Extra mags

[Harryball]

I am not a "self-appointed monitor of conversation"...and the high horse comment was not directed towards you but another poster. Having said that, you did imply that I was a "fool" for not meeting your criteria for "prepared."

Enough said on the subject. Everyone needs to assess and define their level of preparedness based on their environment, situation, level of comfort, etc.. I am here to learn from others' experiences and factor their analysis and decisions into my own. However, there's no one size fits all, and no need to put down people who don't agree with one's personal opinion.

You are right. Everyone has there own level of preparedness. For me personally, it deals with mindset, we train for the worse to be prepared. If you are confident that your gear will protect you and your family in a critical situation, then that is good. I agree with First Sgt, on being prepared. People talk about a nice town, environment and so forth. Columbine is a nice area to raise a family.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[justim]

i carry spare magazines because a malfunctioned or empty weapon becomes an expensive rock.

[JohnLeVick]

One of the three deadly mindset failures I teach my CHL students is well exemplified with a statement like, "if I need more than (5, or 6, or 8 or...?) rounds, I'm going to die anyway." If one chooses, for whatever reason, not to carry spare mags or speedloaders or ammo, then the correct survival mindset should be, "If I run out of ammo, I'll run like hell, or I'll transition to a knife or other weapon, or I'll do whatever it takes to survive." I've yet to hear of anyone successfully using a statistic to defend himself in a lethal encounter.

[Bark'n]

As far as I'm concerned, the possibility of facing more than one lone bad guy is a real concern. When facing more than one assailant, that 5 shot snubby starts to feel woefully inadequate if I have to engage more than just one of them. Having a second gun and or spare reloads for any weapon(s) you carry seems to me to be a no brainer.

When the odds are one in a million or greater to even use your gun in the first place I would sure hate to die because I didn't have enough ammo to go around.

One of my favorite movie quotes is from Clint Eastwoods Unforgiven. When preparing for a gunfight two of Little Bill's Deputies have the following exchange:

(as Clyde is unloading and reloading his gun)
Fatty Rossiter: It was already loaded. Jesus, Clyde, you have three pistols and you only have one arm for Christ's sake.

Clyde: Well I just don't want to be killed for lack of shootin' back.

[KimberUltra]

I myself don't carry an extra mag. The way I see it it I have 2 CCW's and both are 7+1. Realistically 95% of us posting in this thread will never pull their pistol out, let alone fire it at someone. And for the 5% of us that MIGHT have to draw it, 98% of those situation the bad guy would run away at the first sight of a handgun pointed at his chest. So the odds of pulling your gun on someone are slim, and the odds of firing are slimmer, and the odds of firing a whole mag let alone 2 mags is almost 0. You'd have a better chance of getting the jackpot at a slotmachine. That's just my opinion though. My CCW's are a .45 and a 9mm so chances are a few rounds of either would would be more than enough.

[JohnLeVick]

I myself don't carry an extra mag. The way I see it it I have 2 CCW's and both are 7+1. Realistically 95% of us posting in this thread will never pull their pistol out, let alone fire it at someone. And for the 5% of us that MIGHT have to draw it, 98% of those situation the bad guy would run away at the first sight of a handgun pointed at his chest. So the odds of pulling your gun on someone are slim, and the odds of firing are slimmer, and the odds of firing a whole mag let alone 2 mags is almost 0. You'd have a better chance of getting the jackpot at a slotmachine. That's just my opinion though. My CCW's are a .45 and a 9mm so chances are a few rounds of either would would be more than enough.

A New York Reload is still a reload! Good for you!!

[KimberUltra]

Haha. Whatever works right?

[shockwave]

I'm in the "very rarely carry an extra mag" camp. The 18 rounds I've got onboard give me a good feeling and the gun has been flawless in practice.

One of the neighborhoods in my city was rated the 4th most dangerous in the US. There are areas of the city that are crime zones, and after dark could be quite dicey. Should business take me around such places, might grab an extra mag.

So there's that.

The other thing is that as a citizen, if you're in a shooting situation, you are not required to "stand your ground," firing until any and all BGs are out of commission and apprehended. Police don't have that luxury, but you do. Now let's do some math: chances you will ever need to fire your weapon in self-defense? About zero.

Just pulling it out and pointing it will defuse most problem encounters - of which you will probably have about zero.

So the number of cases in which you will need to open fire are very small. They were small for James Lovell, the hero of that Subway shooting incident in Miami, and he did manage a reload (although he didn't need it). Not saying these odds are impossible. Just long.

In the number of conceivable scenarios in which you will need to open fire, one or two shots should do it. Per Armed Citizen reports, the Ayoob Files, the "It happened to me" column in Handgunner, and reports you see online and examples of real-life conflict on YouTube and such, you don't see average citizens needing to reload.

It's a "nice to have," but on a par with carrying a BUG. Maybe more urgent if you're carrying a low-capacity firearm. In any event, most likely, you squeeze off a shot or two, the BGs will be heading that-a-way, and you should be going this-a-way. Of all conceivable scenarios, the ones in which the threat will be relentlessly attacking you through a wall of bullets and not giving up are the "almost zero" subset of the "almost zero" odds mentioned above.

But if you're a process server, bail bondsman, something like that, and you live in the wrong part of Albuquerque, etc., different story.

[RandyB45]

A New York Reload is still a reload! Good for you!!

Yep. I only carry one mag: In each gun.

[Sticks]

Counterweight more than anything.

I've found that in my line of work, my spare mag is useless after the first round unless I unload and clean it every day or two. Dust and grit gets in it and binds it up.

[alachner]

Normally, I always carry only a spare mag (one on my gun and one as backup). Nonetheless, when I'm headed to a bad area of town or on a long road trip to a rural area, I tend to carry 2 spare mags and my S&W 442 snubbie as backup gun in my pocket or ankle holster. I think there is no such thing as carrying "too much ammo". I also keep stored under the back seat of my car 50 rounds of 9mm and 50 rounds of .40 S&W inside a nifty MTM ammo box. It is better to have a crap load of ammo and not needing it than running out of ammo in the middle of a SHTF situation.

[BugDude]

My thinking of an extra mag, and I usually take one, is for mechanical reasons, not extra shots.OMOYMV

Me too...unless I'm carrying one of my snub revolvers, then I carry a speed loader and a couple speed strips for extra shots as well.

[TN_Mike]

Would you give a reference to this? From what I have seen ammo or limp wrist issues have caused more malfunctions than magazines.

The most common mechanical failure on a modern semi auto hand gun is a magazine failure. This is pretty well known. I have read this same thing said by Clint Smith, and any number of other top shelf instructors. And on top of that, I saw it time and time again during my time working in gun shops and on ranges. The magazine is the most common failure point of a modern semi auto. I do not understand the mind set of not carrying a spare just for this reason.

[wjh2657]

Glock 23 with 1 extra mag or 642 with two extra Speed Strips. Once you have fired you hope it is over. But if it isn't, you have singled yourself out as the primary target. Hate to die because of an empty gun.

[Lyndo]

I always carry a spare mag for the same reason I carry a gun; I cant predict the future.