Plus 1 in your pistol

[gasmitty]

Handgun: I load the magazine, put it in the gun and chamber a round. That's it.

Rifle: I down load my AR magazines by 2.. ( oh the horror )

A lot of 30-round mags won't seat reliably on a closed bolt. Pat Rogers drilled into us to load 30 and download 2.

[The Old Anglo]

I always load he mag,chamber a round,set the safety on then top off the mag. Ready!.

[Novarider]

A lot of 30-round mags won't seat reliably on a closed bolt. Pat Rogers drilled into us to load 30 and download 2.

I've experienced this with my AR but thought something was wrong with the mag so I set it aside and no longer use it. What makes it not seat properly? Does the bolt press down on the top round of the mag?

[gasmitty]

I've experienced this with my AR but thought something was wrong with the mag so I set it aside and no longer use it. What makes it not seat properly? Does the bolt press down on the top round of the mag?

It's not a "defect," but rather a "characteristic." Look at a loaded mag - see how much of the top round protrudes above the feed lips? That round has to be pushed downward a bit by the bottom of the bolt, when it's closed. The originally-standard 20-round mags were designed with enough room below the follower and compressed spring to let the cartridge stack move down another 1/8th inch or so. When 30-round mags came along, I don't know if that was just ignored or if there were other design considerations (such as the need to curve the body of the longer mag) which limited the compression of the longer spring, but the result is that most 30-rounders just won't seat reliably (key word) on a closed bolt. I believe some newer 30-rounders may, but the 30+ P-mags here won't. Giving up 1-2 rounds in a pistol that loads 8 max is an issue for me, in a rifle with 28 +1 on board is not.

[rocky]

I always top off my mags. AR P mags have a little extra room to load 30 and still reliable seated with the bolt closed. You can actually get 31 in them but it will not seat then and may affect reliability.

[OldVet]

I don't top off. The "one more round" debate can be beat to death with no resolution. Even not topping off my Glock 30 I still have more rounds than a 1911, so does that make a 1911 risky to carry when you needed that ninth round? What if I need a twelfth round over the 11 my G30 could hold. How about a 13th round that my 12+1 6906 couldn't hold?

Go with the loading you're comfortable with and don't worry about the other guys.

[Militant]

Whatever amount of rounds my mag holds, I top it off and then, I'm always + up! Always!

[Gunnie]

I always load to full capacity and then top it off always have.

[SWsouthpaw]

I always carry +1. From what I understand, no one has ever said after a gunfight "Gee, I guess I brought too much ammo."

Besides, many guns are advertised as "8+1" or "15+1" or whatever in capacity. That says to me that the manufacturer gives their blessing for loading +1. Why not take advantage?

[goldshellback]

I'm a +1 kinda guy.....I wanna give it my all, and then some, if I have to.

[CDW4ME]

Advertised magazine capacity of a Glock 19 is 15 rounds, so I'm carrying 15 rounds in the mag.
If it wasn't intended to be carried with 15 rounds in the magazine, the advertised capacity should be specified as 14 rounds.
Whether one "needs" another bullet regardless of mag capacity being 7, 8, 10 or 15 won't ever be discovered until its too late.

ETA a Glock magazine spring is about $6 if it needs replacement, I'll spring the $ for it.

[darbo]

Always +1.

[Texas Red]

If I'm carrying a semi, it's topped off.

If I'm at the range, I don't bother.

But a 38 snub is my EDC and it's always at capacity. +1 isn't an issue.

[Havok]

I don't top off. The "one more round" debate can be beat to death with no resolution. Even not topping off my Glock 30 I still have more rounds than a 1911, so does that make a 1911 risky to carry when you needed that ninth round? What if I need a twelfth round over the 11 my G30 could hold. How about a 13th round that my 12+1 6906 couldn't hold?

Go with the loading you're comfortable with and don't worry about the other guys.

This is true, but would you carry 5 rounds in your g30 just because a j frame also holds 5 rounds? To me it’s not about how much ammo I think I’ll need. It’s about the gun being the same size regardless, and there being no advantage to carrying 10% less ammo in the same gun/magazine.

[spclopr8tr]

Mine are always +1. The sole exception to that was my Sig P938 that would not feed the top JHP reliably with one in the chamber and a full mag. On that gun I simply fed it a full mag and chambered a round. With my Sig P365, I always carry it 12 + 1. Same for my HD guns that are mostly 17 + 1.