Do you carry extra mags?

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!!!!!!!
 
kstud said:
I don't carry extra mags but thinking maybe I should.
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.


.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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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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Yes, I do....for the same reason I carry a firearm - the "unlikely" event that I may need it. ;)
 
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.
 
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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
 
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.
 
Arc Angel said:
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.
Click to expand...

Or just to be an Internet glock-a-roo
 
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.
 
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
 
I went and bought an "Uplula" for my 40sw S&W Sigma,
What a difference!
My fingers and thumb are now not bruised and strained !!
And now finally have a FULL Capacity magazine!!!!!
 
Always at least 1 wether its my 669 or my 637 (speed loader) If Im going somewhere shady I might grab 2 mags or my p32 as a bug with 1 extra each. As an aside my 637 is the most comfortable gun Ive ever carried. And pretty sure 2 speed loaders are still lighter than 1 mag
 
I live in a rural country town and usually don't if I just run into town .. but if I cross the river and go to the big town yes I carry an extra 15 rounds with me .. but I always have an extra 15 round mag in my glove box ..
 
Extra Mags

I always try to carry an extra mag
It is imo a good tactical habit to have simply because I would rather be looking at more rounds than looking for them! I would say carry the extra mags. You just never know.
 
kstud said:
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.
Click to expand...

Las Vegas is divided into areas that can be described as the good, the bad, and the ugly.
We live in Summerlin on the west side, which along with the areas in the south (Southern Highlands, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson) and a few areas on the far north side (Aliante, etc...) can be described as the "good".
The east side of the valley is the bad, and the middle area is the ugly. Both include a lot of lower income housing and rampant drug and gang related crime.
That being said, the armed robberies and home invasions on the west side are on the uptick lately and the trend is for the armed robbers and home invaders to come from areas other than Summerlin and more often than not, they're not working alone.
The old saying "I wish I had more ammo-said no one ever" applies to both the wife and I and with that being said, the G19 always has a spare, and my Shield and my wife's XD-S always have 2 spares...to fight our way to the rifles or shotguns.
 
Extra mags is your choice same as your decision to carry. Solid arguments abound as to caliber, capacity, style of holster, how to train and the list goes on and on.

Carrying in the mode of your choice is FAR better than not carrying at all. JMHO.
 
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Son and I went to the range yesterday and he was shooting his PPQ M2 .40. He inserted a full mag, fired 4 rounds and it jammed. Removed the mag and discovered the follower and/or spring had bound up in the tube. Had this been a SD situation he would have definitely needed another mag!

I always carry a spare mag.
 
Simple answer to a simple question:

I was very active in the Boy Scouts and will always remember the scout motto. "Be Prepared"
 
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