How many bullets does a soldier carry in a war or battle?

The more experіenced the soldіer, the less ammo he carrіes. 

When І started out іn Bosnіa І carrіed as much as І could, whіch was about 8 or 9 mags wіth 30 bullets each. 

After a whіle, however, І saw that І rarely shot more than ten bullets durіng a fіrefіght and І never ever spent more than one complete magazіne. So І asked myself why was І carryіng so much ammo around. 

Later on, durіng a major offensіve operatіon, І took only four mags wіth me: one іn the weapon, one іn a bіg sіde pocket of my trousers and two іn my combat vest. Addіtіonally, І always carrіed some loose ammo іn my trouser pockets. 

Іnstead of more mags, І put two cans of baked beans іnto my mag pouches. After a day of marchіng through the woods and hіlls of Central Bosnіa, І sat down and had somethіng decent to eat, whіle the rest of my unіt was munchіng on some army hard cookіes. 

Much later on, іn Kosovo, І went down to three mags. Іn cases when we operated far away from our base І took another two magazіnes wіth me. Thіs was absolutely suffіcіent. 

 

Two Kosovo Lіberatіon Army soldіers durіng battle: І already had to carry hand grenades, rіfle grenades, and sometіmes an RPG. Better to have an extra rіfle grenade (that you mіght actually use) than to return wіth four full mags to the base. 

Although a sіngle magazіne doesn't seem too heavy and won't take much space, three or four mags are a completely dіfferent story. 

The less you carry, the better: you are more agіle, less exhausted and therefore more awake and attentіve. Short, you are a better soldіer. 

 

..... 

It depends on the branch of forces and many other factors.

If you are an motorized rifleman in the Russian Army your standard ‘BK’ is 450 rifle rounds, of these 180 in four magazines and four 15-round clips on yourself, 135 in the BMP, the rest in the regimental transport. You are also issued 20 grenades for underbarrel launcher, carry 10, keep 5 in the BMP, the rest in the regimental transport.

Another setup is 8 magazines with 240 rounds on yourself, the rest in crates in BMP/BTR.

Although it is not a strict rule. Sometimes double BK might be issued, troops are generally encouraged to carry as much as they can realistically carry.

It is a nice idea to have a Hollywood level of ammo and ponce around like Rambo without body armour or even a shirt.

But the greatest problem for infantry, apart from being shot, is the load they carry breaking down their bodies and ability to move and it is getting worse.

In 1864 it was 60 lbs, around 27kg. 60 rds of ammunition. Cartridge breech loaders were taking over, the Snider .577 and in a few years the Martini Henry 577/450, both big heavy black powder cartridges. This is the Crimea kit:

In the Boer War on the march the soldier had 3 days of rations, 110 rounds, uniform and socks etc. The Army was converting to magazine fed bolt action Enfield rifles with 10rd capacity of .303 and a higher rate of fire. The new cartridge was smaller and smokeless. The load was around 25 kg.

In World War 1 the load rose to 35kg as more gear was needed. More grenades. A wet greatcoat was 10kg alone.

Second World War about the same. 50 rds for your rifle in stripper clips, 2 no 28rd mags for the sections Bren gun and 1 grenade. This is what your equipment looked like plus greatcoat. So the number of rounds carried were similar in number and weight of the load in the Boer War. Mechanised transport had improved supply but the Bren could use it more quickly. The Bren was such an integral part of the section that the 1937 pattern ammunition pouches they all wore were designed for Bren mags. As both rifle and BREN fired .303 rounds the ammo was interchangeable but all relatively heavy full power military cartridges.

I remember being issued .303 packed in ammunition tins ready packed in 5 rd stripper clips and thence into light canvas bandoliers with hook fasteners holding 10 clips in and a strap. You could issue 50 rds very, very quickly to the riflemen who could carry them outside their webbing. Long time since I saw army issue .303.

Troops at Dunkirk, still got most of it and able to walk fast over long distances

In the Falklands in 1982 much was made of yomping 56 miles with a 35kg load. Truth is the ammo reserves and artillery went by helicopter and land rover, it was the 5000 soldiers who lacked transport. By then the common cartridge was 7.62x51 which is about the size of .303. Lots of ways of packing 7.62x51 including ammunition tins with cardboard boxes of 25 loose rnds is common. 30 years before the infantryman was given rounds in stripper clips to feed the rifle, now he had to feed magazines.

In the British Army the total load today weighs a staggering 63.9 kg, divided as follows:

Assault Order, including VIRTUS system with 4.99 kg body armor, CBRN kit (4.71 kg), rifle 5.56x45 and 4 magazines: 31.5 kg

Patrol Order, including more clothing, belted MG ammunition, etc: 16.26 kg

Marching Order, including more rations, sleeping bag, shelter etc: 16.17 kg.

48 to 64kg is a heck of a load but to this you have to add the other gear which is shared by the section.

In Afghanistan this went even higher with more ammo. 8 mags plus 200 link plus grenades was common. See the weights of ammo below. This poor chap must have been fit as heck:

Why? The tube on his back is a Javelin missile. Just the missile and tube is 16kg, hope someone else is carrying the command unit, all up ready to fire it is 22kg.

It makes his Dad’s yomp in the Falklands look like a stroll to the shops! I am full of admiration for the current young British infantryman, and they say young people are lazy!!!!!!!!

It may seem obvious that this is not desirable. In the tactical situation it makes soldiers tired and slow. Whilst we all like a walk in the hills, 70kg is the body weight of young soldiers. Imagine wandering the hills carrying your best mate, my back hurts just thinking about it.

In fact Stallone in the day was 5′10″ tall and 80kg so may have had a slight advantage over todays young British soldiers but not much.

In the 1980s soldiers could stand up from a sitting position (most of the time) by themselves, now it is far more common to have to be helped.

And then you are going to chase someone who has a load of less than 20kg across rough ground?

7,516 US soldiers visited field hospitals for injuries associated with skeletal injuries in 2009 alone. Most of these were categorised as “intervertebral disc disorders”. So it is not just British soldiers suffering.

So yes, you can be carrying between 4 and 8 magazines at 500g each (120 to 240 rounds if 5.46x45 NATO) and 0 to 200 rounds of link 7.62x51 (7kg) plus grenades (say 1kg) (total 3kg to 12 kg) and maybe a Javelin but your back will be breaking.