have a 100 per gun, yet!
But I'm working on it:  



Yes this is my highest amount on one gun! The rest are a work in progress!!!
These do not cover my range mags or my carry mags! Just saying.
They sure tried to band mags over 10rds after Sandy Hook!
All it takes is an anti- constitutional administration: Local, state or nation!!!

PITA45


How many guns/mags do you have: I may have more then I need, But not as many as I want!!!