Am I over doing it?

[Retread]

I take preparedness seriously, but maybe I've gone a bit overboard with my SHTF/CHL pistol. I be grateful for some input from other preppers. Heres the scenario:

I carry all the time except when in bed, and then its within reach. I didn't carry for long before I figured out that the weight and size of my 45 got in the way of my farming work. So I got a small and light 9mm which solved those problems. That little thing was perfect for my needs.

I developed a physical problem and realized that shooting that pistol had become a problem. I had to scale down to something that has less recoil. I got something different. Now I carry the same way, and shooting my weapon is no longer a problem.

So I listed my old carry pistol here along with all the goodies I have for it. That is the problem. Its been my experience that the first thing to fail with most firearms is the magazine. So I acquired some spare mags and parts with SHTF in mind (and no resupply). It seems from the responses I've received that 14 mags is too many.

In my little pea brain, if/when SHTF things can get pretty dicey. Having plenty of ammo and a decent pistol would be pretty useless if I found myself with nothing left but bent, dented, sprung or otherwise useless mags. I'm thinking SHTF will last for years and having no access to a grumpy old supply NCO would be a problem.

How many spare mags, and parts for that matter, do you think is enough for, say five years of SHTF and having to supply myself?

Yes I have rifles with spare parts and mags for them too, this is about my carry pistol. Thanks fellas.

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[Nwcid]

Depends on the gun the amount of "supplies" I have for them. Your numbers are not out of line IF that is what you are preparing for. No one can tell someone else how they should prepare. You have to decide what SHTF means to you and plan accordingly.

I will say I see people with 50 magazines and only enough ammo to fill 5. To me that seems out of line, but obviously not to them.

 

[Thebastidge]

I tell people that are prepping that they should have a minimum of 5 mags per handgun. For an AR or AK I would say they need at least 10. Full combat load here in Afghanistan is 6 spare mags and 1 in the rifle. Having a couple-four extra only makes sense if you lose or damage one.

But having more than that is all to the good. The only issue when seeling them is that most people can't afford it all at once.

 

[Nwcid]

^ makes a good point. I always try to sell as a package but offer to split up if needed. Main part (usually the gun) needs to sell first then the accessories. I make a reasonable discounted price on the package. I have sold the main part to the first buyer with a reasonable time frame to purchase other accessories IF they want them and just dont have the $$$ all at once. If they dont the accessories are generally easy to sell and you can easily come out ahead in the long run on $$$ back in your pocket.

 

[mrblond]

Personly I don't think you can ever have to many mags. At the moment, I have around 12 for my M4 but only 3 for each of my HKs ( damn spendy Mags ) and 4 for my 1911. I would like 4 more for the 1911 and atleast 2 more for my HKs. I figure though, if something does happen I will be using the M4 90% of the time anyway.
All that being said, No, I dont think you have to many Mags. You could look as well as getting springs and followers for them rather then buying the entire mag. So you could keep 6 mags and maybe 12 extra springs/followers to have on hand.

 

[ch139]

There is a saying I like (but find it difficult to afford most of the time): "too much is just right."

That being the case, I personally don't think 14 magazines for one gun is too much, in fact, if it was a gun to really have to rely upon, I might try to to get a second or third copy and many more magazines. Thats just me though and I can be a tad OCD about these things; believe EVERYONE should have at least one (if not many) Glock 19s. Most folks will spout off arbitrary numbers for spare magazines and parts, me too. For a handgun one should have at least three magazines and a rifle at least seven. Those are just my minimum numbers out of thin-air. YMMV.

 

[knuckle Head]

I have to say agree with has already been said, be willing to split the sale and even tell the person to call or email in a month to get the rest, abuddy bought some ammo from a guy that way every two weeks or month he bought a $100.00 bucks worth until he had it all. ANother guy I bought spare mags from a guy a two a week, it turned out they both shopped at the same stores so they just met before or after grocery shopping.

On how mags you should have to put into hiding when the NAZI's come to get them, I say 6 - 8 per pistol and 8 - 20 for an AR or AK or any other carbine as far as that matters

 

[chemist]

Mags are indeed expendable items, and I know people who have dozens and dozens of mags for each gun. Like ammo, they're unlikely to ever go down in value.

 

[hoody]

Setting SHTF aside for a moment, it's nice to have enough mags that a day on the range doesn't require reloading mags.

 

[mrblond]

Setting SHTF aside for a moment, it's nice to have enough mags that a day on the range doesn't require reloading mags.

This why my old USP 40 hardly ever got shot back in the day. Only had 1 mag for it while I had 4 for my Beretta. Nothing kills the shooting fun then having to spend 5 minutes reloading every minute of shooting.

 

[tim007]

you can never have to many mags .. point blank .. in the military my comrades had 5-10 mags. i had 20-40 mags full and of that 25 were on my person .. you can never have to many

 

[Mark W.]

I think a better question would be how many people are you planing on having to shoot and how many bullets do you think each person will take?

Cause for hunting a single shot rifle and a hand full of shells would be plenty.

 

[Rez]

In Iraq my full combat load was 12 full mags. I had an extra 4 on top of that just to be safe.

For me it's really a comfort level thing. Ammo goes incredibly fast in bad situations. Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Like you, Retred, I have some physical issues that have curtailed carrying my .45 and I have gone down to a little .380 pocket pistol /w laser. Now I only have 3 magazines for it but I'm comfortable with that because the .45 is still around waiting for worse times and I have plenty of mags for it. If I need to I can put up with the discomfort of the big bore (I can still shoot it just fine). That said, I don't think 14 mags is in any way excessive. I also believe that quality firearms components never lose their value especially during dangerous times! When I worked on my grandpa's farm I always had a varmint rifle slung nearby, another thought. Hope you figure this all out, only you can determine what your needs are.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

It seems from the responses I've received that 14 mags is too many.

Too many mags?

Bluntly, tell those people to shut up. Also, Tie a string around your finger that will remind you to tell them to shut up again any time that they start to give advice.

 

[trainsktg]

Although not talking about quite the same thing, old Uncle Joe had it right when he is quoted as saying "Quantity has a quality all of its own."

Keith

 

[MarkAd]

My opinion.
You have to many mags if you think you have to many. everyone else can drop off.

 

[Hook686]

How much water is enough ? How much money in ones emergency account is enough ? How much ammunition is enough ?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

Personally I suspect that if the opposition I figure will exist that forms the basis of how many mags, guns, and ammunition I will need actually materializes, I doubt I will survive long enough to use all that stock. Unless ones is part of a decently trained unit I suspect elimination in a real world upheaval is something that will happen sooner, rather than later. I suspect it will be kind of like stopping the ants at a picnic. Stocking magazines, ammunition and guns keeps ones mind occupied though. I really do not think there is an answer to, "How much is enough". I have ten firearms and 500 rounds of ammunition for each. Is that enough, or is it too much. It all depends upon how one wishes to look at it.

Good luck in your prepping.

 

[mrblond]

Another thing to think about I think is if you need to leave in a hurry, how much of your stockpile can you take with you. Remember, ammo is heavy and if you have to go and go on foot, alot of ones stockpile is going to be left for whoever. Now, I always think, you can never have enough ammo and never enough mags. ALways best to have and not need to need and not have it.

 

[Mohawk13]

My revolver doesn't take mags. I prefer to just hump ammo, and have a fire arm that is more accurate and dependable than a semi auto. Less Moving parts to have to contend with. That being said, what wasn't Medical Equipment, was Ammo and Mags..And Yes I am talking about Afghanistan and Iraq...also every other place I went in the world...And I do own a 1911, but My SHTF pistol is a revolver...