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Posted: 4/26/2007 4:02:29 PM EDT
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Ok, I'm new to AR-15s, (RRA NM A2) and I'm wondering how many Mags I should have on hand. I was thinking along the lines of 5 20rds and 3 30rds. My plan would be to have the 20rds for High Power Service Rifle comp. And the 30s just to have them if they try to ban them again. Wont be doing many 30rd shots with the price of ammo as it is. My question is, how often to mags fail? And during the last ban, how did you mag situation hold up? (i.e. Did you realize the mags failed, and you should have had more stashed away?) How many mags would you recommend for a single AR? |
Well I am sitting on about 50 right now and my goal is to double that number. Many members here put my inventory to shame  Lets see 100 mags would put me at 25 per AR. That is good for me. 
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I have not tried to count my mags in a long time but I will guess I have about a dozen 20s and perhaps 2-3 dozen 30s and three 223 BETAs. For 9mm I have about 12 Colt 32s and another dozen IMI 32s that were modified to 9mm. I would have more mags except I have been building my stash of AR-10 (have about 36), AKs (well over 100 7.62x39, about 24 5.45x39, about 12 5.56) FAL (have about 60 mags), UZI (well over 100-mags - could be close to 200 now), M11/9 (3-dozen), 10/22 (only 18 so far but growing), Glock (about 40 between 9mm and 45acp), and 1919a4 (about 5000 links and a dozen or so belts). You are not thinking the correct scale IMHO as if there is another ban I expct there will NOT be a sunset! I am buying to have enough mags to last a few GENERATIONS not a few years! |
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I have (1) colt 30 rounder, (1) Promag 30 rounder, (2) D&H 20 rounders and (1) 10 rounder i got packaged with the rifle from Armalite. What can i say... I'm an AR owner on a very tight budget. I buy ammo and upgrade parts before i buy new magazines but rest assured i intend to buy at least 2 or more Dark Earth colored window Pmags once funds allow. 
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I agree, I may not be thinking big enough scale. That's kind of why I'm asking this question. I'm pretty sure I don't need a hundred, but maybe a couple dozen would be good. My plan would be to let my little one have my AR and SKS when I go... Provided these proposed stupid bans don't happen that would ban my kid from inheriting them. Otherwise, my wife has said she will bury them with me. Looks like I'll have to place an order at 44MAG for some mags. I see they are back ordered again on the 30s. Then I figured out why. I didn't realize everyones favorite congress women proposed a new law to ban all high capacity mags last week. You know... This Democratic controlled congress sure is costing me money now. But I better spend it know, or I wont be allowed to later. Thanks for the feedback guys... |
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The usual answer on how may mags you need for each rifle is about 20 mags. During the last ban I only have about 15 30rd mags and 6 20rd mags for my three pre ban ARs, one was a carbine, a 20" Gov't profile barrel A2 and a 20" HBAR. Now I have about more than double what I had before but I need to double it again to meet my goal of 20 mags per gun, I still have 3 ARs but they're all new no ban, two carbines and a rifle. Just get as many as you could get, that's what I'm trying to do now so if I order some parts I usually get 3 to 6 extra mags included with my order. The next ban might not have a sunset so I'm thinking of also getting a bunch of stainless mags so I could pass them on to my kids. 
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In today's world I have 20 for each AR Plus 5 twenty rounders for my match rifles. You should go to a Service rifle competition with 5 mags. Two for the rapid fire events, one for the single round stages and two spares. That will get you through several seasons. I keep 3 Stainless Steel with CS springs loaded and ready in my tafctical bag. 2 empth in my range bag. 15 of mixed types stashed. For my son who just got back from the 82nd, 7 rebuilds he brought home in his ruck, I put new SS springs, he already had magpul followers I sent him. Then 5 twenty rounders. But I have many stashed for all of us. I suggest you go to the Eand E and get 5 thirty rounders initially, military, CProducts, D&h, doesn't matter. Then do 2 a month for 4 months. Add 5 twenty rounders and that should set you up. I suggest that 2 of you mags be CProducts Stainless with CS springs and you use the hell out of these. |
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Well, we've addressed quantity but not quality so far. Durability of M-16 magazines is surprisingly excellent, and I have yet to wear one out in a non-combat environment. Actually, after seven months of running patrols in Ramadi and Fallujah as an advisor to an Iraqi battalion, I only had to do away with one magazine when it somehow became slightly dented and I didn't trust it anymore. I will go with new, but tested mags next time, and the continually-loaded combat mags are now my non-combat mags. A few are preban mags that still work from the early 1990s. The two 20-round mags I took with me stayed loaded the whole time and have chrome-silicone springs from Brownells; I have intentionally left one of them loaded for about three years and empty it occasionally. It is almost devoid of finish, but works fine. Ilatched onto a few of the HK mags before leaving Fallujah and, although I wouldn't carry a full complement of them, due to weight considerations, one stayed in the rifle all the time. They are nice! Get every single one you can lay hands on! |
Man Rudy you have it Bad 20 per AR and how many ars do ya have
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I get depressed when I think about how may mags I have to get for my ARs and other assault style rifles. I got: 3 X 5.56 ARs (working on my SPR now 4th AR) 9mm AR carbine (Colt type 9mm mags) 3 AKs 2 Steyr AUGs Galil AR IMI Uzi (.45 grease gun mags and 9mm Uzi mags)  But at least I have about 100 clips for my CMP M1 Garand.
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I shot the same 5-6 mags during the ban and they're still holding up, old school gi spec with black followers. I stashed 27 or so in my gun safe and they're still there. After the ban I picked up 15 30 rds, 5 20 rd'rs. 30 more 20 rounders will be delivered any day now. Then I'm going to order 30 or so 30 round mags just because. The time to buy mags is now, not after the next ban kicks in. ETA: they're here  .jpg)
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I've personally got around 30 mags. I keep 6 loaded up with range ammunition and keep the others loaded with SHTF ammo. About twice a year, I unload the range ones, replace the springs and followers - load them up with SHTF ammunition. I take 6 of my SHTF ones, unload them, and load them with range ammo. This ensures that my mags are always in a state of servicability as they are effectively all newly rebuilt over a couple year period. As far as the life expectancy on a USGI mag, I can honestly say that I have never seen one go bad in my personal experience. This includes finding a USGI 30rd fully loaded that I had left in a gear bag and forgot about for nearly 8 years. I took it to the range and fired it fully expecting problems. However, I did not have a problem with it at all. Most of the wear on mags comes from repeated loading/unloading (which causes stress on the spring), dropping them on concrete, or other abuse. |
The ones that aren't in rifles or mag-pouches I keep in bulk diaper boxes -- inconspicuous and sturdy as all get-out. (Folks here from the Alabama FOP shoots can attest to my diaper boxes full of loaded mags... )
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I probably have way more than I "need" but I don't have as many as I want. I only have two ARs but I think I have around 150 or so USGI 30 rd mags and seven or so 20 rd mags. I guess I keep thinking back to the ban days and hoping those days don't return. I figure if I ever need to get rid of any of them, I will at least get my money back. NIB/NIW OKays & Centers:  All the rest of them:  ................I am actually a small-time mag whore compared to lots of guys here. 
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My opinion is that you need a minimum of 10 functionally flawless mags per gun. Of course, you never really stop acquiring them; so you'll end up with literally hundreds of mags stuffed into various containers. Not sure why, but I tend to slow down at around 25 for every handgun, but I have hundreds for my ARs, AKs and FALs. |
| There are times I think the members of ARFCOM have more guns, mags, and ammo then some countries out there... Then again, if some country was to invade us they would discover that a subset of the population of this country could really put a hurting on an invading army! |
1,100, that is amazing I have no idea how many mags I have all together, it's a lot but not close to that number. |
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Thanks for all the feedback guys. Looks like I should shoot for the 2+ dozen quantity. I have to agree with an earlier post. Some of you guys must have more guns/mags/ammon then some countries. For sure, some police departments. I dont plan on being at that level, just enough to make sure I can enjoy my 2nd Amendment rights. Oh, and speaking of those rights, I've been having a running battle with the wife. Because of a comment by an ACLU rep, that the 2nd Amendment shouldn't give Americans the right for any type of weapon (You all know where that is going.) and made a stupid comment that would that allow people to have Thermal Nuclear Bombs. So I told my wife... Hey, I didn't realize that, so I WANT ONE!!!he Well, I'm off to the gun show today and we'll see |
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Heres what I do. If I plan on carrying 9 mags if the SHTF then I need 27, 12 would be 36 etc; Or a good number is 30 per AR, thats way I have plenty of spares for another ban etc; I also have specific mags just for range use so Im not wearing out my stored ones after they are tested |
 That picture makes me feel tingley.Who else has magwhore pics? |
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No such thing as too many magazines; you can always rotate them, rebuild them and barter with them with other people; non LEO marked mags are always a plus, just in case the sheeple get a magazine ban that makes ownership of LEO magazines a felony (don't think it'll happen? You wait). Getting old surplus mags at the gun shows is always good, then just rebuild them with a kit from either Brownell's or C Products. straight 20 rounders from Colt are getting hard to find, so stock up wherever you find them. |
WAIT!!!!! Before you do anything. May I make a personal suggestion? I don't know how many mags you have right now, and I also don't know what your personal budget limitations are, BUT: Magpul just came out with a new polymer mag, the PMAG, and the newest revision is set to be on the market in may. I have noticed a LOT of dealers have discount pricing when you buy in larger lots, like 25, 50, 100 etc etc. Since you PLAN on buying 25+ mags anyway, why not buy them all at once at a discount? I plan on buying one huge lot of black PMAGs, and taking care of my mag hoard-dom in one fowl swoop. |
Why risk getting all your AR mags in a plastic magazine? Thermolds were known to buldge and crack in the cold. Meanwhile aluminum mags are cheaper and have been tested to work in battlefields from the artic, to jungle and desert. Why put all your eggs in one basket with an unproven plastic magazine? |
I don't get it either, these MagPul mags just came out and everyone thinks they're the next best thing next to sliced bread. Sorry but I'll stick with my Aluminum mags that have been proven more than just a month or so. Nothing against them, I'll pick up a couple eventually but I'll let you guys figure out the problems first. 
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The answer to silly questions like this is that there is no answer. Guy #1 who is preparing for the end of the world thinks the answer is a thousand mags, because he needs to provide for his great great great great grandchildren, and guy #2 who thinks they'd never ban mags thinks the answer is 3, because that's all he uses. You need as many as YOU need, and then probably double that for any of a hundred contingencies. How many ARs do you have? How often do you shoot? How many mags do you go through in one session? If you think firearms rights are in jeopardy, then theoretically your goal should be lifelong self sufficiency with guns, mags, ammo, and parts. What that goal is, or how fast you reach it, is just a question of preference, greed, and finances. You can keep some around to sell, but the latest proposed McCarthy ban seeks to eliminate transfer of mags...so the fellows who have crates full of mags will be stuck with a bad investment they can never take advantage of, or risk criminal prosecution by selling them underground. So why ask for everyone else's number? Come up with your own number on your own. All of us did!
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I've heard two theories that work for me: 1) 10 for each pistol and 25 for each rifle, and a pile of rebuild kits to keep them going. 2) Enough for 10-20 years of use. Personally, it depends on what you are doing and the expected wear and tear. You say just high power now, and if I remember correctly 5 good straight 20rds is fine and should last you a few years. However are you planning to ever take a tactical rifle class or other high round class, where you want to reload a vest or pouch from a stash? That's when the 9 mag holders come in handy like this: http://www.greenmountaingear.com/product_p/m16-39acu.htm or even 44mm cans all filled up, and then you need the pile of 30rd mags, and the pile of ammo. And if this scares you off a classes, that's not the point. You can get through most rifle classes with just 4 mags, but would you rather be loading mags. or picking the instructors brain? So we are truly not mag whores, but just getting ready to go back to school.  I've never had a good mag fail, yet even after stomping one into the dirt. However, I have had crap mags... be crap. RR |
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