I was curious how many extra 9mm mags should a person have on hand. Being fact I can’t afford AR15
Also any ideas for ammo storage. should I keep the ammo in its box while storing in ammo can. Some use bags, ammo plastic box
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As far as magazines I would keep as many as possible and I believe its safe to keep the ammo stored in the box.
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The more mags, the better. 
I store most of my ammo in ammo cans. If it’s a bulk load of 1000 loose rounds I put it in an appropriately sized can and add a dissicant packet. If it comes boxed I leave the rounds in the box and then place them in a can with a dissicant packet.
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I saw someone at the range this week with 15 magazines for one carry gun. It’s the only gun she had, but she wasn’t comfortable shooting it.
I have a few for each of my guns and then I also have extra for the guns I use at training classes.
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This was a topic a short while ago, search for it to see a ton of folks comments, but,
I have about 10 mags for my EDC, 3 or 4 in my range bag, 1 on my side, one of course in the firearm, 1 in each get home bag in each car, and 1 in the door pocket of each car.
Ammo storage, in that other thread, it was a good equal mix it seemed of original box just sitting on a shelf, ammo can with boxes and moisture packs, loose ammo in cans, or like me, loose ammo in night stand, closet shelf, pockets, on the washing machine, where ever I disrobed and emptied my pockets… 
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I feel that (3) magazines is the bare minimum per handgun. If you shoot regularly / often, add more.
Mags do wear out and once a firearm that uses a proprietary mag goes out of production, that mag can be almost impossible to find.
For my regular shooters, I’ll have a minimum of three for range use and three that I never touch once I have qualified that they function flawlessly. Those are set aside for the future.
@Dawn, 15 mags for one !!? Wow!! She needs to get comfortable.
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She was there for a private lesson, so she knows she needs to get trained.
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I really feel that the honest answer is “personal preference”. It basically comes down to how often you train and what your level of risk tolerance is. I shoot at least three times a week (I have a range on my property), so I burn through ammunition frequently and I often train with 4 to 5 magazines that me an my neighbor load with different quantities of ammunition and snap caps. As for risk tolerance, some may feel comfortable with 2 mags full and a box on standby. Me personally, pre-COVID, I maintained at least 4k. Thankfully I did that, because now that ammunition is super hard to find, and very expensive, I am still able to train to maintain proficiency.
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Mags are a funny thing. I would say 3 extra minimum to 5 extra is a good solid number. If you need more than 5 in any kind of defensive situation, there are much bigger problems. You are most likely only going to carry one, maybe two when you are out of the house.
Be careful with “too many” mags as @Dawn noted. Sure, more is always better, and it is nice to not have to load a mag during your range trip. BUT it can also be counter-productive. Range trips should have a purpose, and on more than one occasion (many more actually), I have seen fellow shooters show up to the range with a bag full of pre-loaded mags. They dont necessarily mag dump, but they just pump magazine after magazine through their firearm. In my personal opinion, and YMMV, but sometimes those breaks to load mags, etc are great opportunities to really evaluate your targets and take stock of where you are in relation to the goals you wish to accomplish during that range trip.
If you have at 4 mags (one in the gun and 3 spare) call it good and spend the rest of the money on practice ammo or a training session.
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There is an old Mexican folk song with lyrics about having a .45 with three magazines,
Whether that is three magazines total or three magazines in addition to the one in the pistol is anyone’s guess, but I always thought it was a good place to start. Why not?
OTOH my mom grew up on a vineyard with a Luger for protection (a gift from her big brother who left the farm to find work as a stuntman in silent films) having only one magazine for it.
Thinking it over, I’d prefer the suggestion from the Mexican folk song.
Having multiple loaded magazines saves time at the range, saves wear and tear by reducing cycles if you’re a high volume shooter, insures you’ll have a plan “B” if a magazine should fail, or is lost or dropped, and if you store your pistol unloaded, having a loaded magazine handy can get it on line quicker.
As for storage, I use the original boxes. In case there is recall, I want to identify the lot numbers. The original boxes then go in a GI milsurp ammo can with a good rubber gasket, maybe a desiccant if humidity it problematic in your area.
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I carry a spare mag with me whenever I carry, which is every day now. I keep more loaded mags at home for my pistols and AR complement. I tend to go overboard with loaded mags though.
I keep my ammo in cans with a seal. Each can has a dissecant pack and I also keep the rounds in their cardboard boxes. I see it as an extra barrier to moisture. They are kept inside a climate controlled room.
I also don’t keep all my ammo in one place in the house. I hope this will make sure a thief will not get all my ammo. To me, ammo is a precious thing and should be treated accordingly.
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Good call about the lot numbers. I did not think about that. Thank you.
That is a great example of what our Community offers us. Having such knowledge and wisdom in one place is an very, very good thing.
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For my carry weapons, I have a total of two magazines so I can carry a spare. For my home defense weapon, I have a total of four magazines.
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My answer: it depends upon what I find and what price I find them at. Minimally 2 or 3 of any one variety.
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I prefer genuine GI surplus ammo cans, not the plastic nor the spiffy new PRC repros.
I can identify better with the battered, dusty, crusty and worn taxpayer funded stuff 
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I have 7 magazines with defensive rounds loaded. One in the gun and 6 in other locations. I have about a dozen magazines that are range and training magazines however if needed they are of good enough quality to be trusted if needed.
That being said I usually just buy them as I find them anymore. Once I had my 7 anything over that is icing on the cake so I wait for sales or randomly come across them used.
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Ammo storage, as noted by others… keep it as climate controlled as possible. Ammo boxes in an ammo can with desiccant in it is about as good as you can get. Loose rounds in an ammo box with desiccant in it (keep the box labels for Lot #s in case of issues later on) is also good for longevity and you can fit more in an ammo can that way.
The number of magazines is up to you. Kind of like “how much ammo should I have” thread, everyone keeps different amounts as fits their budget, comfort level, and available space.
A “rule of thumb” I see around on many other gun forums is 10 magazines per firearm. If this is a firearm that you only shoot once a year (if that) then you can likely just have 2-3 magazines and be fine. If you are a high volume shooter then 20-30+ magazines is common. A magazine is meant to be the disposable piece of a firearm, wear & tear will cause them to eventually go bad. So how easy is it to get a replacement magazine should be a factor, not just today but 5, 10, 20 years from now.
In my opinion, figure out how many magazines you need… Like one is in your carry firearm, and you have 1 spare you carry. OK, so thats two. You need (IMO) at least one immediate spare for those in case they break or go bad. So now thats four. Then you need a set for range practice so you don’t beat up your carry magazines. That should be at least 2 more so you can duplicate shooting until empty and reloading your spare. So now you are up to SIX magazines, at a minimum, for that one firearm. Anything above that is gravy, you can just rotate through the extras at the range to reduce wear and tear on your range mags. Or keep them new in their original box/bag until one of the others go bad as a replacement.
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It looks like everyone has you covered. All I can say is to keep your ammo in a cool dry ammo can, big enough to house the ammo. $15 to $18 in cost. The count on your magazines, maybe it would depend on the equipment you have, whether or not if it’s your EDC or Target Pistol, ( YOUR SPARE 9MM ). 8 to 12 magazines, if Compact, and Full Size, it is your, choice. Number: 7 to 10 magazines. I understand the numbers are high, but when you go to the Range, you will need a few more to have a great time.
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The 3 - 5 number is a good rule of thumb. Make sure you put rounds through any mag you will carry to make sure it is reliable. If you start playing around with base plates or springs like Mag-Guts to increase your round count you probably will want to buy an extra mag and test it out before you carry it.
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In a shooting situation an average of three rounds for a person to stop a threat. If their is a total of three guys that would take it to 9 rounds. So, if a person carried two magazines with them it should be adequate. I have four in my get home bag and I carry one on me.
If going into battle I would carry six mags for the .45 and 12 for the M-16.
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