Reloading during a self defense situation

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I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and the thread regarding 9mm pocket guns (I don't think there is such a thing, but that's a different topic) really got me going. Many forum members have posted pictures of the gear they carry to leave the home, and that gear in some cases approaches that of a line law enforcement officer. Reloads (spare ammo in various forms and/or a second gun) are a frequent topic. A couple weeks ago, I began searching the web for information about citizens reloading during a self defense situation. My null hypothesis was that it was rare, to the point of never happening.

I found this:

The Thinking Gunfighter

The author presents an analysis of five years of incidents reported in the "Armed Citizen" column of the NRA magazine (not a member, so I don't know which one, and the article doesn't say). In any event, out of 482 incidents, the citizen reloaded during 3, including one in which a .32 revolver was used to dispatch an escaped lion with 13 rounds. Over half of the incidents occurred in the home, and the defense firearm was carried on the body in only 20% of the total incidents. In the other 80%, the firearm was retrieved from a place of storage, frequently in another room.

Unfortunately, the analysis is from 1997 to 2001, even though the article bears a 2012 date. I am continuing to search for a newer analysis of these incidents.

Everyone will have their own opinion about the meaning of these results, and will draw their own conclusions. For me, it means that I'm making an appropriate risk management decision by carrying a firearm consistently, but not loading myself down with ammunition I likely won't need.
 
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Like every other decision we have to make, it's personal one. Doesn't make anyone right or wrong.

I always carry a reload and sometimes a second gun.

They are mechanical objects which can fail at any time.

Chances are I will never need to fire my gun. And if I do I will only need a few rounds. But I would rather be over prepared for the one percent chance that I need more instead of settling for what I think will happen and have just enough. When tasked with protecting myself or family, just enough won't do.

And if I have to shoot, my gun will immediately be reloaded. I'm not going to stand there waiting for the cops to show up with an empty or near empty gun.

Reloads or second guns are only a part of the equation. Having a gun you know how to use is more important.
 
Being prepared is better than not.
It comes down to what are you comfortable with.
If I am 8 miles from home my 642 and a speed strip may be fine.
If I am 4 hours away and stuck because of circumstances beyond my control, well I may feel a bit uneasy.

On 9/11 I was in Minneapolis when all went down. The job was shut down no one had a clue as to what would happen next.
I had my 640 and a speed loader or two.
Scenario unknown down the road if I was to travel.
I stayed put.
So all the what if thoughts came to mind.

Now I would want my 642 and 686 3 inch and a box of LAWCHP .38s in the trunk.

Just to feel right.
 
I look at the number of rounds I have available. When I have more than 10 in a gun, which is rare for me, I'm not too worried about it. Otherwise, I try to carry a speed-strip or second magazine. I don't know why 10 is the magic number but over the years that is how it has worked out. I usually have more ammunition in the car for whatever gun I have with me, even though I think the need to reload is likely very small.
 
I plan to carry a couple reloads in case I run into an escaped lion.

Better carry 3 or 4 in case you run into an escaped hippo or elephant. :D

Joking of course, but I do carry one spare mag for my 4013 and I do practice tactical and emergency mag reloads. Carrying a spare without practice is asking for trouble should the need arise.
 
It would seem that most human assailants will run or give up (even with a peripheral hit) when shot at. If you want to protect yourself against that level of threat then you should be fine without a reload. Those who carry more want a greater level of protection. There's a balance of stress/comfort and level of threat that everyone considers.
 
Lions travel in packs. Better load up! ;)

lions travel in family groups ......called "Prides"

"Needs to get me a bigger gun!"


I've seen dozens if not a hundred of these "what do you carry" threads in the 14 years I've dropped by here........

bottom line; no right answer..... personal decision and circumstance
 
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It would seem that most human assailants will run or give up (even with a peripheral hit) when shot at. If you want to protect yourself against that level of threat then you should be fine without a reload. Those who carry more want a greater level of protection. There's a balance of stress/comfort and level of threat that everyone considers.

Being serious for a minute, I think you might as well carry a reload if you carry a J frame revolver.

A speed strip doesn't weigh much and hides well in any pocket.

The reload may never be needed, but then we all hope our guns will never be needed either.

But you never know....
 
It would seem that most human assailants will run or give up (even with a peripheral hit) when shot at. If you want to protect yourself against that level of threat then you should be fine without a reload. Those who carry more want a greater level of protection. There's a balance of stress/comfort and level of threat that everyone considers.


I'll waiting to see what the facts were in St. Louis this month......to see if your theory holds.

Some "news reports"; for what they are worth, contradict it. Also you said "most".....

see my post above.................no right or wrong.
 
As I posted in another thread, my primary reason for carrying a reload is to make sure I have a loaded firearm after the smoke clears. I don't envision reloading and continuing a fight when in that time, if I'm still mobile, I could've run away.

It also seems pretty plausible to me that in a stressful self-defense situation your weapon would be shot dry, regardless of how much ammo is on board.
 
As I posted in another thread, my primary reason for carrying a reload is to make sure I have a loaded firearm after the smoke clears. I don't envision reloading and continuing a fight when in that time, if I'm still mobile, I could've run away.

It also seems pretty plausible to me that in a stressful self-defense situation your weapon would be shot dry, regardless of how much ammo is on board.

Well, in the article I posted, the review of Armed Citizen reports reflect that the average and median number of shots fired was 2. However, when more than 2 shots were fired, the weapon was generally fired empty. The review doesn't detail how many times that occurred in the 482 incidents reviewed.
 
True. ...likely won't need it but it would sure suck if a jam happened and now your fumbling with the ammo you have instead of dumping it and inserting a new mag or speed loader
 
One should always have extra ammo! Auto mags can break, revolvers have limited capacity, bad guys refuse to die resulting in more shots fired. A perp hopped up on a stimulant; meth, PCP, bath salts etc. are formidable. They feel nothing.....including hot lead. Trust me, I've been in quite a few wrestling matches with them. I've also seen plenty survive what should have killed them.

Under stress you shoot, you don't count. It's impossible to know how many rounds one fired in a dynamic situation. We've seen it with real shootings & Simmunitions training. The instructor asks how many rounds the student fired. They answers are always far less then what they actually shot. Same for real officer involved shootings.

As a citizen, you aren't obligated to 'take action' legally, but ethically a motivated armed citizen would probably take action & not let innocents be slaughtered. The incident in Vegas after two LVMPD officers were murdered resulted in a citizen trying to act. Heroic action it was. Unfortunately, he was out numbered & he died. However, his actions no doubt messed up their OODA loop & slowed them down giving time for LVMPD to respond.

Trolley Square Mall, SLC UT. Active shooter enters mall & wantonly shoots people. Off duty Ogden PD Ofc. Hammond engages perp & contains him. Again throwing off his OODA loop & keeping him occupied until SLCPD arrives & takes him out. Even then, it still took 15 rds of combined 5.56 & 9mm to kill him. Ofc Hammond had NO extra ammo & admitted later he wished he did. He had only the rounds in his gun.

The Trolley Square Mall shooting could have been any Joe/Jane citizen. Hell, it would have been nice if an armed citizen joined the fray. It may have ended sooner.

As a police officer & firearms instructor, it is ALWAYS good to have extra ammo. No, one doesn't have to wear a "TACVEST" full of ammo, but a reload or two is definitely good practice. Speedloaders are a pain to hide, unless you have the right clothing & pouches for them. I carry two with my Mod 60 & a SpeedStrip or two in a pocket. With these enormous tablet phones everyone is toting now days, most people don't wince at an unusual print in a shirt near the waistline. I just wear looser shirts & have no problem hiding a J frame or Glock 23.

With my G23, I have another G22 magazine in a belt pouch. Two more rounds never hurt. Like my dad always says: "it's better to have it & not need it than to need it & not have it". Don't read into stats etc. about citizen shootings. No amount of numerical analysis will cover every incident. You do not want to be the ONE where things go off the rails & you are not prepared.
 
Murphy is an optimist. I usually carry a 5" 1911 and a spare magazine on my belt with a BUG and a spare magazine in my pockets.
 

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