Carry a spare mag in your pocket? Come on in

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I think 15-20 rounds is ideal carry load for a defensive handgun, since I am not planning to get into protracted firefights, and said gun is there to give me an opening to escape, not play rambo :p. That said, when I carry my CZ, I keep a spare mag in my weak-side pocket wedged up against the back of my wallet, bullets forward. Keeps it very tight and secure, thus it works for me quite well as an improvised magazine carrier, and does not add any extra bulk or equipment.
 
I have to ask, why carry a reload? If I have to reload after 9 rounds i'm in bad shape, and I don't plan for scenario where I have to engage multiple targets. I do carry a spare mag in my car with FMJ and load those up when I go hiking but besides that I don't see why to bother with a reload.
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Then why carry a gun at all?

You're right, if you NEED to reload after your first mag, then you are in bad shape. But you're already in bad shape simply because you're in this predicament. Wouldn't you want to be still in the fight? I'd say that your chances of needing more ammo in a fight are better than your chances of getting into a fight at all, unless you live in Baghdad.

Also, I was trained to do a reload if there's a lull in the fight, because you don't know if someone you just exchanged rounds with might either be coming back (if he ran away), or his buddies are coming to his help. Sitting with an almost empty gun when you might need it again is a bad idea, and if you get yourself into a shooting, I can almost guarantee that you won't know if you fired just two rounds or most of your mag.

Personally, I carry one reload in a mag carrier on my belt, concealed like my pistol. Carrying a mag in a pocket is not comfortable for me, plus I'm too clumsy to fish for a mag in there.
 
when I carry my amt 400. I pocket two mags..when I carry my sw38., carry two speed strips in pocket... works well..and avoids mag holders
 
Nice 1911 magazine pouches here --> http://www.imageseek.com/hbeleather/...elt_mag?page=3

I am actually looking for a horizontal mag pouch for my double stack CZ 75B Compact magazine. Anyone have an idea where I might be able to find one?
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Preachin to the choir, man. :D


I carry in a COMIII with one of his single mag pouches; great stuff.

I would, but I haven't been able to get ahold of Eric. Granted, I haven't called
 
I have to ask, why carry a reload? If I have to reload after 9 rounds i'm in bad shape, and I don't plan for scenario where I have to engage multiple targets.
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Guess what, YOU don't get to plan the attack they are making on you !

Tell me, what kind of shape would you be in if you DID have to reload after firing 9 rds and did NOT have a reload? Exactly.

There are many dynamics at play and many reasons why it is prudent to carry a reload, regardless of capacity. One is to clear a death jam, etc.

The best reason is, following an encounter as Jeff Cooper put it, "It's poor form to go home with a partially loaded gun."

.
 
I carry my XD45C with the compact 10 round mag. plus one in the pipe. I carry a 13 round mag in the left vertical thigh pocket of my Carhartt dungarees. The mag is a perfect fit in this pocket, in fact it seems to be made for the purpose! I carry the reload bullets forward and right side up. This puts the tapered end of the double stack mag up so it's easy to grab with my thumb and index finger. It's not as fast as a mag carrier on my belt but with some practice it's really not all that slow and it balances out the tactical light in my right thigh pocket. :D
 
In one coures I did, the advice I received for using a pocket mag was as follows:

1) Always put the mag in your pocket the same way. I wear jeans most of the time and the spare goes in my left pocket. Luckily for me the magazine for a Vektor CP1 has a natural lip that catches on the pocket edge, meaning I don't have to fish for the mag, I can grab the base plastic easily. The mag goes in with the rounds pointing away from my midline.

2) Don't put anything else in that pocket (except another mag of course)

3) When drawing the magazine: I get the mag by feel, I don't look down at the mag. While ejecting the empty mag and bringing the new one up to the gun, I work the magazine backward in my left hand so my index finger locates the tip of the first round in the magazine. I simultaneously push back on that round and use that point as an index for insertion into the magazine well.

I agree that proper magazine pouches are better, but if I just need a spare in a jeans pocket, then this works for me.
 
I have always opted to leave the extra mag in the car but I imagine once I get an LCP I will be carrying a second mag, in a beltside holster.
 
Most of my holsters have a mag pouch built in, but if you just want to toss one in your pocket, something like sandwich bags (in snack size) would at least keep the lint out. 'Course, all the snack size bags I find are pretty weak-you'd have no trouble ripping 'em open-you'll probably have more trouble keeping 'em from ripping? I carry way too much junk in my winter coat, and use the snack bags to keep it somewhat organized.

One step up might be something like this?
http://www.bagmaster.com/website/cart/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=18&cat=Magazine+Pouches+&+Slings
 
I have some dedicated belt mag holsters that cover the entire mag to make it look like a pocket knife holster. But I would like to start carrying some in my pocket for the occasional grab and go for some of my pocket carry guns. I've seen the desantis pocket mag holster and it looks great, but does anybody have any other alternatives for this? I did a search for some pocket mag holsters and I found very little. Desantis was the only one I could find. Anybody have any suggestions?
 
I always carry a spare in the weak side pocket. I turn the pocket inside out before dropping in the mag to shake loose any lint. Never had an issue. Desantis makes a nice pocket mag holder, but it will still be just a likely to attract lint. Your bigger risk will be lint in the firing pin channel for pocket carried CCW's. After a few FTF's, I now do freaquent detail strips of my G27 & keep the channel free of oil.
 
Wouldn't it be just a pro and con of carrying extra ammo or the inconvenience of carrying a mag on you? Because I've never heard of lint being an issue. Btw, I chose my small pistol not just for the size of the pistol but also the slim magazine. I really don't notice the mag in my pocket. I just realized that the PM9 mag is exactly as thick as a standard Sharpie marker.
 
While I'm not concerned about lint in my pocket and what it might or might not do to a free-floating mag (I tend to clean out my pockets and also clean my pants from time to time), I carry an extra mag in a mag carrier on my belt. It's a matter of comfort and ease of accessibility for me.
 
1) If there is a spare mag in my pocket, there is only a spare mag in my pocket.

2) Never had that problem with 1911 mags. I could see a double stack mag getting spun around because its a little more square, but I wouldn't pocket carry a double-stack mag anyway. Its uncomfortable.

3) I'm actually pretty quick when reloading from my pocket. I practice a lot though. Never had a mag get turned around on me, however I did try to stuff a 1911 mag in a glock once...
 
Why not use a knife pouch?
That's the plan for my PPS, I salvaged the pouch from a Gerber multitool (the pouches are tougher than Gerber's crummy tool steel) and it holds spare magazines nicely.
 
All of these knife pouch suggestions really have me thinking.

Good idea guys!


I'm probably gonna try my hand at making a mag holder soon. I'll post about it
 
i keep a single stack 45 mag in my pocket when I carry. Sometimes I forget its there. there is a little pocket in front of your jeans for change. I can put in the mag or the change in there. Not both at the same time though.
 
I use a Ernie Hill IWB holster for my compact 1911 or a Uncle Mikes pocket holster for my Mustang. I have to admit that I just throw a spare mag in my weak side rear pocket. I personally haven't had any issue with lint or rounds moving out of place carrying that way thou I understand how that could be an issue.

Some of you auto guys are saying that one mag should be enough to fix whatever problem you are facing have to remember one thing. Magazines fail from time to time. Me personally, if I have a FTF or any other issue with my gun when I need it, well the first thing I'm gonna do is dump the mag and slam my spare in. I think that may be the best plan to get the gun back into action.
 
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Well, Ill try and make my shots count :). Anyways, I understand what some of you are saying, but I usually check my hardware and when do you stop with the reloads? I mean if one mag is not enough than 2 is? and what if 2 is not enough? You know what I mean? But I can't criticize you guys for being prepared, however, i'm just going to have to rely my 1 mag and maybe make it to my car if I have to reload. But man, that would SUCK!!!!!!

I hope the zombies dont attack when im out to din with the girlfriend :eek:
 
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