How Much Ammo Is Enough?
Better Shooting Tips
Springfield Armory XD with a spare magazine in a synthetic
belt pouch. Pocket knife is the Native by Spyderco.
In the early days of practical shooting competition, most shooters used 1911-style semi-autos in .45 ACP, with seven-round (eight-round for the avant-garde) magazines. Standard procedure was to figure out how many magazine changes were needed to complete the course of fire, plus one extra just in case. As courses of fire became more elaborate to increase the round count, sometimes we’d start a stage carrying seven or eight extra magazines.
Some of the skinnier shooters, for example, women with 25″ waists, would run out of space. I can remember magazine carriers with three magazines stacked vertically. As competitors switched to smaller caliber cartridges and high-capacity magazines, the problem went away.
Another nice setup for the gentleman of
good taste: HK Compact .40 S&W, one spare
magazine, SureFire flashlight and CRKT pocketknife.
Recommended Ammo Daily Serving
What about carrying for self-defense? I tend to the middle of the road. If I feel the circumstances are so hostile I need two or three extra magazines and 50+ rounds total, I’m likely to just stay home. I’m speaking of personal defense here, not of the needs of police personnel.
Statistically, most personal defense situations can be resolved by simply displaying the firearm or with one or two shots fired. Nonetheless, at a minimum, I think a defensive handgun should be accompanied by at least one full reload. With a semiautomatic handgun, that means one spare magazine. I’m most comfortable with a single-stack 1911-style pistol in .45 ACP. With seven-round magazines, one in the chamber and one spare magazine that means 15 rounds are available, or 17 with eight-round magazines.
If I’m wearing a GLOCK 19 with a round chambered and full magazine, I have 16 rounds in the gun. Why bother with a spare magazine? Two reasons: One, after an encounter, even if only two or three shots are fired, it is sound practice to restore the pistol to full capacity when the opportunity arises. Two, although semi-autos are very reliable, malfunctions can occur. Sometimes, the best cure is to dump the magazine, cycle the slide to clear any obstructions and reload with a fresh magazine.
If it makes you feel better, there’s no harm in carrying two spare magazines. Personally, I’d rather have just one and make space on the belt or in a pocket for those other two basic items: a compact flashlight and a pocketknife.
Nighthawk Custom .45 in vintage Davis leather, including a single
magazine belt pouch. Theoretically, leather can stretch and loosen.
In practice, this pouch remains as secure as ever despite years of use.
What About Practice?
What about ammo for maintaining skill levels? In normal times, a box of cartridges on hand would be sufficient since we can just buy more as needed. But these are not normal times. In fact these are rather strange times, when ammunition and even components are expensive and often hard to find.
Handgun shooting enthusiasts, who I expect includes most readers of this magazine, will find some way to shoot as much as they want. Sometimes, it is with a rimfire understudy; sometimes, it is by reloading. But many, likely the majority, of those who choose handguns for personal protection are not enthusiasts. For them, maintaining a basic level of shooting skill is just another routine task, like mowing the lawn or maintaining a vehicle.
How much shooting is needed varies from one individual to another. I think a reasonable minimum is five range sessions annually with at least 50 rounds per session. I know, to a handgun enthusiast, this sounds like a pitifully small amount. When I was shooting competitively, I shot about 25,000 rounds annually, while the top shooters shot twice as much or more. Realistically, very few handgun owners are prepared to shoot even a thousand rounds annually. I expect the minimum standard suggested (five sessions of 50 rounds, 250 rounds annually) would be an increase for most handgun owners.
Most of us like saving money. One way to do so is to use inexpensive ammo, or range reloads, for your practice sessions. I still suggest firing a few rounds of the loads you use for defense. Try a bullseye target at 10 yards and fire two five-shot groups just to check sighting in and functioning. That’s only one box of expensive ammunition in a year, and it is money well spent.
How much ammunition to have on hand is a personal choice, depending on your finances and circumstances. For most people, 150 or 200 rounds on hand is ample. I can understand the self-sufficiency aspect of having thousands of rounds. If a huge supply makes you happy, I say, why not? Just be aware there’s a good chance someone else will end up with most of it.
