Number of Mags for STHF

[BLACK LION]

if i lived in a ban state, and the shit really, truely hit the fan... one of the first laws id throw aside would be that BS magazine limit. I'm not gonna be shootin it out with thugs with my 10rd mags and bullet button. **** that.

I agree 100%...

[BLACK LION]

I used 4 mags (2 Pmags/2 D&H Alum mags) that were stored a little over 2 years at the range a few weeks ago. They both functioned like they were supposed to, with no deficiencies in the feed lips or body of the mags. I just loaded up a bunch of mags and stored them in an ammo can, until I came across them 2 years later and was curious if they would function. They were GTG.

Good to know....

[MSP "Sarge"]

Yea it makes since. My Glock mags sit on my duty rig and get used a few times a year. I would suspect that it doesn't hurt them too much. Thanks for the info!

[Jaddra]

In my personal opinion and to be realistic you should carry around 10-13 M4 mags on you (or as the army nowadays 12+1 on the gun=390 rounds), and not more than 3 handgun mags. You should definitely have stored your spare ammo somewhere (bug out vehicle its a plus), but not with you and again of course it all depends on the situation/disaster...

[Mac5.56]

In my personal opinion and to be realistic you should carry around 10-13 M4 mags on you (or as the army nowadays 12+1 on the gun=390 rounds), and not more than 3 handgun mags. You should definitely have stored your spare ammo somewhere (bug out vehicle its a plus), but not with you and again of course it all depends on the situation/disaster...

Check out this thread: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=36968. There is a lot of discussion about your position in it. While I realize that soldiers do this, my question for you is are you capable of adding 13 + 8 approx (gun) pounds to your kit then lugging it around with you in a high stress situation?

[Jaddra]

Check out this thread: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=36968. There is a lot of discussion about your position in it. While I realize that soldiers do this, my question for you is are you capable of adding 13 + 8 approx (gun) pounds to your kit then lugging it around with you in a high stress situation?

Good point dmcmanus and I will agree that the carry load may be heavy for untrained person. The ammo load should be determined by the situation/the objective and the person - a well trained soldier/ex-solder/etc may be fine getting all the ammo (13+ mags) but an ordinary person will be able to get mat be only half of that (6+1). On a short recon ops you don't really need all that heavy load, but on a long moving to a new EP point (no BOV available) the load will definitely change. Personally I will feel better knowing I have few extra mags, but that is just me

P.S. Thank you rob s

[rob_s]

In my personal opinion and to be realistic you should carry around 10-13 M4 mags on you (or as the army nowadays 12+1 on the gun=390 rounds), and not more than 3 handgun mags. You should definitely have stored your spare ammo somewhere (bug out vehicle its a plus), but not with you and again of course it all depends on the situation/disaster...

I think you are nuts.

[Jake0331]

I do 9+1 inserted and 4+1 for the secondary. It isn't bad. I used to carry only 8+1, but I've since ditched the carrier/chest rig combo in favor of a DBT plate carrier and could throw an extra mag on - why not? I've got a dude out here who makes my pouches for me; Scott at SKT Industries. I can see why that many mags wouldn't work for folks, though. If I were to load up more than that on my person, I'd throw on the old H-harness. Then I'd slip an Ace of Spades in my cat-eyes and switch on some Jimi.

Someone mentioned earlier carrying fewer magazines and a lighter load for reconnaissance. Absolutely. I'd grab a small chest rig in that case, maybe 4+1 that's capable of carrying small binos, GPS, and other mission-related gear that I don't have anywhere else on my body. FAK is on the belt.

In a true SHTF scenario, I'd never limit my mag capacity to 4 if I were to expect the unexpected. Rounds go quick when you need them.

[PA PATRIOT]

I was able to ask a family member who has done two tours in the sand box and is now working on his second tour in the hills. I ask what his combat load out was and if he ever ran down to his last magazine during a fire fight. He replied that most killed in his unit during operations were by IED's and not fire fights in both locations, That said he has been in several major missions were he fired at enemy combatants in extended fire fights. His mission load out on short humps is eight and one, on longer humps many strip down the weight losing two magazines, the sidearm & ammo and a grenade. They never remove body armor/plates, water, med kit or com. In all his combat missions he stated that he never fired more then four magazines in any one of them. Asking his opinion on state side ammo carry during a SHTF event he answered with a question of his own. How many Police Officers who were armed with AR's during a fire fight has every made it Thur their primary magazine. Thinking back over the past 20 years of my LEO career I have never heard of a PPD swat officer ever getting past a few rounds with a AR. I don't think the LA bank shootout had swat officers reloading their AR's during the finial take down. I'M sure some were a LEO had to expend more then one magazine from a AR but I would think it is not common place to do so. I'M really starting to think that four and one maybe a good load out for local operations during a SHTF movement and using the weight savings for a extra med kit, compact binoculars and a food bar. When pressed for a magazine count for CONUS work his reply was three or four.

[Outlander Systems]

I was able to ask a family member who has done two tours in the sand box and is now working on his second tour in the hills. I ask what his combat load out was and if he ever ran down to his last magazine during a fire fight. He replied that most killed in his unit during operations were by IED's and not fire fights in both locations, That said he has been in several major missions were he fired at enemy combatants in extended fire fights. His mission load out on short humps is eight and one, on longer humps many strip down the weight losing two magazines, the sidearm & ammo and a grenade. They never remove body armor/plates, water, med kit or com. In all his combat missions he stated that he never fired more then four magazines in any one of them. Asking his opinion on state side ammo carry during a SHTF event he answered with a question of his own. How many Police Officers who were armed with AR's during a fire fight has every made it Thur their primary magazine. Thinking back over the past 20 years of my LEO career I have never heard of a PPD swat officer ever getting past a few rounds with a AR. I don't think the LA bank shootout had swat officers reloading their AR's during the finial take down. I'M sure some were a LEO had to expend more then one magazine from a AR but I would think it is not common place to do so. I'M really starting to think that four and one maybe a good load out for local operations during a SHTF movement and using the weight savings for a extra med kit, compact binoculars and a food bar. When pressed for a magazine count for CONUS work his reply was three or four.

Prudent, indeed.

3+1 seems like the optimal setup. If you need more than that, you are most likely getting yourself into more trouble than you should have.

1) Stay off of roads
2) Less Rambo, more MacGuyver
3) 30 rounds of well-aimed shots are a lot; 120 is a DAMNED lot. Like wheel-guns, if you live long enough to fire 120 shots at a bad-guy, and don't hit him; throw it in the river and run.

I believe in the possibility of some liquid-defecation to hit the fan, but I can't see any plausible scenario where a loadout of more the 3+1 mags for primary would be needed; short of a civil war, or armed insurrection against a tyrannic government.

Hmmm, that last statement makes me like the 8+1 idea better.