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Posted: 1/10/2011 9:39:43 PM EDT
| Whats a good number to have on say a chest rig? Right now I have a TAG Phalanx with 4 built in single mag shingles. How many mags would be needed for SHTF carried? I feel that if I need more than 4 than I should probably have a BoB, and might as well just carry them their instead of on the rig. What about for carbine classes? Thoughts? |
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what are YOU going to do if SHTF
are you going to stand there and shoot or are you going to where the scampering masses arent or are you going to class its two different roles you are asking for one is a purely theoretical exercise and another is an attempt to assess where your abilities lie what do you think needs to be accomplished there? the carbine class description is usually clear on kit requirements... or at least the reputable ones are. YMMV |
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basic load for the Army is 7 mags rifle 3 mags side arm. thats a good rule of thumb
it depends on what youre planning on doing. are you moving a lot and need to save weight? or are you working out of a vehicle or a static position that allows you to carry less and rely on cashes? are you wearing armor or not? do you plan on breaking contact and running or advancing on a threat? all things to consider also to remember in a SHTF or an extended disaster type scenario you may not be able to run to gander mountain and stock up, youre inventory might burn up in a fire etc. you mighy be engaged in multiple seperate engagements that slowly drain your supply over a period of time. everyone says i shouldnt need more than X number of magazines. ok but thats just one engagement. what if you get into X number of engagements? split up your supply. bandoleers are great and so are ammo cans. stash them in your vehicles, houses, armor, belt, bags etc. manage your ammo. when it comes to supressive fire slow your firing rate and make each shot count. treat every bullet as if you might not get another. fight the urge to use warning shots and panic fire. carry as much as you can. no one in a gunfight ever wished they brought less ammo with them. 6 mags is good 8 is better. just remember there is a point of diminishing return, but no one can say where yours is. finally as far as your last question goes, set up your gear how you THINK it will work best for you. then go and take a class. that will show you how things actually work. at least for the most part and you will be able to form a better opinion and concept. |
| If I were in the sandbox I would carry as many as my skinny ass could carry. For gameing I rarely need more than 3 or 4. I went el cheapo and use a USGI vest with 2 three mag shingles. One in the gun makes 7 total. I can also add a pouch if I thought I would need 2 more. In SHTF it would depend. Are you traveling in a vehicle? Defending your home? Rule of thumb you can never have too much ammo. I would have my vest with 7 minumum. |
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One has to be realistic, and balance how many mags one might need (and circumstances WILL vary) against how many one can carry.
It is almost always better to travel light, particularly if one is not definitely in good shape. There is no way to know this except by actual experience, and by that I mean carrying the actual weight/size over a course of varied terrain. Anything else than actual, first-hand trial-and-error experience is simply guessing, and almost certainly guessing wrongly. I have always advocated carrying spare (as opposed ro ready-use) ammo in stripper clips, and in bandoliers. This is a compact and reduced-weight method of carry and there are many milsurp (and aftermarket) pouches available that are well-suited for carrying bandoliers. They are seldom, if ever, advertised as applicable for such purposes, but a little work with a tape measure will allow one to find pouches that are well-suited for carrying bandoliers. As a side note, it is accepted practice to designate a Rally Point where non-essential equipment is cached prior to events. At least some spare ammo is always stashed there. Point is that one seldom carries every last bit of equipment all the time, and that pertains to ammo as well. |
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Since my gear would be used for street/neighborhood patrol/defence in a SHTF scenario, and NOT for hiking cross country somewhere while carrying a pack full of gear, I have 8 rifle mags and 2 pistol mags in my rig.
I figure if it gets too heavy, I can throw some mags into a neighbor's flowerbed and retrieve them later. They are green after all. 
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