Second gun vs backup magazine?

Second gun vs backup magazine?

  • Backup magazine

    Votes: 51 69.9%

  • Backup gun

    Votes: 22 30.1%
  • Total voters
    73
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TTv2 writes:

..I recently got an H&R Young America .32 and man, for a design that's over 100 years old it is so superior to an NAA mini revolver and costs half as much. Very decent DA trigger too and it only weighs 8oz.
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Yep, once you figure out what ammo it uses, and then source some (saw your thread on this gun elsewhere.) ;)
 
3Crows said:
I do not even carry a spare magazine. I am not a LEO nor do I put myself in places where I might be involved in a gun battle. I may carry a speed loader for a five shot revolver but if my Glock 19 cannot get it done with 16 rounds, well, I guess woe is me. I just do not see myself being drafted on the spot by LE to help engage a terrorist cell and since all in all I am a pretty decent shot, I just do not think I need extra guns, extra magazines or other such as that as a civilian minding my business and exercising some caution when out and about.

Now, if traveling the open road or a vacation road trip and especially after dark, I might have extra magazines ;). But otherwise, as my grandmother would say, "nothing good comes after midnight" and those are wise words, I try to be inside and home by the witching hour.
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I'm not LE and I avoid "bad" places, yet I carry a spare mag; a component of malfunction clearance is spare mag.
I'm rarely out after dark, but I assume criminals/psychos to be not completely nocturnal and somewhat mobile. ;)

As related to the question in the OP - spare mag or BUG
My ECD is a Glock 23/32 + spare mag.
I use to carry a 2nd option pistol - the option to put my hand on it without revealing I'm carrying and it afforded easy access to weak hand.
Pocket that 2nd option occupied is now taken by unoccupied dog poo bags and hand sanitizer; I moved from country to suburb, have to pick up after dogs.
The pistol I typically carried as a "back-up" AKA 2nd option was a Kahr PM9.
If I had to pick? Kahr PM9, Glock 43, maybe a LCP 380 or 38 snub instead of a spare mag for the Glock 23? Okay for the flexibility of 2nd option.
A NAA mini revolver instead of a spare Glock 23 mag? Nope.
I prefer better ASAP incapacitation potential than 22lr/32 and even 380/38 - ASAP starting at 12'' penetration and consistent expansion.
For me, 9mm minimum and that includes last option bullets.
 
I think those of you who dont carry a spare mag are not seeing the whole picture. Capacity is one thing, function, or possibly the lack of it, is another.

If you have a malfunction, you may need to replace the mag in the gun with your spare. Most stoppages in an auto are quickly resolved (assuming you practice them and do them without thinking about it), but sometimes they do require more.

I get the impression sometimes a lot of people don't think much past just having the gun.

The point here is planning, and you need to plan beyond just having a gun. And there's usually a good bit of work involved there too. :thumbup:
 
I considered a NAA mini revolver as a BUG once but since it's a single action that needs to be cocked, I passed on it. I'm ok with a BUG being a 22lr but not a single action.
 
AK103K said:
Ive taken to carrying one of my NAA's in my pocket with my wallet. Its really not there as a back up to my 17 though. I still carry a spare mag for it, and Id probably have the 17 reloaded before I even got the NAA out.

I do on occasion still carry a 26 along with the 17, but anymore, its more there for my wife, or someone else Im with that doesn't want to bother carrying their own, but for other reasons too, depending on the circumstances. I did carry it on a pretty regular basis as a BUG, for a number of years though.

Even with it as a BUG, Id probably still just do a quick reload, as that's what my brain is primarily programmed to do.
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Yikes, 3.5+ pounds of iron? How do you keep your pants up??
Wife can't carry the -26? Great that you are there to supply people 'that don't want 'bother' carrying their own'..but......IMHO, their loss if they 'need it and don't have it'
 
An extra mag has several advantages:

1) As others have already said, that is a spare component. If something happens to your primary magazine, you have a spare
2) Capacity. Where you are and what the perceived risks are, will determine your need. I determined I wanted the extra mag in Johannesburg
3) Ammo type. There are some (limited) circumstances where a different kind of ammunition present in a second mag could be useful
4) In some circumstances it can be an easy way to transfer rounds to a partner (pass or throw them a magazine)
5) This one is important: lets say you have engaged a threat and fired 5 rounds with your pistol. The situation is not resolved because both you and the assailant are now in concealment. You now have an opportunity to reload, are you going to say to yourself "I have enough rounds left in this mag?" Well, to begin with, will you even know how many you have fired and how many are left? Probably not! So in that case, changing mags makes sense. You may end up firing less than a full magazine anyway, but at least you had the option of firing more.
 
FFGColorado said:
Yikes, 3.5+ pounds of iron? How do you keep your pants up??
Wife can't carry the -26? Great that you are there to supply people 'that don't want 'bother' carrying their own'..but......IMHO, their loss if they 'need it and don't have it'
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I don't carry everything on my belt. :thumbup:

Not that it really matters, I have a good belt, and have been carrying full size handguns with reloads, most of them steel, for a number of decades. You get used to things. :)

One advantage to the BUG is the ability to hand it off if necessary. My wife used to carry on a pretty regular basis, then that wore off, and now, like a lot of people, she only does when she feels it might be prudent. She should know better, 18/7/365 is "prudent". :p

My one buddy is the same way. Its in the car, its on the counter, its everywhere but on him. o_O

Then again, maybe that's a good thing. Hes one of those guys that always has to push things and you need to be ready for anything if youre out with him. I try not to stand too close. :)
 
How about both! I’ve always carried two (2) spare magazines, but just recently got a Ruger LCP II in 22 LR for a backup.....carried in an ankle holster! However, it’s somewhat obvious when wearing shorts! When winter leaves us, I’ll readdress the second carry gun location! memtb
 
Odd Job said:
An extra mag has several advantages:

5) This one is important: lets say you have engaged a threat and fired 5 rounds with your pistol. The situation is not resolved because both you and the assailant are now in concealment. You now have an opportunity to reload, are you going to say to yourself "I have enough rounds left in this mag?" .
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I said I do not generally carry a spare magazine. I do not live in a place where I am ever likely to be involved in a defensive shooting. When I do travel to unfamiliar places (and especially road trips) I do bulk up because the threat level potential is higher or unknown. Saying that, there are very few circumstances where I would need more than two or at the most three shots. I think a running gun battle, ducking in and out of cover as I advance on my assailant, am I now the assailant? It is unlikely and even a bit fanciful. In South Africa, well, perhaps not so much. Such decisions must be based on a realistic assessment of threat and I would never fault or presume to know what is best for other folks. I am just responding to the OP with my assessment of my threat environment. Others certainly do vary. For me, a reliable weapon that I am practiced with is generally enough. If it my .357 LCR, not too many people are going to persist in coming at me after taking one in the bread basket and I am not likely to miss five times if even once. Reload! I am going to be running, feet do not fail me now ;).
 
Great Scot said:
I recently noticed that my NAA .22 magnum is smaller and weighs less than the second mag I routinely carry for my regular ccw. I got me thinking, does it make more sense to carry a second smaller gun than a second mag? I know that some will say carry both, but I’ve only got so much room to carry stuff and for me, it’s going to be one or the other. Thoughts?
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As a revolver-toter, I have been disenfranchised. ;) My only applicable poll choice is “backup gun,” and that has gotten my revolvers all riled up, as they consider themselves to be equals. None wants to play second fiddle to the other. ;)

Your poll, and original post, as written, seem to presume that one’s “regular ccw” is a weapon that will accept a spare/backup mag. Those whose “regular ccw” is a revolving pistol will generally be relegated to replying “backup gun,” or not voting. Some revolvers can be fed individual rounds, from a magazine, and, arguably, a spare cylinder be inserted, into a revolver, but some level of disassembly is usually required, and many revolvers will require that such a spare cylinder be fitted to the individual gun, by a ‘smith or armorer.

OK, OK, I just checked checked the box for “backup gun,” based upon the principle of selecting the “best choice,” in a multiple choice situation. :)

The panic-demic has limited my live-fire training opportunities, and my least-perishable trigger skill is long-stroke double-action. Dry-fire is always an option, but is less-realistic with autoloaders, as they do not realistically cycle themselves. Plus, with my usual weapon hand not aging well, at the time the pandemic started, I was already becoming concerned about “numb-thumbing” causing “limp-wrist” malfunctions. A “best” gun for my right hand allows me to tuck my thumb down, firmly, when holding the grip, preferably with the tip of my thumb touching, or very near, the tip of my middle finger. That best-describes a revolver.

It is not that I have anything against auto-loaders. My first handgun, purchased for myself, at age 21, was an autoloader, a 1911. I had purchased am Uzi Carbine, earlier than that. I used to think revolvers were quaint. But, I started a police academy, in 1983, and had to learn DA sixgunning, like it or not, and was required to use DA revolvers, as my only handguns, 24/7/365, for my first year of sworn service. After diligently training with DA revolvers, with an open mind, for a year, I liked them too. :) Really liked them!

Regarding an NAA mini-revolver, well, I am not so sure I would want to engage an armed opponent, with such a difficult-to-handle gadget. I consider an NAA mini to be more of an interesting gadget, than a weapon.
 
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The NAA mini part seemed to require its own, separate, expanded response. I am not so sure I would want to engage an armed opponent, with such a difficult-to-handle gadget. I consider an NAA mini to be more of an interesting gadget, or a design exercise, than a weapon that I would want to use in a dynamic emergency situation.

Any handgun that is so small that it requires me to crook or bend my index finger, and/or my thumb, “just so,” to fire the weapon, is not something that I want to use in a rough-and-tumble struggle to save my life, or others’ lives. A gunfight is a fight that happens to involve a gun. My hands are too large for an NAA mini to be an effective tool or weapon, and, for reference, my hands are not quite large enough to properly grip an N-Frame revolver, and still reach the trigger, in double-action mode. I have K/L-Frame/GP100/1911-sized hands.

If I am going to use a small handgun, as a weapon, I would want something that I can grab, even with an imperfect hold, and manipulate the trigger, even with slightly imperfect placement. I can do that, with a Seecamp LWS-32, which is truly small, but the trigger pivot pin is located well-forward, so the trigger stroke is like that on a much larger pistol. A Kel-Tec 32 is a bit past the point of diminishing returns. An NAA mini is well past the point of diminishing returns.

So, my poll choice, of the backup gun, should not be taken as accepting an NAA mini as my backup gun.
 
I generally carry a speed strip for my revolver, which I guess puts me in the spare magazine camp. Though when I carry my lcp I don't take a spare mag with me.

I do have a NAA .22lr revolver, which only get's used on my own property doing yardwork. I consider it a true belly gun, something that isn't much good past contact distances. While I can get somewhat good groups at longer distances, it requires a unique hold and for me to use my left hand to pull the trigger while I hold the gun in my right hand. I wouldn't really consider it a great choice as a back-up gun, as it's not a great choice as a primary gun to begin with. An LCP, j-frame, or Keltec P32 would all be better options.
 
My EDC is a S&W Shield 9x19mm with 8Rd capacity magazine and also carry an additional magazine. Its either going to be good enough or isn't going to be, but that's the way its going to be. I practice avoidance of stupid people, places and things like a religion. The last antipersonnel situation I was involved was in my Marine-Days which was along-long time in the past. Also when the sun goes down and the moon comes up I'm at home.
 
When I was on the job I carried both.

Now usually it's one gun and a reload. Reload is not dictated by how many rounds the gun holds.
 
AK103K said:
The point here is planning, and you need to plan beyond just having a gun. And there's usually a good bit of work involved there too. :thumbup:
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100%. :thumbup:.

I agree with those who are in favor of a spare mag for primary 9mm and + guns. I might get razzed for this and before anybody asks, no I do not want to be shot with one but the NAA .22lr always seemed like kind of a neat novelty gun. Definitely not what I want to yank out in a situation, I can't imagine trying to fumble around with a lil micro single action in a fight, where your primary just ran dry or was out of the fight for whatever reason. I think getting your actual fighting gun back into action is without a doubt the best option. Just my opinion. I also agree 100% with those that said you have to practice your carry and presentation along with addressing malfunctions so that you can deal with it without thinking about it. There is alot of good training, literature and videos on it.
 
bdickens said:
I wish I could be as confident as some that the bad guys will cooperate with my plans ....
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Awww, you just gotta get them onboard with the plan and you drive. :)

I think part of the problem is, a lot of people have "A" plan, and haven't thought things out beyond that plan. Kind of like "kick them in the nuts" was always the thing that was going to stop every fight.

The whole point of trying to work different things out in practice is to get you used to doing different things so that things arent so different when you might need to go with the flow.
 
CDW4ME said:
As related to the question in the OP - spare mag or BUG
My ECD is a Glock 23/32 + spare mag.
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To elaborate, my EDC (Glock 23/32) is independent of location and light; its "preferred in hand" wherever, whenever.
I live in an "excellent area" and/but that is unrelated to what pistol I would prefer in hand if I had to defend myself.
My 1st preference would be my Glock 20SF 10mm but that is likely to print under the thin shirts I typically wear in FL.
My 2nd preference is my Glock 23 or 32 and I can easily conceal it under whatever shirt. :thumbup:
How about a pocket 380 for walking the dogs? Nope, No thanks, I'd rather have a Glock 23 if I had to defend myself.
Excellent area, very low anticipated threat, daytime, Glock 23 is preferred "just in case" I have to defend myself. ;)
I don't carry for the friendly people I see walking dogs, riding bicycles in my nice area; I anticipate any threat(s) likely to come on a field trip from elsewhere.
 
Plan all you want and practice all the scenarios you like. The problem is you have no clue which scenario will take place and if it will even be one you planned and practice. Truth is you will have to think real fast and the fewer things you have to deal with the better. Of course if you are an LEO or were in the military you were probably taught some things to help save your ass.
 
JDeere said:
Plan all you want and practice all the scenarios you like. The problem is you have no clue which scenario will take place and if it will even be one you planned and practice. Truth is you will have to think real fast and the fewer things you have to deal with the better. Of course if you are an LEO or were in the military you were probably taught some things to help save your ass.
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So whats your plan? Stand there and look like most you see at the range when their gun has a malfunction? (that "stare", instead of immediately doing a TRB without thinking about it and moving on).

The point here is not to be focused on being a one trick pony. The more you've worked on and learned in practice, about as much as you can (it isn't any specific scenario), the better your chances are if things go south. :thumbup:

Or, you can just work on that stare. ;)
 
AK103K said:
So whats your plan? Stand there and look like most you see at the range when their gun has a malfunction? (that "stare", instead of immediately doing a TRB without thinking about it and moving on).

The point here is not to be focused on being a one trick pony. The more you've worked on and learned in practice, about as much as you can (it isn't any specific scenario), the better your chances are if things go south. :thumbup:

Or, you can just work on that stare. ;)
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Good luck with your plan if you ever need it. As far as standing and staring you have no clue what I do or know. I made a point that you don't seem to understand. Carry on with your plan later...
 
JDeere said:
Good luck with your plan if you ever need it. As far as standing and staring you have no clue what I do or know. I made a point that you don't seem to understand. Carry on with your plan later...
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Well then, enlighten us. Im always willing to try and learn new things.

What do you do to prepare?
 
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