A spare reload if needed

357smallbore

357smallbore

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Joined
Feb 14, 2015
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919
Location
Leavenworth KS
I am sure this topic has been covered many times before. I've read so many reports by police agencies , by the FBI and so called armchair experts. That the usual gun fight is settled within five feet and the average is three shots fired in 6 seconds.
Am I being over the top paranoid by carrying an extra reload on me? I carry a 9mm with a 15rd mag, and I carry a spare of the same round count. I don't go to any bad areas, am very aware of my surroundings. I just want the extra for that just in case 100,000 to 1 time if needed. Does anyone else plan this way when carrying ccw?
 
There are people that swear up and down that carrying extra mags is over the top and paranoid. And that they have never seen anyone ever need a spare mag in any self-defense scenario.

Do whatever makes you comfortable. Someone could say you're paranoid for carrying 15rds instead of 10.

Everyone has opinions, none of them really matter.

P.s. just think about it; there's someone out there that thinks you're dumb for carrying whatever caliber you carry. No one agrees on anything anyway
 
Depends on what I'm carrying.
Recently, due to the upcoming elections and unrest by the crazies. It's only going to get worse before November and long after if Orange Man wins.
I'm carrying 18+1 with 2 extra 18's.
And .... A folding 8" 300 blackout SBR in a sling bag.
 
I’ve seen all the arguments, statistics, opinions. To me practicing doing a good reload isn’t difficult and doesn’t have to cost anything. It can be done with dry practice at home. A spare mag costs 20-40 dollars plus ammo. It cheap easy insurance that doesn’t take a lot of work or money to carry.

I’ve personally seen on two different ocassions, drivers get out of their vehicles and hear click, click, click of a loaded mag hitting the deck while walking into the store. I suspect the mag release button was hit by seatbelts or whatever and falls out. What if you needed it right then?

I just don’t see why you wouldn’t

Steve
 
It's quite a bit better than 100,000 to 1. Most likely it is billions to one, or even trillions to one. At the moment, I'm aware of a single instance of a civilian reloading during a gunfight, and I'm not convinced he actually needed to.

So I personally no longer carry reloads.

However, I have no complaint with people who choose differently, and I certainly wouldn't call a fellow "paranoid" over it: after all, there is no individual on the planet who is more capable of defining his own circumstances than that individual. If he decides he wants to carry a spare magazine - or a dozen of them - then that is his own business.
 
Do what you are comfortable with.

I generally have one reload around, maybe on me, maybe in the car.

But, mostly have a micro 380 or a j-frame on me so reloads are a few number of rounds. My j-frames are machined for moon clips.
 
In my mind, the spare mag is good insurance against mag failure.
If you get bang, click, or jam with an auto, that is mag related, what can you do if you don't have a spare?
Not to mention the myriad scenarios that we could be presented with.

In truth, my main reason for carry is because I work anywhere from 1 to 4 to 6 hours from home on any given day. If the worst happens while I'm that far away, it would be a very long walk home.
I feel like it's a good idea to bring along some useful protection and plenty of ammo to feed it. There is a gun always on my hip, another one rides along, spare mags, and a couple of boxes of ammo too.

All that to say, no I don't think there's anything wrong with you carrying an extra mag.
 
I really don't care what the naysayers say - I carry the same number of reloads on duty and off duty - 2, regardless if auto or revolver. Horrors of horrors, I've even been known to carry a BUG once in a while! Run, run, crazy man here, run while you still can! :D

QpezgzO.jpg
 
Mas Ayoob talked about how other people can see and try to take your gun away. During the struggle the mag release can get pressed. It seems like very low odds but it can happen. Like mentioned earlier a seatbelt can release it. It’s happened to me, I took an hour long hike one evening and got back to my vehicle and my mag was in the driver seat. I was quite surprised and sure enough I been hiking with a one shot pistol. I carry a spare mag for the rare event it might fail or it falls out of the gun. Those are the two reasons I carry a spare mag, however by default it gives you more capacity which is good too. To each their own but that’s what works for me.
 
armoredman said:
I really don't care what the naysayers say - I carry the same number of reloads on duty and off duty - 2, regardless if auto or revolver. Horrors of horrors, I've even been known to carry a BUG once in a while! Run, run, crazy man here, run while you still can! :D

QpezgzO.jpg
Click to expand...
Your just showing off.
That you don't need suspenders or bibs.
My speed loader practice isn't as smooth as on tv
 
i am mainly a revolver guy. all my handguns, including single action revolvers, have reloads at hand. even my deep ccw, north american arms bugout1 and bond arms derringer gets a speedstrip. i am under no illusion that i can reload them quickly. my bedside taurus 856 sleeps with a speedloader, which i can work well.

my cars have spare tires too, no run-flats or inflation kit with goop.

IMG_1149.jpeg

IMG_7277.jpeg
 
I normally carry 15+1 in my S&W, and a spare 15-rnd mag. In this day and age we can't possibly anticipate every scenario. It's no burden to carry an extra mag. The worst cases have already happened to many people. Mostly situations where there was no good guy with a gun was there to stop the shooter or shooters. It doesn't have to be 15, but that's what I've got.

Training and being prepared for multiple opponents is an important mindset. I was doing that in the martial arts (Shotokan Karate) since high school, before my state had a carry provision. I just carried that mindset over to armed defense. Criminals, like wolves, often run in packs.
 
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If you're talking about the stereotypical attempted mugging by a single bad guy, then a 5 shot J-Frame revolver with no reload is probably more than enough. I often pocket carry a Kel-Tec 380 which is 6+1. A spare mag for that is small enough to also slip in a pocket and I usually do so but I'd probably never need it.

But today I worry about stumbling into a mass shooting event at the mall or similar location where there could be multiple shooters taking shots at random people. I have no delusions of being able to stop such a thing. But having enough ammo to keep a bad guy's head down long enough to get my family out is something to think about.
 
I switched from a Smith revolver to a 1911 over 30 yrs ago.

More in the gun and easier resupply

And switched from a single stack 1911 to a high cap 9 a couple.yrs ago.
 
I carry a spare mag every day and often carry a couple of spare mags in my truck and always have a box of reloads in it for practice just in case I get close to a range. My carry is 6+1 and spare mags are 7, S&W Shield45, When I carried a revolver I carried 2 speed loaders or strips giving me 5 or 6 + 10 or 12, I think all that is for piece of mind over anything else.
 
If you're in a "gunfight" and need a reload, you should stop stealing from people and/or leave their ladies alone. If someone starts shooting at you from 25 yards away, it's not street crime; it's an assassination attempt.

I don't need 30 rounds to protect myself from muggings and other actual street crimes. They're common where I live, but carrying several pounds of pistols and magazines isn't at all helpful.
 
unclenunzie said:
It's not just the additional rounds but for recovery from magazine failures.
Click to expand...
this is my understanding as well, but if you have used the magazine and it is reliable, the chances of it all of a sudden becoming defective seem small, but if I carry I always carry a reload, just because a mag or a speed strip is pretty easy to carry.
 
I carry a spare mag or speed strip, and leave a full box in the back of my auto, just becuase.
 
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