HOW MANY MAGS ? (Page 1 of 3)
Joined:
Dec 2025
Posts:
41
EE: 0% (0)
VA, USA
Posted: 2/18/2026 12:26:43 AM EDT
| I just bought a new Walther PPS M2. I have a feeling Walther will stop production of this pistol soon. How many magazines should I buy for it now ? |
Joined:
Dec 2024
Posts:
1217
EE: 100% (3)
VA, USA
|
Originally Posted By mylifemygun: I just bought a new Walther PPS M2. I have a feeling Walther will stop production of this pistol soon. How many magazines should I buy for it now ? In Virginia for a carry piece, my 3 or 4. for shooters, maybe a rotation of ten based on how much you shoot. |
|
Why not buy 5 mags twice a year. I have done that over the last 30 years, I would round robin purchase (Glock this time, AR, .22, Scorpion, etc.) mostly during off panic buys too... Now Unless something stupid happens, like I lose a case full or that get taken, I'll likely never run out of mags. |
LARUEMINATI
NRA Endowment Life Member
Originally Posted By Boom_Stick:
""AKs are for villagers you have to tell not to shit in their water supply.""
NRA Endowment Life Member
Originally Posted By Boom_Stick:
""AKs are for villagers you have to tell not to shit in their water supply.""
|
Realistically, I'm not comfortable unless I have 6 good quality standard capacity mags that are compatible with a particular pistol. 4 mags would be the absolute minimum if they are very expensive or difficult to obtain, especially if it's just a rarely shot curio & relic or range toy. If I have more than two pistols using the same exact mags, I like to have at least two or three mags for each. This way if a mag or two wears out or gets damaged and can't be replaced, I still have a reasonable supply left. Then you also get into capacity and length variations. So a few extra bigger or smaller mags depending on use case. Of course more is more better. 
|
|
Originally Posted By mylifemygun: I just bought a new Walther PPS M2. I have a feeling Walther will stop production of this pistol soon. How many magazines should I buy for it now ? A minimum of six to start. I have anywhere from 1-20 magazines for each handgun I own. The one with 1 has 6 on the way. The only other handgun I own with less than six is my FN 502 which is a 22 LR and only because finding the 15 round magazines is difficult. I like to buy a few here and there as they go on sale and increase the number for each gun. |
The 2nd is not about hunting, it never was. It was put in place for one reason and one reason only. You can't have them, we won't give them up, so get over it.
|
I prefer to have 35-40 for a gun/platform that I will be using a lot. 20 for training, 10 for defense/competition, and 5-10 for back-up. I hate loading mags at the range, so want enough training mags so I don't have to load mags for a short range trip. Living through the 94 ban gives me reason to have back-ups. If the gun is just a novelty or collector gun, I might only have 1 or 2 mags. It really just depends on how much I use the gun. |
|
Given that I have never broken or lost any pistol mags, I'd be comfortable with 4-6 per pistol. It can be cheaper to obtain some replacement springs/followers so you can refurbish them when they start to malfunction. For example, I run a S&W M&P Compact. Last time I checked, mags were running $37-40 each. I picked up some springs and replacement followers for $11 per mag. Given that said magazines have over 8000 rds through them with zero malfunctions since I bought the pistol, they are doing fine. But I can refurbish them and carry on as needed. |
|
In Virginia, you may have more to worry about than Walther’s production plans as opposed to changing regulations around here. In these times, I’d err on the side of more than fewer…. |
Never ask a man if he is from Virginia. If he is, he'll tell you. If he isn't, you don't want to embarrass him.
| Depends. How often do you shoot it? Is it your EDC? A lot of kewl guns just sit in the safe and only occasionally come out. Not much reason to stockpile those. On the other hand if it always goes out on range day or you plan on using it for zombie defense go ahead and stock up. If you carry and never shoot it just a couple will work out well too. Remember people got along quite well with revolvers for decades and they had none, well, arguably 1. |
If you think I am sexy now just wait until you find out I have full medical and dental.
Personal pronouns are; Bro/Dude
Personal pronouns are; Bro/Dude
|
It depends on both the purpose and the make of the pistol. With a good quality magazine, then I can do with less magazines/springs. A less good magazine quality/design that is harder on magazine springs, I'll want more spares. For a carry gun, my rule of thumb is at least 2 training magazines, 1 carry magazine, 1 spare magazine, and at least 1 spare that is function tested and rotated into the carry/spare magazine once every year or two. So, that would be 2+1+1+1=5 minimum. For a range gun that gets a lot of rounds, I would want more. For a range gun that's a novelty or infrequent shooter, I could get by with one or two honestly. |
| A pistol you plan on shooting on a regular basis? 12 per pistol. Something you rarely ever shoot? 4 should be enough. Magazines are expendable. They break, wear out, or get lost. During the Brady Ban, some pistol mags got as high as $150 each. You never want to be caught in a situation like that needing more mags. |
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
Member
Joined:
Jun 2023
Posts:
5812
EE: 0% (0)
WA, USA
Joined:
Dec 2025
Posts:
45
EE: 0% (0)
VA, USA
|
Originally Posted By billclo: Given that I have never broken or lost any pistol mags, I'd be comfortable with 4-6 per pistol. It can be cheaper to obtain some replacement springs/followers so you can refurbish them when they start to malfunction. For example, I run a S&W M&P Compact. Last time I checked, mags were running $37-40 each. I picked up some springs and replacement followers for $11 per mag. Given that said magazines have over 8000 rds through them with zero malfunctions since I bought the pistol, they are doing fine. But I can refurbish them and carry on as needed. Ive shot close to 6k through glock and m&p mags each. I drop them and kick them during classes regularly. Ive been using the same 4 mags of each for the last three years. I have close to 20 mags of each kind and at least 10 of springs and followers so I can service the ones I have. |
|
Originally Posted By 18B30: The correct answer is a simple mathematical equation of X+1 = the number of mags required, with X being the number of mags you currently own. 18Z50 My padawan is not wrong. |
Seriously, a tractor dealer from Possum Trot, KY has to explain this to you, a lawyer? - JPL
Win if you can, lose if you must, but always look good for the crowd.
"A clip of ammunition, for my little Armalite."
Win if you can, lose if you must, but always look good for the crowd.
"A clip of ammunition, for my little Armalite."
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
711
EE: 0% (0)
VA, USA
|
For a carry pistol, I used to have 3, but frankly rarely carried the spares. For competition, 5 or more. For range-only, I have a couple that only have 1. Of course, most of my shooting is done at an outdoor range that's about and hour away, so it's a half-day thing, not in-and-out. I don't have any problems loading mags at the range. I think people that must have 10 or more for each pistol are kinda nuts, but it's their money, what do I care? |
|
Mags are never going to be more available or cheaper than they are today. Eventually you will pass on your pistol or sell it. Look around at the pistols today that have limited magazine availability, the owners wish that they had bought a few spares back in the day. |
|
Originally Posted By gojoe: Mags are never going to be more available or cheaper than they are today. Eventually you will pass on your pistol or sell it. Look around at the pistols today that have limited magazine availability, the owners wish that they had bought a few spares back in the day. This, in spades. I paid $95 for my PA63 with two mags and extra mags were like $8, those mags are selling on ebay for like $75, same with Sig P225/P6 mags. If you buy a surplus gun, one that is out of production or may be getting dropped you best stock up while you can. I also remember the days of $75-100 Glock, Sig, CZ, S&W and other mags over ten rounds from the Clinton AWB years. Nobody thought Virginia would succumb to the level of retardation they have, same with Washington and other states where the politics have been overtaken by the left- and that cancer is growing. The future is uncertain, buy whatever you're comfortable with, but the only constant is change. 
|
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
|
Originally Posted By mannyCA: you can never have too many. never. trust us.  This is the answer. This is still the answer, but that was for AR mags. |
I love a good double entendre.
|
53 Beretta 92 for 2 guns 52 1911 .45 for 6 guns 27 10mm 1911 for 2 guns 69 S&W M&P 9 for 3 guns 8 Glock 43 37 Sig M17 14 17’s 22 21’s 1 30 63 MP5 2 HK 45 6 XDM 10mm 15 G20 41 VP9 for 3 guns 27 G19 for 2 guns 7 M&P 10mm 5 p365 for 2 guns 2 Sig X10 10 M&P 45 4 APX A1 2 CZ P09 10 Walther PDP 10 GSG5 25 AR10 28 .22 AR PMAG 77 USGI 105 Lancer 144 2 Hexamag ETS 42 |
