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Ammo - What is max that can be carried in a handgun?

Carpetbagger

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nova wrote:
led for breakfast wrote:
20 rounds but you can have 100 magazines with 20 rounds each
you only need to limit the magazine in the firearm itself to a 20rder. Your spare magazines can hold as much ammo as you want.


That seems to me to be a reasonable interpretation, as the prohibition is on the pistol being "equipped with" a 21+ round magazine. But I don't know if there is any caselaw to the contrary.



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virginiatuck

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  1. How about the practical and theoretical maximums?
  2. How many rounds, of say 147 gr. 9x19mm, could you equip a handgun with before it's just too darn heavy to effectively use as a handgun?
  3. Theoretically, how many rounds can a single magazine be engineered to hold for a center-fire, semi-automatic pistol?
  4. What is the largest capacity, center-fire, semi-auto, pistol magazine that has ever been manufactured, for any caliber?
 

simmonsjoe

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Theoretical? who cares. This post is about law.

The law in VA is that, in certain cities,
handguns are limited to 20 round primary magazine.
shotguns are limited to 7 rounds of the longest shells the gun is chambered for.
If your firearm exceeds this, you must transport it in accordance with federal transportation laws.

EXEMPTION: Military, LEO, and CHP holders are EXEMPT from these constraints.

there are some benefits to the CHP even if you only OC.


Also the 147gr 9x19 is a horrible round.
 

Grapeshot

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virginiatuck wrote:
  1. What is the largest capacity, center-fire, semi-auto, pistol magazine that has ever been manufactured, for any caliber?
Don't know about "ever", but here are three extreme examples for a 1911:

MidwayUSA - ProMag Magazine 1911 Government, Commander 45 ACP 40-Round Drum Polymer Black

and

The Auto Ordinance A5 .45 ACP semi-auto pistol takes the 100 round drum mag for the Tommy gun and comes with a 50 round mag as standard equipment.

Don't even want to try to hold that b!tch up off hand.

No links provided.

Yata hey
 

MSC 45ACP

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I remember shooting a 1911 with a 50 round "snail drum" magazine @ 1987 or so... That sucker got HEAVY by the time I finished shooting. Held it up for the entire 50 rounds... What a bear.

The weight kept the recoil down a bit, but shooting hardball, you're still shaking like a leaf by the time you've finished shooting that many rounds without stopping for a break.
 

Wangmuf

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MSC 45ACP wrote:
I remember shooting a 1911 with a 50 round "snail drum" magazine @ 1987 or so... That sucker got HEAVY by the time I finished shooting. Held it up for the entire 50 rounds... What a bear.

The weight kept the recoil down a bit, but shooting hardball, you're still shaking like a leaf by the time you've finished shooting that many rounds without stopping for a break.

Haha, no need for forearm or tricep exercises that day, huh?


Edit: for is F O R, not F O R E.
 

MSC 45ACP

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I was a very young instructor back then... It would have been a sign of weakness in front of the otherinstructorsto put it down before you finished your magazine. That's the same bunch that got me into match shooting... Now THAT was an expensive addiction when I decided to stop using Uncle Sam's match guns and get my own.
 

GQflyboy

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I think it's funny that rim fire rifles, and pistols don't seem to come up at all in that law.

.22 Chain gun anyone?

20 rounds of "Nine" or 3000 rounds of .22? I think my mind is made up.
 

coondog22554

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virginiatuck wrote:
  1. How about the practical and theoretical maximums?
  2. How many rounds, of say 147 gr. 9x19mm, could you equip a handgun with before it's just too darn heavy to effectively use as a handgun?
  3. Theoretically, how many rounds can a single magazine be engineered to hold for a center-fire, semi-automatic pistol?
  4. What is the largest capacity, center-fire, semi-auto, pistol magazine that has ever been manufactured, for any caliber?
:D
 

Thundar

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Grapeshot wrote:
Don't forget this covers center fire long guns too.
No, it only covers center fire rifles.

So my Saiga 12 with a custom 30 round mag would be OK, but mySKS with a detachable 30 round mag is not.

Yup extremely stupid law.
 

HankT

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peter nap wrote:
Clearing that statute off the books, should be on the General Assembly wish list too. What a silly law...
For once, I'd have to agree with you, PN. It's a silly law in concept.
 

The Wolfhound

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The 147 grain 9MM got a bad rap as a poor stopper many years ago_One often quoted article on defense loadings said nothing good ever came in a 147 grain weight and that it should never be considered. That was before good hollow points and +P loadings. It has generally redeemed itself since those developements but the legend persists.
 

nova

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Thundar wrote:
Grapeshot wrote:
Don't forget this covers center fire long guns too.
No, it only covers center fire rifles.

So my Saiga 12 with a custom 30 round mag would be OK, but mySKS with a detachable 30 round mag is not.

Yup extremely stupid law.
That appears incorrect. Without a CHP you're limited to 7rds of the longest ammunition the shotgun is chambered in.

§ 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, or any person having a valid concealed handgun permit or to any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The exemptions set forth in § 18.2-308 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section.
(1991, c. 570; 1992, c. 790; 2003, c. 976; 2004, c. 995; 2005, c. 160; 2007, c. 813.)
 

Dreamer

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And don't forget about this part:

§ 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William.

Which means all those H&K USP's, and Glocks and Walthers that have threaded ends on their barrels are illegal in the above-mentioned cities, unless you have a CHP...

I actually bought a threaded barrel nut for my Walther P22 SPECIFICALLY because of this statute. But I have a couple permits, so it's all good.
 

VCDL President

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peter nap wrote:
Clearing that statute off the books, should be on the General Assembly wish list too. What a silly law...Is the area safer because someone hass to carry a 1911 instead of a Sig:X
True. VCDL wanted to do that several years ago, but VCDL had to settle for a CHP exemption as the best we could do at the time. Perhaps we should revisit it next year.
 
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