Extra magazine weight question.

[tgwise]

One year in now at carrying daily and have a question before wasting money.
My question is to the people carrying an extra magazine daily.
I have decided to carry the S&W SW1911 3" version with 8+1.
Being a lower round magazine I am also considering purchasing a holster with attached magazine holder. Question is:
Does the extra weight on the holster make it difficult to conceal properly and efficiently to make this worth while or is it an extra burden. I'm in Illinois so weather and attire change daily at this time of year. I'm just trying to put a purchase plan together and want to hear from the experienced people here. Thanks

 

[stansdds]

I have looked at holsters that have an integral magazine pouch, but unless it is a cross-draw holster, it puts the magazine on the wrong side of the body for a quick reload. Also, it adds bulk to the holster, potentially making it harder to conceal if you carry concealed.

 

[petepeterson]

I have looked at holsters that have an integral magazine pouch, but unless it is a cross-draw holster, it puts the magazine on the wrong side of the body for a quick reload. Also, it adds bulk to the holster, potentially making it harder to conceal if you carry concealed.

Agree with this, and would add that carrying the mag on the opposite side of the gun helps balance the weight out.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Ditto the all the above...... I carry a spare mag in a horizontal mag pouch that lets it lie flat on my belt at 9-11 O'clock. it can slide between the belt loops for better concealment 9 or faster access at 11. . Safariland 123 for at least the last 25 years.

 

[375hh1973]

I always carry a spare.

Like others have said I prefer mine to be on left side.

I carry a mag holder or just put it in a pocket depending on what I'm wearing.

 

[demkofour]

Always carry at least one extra magazine that’s READABLY accessible and practice getting to it like you practice draws with your pistol.


And for those who prefer NOT to carry an extra magazine, take out your spare tire from the trunk and see how that feels! Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.

 

[crows]

Most OWB concealment holsters I have seen that have the magazine pouch attached to the holster are in front of the holster. The issue I see is it takes up a lot of room. This means working around belt loops and pockets can be an issue and keeping the gun in your preferred carry location on your belt.
If you are thinking IWB, it would be more just space to keep the holster in your preferred spot.
I guess it would slow down your reload times by a couple of tenths of a second.
Using a separate pouch gives you a bit more flexibility as to placement of holster and spare magazine.

 

[Denverd0n]

Not only does carrying your magazine on the opposite side from your gun balance out the weight, it also (in my opinion) improves the concealment. You might ask, how? Well, I find that a bulge on just one side is more noticeable than a bulge on both sides. I think it is the unbalanced look of one bulge versus the symmetry of balanced bulges.

Not that anyone ever notices anyway. The great majority of people are pretty oblivious to what's around them. It is unlikely that anyone other than a police officer, or another concealed carrier, would ever notice even the most obvious bulge under your shirt.

 

[Borderboss]

I agree with the others that the integral mag pouch is not a good practical design.

I carry my 1911s in shoulder holsters, where the mag pouches are on the opposite side. I carry two spare mags. Not because I think I'll need that much ammo, but because the magazine is the weakest link in the chain of reliability for a semi-auto. Remember that many jam clearing exercises involve dropping the current mag and replacing it with a new one. Hard to do without a spare mag.

 

[Smoke]

Galco makes a horizontal magazine pouch. I like to wear mine right by my first belt loop so that I can grab it with either hand.

 

[URIT]

There are some AIWB holsters that work well. Some cross draw holsters too. Weight comfort distribution is personal and may be an issue.

 

[mckenney99]

I've been carrying for over 40+ years so I have learned a few things. I have also attended numerous basic and advanced training programs when in LE and even more appropriate to this discussion as a civilian after retirement. I've always carried 2 spare magazines for all the reasons listed above. One of the beauties of a single stack 1911 is that those single stack magazines add very little bulk to your girth. I also prefer to carry 2 separate magazine pouches. Using 2 singles gives me a little more flexibility in placement of the pouches, 2 single pouches will usually conform to the curves of the body better (lay flatter) than 1 double magazine pouch. I also prefer to carry my spare magazines on the opposite side from the pistol to help balance out weight, appearance/concealment as mentioned above and to facilitate reloading/malfunction clearance with my off gun hand.

 

[Shibadog]

Some jeans have a nice “watch pocket” that is deep enough to hold a magazine in a leather “mag pouch”. Being a southpaw that works great for me.

 

[mikerjf]

As soon as I tried a horizontal mag pouch on the side opposite to the gun, it felt like the obvious solution. Better access to pockets as well.

 

[chief38]

My EDC is a standard Sig P365. When it gets carried in my Kramer Horsehide Belt Scabbard (50% of the time) I carry an extra 10 round magazine in a Kramer Horsehide magazine pouch on the opposite side and the extra weight goes unnoticed. When I carry in my DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster the extra magazine goes in my cargo shorts pocket with velcro flap. Not quite as fast to reload as when doing so from a belt pouch but at least I do have an extra mag with me.

 

[gwpercle]

It's not so much thr weight but the extra bulk on thr holster , that makes it harder to conceal .
A single magazine is easy to conceal somewhere on your person .
I find a slim trim holster on my right and a magazine belt pouch on my left is easy to conceal under a vest or light coat ,
I also find a double magazine pouch on my left isn't much arder to conceal than a single ... and you get an extra reload to boot !
Gary

 

[gjgalligan]

Galco makes a horizontal magazine pouch. I like to wear mine right by my first belt loop so that I can grab it with either hand.

While that looks like it might work my spare tire is a bit bigger so I suspect it would be uncomfortable when sitting.
I prefer the spare mag being behind the weak side pocket as to not interfere with accessing the pocket.

 

[Smoke]

While that looks like it might work my spare tire is a bit bigger so I suspect it would be uncomfortable when sitting.
I prefer the spare mag being behind the weak side pocket as to not interfere with accessing the pocket.

I actually was wearing that when I weighed 280 lb. I don't know how much I weighed in that picture but right now I weigh 220 and I don't even notice it.

My main point though was even at 280 lb I wore that comfortably on my belt and never noticed it.