|
Forum Rules | Firearms Safety | Firearms Photos | Links | Library | Lost Password | Email Changes |
Register | FAQ | Calendar | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
May 2, 2015, 01:19 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 2, 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,171
|
CC, how many spare magazines do you carry?
I'm very new (days even) to CC, and while I slowly make the transition to learning how to properly carry and adjust the way I do things just around the house.
A frequent question I find myself asking is "Do I bring the spare magazine, or do I not?" Do I need those extra 14 rounds? Where I'm at, crime isn't as big of an issue, but at the same time, I have always kept this in the back of my mind "Better to have it, and not need it, rather than need it and not have it." That said, where do you draw the line? is one, two, or even three magazines the ideal amount for you? When you do carry extra magazines, what is your preferred method of carry? I currently have a single IWB clip that I carry my extra magazine in (granted I'm still getting used to it. |
May 2, 2015, 02:29 PM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 3, 2012
Posts: 506
|
The majority of SD situations when a FA is shown (by the good guy), get resolved w/o a shot. However, if you pull it, better be prepared to use it. Most bad guys look for easy targets and would rather run than fight. (Learning Point Here.....LET THEM RUN! Don't try to be a cop, you achieved your SD objective if they run). Even when shots are fired, I am not aware of any normal SD situation ever involving a protracted gun fight and reloading. Never forget that you own every shot no matter where it goes so be accurate. Objective of having a gun for SD is to stay alive if all else fails, not to go toe-to-toe in a gunfight. My advice is not to worry about extra mags, use your smarts to think of ways to avoid needing to pull a FA. Learn to hit your target accurately with what you carry in your FA. Of course, if you are in LE or actively hunting out bad guys with guns, my advice is different.
|
May 2, 2015, 02:38 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 1, 2001
Posts: 10,223
|
I think at a minimum, you should at least carry one spare mag, simply as a remedy for function issues. That first spare is actually a dual purpose thing.
Beyond that, its up to you. I normally carry two. |
May 2, 2015, 02:38 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 19, 2012
Location: Western PA
Posts: 3,829
|
I carry one extra magazine. And it's not so much for the extra ammo, it's more for the following reasons:
1) In case my mag release gets pressed accidentally when my gun is in the holster, or if the mag wasn't properly seated to begin with. In both of these cases, the mag could fall out if I draw my gun, and I'd much rather be able to reach down to my belt to grab a new mag than have to bend over and pick up my dropped mag. 2) In case I have a stoppage that requires stripping the mag, such as a double-feed. In these cases, the first round is often partially out of the mag and must be re-positioned before the mag can be reloaded into the gun. It's a lot faster to just use your extra mag instead of trying to reposition the top round back into your primary mag. 3) Magazines are the weakest part of most semi-autos. I carry an extra one in case my primary one fails.
__________________
0331: "Accuracy by volume." |
May 2, 2015, 02:47 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 8, 2009
Location: Boca Raton, FL
Posts: 1,902
|
I'm a 1911 guy. Eight rounds in the mag and one in the tube. Two 8 round magazines in a double mag pouch. If I can't extricate myself with 25 rounds, then nothing short of heavy weapons squad, an airstrike and heavy artillery is going to help.
__________________
45Gunner May the Schwartz Be With You. NRA Instructor NRA Life Member |
May 2, 2015, 04:13 PM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 2, 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,171
|
The magazine and standard weapon malfunction bits are good things to note. I hadn't thought about that initially.
|
May 2, 2015, 04:45 PM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: September 19, 2000
Posts: 1,082
|
Because of what I carry and how, I tend to favor spare guns instead of spare magazines.
Most frequent "ensemble", PPKS .380 in right cargo pocket, S&W Bodyguard. 38 Special in the left. |
May 2, 2015, 05:52 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 2, 2015
Location: Issaquah, Washington
Posts: 1,032
|
It's so easy to leave home with just the gun and no spare mag(s). Based on cops normally carrying two reloads I have two spare mag pouches, but rarely use them. Based on the LEO-reported gunfight hit rate of about only 25%, one spare mag is needed to give me a near certainty of hitting a bad guy with at least one incapacitating shot, and the potential mag malfunction discussion above makes it less than wise to forego at least one spare mag.
I need to modify my behavior. |
May 2, 2015, 06:45 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2013
Location: Douglasville, Ga
Posts: 4,615
|
i keep one in each boot, one in each pocket and one in the mag area of my holster. so 5-7 magazines at all times. because you never know......
really, i carry ZERO extra mags. i make certain my guns are reliable with my mags i do carry, with thousands of rounds of testing, i have never had a magazine failure...i do bring a backpack to work that has a spare mag in it with other general tools and stuff i may need on a day to day basis. i can't think of a scenario where i need more than 13 rounds. i did switch from a revolver to an auto because i didn't feel comfortable with just five though. if i try to imagine the most extreme scenario of CC, i think 3 people tops, but most likely 2 or less. i think i could at least put one in 3 people with 13 rounds, maybe not, if i run out of bullets......put on my gravestone "didn't carry an extra mag" and maybe people will learn from my mistakes.
__________________
My head is bloody, but unbowed |
May 2, 2015, 07:04 PM | #10 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: April 19, 2012
Location: Western PA
Posts: 3,829
|
Quote:
Quote:
I say carry an extra mag if it's not too much of a burden. And if it is, then it's not that big a deal if you don't. Me, I like the fact that I have an extra mag in case I have one of the problems I mentioned in post #4. And the extra ammo doesn't hurt. Also, I usually carry a 9mm Shield with the flush mag, so I suppose I'm more likely to need those extra rounds than someone carrying a double stack mag. And the extra Shield mag is easy to carry and fits perfectly in a leather 1911 mag pouch
__________________
0331: "Accuracy by volume." |
||
May 2, 2015, 08:37 PM | #11 |
Staff
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,929
|
If I'm carrying a single stack gun I usually carry a spare mag in my weak side pocket. If I'm carrying a double stack gun I only carry what's in the gun.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
|
May 2, 2015, 08:49 PM | #12 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 27, 2008
Location: midwest
Posts: 4,209
|
I carry one extra mag about 1/2 the time on my person the rest of the time it's in the truck.
__________________
rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6 Quote:
|
|
May 2, 2015, 08:58 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 5, 2010
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 474
|
14+1, plus 14 more.
|
May 2, 2015, 09:07 PM | #14 |
Junior Member
Join Date: August 1, 2014
Posts: 1
|
I carry an extra mag in offside pocket or carrier. From experience, in semi autos, the weak point will be a magazine. If you fire 1 rd, and malfunction. Without an additional magazine, it becomes a rock to throw. If i was only concerned about myself, that's one thing. But, with my family in the equation, different matter. Murphy tends to sneak up at the most inopportune time. But that's my 2€
|
May 2, 2015, 09:17 PM | #15 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 2, 2007
Location: Missouri
Posts: 8,306
|
Quote:
For civilian self defense CC if you got your self in a situation requiring a reload you made some really poor choices as to where you were, and what you were doing!
__________________
Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING! |
|
May 2, 2015, 09:32 PM | #16 | |
Staff
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,929
|
Quote:
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
|
|
May 2, 2015, 09:37 PM | #17 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 1, 2001
Posts: 10,223
|
Quote:
|
|
May 2, 2015, 09:41 PM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 18, 2013
Location: Chicago suburbs
Posts: 662
|
6+1 in the gun and an 8 round extended mag, either on the belt or in the pocket.
__________________
At the young age of five, a bear told me that I was the only person who could prevent forest fires. Why I was chosen, I'll never know. |
May 2, 2015, 10:21 PM | #19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 3, 2011
Location: Bellevue, NE
Posts: 981
|
One spare mag in a horizontal belt pouch. It never hurts to have an extra, but it would really suck to need it and not have it. The horizontal pouch is easily concealed, and it doesn't dig into my side. Win - Win.
__________________
Some people are like Slinkies - not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs. |
May 2, 2015, 11:10 PM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 19, 2008
Location: northeast Florida
Posts: 610
|
None. 13 in the gun is enough for me.
If my murdered body's found with the slide on my BHP locked back on an empty chamber then I was wrong
__________________
may God eternally bless the American Rifleman--- as long as one stands, resolute, liberty shall not perish. |
May 2, 2015, 11:47 PM | #21 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 27, 2008
Posts: 2,199
|
I prefer to carry 1 spare mag. 8 + 8.
For those who carry single-stacks, those rounds can go quick. Figure that under life-or-death stress, your accuracy is likely to suffer. If you require more than one hit to quickly stop an attacker and your effective hit rate is less than 50%, you might need more than 6-8 if there is more than 1 attacker. Personally, I would want around 6 shots per attacker at a minimum. Yes, I realize that misses in a civilian area are BAD. You REALLY should account for all your shots and/or not take shots with innocents in your cone of likely fire. Malfunction issues are real too. I've seen some odd things happen here and there. |
May 3, 2015, 12:31 AM | #22 |
Junior member
Join Date: April 22, 2014
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,549
|
It depends on where I am going and what I am doing. Just jump on my Triumph to chase some stuf down in town two extra mags. Security work seven mags and a backup gun with at least two mags. There was actually a gang shooting twenty feet from the building where I do security work during a concert. It was just my good luck that I did not have an event that night as it might have been me dropping the shooter instead of security from the building across the street.
|
May 3, 2015, 01:03 AM | #23 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 27, 2009
Location: on a hill in West Virginia
Posts: 789
|
I always carry at least one, but on rare occasions I'll carry two. I usually carry a Glock 26, which is 10+1. I either carry an extra 10 round G26 magazine, or a G17 magazine (holds 17 rounds) as a spare. I usually only carry two if I'm carrying a 1911.
|
May 3, 2015, 05:47 AM | #24 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 25, 2014
Posts: 203
|
None here. Youll be fine.
|
May 3, 2015, 07:16 AM | #25 |
Member
Join Date: April 13, 2015
Location: North Texas
Posts: 34
|
I always carry 3 spare mags. As one said semi autos can fail.
There's the old saying, "you can never have too much ammo in a gunfight". It's a true saying and my personal belief is, a person is a fool not to carry spare ammo if they carry a gun.
__________________
If I don't answer the phone, I'm probably in the Senate taking a POTUS and wiping my Congress. |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|