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View Full Version : A question for those who carry for self defense: Do you carry spare magazines/ammo?



John_Wayne777
05-24-07, 14:05
I know, it may seem like a dumb question to some of you, but I am in search of a broader understanding here....

In the course of discussions about carry and defense I inevitably run across a large number of people who tell me that they don't carry any more ammunition than their weapon holds. I am always stunned to hear this.

So do you carry spare ammo for your carry weapons?
How much do you routinely carry?
Do you regularly carry a backup weapon?
If yes or no to any of these, why?

Greyman09
05-24-07, 14:07
I carry my glock 19 and one spare mag with me at all times. When I am at the office I have my Glock and one mag on me and a couple of extra mags in computer case. Just a regular earth person here.

yrac
05-24-07, 14:17
Assuming you're talking about a semi-auto as a CCW weapon...

For those of us who train regularly, both in formal class settings and on our own, what is one of the most frequent causes of malfunctions that you see? While there are a number of things that pop up frequently, I'll bet problems with magazines pop up as a factor on a regular basis. Even if I never thought I'd need the extra ammo, and even though I keep a close eye on my mags, the risk of one going south is a good enough reason for me to carry a spare. (Usually two spares.) I hope never to have to use my weapon at all. I really hope never to be in a situation that requires the use of one or more spare magazines... I doubt I will ever be put in that position. However, I feel better knowing the spares are there. G19, two spare mags.

No BUG at this time, but that is about to change.

Business_Casual
05-24-07, 14:34
I agree, a semi-auto has to have a spare magazine. I carry one.

M_P

Hawkeye
05-24-07, 14:55
Minimum of 2 spares for my primary. Very few exceptions.

Jay Cunningham
05-24-07, 15:05
I carry a Glock 19 with a spare magazine. The Glock is topped-off and the spare mag is downloaded by one, making for a total of 30 rounds Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P.

I do not carry a BUG currently, but I am heading in that direction. I do carry OC spray and a one-hand open folding knife, along with a flashlight.

Robb Jensen
05-24-07, 15:47
Yes I always carry a spare mag. As someone who shoots a lot of rounds a year with a handgun I can say that you may not need the extra rounds, you may just need another properly working magazine. Mr Murphy has a mean way of making mags/guns not work sometimes. Getting the one affected by Murphy out of the gun and getting a fresh one back in the gun is usually the best solution. YMMV.

I competition damn good reload is as fast as your draw.

I'm slow on the draw and reloads but hit 1.25sec regularly and I don't 'dry practice' that often but I do 'dry fire'. In street clothes/gear I'm sure this will be 1.75-2.5sec depending on clothing which is still better than trying to monkey with your gun trying to figure out why it ain't running.

Obiwan
05-24-07, 16:33
A spare magazine is not just an ammunition holder

It is an easily replaced feeding device for your weapon

I would either carry a spare mag or a spare pistol

rob_s
05-24-07, 20:14
Even with my pimp gun!

kbrdann
05-24-07, 20:37
I carry a Glock22 and i always carry 2 mags.

SHIVAN
05-24-07, 21:55
Assuming you remember the pistol, I honestly cant think of a worse omission than to leave a spare mag out of the "kit".

CarlosDJackal
05-24-07, 23:52
You have to remember that the magazine is a pistol's weakest link. So the main purpose for carrying a spare magazine is not so you can have more ammo. :D

I carry either a Glock 23, Glock 26 or a Kel-Tec P-3AT daily. I usually have one spare magazine for the Glocks and two for the Kel-Tec (not sure why).

At the versy leasats if I end up emptying the first magazine during a lethal encounter (God forbid!!); I can use the second (and third) magazine to get the heck out of the AO. YMMV.

Lumpy196
05-25-07, 02:38
At least one spare for double stack guns, and at least 2 for single stacks.

I care a Smith Centenial Airweight as a backup about 75% of the time.


At the minimum you should always have a spare magazine for a myriad of reasons, the least of which is a malfunction that compromises the in-gun mag.

rhino
05-25-07, 06:26
So do you carry spare ammo for your carry weapons?
How much do you routinely carry?
Do you regularly carry a backup weapon?
If yes or no to any of these, why?

Yes
Minimum of one per weapon, with at least one accessible to either hand
Yes
because I can

John_Wayne777
05-25-07, 09:33
Thusfar the responses are about as I figured from folks on this site.

As to where I stand on the matter:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/jwayne_777/IMGP0033.jpg?t=1180102572

That's my usual carry setup. I started packing the 442 as a backup several years ago. The wisdom of this practice was confirmed to me on the range at Blackwater. I stepped up to run the first drill of the day on day 2 of a Tactical Handgun II class using the weapon I had carried as my primary on the trip down to BW.

The buzzer went off, I drew my weapon and pulled the trigger.

*CLICK*...Tap, rack, reacquire....*CLICK*.....Tap, rack, reacquire...*CLICK*....*CLICK CLICK CLICK*

Turns out the weapon had busted the firing pin sometime between my range trip the week before and stepping up to run the drill that morning. I had been carrying a dead man's gun during my entire trip down there. I was extremely glad that I started packing the 442 as a backup a short while before....

Sometimes I can only pack the 442, but I still have a speed strip and a knife on me.

I am just stunned to hear people tell me that they don't "need" to pack an extra magazine. "I carry a Glock and I won't ever need more than 15 rounds!"

It seems to me that anyone who would say something like that is utterly unprepared for the reality of defending themselves.

Jay Cunningham
05-25-07, 09:52
Thusfar the responses are about as I figured from folks on this site.

Without getting too OT on the matter, I must say that this is one of the main reasons why I like this site so much. The signal/noise ratio is very low.

There are plenty of other sites where this thread would have been filled with nonsense; instead, we get a lot of guys all on the same page and all for the same reasons, more or less.

Hawkeye
05-25-07, 09:54
The mentality of not carrying a spare mag, for whatever convaluted reason the "individual" (term used very loosely) may try and rationalize, causes me to seek the Motrin bottle.

John_Wayne777
05-25-07, 10:01
There are plenty of other sites where this thread would have been filled with nonsense.

Indeed.

In a similar thread at another place a poster actually had the audacity to say that people carrying spare magazines, a flashlight, and a backup are having "mall ninja" fantasies.

"If you need more than 5 shots, you shouldn't be in the fight!"

Apparently there is some super-awesome tactical school out there that teaches you to not only be able to see the future and thus magically ensure you will never face more than a single bad guy, but also teaches you how to never miss a shot during a gunfight.

I have GOT to go to that school.

John_Wayne777
05-25-07, 10:03
The mentality of not carrying a spare mag, for whatever convaluted reason the "individual" (term used very loosely) may try and rationalize, causes me to seek the Motrin bottle.

I've actually said "I don't have enough tylenol for this conversation" before.

Happy birfday, btw....:D

LukeMacGillie
05-25-07, 10:08
Sig 229R, 2 spare mags, X200 on belt clip, Strider, SF E2E.

Or Kimber Warrior, 4 spare mags, X200, Strider, SF ect

I always have a Colt Pocketlight and 1 spare, plus 3-4 more mags for the primary in my day pack.

Ive been known at times to keep an SBR, supressor, and body armor in a Bauer Box in the back of my jeep

rob_s
05-25-07, 10:30
Without getting too OT on the matter, I must say that this is one of the main reasons why I like this site so much. The signal/noise ratio is very low.

There are plenty of other sites where this thread would have been filled with nonsense; instead, we get a lot of guys all on the same page and all for the same reasons, more or less.

Frankly, it's almost boring.:D

I keep having to hunt my brain to find things to post to provoke people.:cool:

ETA:

It's actually kind of amazing that when you put a group of people together that actually shoot, and do so in a dynamic setting, they come to so many of the same conclusions. On some of the other sites I wonder if the people posting go through more than 100 rounds a year.

Rock-N-Ruin
05-25-07, 11:05
not only do I carry a spare mag or 2, but I also carry a BUG... The quickest reload is a second weapon..... J.

Hawkeye
05-25-07, 11:09
I've actually said "I don't have enough tylenol for this conversation" before.

Happy birfday, btw....:D


Thanks. As if my body didnt remind me enough when I got out of bed this morning.....my wife has been doing it all day.

As for your reply to Thekatar, I too am constantly in search of that magical crystal ball that so many seem to have. Thing is, if I had it though, and foresaw that I was going to be in a fight.... I'd take a rifle.....amd a few friends with rifles......as the saying goes.
I guess many of them also use that same crystal ball to tell them without question that they will never be sitting at a stop light at an intersection, and two guys in body armor will be leaving a bank after robbing it and decide to get in a shootout with responding police, or just shooting for the heck of it, and have random (or even purposely fired) rounds impact and disable their vehicle and they themselves become the target of the bad guys in questions wrath, and thus get pinned down and unable to "haul @ss" as so many seem to believe that they will be able to do. Yeah, 5 rounds ought to be able to keep the bad guys off you until the cavalry arrives.......... :rolleyes:

NCPatrolAR
05-25-07, 12:21
Away from work it is typically one spare mag (2 if going out of town) with 2 knives, a Surefure E1E, and a cell phone. At work it is my bat belt complete with two spare mags, OC, Taser, etc and a BUG (Glock 26). There is spare shotgun ammo and a plate carrier in the trunk of my patrol car.

QuietShootr
05-25-07, 14:46
At least one spare mag, usually two.

rhino
05-25-07, 17:46
Sometimes I can only pack the 442, but I still have a speed strip and a knife on me.


That's what I do when I'm in the gym. I leave my "real guns" in my truck because it's just bad form to be on the bench press and have a 1911 fall on the floor. :D The 442 and a speed strip are virtually weightless compared to what I usually carry.

One Shot
05-28-07, 00:22
For a number of years I was a police range officer. I got to see all sorts of malfunctions. On at least 3 different occasions I saw deputies draw their duty pistols and have their magazines come apart or fly out of their gun. :eek: I saw one officer draw his Glock 17, bring it up on line to shoot and then the bottom just leaped towards the ground along with all the remaining cartridges. The look on his face was priceless! The interesting part was watching him try to bring that gun back into service within the remaining amount of time. He reached up with his shooting hand and depressed the magazine release. Next he took two fingers of his non-shooting hand, inserted two into the bottom of the magazine and expanded them to grip the inside of the mag. He then pulled down on the mag as he depressed the release. When the mag came out he dropped it to the ground, reloaded and continued to shoot. He did not get off the required amount of bullets BUT we both learned something that day.
1. Magazines easily come apart when you need them.
2. Practice ways to extract broken or disassembled magazines from out of your pistol's magazine well.
3. ALWAYS carry extra magazines. :)

John_Wayne777
05-30-07, 18:03
I heard a really good one today on TOS:



Sure, a G17 is a much better weapon to have in the event of an "active shooter" scenario, but it's NOT as good as a 642 for up close and personal self-defense


Ya.

The guy relates a story where he was mugged by several individuals, and alleges that a 5 shot .38 snubby is a BETTER weapon for facing multiple attackers in a situation like that because he can shoot through his pocket.....

Even better:



I still maintain that a 642 is quicker to get into action than a full sized auto and that accuracy is a myth in these situations.


...somebody needs to tell Mr. Vickers to change his motto. Accuracy isn't final, it's a "myth"..... :rolleyes:

LukeMacGillie
05-30-07, 21:15
At least one spare mag, usually two.

:D

Dont forget the Gun

Hawkeye
05-31-07, 08:33
Interesting observation..... I notice that just about every single person who has posted in this thread so far, with minor exceptions taken into consideration, actually carry a weapon that not only takes mags, but is a fullsize one at that. After reading some threads in other places, I notice that 90% of people carrying, carry the smallest thing they can find, and no reload. Additionally, that same 90% take virtually zero professional training, whereas I know the vast majority in this thread do train professionally, and regularly.
Of those that I read about in other places that actually do carry a fullsize weapon, most all of them do it for very wrong reasons.

It has always been my thought that one should carry the largest weapon that they can effectively conceal, and spare mags. Too many people seem to do the extreme polar opposite.

I used to have this in my sig line..... A sheep with a gun, is still a sheep. It seems to be proven more and more true every day, sadly.

John_Wayne777
05-31-07, 10:15
It has always been my thought that one should carry the largest weapon that they can effectively conceal, and spare mags. Too many people seem to do the extreme polar opposite.

I used to have this in my sig line..... A sheep with a gun, is still a sheep. It seems to be proven more and more true every day, sadly.

Yup.

It has been my observation that the vast majority of people who carry regularly are completely mentally unprepared for the reality of a fight.

Show me someone's normal carry weapons and gear and I'll wager I can tell you a great deal about their mindset.

Snake RAH
05-31-07, 11:28
Good info....

One problem is that the same people think guns are talismans; to ward off evildoers like a Christian cross.

Go to most IDPA matches, and you'll see the same guys take off their carry gun, some Kel-Tec or mini-Glock or something, and strap on a full-size M1911 or long slide Glock. They don't shoot what they carry.

Hawkeye
05-31-07, 14:35
One problem is that the same people think guns are talismans; to ward off evildoers like a Christian cross.

Go to most IDPA matches, and you'll see the same guys take off their carry gun, some Kel-Tec or mini-Glock or something, and strap on a full-size M1911 or long slide Glock. They don't shoot what they carry.


You are very correct.

Hawkeye
05-31-07, 14:35
Yup.

It has been my observation that the vast majority of people who carry regularly are completely mentally unprepared for the reality of a fight.

Show me someone's normal carry weapons and gear and I'll wager I can tell you a great deal about their mindset.


Amen and Amen.

rhino
05-31-07, 15:20
Go to most IDPA matches, and you'll see the same guys take off their carry gun, some Kel-Tec or mini-Glock or something, and strap on a full-size M1911 or long slide Glock. They don't shoot what they carry.

Hah. I'm the opposite. I carry a pair of Para-Ordnance lightweights (P14 and P13) and a Commander (left side needs something too), but I shoot single stack guns in matches (USPSA, NRA AP, 3-Gun, IDPA, whatever).

Barry in IN
05-31-07, 15:25
I carry either a 1911 or Browning HiPower.
With either, I carry two spare mags on my weak side.

I also carry a Kahr 9mm in my weak side front pocket, and a S&W 442 in my strong side front pocket.
I have one reload for each of those- A spare mag for the Kahr, and a Speed Strip for the J-frame.

Were I not a cripple due to a back injury, I might carry more!

FWIW- I used to not carry the third gun, but instead carried a third spare mag for the #1 pistol in that pocket.
I really don't see any sense in having wasted pocket space.