To carry extra mags or not to carry extra mags?

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  • Ddillard

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    I guess I am more towards the side of carrying extra mag/mags dependent on where or what I am doing. I know it doesn't help but I do carry First aid kit and extra mags in car(s). It is mostly just an urge type of thing for me. People just have to figure out what the purpose is and follow it. It is a well-meant thought of carrying spares/extras but when all is considered, most don't have situational awareness and/or training. I am NOT saying that all are unprepared yet do feel that it is useless to have the extra where-with-all if one is not prepared in their own state of being (such as training in both use and awareness of the environment.). --"One Man's Opinion!
     

    ECS686

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    I guess I am more towards the side of carrying extra mag/mags dependent on where or what I am doing. I know it doesn't help but I do carry First aid kit and extra mags in car(s). It is mostly just an urge type of thing for me. People just have to figure out what the purpose is and follow it. It is a well-meant thought of carrying spares/extras but when all is considered, most don't have situational awareness and/or training. I am NOT saying that all are unprepared yet do feel that it is useless to have the extra where-with-all if one is not prepared in their own state of being (such as training in both use and awareness of the environment.). --"One Man's Opinion!
    Your on it.

    I’ll add as a former LE Trainer and working the civilian training world now. A lot of folks that I see that are into training themselves are the ones that are 1 Too cheap to pay a valid instructor and 2 bases their training from either YouTube or their scenerio a news story of a unique case that made the news. They often times becomes fixated on those Onesies cases. That is that one exceptional situation that happens. Wether it be the John Wick shootout scene (there was only one documented case of a civilian needing a reload)
    Or most recently we have seen masses rush out to do the “Dickens” drill before they even know what the real par time was. Like 3 years ago everyone wanted to do the “Jack Wilson” shot.

    Try and not relish in the 1 dimensional scenarios where you are always the victor or train where with information you base your scenario off of wasn’t k own until after the shooting. Real time intel just don’t happen

    Like changing a tire it’s good to know what you can do at 50 yards and you would be competent in a mag change but don’t get too fixated on the Onesies

    Like BBI stated short of a Russian or Cartel hit team your going to run out of time before bullets. And a simple Robbery after the first 1 or 2 rounds more times than not the thugs scatter like cockroaches.
    That said I do carry at least 1 spare Mag or speedloader/speed strip for the Wheelguns as a general practice even though I will probably need a fire extinguisher before the extra ammo!
     
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    MohawkSlim

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    99% of us are LARPing when we carry so it doesn't really matter.

    I'm with several of the posters on here with, "Where do you carry all that stuff?" Do you never just throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops to run to McDonalds? Is every venture outside your home akin to gearing up for a raid against enemy combatants?

    If you run a backup mag, why not have a backup for your backup? What about a backup for your backup backup? If you're running lots of spare mags why aren't you running a spare gun? If you need your little gun you might need your big gun!

    Where does it stop???

    Most of us will never need our carry guns but it's cool to carry and I'm all for the debate of what's necessary and what's not. And anything we carry - guns, mags, lights, knives, armor, etc. - isn't "necessary."

    We shouldn't be addressing this from a necessity standpoint. Our guns & gear are seldom necessary. This is strictly an, "I like it so I do it." debate. If we pull necessary into it we lose the argument immediately.
     

    amjindiana

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    Might as well carry extras. None of us can predict if something will happen and how long it will last. Honestly I don't think there is a right/wrong answer. If I get into a gunfight and fire 6 rounds to end it, would I be considered "over-prepared" to have 3 extra mags on me? Or if I bring 3 mags and end up in a prolonged situation where I could have actually used 6, was I "under-prepared"?

    I think having something is better than nothing any day, but none of us can really say how much something is going to be enough.
     

    Ddillard

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    Might as well carry extras. None of us can predict if something will happen and how long it will last. Honestly I don't think there is a right/wrong answer. If I get into a gunfight and fire 6 rounds to end it, would I be considered "over-prepared" to have 3 extra mags on me? Or if I bring 3 mags and end up in a prolonged situation where I could have actually used 6, was I "under-prepared"?

    I think having something is better than nothing any day, but none of us can really say how much something is going to be enough.
    Exactly! Carry if you will, or don't. It is up to one's self to decide the better. I myself have a go-bag in each of my vehicles, though I am lax in carrying extra on my person.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    99% of us are LARPing when we carry so it doesn't really matter.

    I'm with several of the posters on here with, "Where do you carry all that stuff?" Do you never just throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops to run to McDonalds? Is every venture outside your home akin to gearing up for a raid against enemy combatants?

    If you run a backup mag, why not have a backup for your backup? What about a backup for your backup backup? If you're running lots of spare mags why aren't you running a spare gun? If you need your little gun you might need your big gun!

    Where does it stop???

    To that, as I said in another thread recently: "Prepared" is a scale, not a binary condition. Nobody is running around in concealable body armor. Way more of us are going to die from a heart attack than a gunshot, yet how many have a defibrillator at hand? How many carry a gun but drive some econobox with a 3 star crash rating? Different levels of prepared for different risks, and we're all like that if we're honest with ourselves.

    I don't carry a spare magazine when I jog or trail run because it's cumbersome to do so. Yet I once had to shoot a pitbull that latched on to my arm and was then confronted by the crackhead owner (who was also a burglar, as I found out a few weeks later). I was prepared enough with the gun I had. Is there some hypothetical where my LCR was not enough? Absolutely. But I can't find a reasonable way to carry everything while jogging, and I'd rather jog than not jog so I get by with just a Glock 43X these days. Maybe I'll be dead at the hands/paws of a pack of crackheads and pitbulls where if I'd just had that 12th round I'd have lived...but I doubt it. if I was worried about every hypothetical, no matter how remote, I'd sit in my basement (wrapped in a fireproof blanket and with two radon detectors next to me, of course) and suck my thumb all day. The tradeoff for me to carry a spare magazine is nothing when in normal attire, though, so why not.

    The main thing is to have the right software onboard, then hardware is next, and redundancy after that. And don't suck. Lots of issues can be avoided by not sucking.
     

    wtburnette

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    Do you never just throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops to run to McDonalds?
    Nope.

    If you run a backup mag, why not have a backup for your backup? What about a backup for your backup backup? If you're running lots of spare mags why aren't you running a spare gun? If you need your little gun you might need your big gun!

    I believe this:
    To that, as I said in another thread recently: "Prepared" is a scale, not a binary condition. Nobody is running around in concealable body armor. Way more of us are going to die from a heart attack than a gunshot, yet how many have a defibrillator at hand? How many carry a gun but drive some econobox with a 3 star crash rating? Different levels of prepared for different risks, and we're all like that if we're honest with ourselves.
    We live in a dangerous world. If the shooting at GPM doesn't solidify that for people, then nothing will short of having a violent encounter happen to you. I have my gun on me at all times when I'm not at home. At home my gun is either on my hip, or within arms reach. The one rare exception is when I go jogging and then I wear a knife around my neck. You never know when you'll be confronted with violence and the need to respond. I hope I go my entire life without needing my gun or knife, but I'd rather have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

    How much is too much to carry? That is up for each person to decide. If you need 3 guns, 2 knives, 2 spare mags, 2 lights and a first aid kit, good for you. I won't second guess someone else's decisions. For myself it's always the one gun, a spare mag, a pocket knife and a flashlight if I'm going to be out after dark. That's my decision based on my risk rating and what I feel comfortable with.
     
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    Bugzilla

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    To that, as I said in another thread recently: "Prepared" is a scale, not a binary condition.
    I feel it is also a state of mind. As in other threads, when you finally decide to carry you feel everyone is staring at your gun. You carry a while, are more comfortable carrying. Then you work on other carry positions, holsters, etc. Then other carry weapons, chambered or not chambered. A lot is a state of mind as you mature in your own carry mentality.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    LOL, I am not a shorts and flip flops kind of guy, so no.

    Exactly. Nobody needs to see my knees. I'm only in shorts if I'm actively engaged in exercise or going in to water. Flip flops are for group showers and pool side. At the risk of being a cranky middle aged guy, dress like an adult if you want people to treat you like an adult.
     

    wtburnette

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    Oh I'm in shorts as soon as it turns 55 or so out, but it's cargo shorts with belt loops. I'll wear gym shorts inside a lot, but my gun is normally right next to me or close to hand. I don't find gym shorts to be clothing unless I'm indoors or jogging. Mostly that's because I want something with belt loops so I can carry.
     

    ditcherman

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    99% of us are LARPing when we carry so it doesn't really matter.

    I'm with several of the posters on here with, "Where do you carry all that stuff?" Do you never just throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops to run to McDonalds? Is every venture outside your home akin to gearing up for a raid against enemy combatants?

    If you run a backup mag, why not have a backup for your backup? What about a backup for your backup backup? If you're running lots of spare mags why aren't you running a spare gun? If you need your little gun you might need your big gun!

    Where does it stop???

    Most of us will never need our carry guns but it's cool to carry and I'm all for the debate of what's necessary and what's not. And anything we carry - guns, mags, lights, knives, armor, etc. - isn't "necessary."

    We shouldn't be addressing this from a necessity standpoint. Our guns & gear are seldom necessary. This is strictly an, "I like it so I do it." debate. If we pull necessary into it we lose the argument immediately.
    I had to put pants on to do chainsaw/clearing work for a couple of days. Even then considered shorts. Every other day since May has been shorts.
    Now, those shorts always have belt loops, and my flip flops are actually sandals (that I run and shoot in), and I don’t go to McDonald’s, but I’m shocked that people actually treat me like an adult.
    Must be doing something right.
    I do feel kind of like I’m LARPing when I carry a second mag, and nothing wrong with that.
     
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    John’s major point over multiple vids and discussion was not that reloads were never needed but that you can only carry so much gear. In his opinion the low risk of needing a reload was secondary in important to carrying medical gear-> if you are only carrying one or the other.

    I tend to usually carry a spare reload. -as much or more for malfunctions as for extra pews. As I noted in another thread, the avg number of handgun rounds required for a physical stop is 5-7. That makes my 12rnd M&P9c a 2-3 bad guy gun without a reload. Watching recent trends in home invasions etc with multiple armed attackers I want 3 bad guys worth of ammo. If I was carrying a G43 or something smaller I’d for sure have reloads.
     

    wcd

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    99% of us are LARPing when we carry so it doesn't really matter.

    I'm with several of the posters on here with, "Where do you carry all that stuff?" Do you never just throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops to run to McDonalds? Is every venture outside your home akin to gearing up for a raid against enemy combatants?

    If you run a backup mag, why not have a backup for your backup? What about a backup for your backup backup? If you're running lots of spare mags why aren't you running a spare gun? If you need your little gun you might need your big gun!

    Where does it stop???

    Most of us will never need our carry guns but it's cool to carry and I'm all for the debate of what's necessary and what's not. And anything we carry - guns, mags, lights, knives, armor, etc. - isn't "necessary."

    We shouldn't be addressing this from a necessity standpoint. Our guns & gear are seldom necessary. This is strictly an, "I like it so I do it." debate. If we pull necessary into it we lose the argument immediately.
    Larping ???

    For me personally M-F 1911, three Mags total, P365 Ankle Holster, 2k Lumen flashlight. Carried for sometimes upward of 12 hours a day never an issue.

    Long gun is in the suv along with First aid kit, and tourniquet.

    understanding everyone has different threat levels, however no harm is done by being prepared.




    Cooler for my lunch and Bottled water.
     

    hoosiersasquatch

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    The data speaks to the situation, however there are always exceptions and if you want to carry the extra mags, why not? I also think your location might be a driver. Data always shows there are areas that have a lot more crime than others and that might dictate what you carry. Again, there are always exceptions, and it does not hurt to have the extra mags.
     

    BJHay

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    Good thread. It looks like most are carrying two mags.

    I try to practice what I preach on training so I've taken a couple of Gunsite courses and training from local instructors. I'm current on CPR training and recently took the "Stop the Bleed" course and the USCCA first aid course. I carry a small trauma bag in my car and in my checked bag when I fly. This is a very minimal level of training but EMS response time where we live can be 20 minutes or more.
    You would not want me to work on you in an emergency unless the other option is to do nothing.

    I'm in the lazy camp for daily carry. I need to keep my carry simple so it's usually a Glock 26 in a pocket holster or sometimes a very basic IWB holster. I never carry an extra mag. For workouts and light dress I pocket carry a LCP (A laser on this gun is a must).

    My $0.02.
     

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