How Many Reloads?

[Mikhail Weiss]

1. Yes.
2. One. In case of need: malfunction, more shooting.
3. Sometimes. If I’m carrying the Shield, I’ll sometimes carry two spare magazines because it’s a single stacker with 7 or 8 rounds per magazine, depending.
4. Time on task. If I’m making a brief excursion with what I normally carry (G19), a spare magazine doesn’t usually make the trip. If I’m making a longer trip, yes, I bring a spare magazine.

 

[Bcwitt]

0 to 2. Locality dependent.

 

[lightman]

I only carry whats in the gun. I keep a spare mag or 2 speed loaders in the truck. The 2 speed loaders are because my speed loader holster holds that many. As a civilian I'm not expecting to engage in an extended firefight.

 

[Charlie98]

My normal carry piece, a Kahr CW9, has 7+1. I don't normally carry an extra magazine, but I'll drop one in my pocket if I'm going out somewhere not in my normal rounds, or I'm traveling. This is in addition to the extra magazines I already have stashed in each vehicle, in my desk drawer, the nightstand, etc.

I don't normally go to shady places, but these days it's hard to define what might turn shady in an instant.

As a civilian I'm not expecting to engage in an extended firefight.

That's my thought. The idea is to stop the threat, and retreat to safety, not get into a protracted firefight. If that's what I'm anticipating, I'll bring the AR...

To quote the late Glenn Frey, from his appearance on Miami Vice... "And, another thing... I'm not into violence. I'm down with you cats if the play calls for it, but I don't have an 'S' on my chest..." I have no illusions about getting into a gunfight.

 

[LimaCharlie]

Which guns I carry, which calibers I carry, how many guns I carry, and how many reloads I carry depends on what I am doing and where I am going that day. Any where from a small caliber pocket pistol or revolver at home to multiple large caliber handguns and long guns with reloads and boxes of ammo.

 

[Oklahoma Hank]

I always carry some spare ammo, either cartridges in a small case for the snubbie or one mag for whatever semi I might have. I had an experience many years ago that has had an influence on me. Unfortunately I signed a piece of paper with no expiration date never to give details.

 

[Durango_Dave]

I watch a lot of John Correia of Active Self Protection. He has seen and critiqued over 40,000 self defense videos. He has never seen a citizen reload during a gunfight. Instead citizens need to carry a gun with a high capacity magazine such as 17 rounds.
Police reload during a gunfight but not citizens. The difference is a citizen needs to get away from a lethal threat. When you run out of ammo in your gun, get away don't reload.
Police on the other hand need to bring the suspect into custody. They need to reload.

As John Correia says, if a citizen wants to carry extra magazines, do it. It'll be like a wookie or teddy bear to make you feel safe but you will never need it.

 

[mljdeckard]

Mine holds 18+1. I carry one spare magazine. I think if I ever actually need to use it, that will be the very worst day of my life.

I carry it for redundancy, not for more rounds.

 

[Skribs]

I'm strictly asking questions here.

1. Do you carry a Reload? If you don't or you do I don't care why I just want to know if you do or not.

2. If you carry a Reload how many do you carry? Why you picked that number would be relevant.

3. Does the number of reloads that you're going to carry vary?

This question is kind of specific. If say for instance you would carry a revolver and two speed loaders for a total of 18 but you would carry a glock 19 and no reload because that's 15 that's one thing.

The question I'm asking specifically is given THE GUN YOU NORMALLY CARRY* would you carry one reload in one place and five reloads in another place and zero loads in yet another place?

4. How do you decide how many reloads you're going to carry? Again I'm not so much asking if your decision would be based on changing guns. Given the same gun if you carry a different number of reloads how do you make that decision?

* I changed the BOLD text to make the guesting as generic as possible.

I don't normally carry anymore. When I do carry, it depends on a number of internal factors rather than external. (i.e. what am I wearing and how badly do I want to meet my "policy" of round count?). I will answer for the times I do carry.

I like to have 12+ rounds on me and/or a reload. If I'm carrying my LCP, I like a reload. If I'm carrying my LCR, I like two speed strips. If I'm carrying a bigger pistol with 12+ rounds, I don't feel a reload is as necessary. But I might have one, especially if it's easy to conceal. Or I might have none, even with my LCR, if I just wanted to grab something and go.

Because I don't normally carry, I don't feel undergunned by only having 5-6 rounds available.

 

[scaatylobo]

I watch a lot of John Correia of Active Self Protection. He has seen and critiqued over 40,000 self defense videos. He has never seen a citizen reload during a gunfight. Instead citizens need to carry a gun with a high capacity magazine such as 17 rounds.
Police reload during a gunfight but not citizens. The difference is a citizen needs to get away from a lethal threat. When you run out of ammo in your gun, get away don't reload.
Police on the other hand need to bring the suspect into custody. They need to reload.

As John Correia says, if a citizen wants to carry extra magazines, do it. It'll be like a wookie or teddy bear to make you feel safe but you will never need it.

The B.S. meter went off,so I had to reply

ANY instructor that deals with the semi auto pistol will tell you that the NUMBER ONE reason for a malfunction of your mohaska is --------THE MAGAZINE !.

So not having another to correct that possibility is like ------- hoping your wooby bear will stop bullets.

 

[film495]

one spare mag

 

[Scrapiron45]

About three years ago gave up the extra mag space in my pocket to a swat t tourniquet and a large bandana.
No regrets, the swat t has been used twice.

 

[Old Dog]

This is what I just said in a similar thread:

Massad Ayoob, who's done a ton of research into defensive gun use and LE shootings over the past 40 years or so had made a good point.

In a recent issue of American Handgunner, he notes that he's "debriefed men who carried .380 autos, .32s and .38 snubs who told him they didn't take action when they should have because when the life-or-death moment came, they didn't think they had enough firepower to win the gunfight, and they regretted their hesitation forever after."

Now, I'm not sure how many folks here are familiar with Mas, or know how many folks, citizens and LE, he's interviewed about their gunfights, but it's literally in the hundreds.

 

[RikSors]

I carry for protection not a gun battle. No extra mag/reload.

Average rounds spent for a defensive shooting is less than my minimum carry capacity of 15+1 mag.