How many rounds for CCW?

How many rounds, including the gun, for CCW?

  • 8 or less (e.g.: a loaded revolver or 1911)

    Votes: 157 31.8%

  • 9-16 (e.g.: a loaded Glock 19, or a revolver/1911 with one mag/speedloader)

    Votes: 197 40.0%

  • 16-24 (e.g.: a revolver/1911 with two mags/speedloaders)

    Votes: 71 14.4%

  • 25-32 (e.g. a loaded Glock 19 with a spare mag)

    Votes: 45 9.1%

  • 32+ (e.g. a loaded Glock with two mags)

    Votes: 23 4.7%
  • Total voters
    493
  • Poll closed .
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I'd like to know the ratio of people who carry multiple reloads and the number of people who have military or LEO training.

I don't have a background in either of those, and I feel that if I'm ever in a SD situation that turns into a firefight using more than my 10rds that I'm probably hosed, and an extra 10rds isn't going to help a whole lot. If I end up in a shooting situation outside my home, my plan is to use my gun to get to my car and get out of dodge.
 
One Cylinder or Mag

Nah, I don't carry a reload.

I figure if you need to reload, you're (a) in over your head, (b) in a combat zone and carrying only a sidearm, or (c) in a firefight armed with only a handgun. If you're in any of the three categories, chances are that you made a bad choice :scrutiny: somewhere, and Darwinism should weed you out of the gene pool for it. :uhoh:
 
As John Farnham points out, the most common cause of a stoppage in an actual gunfight is running out of ammunition.

So maybe it's the people who don't carry enough ammo who get weeded out of the gene pool.;)
 
As John Farnham points out, the most common cause of a stoppage in an actual gunfight is running out of ammunition.

So maybe it's the people who don't carry enough ammo who get weeded out of the gene pool.
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+1


I don't get why people say "why do you need so much ammo, just stay out of bad situations"


DUH.

All of that extra ammo is to roll across the floor like marbles, so the bad guys will slip on it a la "Home Alone"
 
I don't get why people say "why do you need so much ammo, just stay out of bad situations"
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If I could stay out of "bad situations," I wouldn't need a gun, homeowner's insurance, automobile insurance, a spare tire, a fire extinguisher or smoke alarms. I wouldn't need air bags in my car, or seat belts.
 
Normally, I carry my 1911 with 8 in the mag and one in the chamber, with one reload. When I'm driving the tow truck, I carry two reloads giving me a total of 25.
 
OK, this poll has been running for a week, with 277 votes...enough for some statistical validity.

I'd run a similar poll about two years ago, and got a decidedly bimodal distribution of results. There was one faction that carried 12-15 rounds, and a second faction carrying 30+ rounds.

This poll shows a classical bell-curve distribution, with a peak in the 12-15 round range. Significant numbers of respondents reported carrying 10 rounds or less.

I believe that this is a reflection of the growing prevalence of concealed carry, and of increasing experience. A new CCW holder may be tempted to carry two or three spare magazines, but the weight, bulk, and concealability issues will lead an experienced CCW holder to scale back.

Another factor that probably enters into this are the deep-carry pistols such as the Seecamp LWS-32. Such pistols allow people to be discreetly armed, but that discretion, by definition, implies restricting both weapon and reload size.

The question that is being raised is whether the weight and volume of a reload would be better used for a backup gun. This is particularly true for large-capacity magazines, which are quite heavy. A Seecamp or Rohrbaugh in a pocket might be a better alternative.
 
Just what's in the gun (one mag) most times. Might bring along one extra mag on occasion if the situation calls for it.
 
Just what's in the gun (one mag) most times. Might bring along one extra mag on occasion if the situation calls for it.
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Please don't take this the wrong way -- it isn't meant disrespectfully. But let's look at that last sentence. How do we know what the situation calls for while standing in the bedroom dressing? How can we tell what situations will arise later in the day?

Some people have pointed out that if we knew we were going to get into a gunfight, we'd stay home and avoid it. But of course in the real world, we can't predict the future.

That's really why we carry -- because this is a dangerous world and we can't ever tell what is going to happen.
 
Hey Vern,

I wish to stick up for the guy you just questioned.

I happen to work in a very high crime and dangerous neighborhood. A day does not go by when I am not face-to-face with a gang banger or junkie or crack whore. The homeless wander the street looking for handouts as a means of survival. I am told to carry concealed as to not create escalation just by the sight of a weapon. As mentioned above, I have a loaded gun and 2 mags as back up. The way I carry (wallet holsters) I feel I can reload quicker and easier than if I needed a BUG. That's my choice and is how I choose to carry. I also have a Glock .40S&W in my desk drawer and a Kahr PM9 in my briefcase but I am not always at my desk or within the immediate vicinity of my brief case. I have 5 loaded mags back up for each but they are not on my person.

However, if I am in my yard, at the mall or at a family picnic the situation MAY not dictate carrying so much back up. Me? I would keep it the same because it's how I carry every day but to someone else, they may feel they don't need the extra weight, bulk or whatever if they are at a graduation ceremony in the "safe" neighborhoods. Many times the dress dictates it as well. So, if you know you are going into a high crime area (whether to work, drive thru or to visit someone) then you may feel compelled to have more than just your carry piece with you. Of course we never know when we will need it but the chances get a lot higher when your immediate surroundings change.

I guess I am saying that the situation can dictate how much back up you want. I guess we all envision another Columbine or Va Tech scenario but the truth is a SD situation shouldn't require more than your loaded gun and if it requires a reload then your situation is not that good. Yes, I would rather have too much rather than too little but the reality and carry conditions make us choose what works best at that time.

I feel a lot safer walking in my local grocery store than at work. The chance is still there but is a lot less likely to occur. If we feel we should be max armed at any given time "just in case" then we'd all have a carry, 2 BUGs and 500 rounds strapped to our body every day no matter where we are. That seems excessive.
 
I agree, and my post states so. However, do you need 3 mags backup at a family BBQ or will 1 do? That is a rhetorical question that is answered by each individual. However, the choice was not whether to carry or not but how many backup rounds on your person. You can't predict a disaster but you can judge the liklihood of it happening and adjust accordingly.
 
A good rule of thumb is to carry at least one reload everywhere. Just because you're in the mall or at the family barbecue, you don't go Condition White, and you shouldn't vary what you carry.
 
Personally I agree. You always need a back up for whatever reason. However, this forum is diverse and not everybody shares the same thought. Actually, that is the premise of this thread!
 
I think we have some objective issues -- a gunfight, like combat, is reality. Bullets do not go by opinions, but by physics and anatomy.

Cetainly one has a right to carry as little or as much ammuntion as he needs, but there are hard, objective facts that point to the need for at least one reload, and when the question comes up, we would be remiss if we didn't point them out.
 
If I could stay out of "bad situations," I wouldn't need a gun, homeowner's insurance, automobile insurance, a spare tire, a fire extinguisher or smoke alarms. I wouldn't need air bags in my car, or seat belts.
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LOL! Brevity is the soul of wit. An instant classic.

I almost always have an extra mag or speed strip on me. The only real exception is when I tuck a Glock in my waistband to run into a convenience store or another quick errand. I'm completely confident that 14 rounds of 357 sig, or 40 s&w will suffice. Thousands of rounds through each pistol give me at least as much confidence in the my Glocks as I'd have in one of my revolvers. With my other pistols I always have an extra mag. :)
 
I gotta ask.... if you think a gun is prone enough to failure that you carry spare parts (a spare mag), why would you carry that gun for SD?
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I feel that if I'm ever in a SD situation that turns into a firefight using more than my 10rds that I'm probably hosed, and an extra 10rds isn't going to help a whole lot. If I end up in a shooting situation outside my home, my plan is to use my gun to get to my car and get out of dodge.
Click to expand...

I carry an extra mag out of fear of accidentally dropping it, mag springs choosing to show their weakness that day, and other unpredictable malfunctions. Semi-auto's don't function without a magazine and it's a convenient spar part to bring with you.

I carry 8+1 and a reload, which is about average based on this poll. I don't think I'll need that much, but I definitely want more than two or three and the prospect of a malfunction early in the first magazine is enough to keep an extra with me.

To put it simply, if I'm bringing 17 rounds, I want it in two magazines for the extra security against a malfunction or dropped mag. A Glock 17 with a single mag would give me the same capacity, but it would be much bulkier, harder to conceal and the prospect of a mag-related malfunction makes me uncomfortable.
 
I can't answer the questions posed at me without becoming seemingly 'snarky'.... I don't want to do that... nor do I want to convince anyone to carry less ammo... it's no weight on my belt....

I find, after many many years of carry, that the more it weighs, and the more intrusive it is (extra mags, etc), the less I carry it.... the less it is there is FAR more important than the really really off chance that a good reliable gun/mag fails to function properly (or the ridiculous notion that I may be involved in a 'firefight' lasting several reloads... I'm WAY too cowardly for that... lol)... because I have never thought beforehand, "I'm going to need my gun here" (and still go there), but have sometimes needed it despite that lack of forethought.... so, as such, I would rather have less rounds on me more often....

PS- the reload in the car is in case I feel I need to change ammo for some reason (gun dropped in water?)... since that has happened more than once in those many many years...
 
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My MINIMUM is a Smith 36 with two speed loaders.

Otherwise it's a Smith 65 and two speed loaders, a .45acp M1911 and two extra seven round magazines, a Glock 19 and one extra magazine, a Glock 22 and one extra magazine, or a Browning High Power and one extra magazine.
 
My usual carry is a Glock 19 (15+1) with a spare Glock 17 mag, for a total of 33 rounds.

If I'm carrying in a shoulder holster I carry two spares to balance out the gun, for a total of 50 rounds.

If I carry a backup (S&W 642) I also carry two speed strips, so I may have up to 65 rounds on me.

My philosophy is that nobody after a gunfight wishes they had had less ammunition.
 
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