Capacity!

[TheGreatGonzo]

Now I carry a high cap 9 on the job (department issued Beretta) ...SNIP... The duty gun has 15 round magzaines but my bosses only allow us to carry 10 in them.

Ok, you have me stumped here. I have never heard of a law enforcement agency restricting officers/agents to less than fully loaded mags. What on earth is the thought process in their heads?!?
Gonzo

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[one eyed fatman]

not to rain on the 1911 parade... have fired a few and loved them. can't wait to add one to the collection but for capacity's sake, gotta take a good hard look at the Springfield XD .45, 13+1 but not something you need bear paws to get around.

Just say yes to the XD45.

[Exmasonite]

i'm hoping to say "yes" to the XD45 SC in the next 6 months... hopefully something that's 8 or 9+1

[Black Knight]

TheGreatGonzo

I'm with the Department of the Army Police and the powers that be here would drive a psychiatrist crazy. This isn't the only stupid policy they have for us. Wish I could tell you the others but that could get me in deep ____. This is not the way it is at other Army facilities only the one I work for.

[TN_Mike]

I think Mr. Lowe hit the nail on the head so to speak. Better to have the extra rounds and not need them than need them and not have them.

I carry a small gun with a 10+1 round capacity. But, I would feel just as well protected if I carried a snub nose .38 with a 5 round capacity. As long as I was facing a single bad guy with that snub nose. That is the tricky part. There seems to be a trand of the bad guys doing their dirty deeds in groups. So, I feel a little better with a gun on my hip that has a few extra rounds in it.

[Al Lowe]

According to my most recent pistol instructor, if you carry a gun, carry a reload. His recommendation is, speed strips for revovlers, because they lay flat, and are not as bulky as speedloaders. For semi-autos, if you have a single-stack pistol, he recommends two extras. If you have a hi-cap, at least one reload.

Oh, and practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice. Then, practice some more.

Practice your shooting, AND, most importantly, practice drawing your weapon. IF you can't do that at a range. Do it at home, with a dummy practice pistol, if you have one, or at worst, with an empty pistol.

IF you carry items in addition to your pistol and ammo, make sure your ammo is NOT near anything that you might grab in an emergency. You might mistake your flashlight/Pepper spray/knife for an extra magazine.

I know, I saw it happen during my last training session. One of the guys in our class had a "Bat belt" for lack of a better term. And more than once, instead of his magazine, he was pulling out some other object.

I carry my cell phone in a vest/shirt pocket. If/When I start carrying pepper spray, that will be AWAY from my ammo. The last thing I want is to try and put my pepper spray into the mag well of my pistol.

[rodc13]

I looked at a friend's Para w/ LDA and it seems like a fine weapon. Likewise the XD. For my personal use, however, I prefer the SA-only 1911, and the single stack grip design for feel and "flat" concealability. 7+1+7 primary load and 6+1+6 BUG load provides sufficient concealable capacity and redundancy. If I knew I was going to need more, I'd take the AR without about 12 mags!

[ptmmatssc]

I have 10+1 capacity in both my usual carry pieces (witness .45 & PT-140 .40 ) . Never have felt the need for more than that . The " better to have it and not need it " phrase is great , but realisticly , do people carry 4 spares for their cars? That's just the way I think . If the time ever came that I needed more than what I was carrying , it probably wouldn't matter what or how much I was carrying anyway . Not saying this is the right or wrong way of thinking , just my way .

[huntermedic]

I've carried hi-cap 9's and 40's both on and off duty. The last 40 I had (S&W 411) was "perfect" for both. Small enough to carry concealed, but heavy enough for duty.

I no longer work as an LEO, but I do still carry. I always wanted a 45. So I now carry a S&W 457 w/7rnds and a spare. If I need more than 14 rnds to defend me and my family, then I have put us someplace where we shouldn't have been.

Use the mind, and don't put yourself into a "hollywood" shoot-out. CCW is personal protection (you and yours). Call in the "Big Guns" if you need more than a few well placed rounds.

That's my opinion

Jeff

[ccw9mm]

But when it comes to a CCW, if you need more than the 16 rounds that you have on you, then you are out gunned.

Face it: since the day of the "wonder nines" and the level of unthinking, unwarranted anti-social heights to which some (perps) are willing to go, having only a handgun can be considered being outgunned. Wholly depends on the situation, of course.

It comes down to one thing: How quickly and effectively one can incapacitate an aggressor, or, worse, multiple aggressors. If I can only have a few rounds (due to weight or concealment restrictions), I want those rounds to be as large and effective as possible. If I can accommodate far more rounds, then I'm willing to drop my requirements on size/effectiveness a little in order to gain the firepower. But in the end, a situation will drive everything. There are situations where the mere threat dissolves the problem; others, where caliber is a clear advantage; still others, where you simply cannot carry enough rounds, given the realities of a multiple-aggressor attack over long distances (until you reach safety).

A one-size-fits-all strategy works well only for unisex sweat pants and some hats.

[MJZZZ]

I also believe that since just showing your loaded 1911 to a bad guy will deter most criminals. Capacity of a single mag would not convince me to buy another handgun. I do keep 3 loaded mags available. Mike Z

[Al Lowe]

I have ONE Spare tire for my car, so why not carry a spare mag for my gun? If you don't plan for what MIGHT happen, why carry a gun at all?

What I mean is, isn't that part of our raison d'etre? Don't we tell ourselves as well as those antis that we carry for what might happen? Well, suppose you DO need more than a single load? I'm not saying it will happen. But if we don't want to go with the idea we might need more than X amount of ammo, we could just as easily extrapolate that to read, "Well, then I don't really even need my gun."

Think about it.

[Ti Carry]

WOW, lot's of different view point's on this!

Al has the right idea. He is seeing things as I was when posting this question. I carry one spare tire as well, why in the heck would I carry another spare? I've got AAA, a cell phone, extra money, credit card's, family, friends, that are backing me up. That analogy is not comparing apples to apples IMO.

I don't have AAA backing me on the street everyday helping to protect me! I am buying my own personal insurance/assurance that I am covered in as many type's of situations as possible by carrying more capacity. The more training I get the more I think this way!

To each there own as to what they feel comfortable with, I just wanted to see others views about extra capacity and what they are carrying for the most part. I should have made this a poll question as well, I'll remember next time.


Ti.

[JimmyC4]

TiCarry, a poll may have been a better idea if you wanted statistics--perhaps you can go that route now if it's possible.

As for me, I would find it interesting to see what % of people carry reloads, and how many. Some simple statistics without all the personal self-defense philosophies.

[kikr]

I read a statistic somewhere that said the average gunfight was 7 seconds long, at 7 meters, with 3 rounds fired. For personal protection I'm quite happy with a 5 shot revolver.