I don't carry extra mags but thinking maybe I should.

I've tried to find a balance between convenience/comfort and with a phone, wallet, keys, firearm, etc... on me, a spare mag is just another annoyance. With the overwhelming odds against actually drawing a firearm in SD and discharging...I've never felt the need for extra mags.

I first try to minimize my risk by living in a very low-crime area (avoid frequenting rough areas), don't drink/drugs, mind my own business, surround myself with good people/company, and treat people with respect.

I have mags (in a carrier) and a back-up firearm in my personal vehicle but never on me. In my state, there's a "duty to retreat" clause...don't think emptying a magazine, reload and engaging falls under duty to retreat (lol).

I'm currently using Taurus pt111 G2 (my spare pistol) while the Shield is away...probably will pick up either a MP9C or XD Mod 2 or maybe try carrying my MP FS...all with no extra backup mag.

I usually test my firearm with at least 500 rounds using a single mag before relying on it...using the spare mag as my range mag (uplula loader speeds up reload considerably, so extra range mag is not a necessity and reloading gives me time to assess my performance).

Just wondering if the members here carry extra mags and why? If it's a good reason, I may start carrying extra mags. I'm not too concern with my pistol and mag failing as I put it through an intensive course to ensure relability.

I do carry one Xtra. Just like the gun I hope I never have to use it. But if I ever do I don't want to lack ammo.

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Why yes I do!, 1 extra mag for each auto loader and 2 speed loaders for my revolver!

No I don't carry extra magazines.

I haven't found any that fit my revolvers.

But I always carry at least one speed strip.

I carry one extra magazine for whatever auto loader I am carrying. I do that in case I have a malfunction and need to drop the magazine to clear it.

Like all the other junk I carry in my pockets and on my belt daily, I just had to get used to it.

No, nor speed loaders for my wheel guns either. The way I look at it, ( and statistics support) as a civilian living in a small country town, on the outside chance I ever need to use my CC gun, it's going to be quick and close . There will be no prolonged shootout. No saving of maidens from towers. IF it happens, and just producing the gun does not diffuse the situation, it's likely to take all of 2-3 rounds to stop the fight. I figure I'm carrying at least 2-3 times that with any of my guns. Admittedly, I could be (dead) wrong but I'm comfortable in my shooting skills and carry choices. IMHO, The main thing is that you are comfortable with yours.

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Dave

Yup. Sure do.

My carry pistol is a Sig P228 with 16 rounds of 9mm HP. If that won't get it done I probably wouldn't have time to change magazines anyway. Of course I hope that is a bridge I never have to cross.

When I'm in town, the 8 in my Colt Commander is plenty.

When I'm in the mountains, I usually carry an extra magazine or two: not because I imagine getting into a fight with a bear and reloading. Instead, because I might have to spend a night out and might need more ammo for signaling.

yes! i always carry extra mags, one time i shot an armed robber with my colt commander 7 times and i did not think he was going to go down, i had extra mags beside me on the seat and a rifle and shotgun in the car, when i realized the slide was locked back i started reaching for my mags on the seat, but assistance had arrived by then and i only had to reload my colt. since then i never go anywhere without an extra mag or two on my person. the first four rounds, each one was a lethal shot but he did not stop trying to raise a sawed off pump 12ga. one round hit the shotgun stock and the bolt that held it in and glanced down and hit him in the big toe the other two went into the right arm holding the shotgun.

Yes, I do. Since my accident in '07, I have felt as though Murphy has been looking over my shoulder. For my semi-autos, I carry at least one extra magazine, and if I am carrying a revolver, I like to carry one or two speedloaders, plus an ammo wallet.

I do not consider myself paranoid, but I do watch the news. I don't subscribe to fortune tellers or crystal balls, so I don't know what I will encounter, or when I will encounter it.

When I am carrying, I am on the road, out of state. With the way the predators have been at it of late, there is no guarantee that you will encounter just one, or what.

Since my accident, my outlook has been to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Sadly, we can't bank on the possibility that when we have to defend ourselves, that it will be against just a mugger or an armed robber with today's state of affairs.

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Judge control not gun control!

Sometimes.

I carry J frame revolvers.

A speed strip reload weighs very little and hides in any pocket.

So I can't see a reason not to carry one -- even if it's unlikely I'll ever need it.

Always. It's about being prepared (not necessarily for the extra rounds into multiple bad guys, but for the malfunction that will surely happen when you aren't expecting it). Also, it balances my belt better! A good gun belt and gear are essential for comfortable and safe carrying.

The balance is important. An unbalanced belt is a sure tell that someone is carrying. You get out of the car and grab the strong side and pull it up. If your pants are simply baggy, you grab both sides to pull your belt up.

I carry two mags on my weak side when I carry a semi-auto. When carrying my 642 in a jacket pocket, I either have two speed loaders in my off hand pocket or two speed strips in my hip pocket if the pistol is in my pants pocket.

Sounds like you need a better belt.

Yes - one extra mag. In my 30 years of law enforcement, I always believed the fastest reload in combat was a second gun. Now that I'm retired from law enforcement, I just carry a spare mag.


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For the EDC bottom feeder, a five dollar ballistic nylon universal single-mag carrier with a velcro closure flap, oriented horizontally on my belt, weak side. Securely carries everything from subcompact single-stack to full size double-stack mags. Never even notice it's there.

For the occasional carry revolver, two HKS speedloaders or moonclips, in a double HKS carrier, strong side. A bit more obtrusive, but I don't care.

I never leave home without carrying reloads on me. I also live in a very safe area, and don't frequent dangerous locales, but you never know what the future has in store.

Yes I carry an extra. I never want to have to say "if I only had one more shot".

I carry a Glock 19 with a 15 round magazine in a Sticky Holster in my car. I carry an extra 10 round magazine (an old AWB leftover) in a small compartment to the left of the steering wheel. Sometimes, when I IWB carry, I'll put the 10 rounder in. It's lighter.

The short answer is yes, always a spare mag for my M&P .380 w/two more extra mags in my car and two more in my wife's car. All this is driven by the fact that I ran out of ammo in a gunfight during my LEO career and even though I'm retired almost 20 years, that experience had a profound effect on me.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Not speaking for Scott but for myself a better belt is not the answer. I have 3 wide gun belts that I cinch up till my legs go numb and the belt and pants still slide down. I need a better body with something to hold the belt up a a smaller belly that pushes it down. I wear suspenders in the winter but then need to wear a tee shirt under them and a cover shirt over. To hot here in Florida for that most of the time. I am likeing this BG in the pocket as it and the holster doesn't even pull my gym shorts down. While wearing cargo shorts a 6 round mag goes in each of the lower pockets it gym shorts it is just the rounds in the gun.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

I carry a revolver most of the time off duty. But to court or training I will usually carry my Colt Defender. Spare mag fits into a leather leather man pouch on weak side. It's not so much the running out of bullets I'm concerned about. I just know the weakest part of the gun is the magazine. So I carry a spare.

When I carry a revolver, usually just a speed strip, sometimes two. Going on vacation next week and will have a couple speed loaders in the cup holder as well

I'm 6'2" and 200lbs and had the same problem until I switched to a BullHide gun belt. It made all the difference. I can pocket carry a G42 or a Shield depending on the pants and everything stays put.

If I'm carrying my Shield I carry the 7 round mag in my weak side pocket. If I'm carrying my 640 Pro it will be with one or two speed strips in my pocket.

Two spare mags when carrying an auto and two Comp 1 speed loaders for the wheelie.

One extra magazine.

Yes.

Without reopening the how many is enough debate, I will observe that even if you feel single hicap mag is enough rounds, dropping and replacing fresh mag are key parts of dealing with a malfunction.

Some valid points for carrying extra mags.

I definitely understand that law enforcement personnel (former or current) should carry extra mags or even a back up to a back up firearm due to their occupation or experiences.

As for civilians, I'm not so convinced I need an extra mag although there are many valid points made in this thread.

My main concern is mag failure (going to get rid of the shield and carry 12+ firearm). I usually test the heck out of my pistols with a single mag before I deem it reliable, so chances of mag failure is less.

During a draw against an armed (gun) criminal and if my firearm were to suffer a mag failure, I'd probably be dead or suffer serious injuries due to the return fire. No time to change mag when the BG returns fire.

Against a non-firearm self defense, I'm less concern as I am a fast sprinter...lol.

Again, the chances of drawing a firearm and discharging it is overwhelmingly low and the inconvenience of carrying an extra mag is not worth the hassle for me.

For now, I'll just stick to carrying a well tested high round count firearm with no spare mag, but I do have a spare firearm in my vehicle.

Besides, I have a "duty to retreat" per my state law so letting out 12+1/ 17+1 rounds, reload and repeat will not be viewed favorably by the courts.

Don't quote me but I think the average SD rounds fire is 2-3 rds....

In this area with the local gangbangers most of the robberies seem to come from more than one assailant. I carry and extra mag just in case. Plus, you just may end up in a situation where you cannot retreat. What's that old adage about " I've never heard someone in a gun fight complain that he had too much ammunition"?

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

We could go with the.......

Do you carry a spare tire?

Do you carry a fire extinguisher in you car?

Type arguments.......... but ...........


I carry a 3913/14/NL 95% of the time I carry.... which is 95 % of the time.

I have several of the fairly rare 7 round true flush fit 3913 mags.... so I've got 7+1 in the gun.......I've always carried a spare standard 8rd magazine in a Safariland 123 horizontal carrier ($18) that lays flat on my belt (weak side) for a total of 16 rounds.

The extra mag and carrier weight less than my pocket knife or key ring and laying flat on my belt it's unnoticeable.......

Been using this combo since the early 90s.........just because.........


in today's "Strange New World"............... well why not? Odds are 1 in 100,000,000 or so...... but it's always been that way................so why carry at all?????




I'm out and about.........in the "Burbs of the Burgh"...... which is a pretty safe Burb.......but I still carry and ..... that includes an extra magazine, knife and small single AAA 35 lumen flashlight...............................

flashlight gets used daily!!!!!!!

I would not bother with another mag if you are able to cc a f/s m&p that holds 17 rounds

We or at least me, carry because it provides me a sense of comfort regardless of the odds of being a victim of assault/violent crimes and that to me is worth the price of admission.

What I'm deciding in this thread is whether carrying an extra mag is a necessity in spite of the inconvenience it will inevitably cause me. I'm not saying an extra mag is not worth carrying or swaying extra mags carrier (to each his own, it's still America and we have the freedom to choose). I'm trying to figure out a balance between comfort and the feeling of comfort from having a firearm.

If one feels more comfortable with having 1-4 spare mags on their person, I say go for it. Peace of mind is worth its weight in gold.

My holster for my M&P 9 with CT green laserguard came in and it's incredibly comfortable with very little imprint even in fitted Diesel low rise jeans, shorts, or a decently form fitting T-shirt. Only issue is the barrel length which digs into the base of my private when sitting down. The Full Size is not quite ready for carry as of yet, need another 100 rounds through the pistol and the intended carry mag (tomorrow at the range should do it).

I completely understand carrying a lower round pistol and having spare mags offers a comfort feeling but when carrying high rounds firearm (12+), an extra mag may not be necessity, perhaps only in extreme cases.

Either way, I've decided to carry the MP9 FS without a spare mag as my carry because it's extremely comfortable for me while having the capacity to handle most situation adequately.

Thanks for all the input fellas, it was eye opening.

Back in the 70's near Boston a night fisherman was killed with his own knife. Me being a night fisherman in the rural areas I ccw my 1911 / 8rd mag, with 7 more mags and a box of 50rds in the glove box. Fearing a copycat killer. Nothing ever happened. Today three extra mags is enough but it depends on where I'm going.

Once we commit to ccw carry its like a second wallet. While I hope and pray I never have to use it I know I'm going home to my family.

I minimize the other stuff I carry, in part to ensure I carry enough of the things that matter. A spare magazine is not optional for me. It is not uncommon for a dedicated offender to require several rounds to be stopped. (And since most service pistol ammo performs about the same regardless of caliber, as long as it meets the standard, I don't buy the drivel about not needing more because of carrying a whatever caliber.)

I also carry a knife, a Surefire P2X, my cellphone with the earpiece operational and in my ear. Other than that, I carry only a small ID case and my keys. In dress clothes, most of that stuff is in my coat - I have my pockets reinforced when I get new clothes because of that.

Duty to retreat - sounds like NY or MA. It is an obnoxious doctrine, but you need only retreat to the extent possible. A classmate's younger brother was in an incident many years ago in which he backed up until he was trapped against a car, and then he needed all the ammo he had. It is not unforeseeable that you could need more ammo even if you are retreating or have retreated.

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NHI, 10-8.

Yes, I do....for the same reason I carry a firearm - the "unlikely" event that I may need it.

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Stay protected my friends.

1 extra on my person, 2 extra in my car along with 50 more rounds.

I have a model 640 revolver and I have 6 speedloaders in a zipper pouch clipped to my belt or in my pants pocket. That gives me 35 rounds total. 30 in the speedloaders and 5 in the 640.

I carry an extra magazine for my Shield .40. I have several items in which to carry. Sometimes a leather magazine pouch in my pocket. Sometimes a cellphone pouch on my belt, or a leather knife or tool pouch on the belt. I may not need the extra magazine but in the event of a misfire or jam it could come in handy. I just consider it like a 'spare tire' or a fire extinguisher. Carry for the possibility not for the probability. I carry IWB, cross draw, an Alien Gear Tuck holster. In the summer I have to tuck inside a shirt. Spring or other times allows carrying IWB but under a vest or jacket, which can make carrying an extra mag or two easier. Hope you find something for your satisfaction and carry safely, never having to use it. Carrying too many might be a defense problem in a potential court case.

It's been my experience that equipment failure is more a question of "when" than "if" and almost everything that can go wrong with a semi-automatic handgun can be corrected by changing the magazine.

I walk around with roughly 30 pounds of **** strapped to me every night so when I'm not at work two extra magazines just really doesn't seem like a whole lot to me.

As a general rule I carry my wallet, my keys,my phone, my gun 2 reloads, a pocket knife multi-tool and flashlight. That was really just doesn't seem like a huge load to me.

I understand the concept that the average self-defense encounter ends up being three shots but I'd much rather carry 51 rounds and need 3 then carry 6 and need 51

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Retired Career Security Guard

Yes, most of the time I do.

The principal reason, 'Why' it's important to carry an extra magazine for your semi-auto is - not to have extra cartridges on hand, but instead - to be able to more quickly overcome a problem like a magazine failure, or other FTFe.

Or just to be an Internet glock-a-roo

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Retired Career Security Guard

OK, I'll take your word for it.

I carry at least one reload any time I leave the house, depending on what I'm doing. While it is always possible that there might be a reason to need more rounds, my main reason is for reliability.

My carry pieces are as follows: a G22, an M&P 9c, a G26, and a 640.

First, if a deadly force situation is encountered, and you're not sure of how many rounds are still in the gun and you also don't know if the immediate threat has gone away or there are more threats; perform a tactical/save-magazine reload.

Secondly, magazines are part of the mechanical complexities of a semi auto pistol. They are probably the weakest link of any semi auto. You can store them for years empty, or for years loaded and they'll function. You cycle them regularly, such as from regular range trips and they'll wear out. I've been using some M&P 17- round mags I acquired used for training and competition. Don't really know at all how many rounds they've had thru them, but the springs are starting to fail. How often do you replace your carry magazine? I carried Glocks for a lot longer, and have a bit of experience with SIGs and 1911s (and Beretta ,22s). I've seen magazine failures in all of them.

Thirdly, just because the statistics suggest that the average civilian use of a firearm is 2-3 rounds fired, what are the stats based on, and what is the high number? In law enforcement for many years, the average number of shots fired by LEOs was about the same as the civilian stars referenced. It was based on NYPD records. Then the NYPD staticians reviewed the data, purged all the suicides and NDs. The average went up to 6 rounds (NYPD still carried revolvers at the time). Current average I believe is 8-10 rounds.

I recall that in the Utah trolley shooting incident a few years ago, the off-duty cop who intervened only had something like 7-8 rounds in his off-duty pistol, and no reload. While his armed intervention prevented a greater tragedy from occurring, he also ran out of ammo before the killer was stopped.

The question of "responsibility to retreat" in relation to carrying a reload is best left to the legal analysts such as Massad Ayoob. There are some good attorneys who specialize in self defense incidents as well as insurance policies for civilians.

I do when I carry my LCP, the small mag fits nicely in my front pocket.

I keep my extra mags inside of extra guns.

Yep, I carry three extra loaded magazines.

Yes I do and sometimes two if magazine capacity is six.

kstud pretty much says it for me

Always at least one reload, mag or speed strip.

To the OPs point of well tested magazines, good idea and plan. However the only time you test your duty ammo is when you fire it, practice or for real. While good duty ammo is high reliability, a bad round is possible. While tap & rack might solve the problem, the weight of a spare magazine is worth it to me. YMMV