rfurtkamp

And that's why I have night vision. ;0

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Driver carries less than $45 worth of remorse.

OD

Interesting read Tangle.
In 27yrs. of CCW'ing, I've not been in one gunfight yet.

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OD
"Slow down, you'll get a more harmonious outcome...."
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"The pistol, learn it well, carry it always ..." - Jeff Cooper

gregarat

Tangle,
Ever since I started to carry my 1911 I have been asking myself the same question. Do I really need 25rds of .45 ammo, when I’m going to the store? I wonder if carrying a snubby as a backup might take up less space.
Then the little voice always says "what if the SHTF?! Isn’t that why I carry a handgun in the first place?"

Thankfully I’m already a rabid animal! So at least I get to save $2500.

Bud White

Since i know my luck i carry 2 spare mags just cuz most people don't need a reload don't me i wont or that something wont happen

GoodSamaritan

I can't speak for others, but I buy extra ammo all the time, for the smae reason I have insurance. I hope to never need it, but I would rather have it, on the odd chance it is needed. How much does it really cost? How much space does it really take up? Not much in the scheme of things. The best part is, the stuff can sit around here for decades, and never eat a thing.

Here are the reasons why I think it is a good idea to have extra on hand.

#1 The previously mentioned worst case scenarios.
#2 If a particular type of ammo becomes hard to get or expensive, I will already have an ample supply on hand, which I could sell or trade if I wished.
#3 It is cheaper when you buy a bunch of it at once. Kinda like buying the pallet of toilet paper at Sam's club.
#4 It saves me from making last minute ammo runs when I get an unexpected chance to go shooting with a friend.
#5 The extra weight keeps my safe difficult to move, even when empty. (yes, I know, I should bolt it to the wall...)
#6 In a Katrina scenario, I have some trusted, but very short sighted friends, and family, who will need protection, and I am only one man. While I cannot be there, I can supply them with the means to protect themselves. (yes I know the legal implications)

elkhunter

I agree with the “Prepare for the worst, Hope for the best” way of thinking.
What it boils down to is, what is your assessment of risk?
When I am in the mountains, I will carry all the firepower I can to protect myself & family from lions, tigers & bears (Oh my!)
When in town I feel a little safer (right or wrong, many of you have debated this,) so I am not so heavily armed. One weapon, one or two mags.
I’ll bet $$ there are some in this forum who would asses the risks opposite. (Chill in the woods, high alert in town.)
I’d say go with what you are comfortable with.

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It’s so much easier now days, to "Love and honor" my wife, when she is armed, and shoots a better group than I do. (Till death do us part, eh?)

"The orriginal point & click device was a Smith & Wesson" -Unknown

Miggy

I carry 2 extra mags with me at all times 'cause you never know if you will go slidelock or if the damn mag is gonna fail on you or you are gonna do something stupid like hit the mag release and lose the mag in the gun that will promptly fall in a sewer you failed to notice before or in sand or mud, etc.

I read somewhere about carrying mags "One is none and Two is one" and the concept behind is that be ready to lose a mag and be ready to substitute it.

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You have to make the shot when fire is smoking, people are screaming, dogs are barking, kids are crying and sirens are coming.
Randy Cain.

GunFreeZone.net

OD

I guess my earlier post made it sound as though I don't carry a spare, I do. One for the .45 & one for the P-32.

__________________
OD
"Slow down, you'll get a more harmonious outcome...."
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"The pistol, learn it well, carry it always ..." - Jeff Cooper

kastiron

Tangle, with all due respect, you maybe should consider buying more ammunition. Those quantites you stock are known as "restock levels" to some I know.

I prefer to buy it whenever I can afford to, so I can shoot when I maybe can't afford to buy a lot more. Stored properly, it will last a while.

I have a few cases of .22LR saved up because I have young kids that I suspect will have a similar desire for the shooting sports.

I primarily carry a revolver, with soon to be one reload strip.

Tangle

I think some of you didn't quite catch the tougue-and-cheek attributes of my post and took it in a somewhat defensive way. It was just meant as a humorous introspective look at ourselves and some of our idiosyncrasies.

Do you not see just a bit of amusement (in a good way) in all the expense, effort, time, and energy we devote to "that" event? Be it a personal SD event or a cataclysmic event. I mean we're more focused on an event that has never happened in the US as if it's more likely to happen than a fire in our car or truck. BTW, how many have a good fire extinguisher in their car? How about a BUFE (Back Up Fire Extingisher) in your car - "one is none and two is one"?

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst? I fully agree, but here's a trivial worst. You're house burns to the ground. Not uncommon; my neighbor's did just that about 2 years ago.

Just an honest and humorous look at how we wrap our life around uncertain, future events based on what we enjoy. I mean we visualize events that we can control with guns, 1000s of rounds of ammo, and tactics. After Katrina, complete with a total break-down of society and law enforcement, it makes you think - that's probably a worst case scenario, right? And yet, as far as I know, no civies fired a shot, much less 1000s.