Just going to toss in my two cents...
I think that Encumbrance, while tracking how big, bulky, heavy, and clunky an item is, could also refer to how easily you can find a reload for a particular weapon. The encumbrance for, say, a Missile Tube could also mean that it takes time to take out of your rucksack and load the weapon properly. For a blaster pistol or rifle, it could refer to the fact that you reached for whatever pocket on your belt or vest and, whoops...next pocket...used that first one, already. (I can't tell you how many times I've gone to swap mags on my TiPX on the field, only to pull a mag thats dry) So I think that the encumbrance for ammo's also takes into account the time and effort to reload the weapon properly.
Also...you're demanding 'real world' stats to a fantasy game that smirks and says "Do I look like a game that uses 'real' stats?". Attempt not to stat the unstat-able, for that way lies madness and nerd rage.

Just going to toss in my two cents...

I think that Encumbrance, while tracking how big, bulky, heavy, and clunky an item is, could also refer to how easily you can find a reload for a particular weapon. The encumbrance for, say, a Missile Tube could also mean that it takes time to take out of your rucksack and load the weapon properly. For a blaster pistol or rifle, it could refer to the fact that you reached for whatever pocket on your belt or vest and, whoops...next pocket...used that first one, already. (I can't tell you how many times I've gone to swap mags on my TiPX on the field, only to pull a mag thats dry) So I think that the encumbrance for ammo's also takes into account the time and effort to reload the weapon properly.

Also...you're demanding 'real world' stats to a fantasy game that smirks and says "Do I look like a game that uses 'real' stats?". Attempt not to stat the unstat-able, for that way lies madness and nerd rage.

That's what Prepare 1 is for on missile tubes and weapons with that.

Whatever, 200 rounds of 270 win for deer hunting...LMAO. Bye

okay I'l break what i said this once... only because there doesn't appear to be an ignore feature to put you on.

Oh, I'm pretty sure there is an ignore feature.

Yup, there is... under "edit my profile" and then "ignore preferences"

After skimming through several pages I was going to make a long post, but the last one above (Voice) covered most of what I was going to say.

This is a narrative game with long rounds. This isn't Twilight 2000 where you track everything in 10 second rounds down to each bullet carried and fired. Note the name "Extra Reloads". It isn't called just "Reloads". Everyone carries a reload. This guy carries EXTRA Reloads. Everyone reloads between combat or even during non-essential moments such as taking a Maneuver to run down a hallway while swapping out magazines. Those little details aren't tracked in this narrative system. But, the guy with Extra Reloads has a few extra for every weapon he carries. It isn't just one magazine for his pistol, it's a couple extra for it, a couple for his carbine, and one for his vibroblade in case he runs out of ammo in a pivotal moment per a dice roll. 1 Encumbrance could be considered light for that. It's very simplified though so you don't have to track how many extra magazines you have for each weapon you are carrying. Just mark Extra Reloads and you've got it covered for 1 Encumbrance. Yes if you had chosen to carry only one extra magazine for one weapon that 1 Encumbrance is steep, but try to consider it an average since the guy next to you might be carrying multiple extra magazines for 3 weapons. It's a generalized concept for a narrative system. If you want it very granular you are going to need to find a different system or start making house rules tracking all extra magazines at 0.25 Encumbrance each by weapon type and maybe even add how many shots per magazine and keep track of that too! That isn't this system.

Extra Reloads Encumbrance 0? Ok I will be carrying 10 Extra Reloads for each of my 4 weapons with no extra weight cost! That's broken......

Encumbrance 1 but you need one set for EACH weapon you carry? Oh crap that's 4 Encumbrance just for extra mags. Hmm, that's as much as an extra Battle Rifle or two sets of Padded Armor in my backpack. That's broken......

Generalize Encumbrance 1 covering all extra reloads for weapons you happen to be carrying works fine for me.

Sorry, lied, turned out long.

I'm curious, in your view based on what you've written here, is the "Extra Reloads" item expendable or reusable? i.e. when you use this item to counteract an out-of-ammo effect, is it destroyed or can it be used again at a later time?

I'd say it's semi-expendable. If it needs to be used too often[1], you might lose access to it for a period of time, or even have to purchase a new one. This is a bit different from the talent[2], which has its own advantages and trade-offs[3].

[1] GM's judgement call here. It hasn't come up in play for me yet, but I'm thinking of a mechanic along the lines of the stimpacks you can fetch from the Medpac.

Or, maybe the ammo mechanic for 'guns' in 4e Gamma World, where if you make use of it more than once in an encounter, you're dry until you have a chance to refill. Barring that, you can use it as often as you like.

Regardless of the method chosen, someone who carries 1 Extra Reloads should be more or less immune to running dry (the GM has plenty of options beyond 'out of ammo' to impose on PCs), and someone who carries 2 Extra Reloads will, almost never have to worry about running dry, unless things go *really* south. (Seriously, 2 despairs that the GM uses to impose an 'out of ammo' condition? What are the odds?)

[2] The talent is effectively someone who not only carries plenty of ammo, but is completely accustomed to it (to the point that it doesn't 'weigh them down' any more), and well practiced at reloading to the point where it's second nature (to the degree that it doesn't slow them down when they have to do it, because they're always prepared for it when it happens).

[3]Of course, the *other* nice thing about Extra Reloads is that it's a piece of equipment. That means you can give it to another character when life hits the fan. Wedge's blaster goes dry mid fight? Biggs can toss him some Extra Reloads, and suddenly Wedge is back in business. You can't quite do that with the talent.

I play fast and loose with encumbrance. I figure a single grenade is a pain in the butt to carry so sure, 1 enc. It's too round for a pants pocket and gets lost in the bottom of a large satchel. However if you have a bandoleer of five grenades it's easier to handle so call it 2 enc. I do like the idea of carrying extra pistols instead of reloads. Makes sense in a cinematic way. Better to drop the pistol and grab a backup than screw with reloading.