Bring extra mags or not?

[AZ Hawk]

What's most important is that regardless of the gun you carry, you ALWAYS carry spare ammo. For wheelgunners it's a matter of quantity; for pistol shooters the extra mag is a reliability concern, since magazine problems are behind the majority of feeding and functioning issues. Beyond that, carrying in a proper pouch is a good idea, although I personally find IWB mag holders uncomfortable.

My thoughts exactly.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mlr1m]

Ditto. In addition, in the case of a magazine malfunction it is far faster to dump the malfunctioning magazine and replace it than to diagnose and clear the problem. I carry two.

This is the reason I carry a spare magazine. The extra ammo is only a bonus factor to me.

Michael

[matthew03]

Yes, when carrying an auto I always carry at least one spare mag, the reason isn't necessarily for capacity, (which is nice if needed), but for malfunctions. If your weapon experiences a type 3 malfunction, ripping out the magazine will likely result in the top round being altered from it's proper position. This would either require the operator to re-align/re-seat or remove that round and could continue to the round below, eating up valuable fighting time. If the fouled magazine is re-inserted with the top round not fully seated you will likely be in for another FTF. Rather than try to fix the fouled magazine after clearing the double feed I discard that mag and replace it with a fully loaded one from my carrier.

I don't carry magazines IWB, I prefer to use OWB carriers. OWB carriers don't extend down far enough to hinder concealment under an untucked shirt. I prefer to carry magazines bullets forward, but there isn't a set in stone rule on how to carry them, it depends more on how you prefer to grab the mag during a reload so that it is oriented properly for insertion.

[tts]

Same here. Always carry an extra magazine. It's tough to find a comfortable IWB holster, though. I finally settled on the Comp-Tac Concealment Pouch -- holds one. I'd love to find a comfortable IWB holster that holds two, but that might be ambitious.

[zonker1986]

Glock 19 and two spare 15 rounders every day.

[tts]

Glock 19 and two spare 15 rounders every day.

Ditto. What kind of holster do you use?

[Katana]

Always 2 spares, doesn't matter whether I'm carrying a single stack .45 or a hi-cap doublestack 9mm, the magazine is one of the weakest points of any handgun. The extra ammo is a nice bonus for whenever I have to repel terrorists "Die Hard" style too.

In all seriousness though, I've always carried 2 extra magazines since I started carrying 15 years ago. During the short period where I carried a revolver, I also carried 2 speedloaders. As the saying goes "It's better to need it and not have it, then have it and not need it."

I'll continue to carry this way until the point it gets to be too uncomfortable. I can always alter my dress around how I carry, but I realize not everyone has that luxury. But I've always advocated that people carry at least 1 reload with them whenever this question comes up.

As for IWB or OWB, well I carry both ways. For IWB, I really like my Remora and my Theis Holsters dual magazine holster (Convertible, by the way), and for OWB I just prefer 2 single magazine holsters spaced apart a few inches on my left hip.

[RugerMike]

I honestly think it helps to balance out the weight of carrying the gun IWB on the other side. So for me personally it is a no brainier, more rounds and more comfort. Done.

[PatAz]

I always carry an extra.

[shadowwalker]

I have for many years carried 2 extra mags and I carry a backup weapon same as when I was a Deputy Sheriff

[Fragman]

I carry a spare in my back weak side pocket. More for malfunction than anything else. Already have 11 rounds in the G26. But it's not much effort to carry the extra and it can't hurt. Also find that wearing it in a pouch is a little uncomfortable, unless I have it at 7.30 - 8 o'clock position, and then it prints big time if leaning forward.

I know some people use cell phone holders or knife pouches mounted sideways. Never tried it myself, but seems OK as indea in principle.

[GJ44]

Rule of thumb should always be at least one reload whether a revolver or pistol. Chances are you`ll never need more to take care of business!

[Jason Storm]

I always bring at least an extra magazine with my pistol. Criminals attack in packs these days. Also, other factors may be a bad magazine as well as assailants not being affected by bullets that extra rds. might be needed to do the job.

[eb]

Guess I'm in the minority, but I never carry a spare. I rotate my mags out monthly and verify operation of the next one up at the range. This is also an excuse to run the gun and clean it.

As of late I carry an XD 45 compact with 10 rounds in it. The gun has never malfunctioned. I am willing to accept the risk of combining the tiny chance I'll ever need to pull the gun along with the tiny chance the gun would malfunction. For self-defense, I am fine with this.

[maxwell]

Yes, in back pocket.