Gun winter is coming: winterize yourself

[RancidSumo]

The best (read: Snarkiest ) answer I've heard is "too many to count".

Hypothetically, if you shoot USPSA, you might want up to 5 for use in matches, maybe with special basepads. You might also want some relatively low-use ones, maybe three, in the original box, "in case" you want to unload the gun. And then maybe some for range use, if you hate to load mags at the range.

For a strictly carry gun, you might want a couple carry mags (one in the gun, one reload), a "Barney" mag that you use to load up. and whatever "extras" you might want for range visits, so you aren't loading and unloading carry ammo in the primary mags.

I find Glock mags are pretty robust. Hell, you need a Jaws of Life just to take one apart. I've never worn one out.

I think I'm sitting on ~15 practice G19 mags (split roughly evenly OEM and PMAG) and ~10 practice G45 mags with the same split. Plus 3 OEM carry mags for each. Realistically, I think I'll never need more than that (I don't shoot on concrete so they don't get abused), but I can't help but think I need my Glock mag boxes to mirror my AR mag boxes . . .

That is good to hear though that they don't really wear out. I've been kicking around stocking springs/followers/base plates as a cheaper alternative, but don't know if they would ever get used.

[Suvorov]

Question becomes how many Glock mags are enough? For those of you who have been at this longer than I have (pretty much everybody here), have you actually worn them out?

The age old question of “how many mags?”

I suppose we are all about to find out in the upcoming years......

I’ve worn out Beretta mags as well as USGI AR mags before - barring damage due to handling it takes a lot to wear them out. I try to use the guidelines of 6 per pistol and 10 for rifle but I suspect that is prepper logic. I would say 2x your basic load would probably outlast your need.

[RJ]

I think I'm sitting on ~15 practice G19 mags (split roughly evenly OEM and PMAG) and ~10 practice G45 mags with the same split. Plus 3 OEM carry mags for each. Realistically, I think I'll never need more than that (I don't shoot on concrete so they don't get abused), but I can't help but think I need my Glock mag boxes to mirror my AR mag boxes . . .

That is good to hear though that they don't really wear out. I've been kicking around stocking springs/followers/base plates as a cheaper alternative, but don't know if they would ever get used.

I'm FAR from the guy to ask about stocking, but I have found the basepads of Glock mags to be very robust indeed. I've only got through 14 USPSA matches, varying between gravel/rock and sand and dirt. All have been dropped full or partially full, without any care, several times a stage.

I will say the only mag-related shenanigans I've seen took place with a P365XL. Not to bag on Sig, but during one match when I went to reload my rounds, the follower had barfed out the top of the mag body somehow. I stared at it for a few seconds, then just stuffed it back in and carried on. (I had no spare mags; flipping Sig mags cost an arm and a leg, and I only bought 3 extras with the two they give you.). Later I did some comparisons between the Sig follower design and the Glock 48 follower. I was able to nudge the follower out of the Sig mag fairly easily with the end of a plastic Tipton pick; the follower in the Glock mag refused to budge.

This contributed to my conclusion that the P365/XL while a useful carry gun, was not robust enough "for me".


Glock 48 on left, Sig P365/XL on the right. The Sig follower is shown after light pressure on the front, I was able to lever it easily out of mag tube from above.

[GyroF-16]

The age old question of “how many mags?”

I suppose we are all about to find out in the upcoming years......

I’ve worn out Beretta mags as well as USGI AR mags before - barring damage due to handling it takes a lot to wear them out. I try to use the guidelines of 6 per pistol and 10 for rifle but I suspect that is prepper logic. I would say 2x your basic load would probably outlast your need.

I have also deadlined a few Beretta 92 mags in the last few years. They were my oldest mags, and eventually the feed lips got a bit bent, causing malfunctions.

As to minimum numbers, I’ve settle on 5 per handgun type - 2 for carry, 3 for training.

[farscott]

Question becomes how many Glock mags are enough? For those of you who have been at this longer than I have (pretty much everybody here), have you actually worn them out?

Based on living through the 1994 AWB, I remember $20 Glock 17 magazines becoming $100-$150 magazines. And that was with the factories basically running 24/7 cranking out "pre-ban magazines" between the AWB's passage and its effective date. I also remember LGS swapping normal capacity magazines for ten-round magazines. Or just taking one of the two supplied magazines and claiming, "That is how Glock shipped it".

As such, my not-so-snarky answer is, "As many as you can afford." This is especially for double-stack 9x19 magazines as the ten-round 9x19 restricted magazine has a well earned reputation for not reliably feeding.

[Flamingo]

I jumped on several webpages to start buying magazines, but then I decided to count how many mags I have for my Glocks. I don't NEED more, but the hoarder in me wants to get more. I have a bunch of factory 17 and 19 mags, and the Magpul versions as well. I only have a few of the 30 rounders, but I really don't think those really offer much.

I don't have a G48, which is one I want, but I am not going to pay +$300 over MSRP for one. I would buy a couple of the Shield mags just to have them.

[lwt16]

Question becomes how many Glock mags are enough? For those of you who have been at this longer than I have (pretty much everybody here), have you actually worn them out?

I have one that is from the 90s marked for the absurd AWB of the Clinton era. That mag is WELL used and I placed an orange base plate and orange #7 follower in it along with a fresh spring. I use it for dry fire practice. One day I was heading out to shoot (back when ammo was an easy thing to find) and decided to give it a try.

It runs like a champ. No issues whatsoever.

I prefer six mags per pistol and have way more than that now as I have been buying new OEMs for a while now.

Regards.

[FNFAN]

I have a couple dozen Glock mags. The two that I've had any issues were good to go after cleaning and a new spring and were re-marked as range or dryfire mags. I do have a micrometer measurement of the spread between feed lips on new G19 and G23 mags somewhere and had thought of making a check gauge of that width. Just never became that big of an issue. As an aside one of the nice things about the EDC X9 is the top notch magazines. Talk about some smooth feeding!

[Robinson]

I wouldn't feel good having less than a dozen mags in good condition, in each caliber for my 1911s -- and having more is better. I have about twenty good mags each for 45ACP and 38 Super.

[TGS]

Bare minimum for any gun I own is 5.

For me, ideal is 15.....10 for practice, 5 for carry (1 in the gun, up to 2 on my belt, 2 on my armor or go-bag). I like having 10 for practice because I go to the range to shoot, not load mags......so I fill a pouch that holds 10 mags and shoot all of them in the hour I'm allotted at the indoor range.