Is that a spare mag I see on your belt and why you got all that ammo stored at home??
You know guys, I'm as much a gun guy as anybody. I shoot nearly every week, got more guns than anybody needs, got a bunch of ammo on reserve for all those SHTF events, why I even carry a spare mag with me, two spares for single stackers.
But you know what, I think we have, stock, and carry all that stuff because we can, rather than because we ought to or need to. I mean, do I really, really believe there's a chance that I'm gonna be in a gunfight that requires me to shoot my 17 round Mecgar mag dry? And even if it happened, how is it that I'd have time to reload, I mean do you call "time-out" or are there rules of a gunfight that states the BGs have to wait for a GG to reload. That must be it - one of those unspoken rules I guess.
In all my life, which is gettin' to be a long time, I have never heard of a civilian needing to reload in a gunfight. I suppose it's happened, but they tell us "we" use guns 2 million times a year to defend ourselves. Out of 2 million times, how many times did somebody reload during or after a gunfight? Oh well, mags do provide counter balance to the gun; well, if you carry 'em on opposite sides.
But here's somethin' else I don't understand. Most people that carry a revolver as the main gun either don't carry any or only carry one reload. What is that 10 rounds total? Or 15 rounds total for two reloads? But anyway that'll solve any problem right? You fire five, reload, fire five, etc. as the situation requires. I've got more ammo than that in my gun without reloading, so how is it that I also to carry a spare mag with 15 rounds to do the same job that a revolver can do with 5 rounds plus a 5 round reload? Different BGs I guess. Well, it could be you just naturally shoot better with a revolver than a semi.
But then see there's another thing that puzzles me. How come you never see a revolver go toe-to-toe with a semi in competitive shooting, if the capacity in the gun and reloads don't matter?
Oh, and how about the gun fails right when you need it? Has that ever happened in a civilian gunfight? Two million times a year and I haven't heard of one failure! It must happen a lot though, why else would we carry spare mags and spare guns in case we have a gun failure?
And what about all that ammo I've got for all those SHTF things we see so often. I've got 1000 rounds of .223, 1800 rounds of 9mm, probably 500 rounds of .45 ACP, and four or five hundred rounds of 12 ga OO and slugs. Yep, I'm ready, sure am, no doubt about that, bring it on, you won't catch me flat-footed. But what is it I'm ready for? If I have to evacuate, there's no way I can take all that with me.
If I stay, I'd have to shoot 1800/365 = 4.9 rounds a day every day for a year before I'd use up my 9mm alone. :embarassed: But, it's comforting to know I'm ready. I need to figure out how to shoot 0.9 of a round though or the ammo won't work out right.
So what if I had a Katrina event in my area; I'm ready. Of course I really don't remember any civilians shooting at all before, during, or after Katrina. Well, they probably weren't ready, but I am.
But there are other SHTF scenarios that I'd need all that ammo for, like what if I couldn't get ammo for a year or more. Well, am I gonna be shooting 1000s of rounds of ammo in a year if I can't get more? At what?
What about those roving, raiding, desparate gangs that form during the chaos of a disaster? Well I'm ready! How does that work exactly though? Do they ride their bikes back and forth in front of my house and I shoot them kinda like an arcade? That'd almost have to be it, because a dozen guys wouldn't have to be too smart to out maneuver and out shoot one guy with a gun. And let's see, if I fire 100 rounds at them, do they fire a 100 each back at me? What's that gonna do to the front of my house? It'll leak! Well that's better than getting shot by a lucky bullet.
Oh yeah, those roving gangs won't have any full autos will they? 'cause that doesn't seem fair to be out numbered and out gunned. And, they only attack in the daytime right, when I can see them? Cause otherwise I might not need all that ammo.
Just wonderin' about things I must not understand.
You see what happens when I don't get to go shootin'? The range was closed today. Maybe Friday, but if not, you better get ready 'cause that would mean I'll be doin' this again.
But you know what, I think we have, stock, and carry all that stuff because we can, rather than because we ought to or need to. I mean, do I really, really believe there's a chance that I'm gonna be in a gunfight that requires me to shoot my 17 round Mecgar mag dry? And even if it happened, how is it that I'd have time to reload, I mean do you call "time-out" or are there rules of a gunfight that states the BGs have to wait for a GG to reload. That must be it - one of those unspoken rules I guess.
In all my life, which is gettin' to be a long time, I have never heard of a civilian needing to reload in a gunfight. I suppose it's happened, but they tell us "we" use guns 2 million times a year to defend ourselves. Out of 2 million times, how many times did somebody reload during or after a gunfight? Oh well, mags do provide counter balance to the gun; well, if you carry 'em on opposite sides.
But here's somethin' else I don't understand. Most people that carry a revolver as the main gun either don't carry any or only carry one reload. What is that 10 rounds total? Or 15 rounds total for two reloads? But anyway that'll solve any problem right? You fire five, reload, fire five, etc. as the situation requires. I've got more ammo than that in my gun without reloading, so how is it that I also to carry a spare mag with 15 rounds to do the same job that a revolver can do with 5 rounds plus a 5 round reload? Different BGs I guess. Well, it could be you just naturally shoot better with a revolver than a semi.
But then see there's another thing that puzzles me. How come you never see a revolver go toe-to-toe with a semi in competitive shooting, if the capacity in the gun and reloads don't matter?
Oh, and how about the gun fails right when you need it? Has that ever happened in a civilian gunfight? Two million times a year and I haven't heard of one failure! It must happen a lot though, why else would we carry spare mags and spare guns in case we have a gun failure?
And what about all that ammo I've got for all those SHTF things we see so often. I've got 1000 rounds of .223, 1800 rounds of 9mm, probably 500 rounds of .45 ACP, and four or five hundred rounds of 12 ga OO and slugs. Yep, I'm ready, sure am, no doubt about that, bring it on, you won't catch me flat-footed. But what is it I'm ready for? If I have to evacuate, there's no way I can take all that with me.
If I stay, I'd have to shoot 1800/365 = 4.9 rounds a day every day for a year before I'd use up my 9mm alone. :embarassed: But, it's comforting to know I'm ready. I need to figure out how to shoot 0.9 of a round though or the ammo won't work out right.So what if I had a Katrina event in my area; I'm ready. Of course I really don't remember any civilians shooting at all before, during, or after Katrina. Well, they probably weren't ready, but I am.
But there are other SHTF scenarios that I'd need all that ammo for, like what if I couldn't get ammo for a year or more. Well, am I gonna be shooting 1000s of rounds of ammo in a year if I can't get more? At what?
What about those roving, raiding, desparate gangs that form during the chaos of a disaster? Well I'm ready! How does that work exactly though? Do they ride their bikes back and forth in front of my house and I shoot them kinda like an arcade? That'd almost have to be it, because a dozen guys wouldn't have to be too smart to out maneuver and out shoot one guy with a gun. And let's see, if I fire 100 rounds at them, do they fire a 100 each back at me? What's that gonna do to the front of my house? It'll leak! Well that's better than getting shot by a lucky bullet.
Oh yeah, those roving gangs won't have any full autos will they? 'cause that doesn't seem fair to be out numbered and out gunned. And, they only attack in the daytime right, when I can see them? Cause otherwise I might not need all that ammo.
Just wonderin' about things I must not understand.
You see what happens when I don't get to go shootin'? The range was closed today. Maybe Friday, but if not, you better get ready 'cause that would mean I'll be doin' this again.
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<sigh> I do understsnd ya..........BUT..............remember one thing............the L. A. Shootout, and would you feel comfy with being innocently involved... and in the middle of it?
The other thing life has taught me, is, be prepared for the unexpected..Personally, I carry 3 spares, cuz ya never know..
Even for the SHTF situations...........and I needed to bury my weapons..I'd still have a few "choices" of my weapons platforms.....I think I'd have enough "superior firepower" to fend em off, even for a little bit of time.
The other thing life has taught me, is, be prepared for the unexpected..Personally, I carry 3 spares, cuz ya never know..
Even for the SHTF situations...........and I needed to bury my weapons..I'd still have a few "choices" of my weapons platforms.....I think I'd have enough "superior firepower" to fend em off, even for a little bit of time.
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It's all down to odds Ron - which most of the time favor us strongly. But if the 0.001% event should occur (or should I even increase another decimal place!) - then why not ''better to have and not need'' suddenly becoming real need.
Until we have strong or infallible precognitive abilities the best we can do is hope for best and prepare for worst - and for most of us hopefully that'll be all it is. I do not carry spare mags every day - certainly not in and around home but will throw one in a pocket on some excursions.
I base my assessment entirely on perceived risk but not totally ignoring the ''totally unexpected'' - which is what just could occur, anytime, any place.
I will retain my label of (as seen by some) ''quasi-paranoid'' - just not the full deal :18:
Until we have strong or infallible precognitive abilities the best we can do is hope for best and prepare for worst - and for most of us hopefully that'll be all it is. I do not carry spare mags every day - certainly not in and around home but will throw one in a pocket on some excursions.
I base my assessment entirely on perceived risk but not totally ignoring the ''totally unexpected'' - which is what just could occur, anytime, any place.
I will retain my label of (as seen by some) ''quasi-paranoid'' - just not the full deal :18:
It all just depends...
I've experienced a bit of a paradigm shift... when I am going out alone, just me, the revolver and 1 reload seems adequate. More often than not I carry the XD, but I feel just fine with the GP100.
But I have caught myself starting to worry about it when there's other people with me I feel responsible for. I've started carrying two, even three, reloads.
I keep a couple hundred rounds of .40 S&W and my "old reliable" XD40 handy in the vehicle, with 6 mags of Gold Dots. I figure that's a pretty good gun for a bad day.
I've experienced a bit of a paradigm shift... when I am going out alone, just me, the revolver and 1 reload seems adequate. More often than not I carry the XD, but I feel just fine with the GP100.
But I have caught myself starting to worry about it when there's other people with me I feel responsible for. I've started carrying two, even three, reloads.
I keep a couple hundred rounds of .40 S&W and my "old reliable" XD40 handy in the vehicle, with 6 mags of Gold Dots. I figure that's a pretty good gun for a bad day.
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50,356 Posts
I have read on the web about of two LEO firearm failures last year.
I have also seen the magazine base pad blow out of a mag rendering a Semi~auto useless without a spare mag.
Having said that I carry .45acp single stack so I feel that I do need an extra mag.
Also: no need to call a time out to throw a fast fresh mag into the mag well. That can be accomplished very fast with good practice.
I see your point though...most of us will probably never be in a sustained firefight to the death.
Let me add that if I had my loaded carry weapon with me & I left the house without a spare mag...AKA "Whoops! I forgot to bring an extra loaded mag with me."..due to the law of averages...I probably wouldn't run all the way back home to get one.:biggrin2:
I will always try to carry an extra mag though.
I have also seen the magazine base pad blow out of a mag rendering a Semi~auto useless without a spare mag.
Having said that I carry .45acp single stack so I feel that I do need an extra mag.
Also: no need to call a time out to throw a fast fresh mag into the mag well. That can be accomplished very fast with good practice.
I see your point though...most of us will probably never be in a sustained firefight to the death.
Let me add that if I had my loaded carry weapon with me & I left the house without a spare mag...AKA "Whoops! I forgot to bring an extra loaded mag with me."..due to the law of averages...I probably wouldn't run all the way back home to get one.:biggrin2:
I will always try to carry an extra mag though.
To me it's the percentages of what may, or may not happen in a life and death situation.
I will use something that happened to me in '01 IIRC, it may have been '03.
A stray cat got run over in front of my house. I stupidly went out to see if I could help it and it bite my trigger finger real good, blood and everything. I washed it out but I guess I didn't do a good job and the next morning I went to the ER (was a Sunday). They looked at it, gave me antibiatics(sp) and assessed my situation.
He mentioned that my chances of getting rabies was about 1 to 2%. Now, those are great odds right? I mean, I was 98 to 99% in the clear.
Then I read up on rabies. Two things jumped out at me... 1) No cure, 2) 100% (at that time, one child last year survived) mortality rate. Oh, not to mention it being a very painful death.
Okay, here I was, in a true life or death situation, an absolute life and death situation meaning that I had two things that could happen, continued life or if contracted, absolute death.
I went and got the rabie shots. $2,500.00 for the series. Some may think that I overreacted, some may say that I was stupid for paying that much money for the shots, sure, some will say that I went for the excessive instead of the odds of the percentages. But, to my mind, my life was/is worth that and much more and I'd rather go to the extreme in order to protect that life then to not and then end up dying.
The guns, extra ammo, etc.. is the same. I'd rather be over prepared to protect my life then to go with the odds and end up on the wrong side of the percentages.
Wayne
I will use something that happened to me in '01 IIRC, it may have been '03.
A stray cat got run over in front of my house. I stupidly went out to see if I could help it and it bite my trigger finger real good, blood and everything. I washed it out but I guess I didn't do a good job and the next morning I went to the ER (was a Sunday). They looked at it, gave me antibiatics(sp) and assessed my situation.
He mentioned that my chances of getting rabies was about 1 to 2%. Now, those are great odds right? I mean, I was 98 to 99% in the clear.
Then I read up on rabies. Two things jumped out at me... 1) No cure, 2) 100% (at that time, one child last year survived) mortality rate. Oh, not to mention it being a very painful death.
Okay, here I was, in a true life or death situation, an absolute life and death situation meaning that I had two things that could happen, continued life or if contracted, absolute death.
I went and got the rabie shots. $2,500.00 for the series. Some may think that I overreacted, some may say that I was stupid for paying that much money for the shots, sure, some will say that I went for the excessive instead of the odds of the percentages. But, to my mind, my life was/is worth that and much more and I'd rather go to the extreme in order to protect that life then to not and then end up dying.
The guns, extra ammo, etc.. is the same. I'd rather be over prepared to protect my life then to go with the odds and end up on the wrong side of the percentages.
Wayne
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:haha:.
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:haha:.
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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)
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)
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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!) :gah:
When in town I feel a little safer (right or wrong, many of you have debated this,:argue so I am not so heavily armed. One weapon, one or two mags. :tired:
I’ll bet $$ there are some in this forum who would asses the risks opposite. (Chill in the woods, high alert in town.)
I’d say go with what you are comfortable with. :yup:
What it boils down to is, what is your assessment of risk?
When I am in the mountains, I will carry all the firepower I can to protect myself & family from lions, tigers & bears (Oh my!) :gah:
When in town I feel a little safer (right or wrong, many of you have debated this,:argue
so I am not so heavily armed. One weapon, one or two mags. :tired: I’ll bet $$ 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. :yup:
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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.
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.
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. :wink:
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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