Does anybody know how many killings Charles Manson actually committed himself?

No one really knows for sure, but he claims zero. However, you are correct that the “family” killed more than a couple (at his direction, of course).

He’s never been linked to committing a murder himself. He was convicted on conspiracy to commit murder in directing his followers to kill the occupants at the house where Sharon Tate lived, having Bobby Beausoleil kill Gary Hinman, and leading the killings of the LaBiancas (but not committing the actual murder.)

As far as the two high profile cases, he didn’t kill anybody. But, he (or maybe it was the Family as a whole) bragged about killing over 30 people that no one knew about. So he coulda killed some of those, if they actually happened, but otherwise, none.

I would think that he got off on controlling others. He didn’t enjoy the killing. He enjoyed knowing he could make others kill for him.

“Manson countered on July 1, 1969, by shooting Crowe at his Hollywood apartment.[2]:99–113[2]:91–96[38][39]

Manson’s mistaken belief that he had killed Crowe was seemingly confirmed by a news report of the discovery of the dumped body of a Black Panther in Los Angeles. Although Crowe was not a member of the Black Panthers, Manson, concluding he had been, expected retaliation from the group.”

“On July 25, 1969, Manson sent sometime Family member Bobby Beausoleil along with Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins to the house of acquaintance Gary Hinman, to persuade him to turn over money Manson thought Hinman had inherited.[2]:75–77[38][41] The three held the uncooperative Hinman hostage for two days, during which Manson showed up with a sword to slash his ear. After that, Beausoleil stabbed Hinman to death, ostensibly on Manson’s instruction.”

That was as close as he came to actually killing anyone, but he was guilty of the Tate and LoBianco murders because he clearly instigated them even being on the scene at the LoBianco’s.

Wikipedia

When it comes to the murders that any of the Manson family members were convicted of it is unlikely that Manson himself directly murdered anybody. He cut Gary Hinman with a sword while the family held him hostage. Manson also shot another person but didn’t actually murder him. It is possible that he could have been involved (directly) with the Shorty Shea murder, whose remains were found in 1977, but that will always be a mystery as well. I did read Ed Sander’s book “The Family” and Vincent Bugliosi’s book “Helter Skelter” to post what I know about the case.