Should you ONLY carry a reload for your secondary/BUG?

[10thmtn]

This question assumes you carry a secondary/BUG, and train to transition to it if your primary stops running for any reason.

Since you will transition to your secondary/BUG, does it make any sense to carry a reload for your primary? If you carry a reload at all, wouldn't it make more sense to carry reload(s) for your secondary?

I suppose you could imagine a scenario where you run your primary dry, but cannot get to your BUG...but in that case, you probably cannot get to your reload either.

With a limit to all the stuff you can carry, I'm just wondering what those of you who carry a BUG do for reloads?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[NC Bullseye]

Reload for primary only. Faster to reload than to transition to BUG, and BUG is smaller caliber and not as easy to use. BUG is last ditch effort to stay in the fight.

[zacii]

It depends. I don't carry a second gun as a back-up, but rather for another option. So, I don't always practice to immediately transition to the second option.

So, I carry a reload for each one.

[Guantes]

That depends on several things.
1. What you see as the purpose of the BUG.
2. What you carry for a primary and a secondary.
3. Ammo and ammo source compatibility.

My solution, which is probably not ordinary, is that if I feel the need to carry a secondary, it is a mirror of my primary and I carry one reload whether I carry a secondary or not. That way my reload is compatible with both my primary and my secondary.

Should you carry a different primary and secondary, like most people do, I would carry the reload for the primary. The odds of a modern well cared for handgun going down are small and if it does occur it is usually related to the mags, which is cured by an additional mag. If some other malfunction occurs, the backup comes into play.

[Bill MO]

As to what I do, I carry 2 XDs mirror AIWB I practice drawing the second one for my reload and only carry those 2 most of the time. When I do feel the need for more I carry 2 extra mags one on each side so I can do reloads with each hand and gun. All extra mags work in either gun. I carry either 2 sub compacts with 13 rounds or a service with one sub compact with a full size mag. All extra mags are full size

Carrying 2 of the same and everything work in all makes sense to me. If you are carrying it and using it "it will work" none of this which do I have in my hand stuff or worse yet would be putting the wrong ammo in the wrong gun.

[10thmtn]

Lately I have been leaning more to the "NY reload" concept. If your primary stops working for whatever reason, it seems faster to me to go to your secondary than to try and get your primary working again (IF you can get it working again...if you cannot, you just wasted a bunch of time trying). While the secondary might be of a lesser caliber, it seems to me that getting back into the fight sooner is more important.

In the ideal world, mirror image guns, or a smaller version that uses the same mags as the larger cousin (G19/G26 as examples) would be the best bet. But given the need to conceal things (and some of us need to be more like "covert") and that is not always viable.

So, for me the routine would be...if primary stops, go to secondary...if that stops, reload/fix as needed.

Perhaps it would make some sense to carry a reload for your primary to use for a "combat reload" after the action has (perhaps temporarily) ceased...as in removing your partially depleted primary's mag and replacing it with a fully loaded mag, just in case the action resumes.

But if space/weight on your person is limited (and it is), and you need to choose between carrying a reload for your primary vs your secondary, it may make some sense to carry the reload for the last gun you're going to be using - your secondary.

[Guantes]

I think that is a call that has to be made by each person based on their perceived needs and actions.

[DIABLO9489]

I'll normally go with a Glock 23/27 or 19/26 combo and for the heavy carry days Glock 20/29 combo. Not the easiest to pull off but the one that makes the most sense to me.

[INccwchris]

i only carry one reload for my bug and two for my primary, i normally only carry a bug at work and when i am off work i still have two reloads for my primary

[Knightrider]

I carry two reloads for my BUG (J-frame)

[Bill MO]

I think that is a call that has to be made by each person based on their perceived needs and actions.

I agree with Guantes, in that what a person actually does or carries is a personal thing and will vary with us all. I can only say what is good for me at this time as it will most likely change over time. As will it for us all.

[MilitaryPower]

I generally carry at a minimum of one reload for each gun I carry. If I was only going to carry one gun, I'd carry two reloads if possible, but if it was possible, why wouldn't I be able to carry another gun instead? Depending on the size of gun of course.

[JOHNSMITH]

My particular BUG has a somewhat tough to actuate magazine release. Good for the accidental magazine release you see happening with small autos... not so good for "tactical reloads." If the BUG runs dry, it would make sense in my particular case to reload my primary.

[glockman10mm]

If....I carrieed a BUG, it would be something compatible to my main weapon, such as g22 and g27. In this case, the magazine from my main gun could feed my BUG, and negate the need to carry 2 extra mags. Because for me, weight and comfort are important.

[Old School]

When I carry my BUG a Diamondback .380 with 7 rounds I do not carry a reload nor do I carry a reload for my primary which is a G-23. The BUG has many roles from weak hand access to NY reload to replacing primary during malfunction. As G-man said weight and comfort are very important to me also and I use quality well fitting holsters and belts to achieve that end. Guantes brings up a good point by carrying his two Beretta 92's together. I have thought about carrying my G-19 with my G-23. The mags from each would not interchange but aside from the calibers identical platforms.

Recently I purchased a G-36 and when I carry that gun by itself I carry a reload and no BUG. Yes I know that my G-23 has as many rounds plus one as the G-36 without a reload but I really like my G-36 and though you never know what you may come up againsts the extra mag for the G-36 is about the weight of the BUG so no BUG.

It's a personnal decision of course depending on the circumstances you are going to go into. When I am off duty I do not go to those places where I am expecting to be involved in a deadly force encounter so my weapons of the day are my spare tire in case of a blow out. I carry a folding knife and an ASP Street Defender pepper spray so I have alot of gear going on just walking out the front door to go to the store.

It sure is fun making all those tactical decisions huh.

photo.JPG

The mag holder takes the place of the BUG even though the shot count is not as high with the G-36