How much carry ammo is enough?

[cstone]

If you practice tactical reloads and reloads with retention, it only makes sense to carry an extra magazine. If you don't practice reloads, carrying extra magazines would just be a luxury.

[lex137]

I carry an extra mag just in case, but I use to not. Sometimes I forget to grab it and I'm ok cause I'm comfortable with only having 7 shots cause I hoping to be gone before I ever have to use them. Pulling will be my last resort always, I'm ok with running away and fighting another day.

[NFATrustGuy]

I don't carry an extra mag when I'm carrying concealed. I'll frequently carry a couple extra if I'm carrying in the open on a belt, but the only time I really do this is when I'm up in the mountains hiking around our property.

[MarkCO]

I know a LEO who carries more ammo than most people shoot in a year, and another who carries 17 rounds total, both are a bit on the edge for their risk level IMHO. I kind of like to have 10 rounds minimum in close proximity. That can mean several things, and does depending on the day, what I will be doing and where I will be going.

Like a friend of mine used to say, if you are hanging out at the ATM on 16th street at 3am, better bring the G20, three mags and a buddy in battle rattle.

[Irving]

I carry a lot of things now, that I never thought I had room to carry a few years ago. I always carry an extra mag when concealed carrying. I only carry more when at matches, and less when running.

[cstone]

As a uniformed police officer carrying a revolver, I carried six in the cylinder and two speedloaders for a total of 18 rounds after two reloads. After transitioning to semi-auto pistols, I had 12+1 in the gun and two 12 round magazines for a total of 37 rounds after two reloads. Depending on what I carry now, I have 31 rounds after one reload, 25 rounds after one reload, 21 rounds after one reload, or 19 rounds after one reload. Any way I look at it, I now have more rounds available with fewer reloads than I did as a young officer in uniform on the streets of a violent American city. I have not had the misfortune of running out of ammunition

[USMC_5-Echo]

Like an OD Green Supply trailer?

That's what I like to tow around

[Great-Kazoo]

That's what I like to tow around

remove the business name and paint it first.

[USMC_5-Echo]

Very true, don't want to advertise, much less for someone else.

[Mick-Boy]

Woke up this morning to see that Jeff Gonzales (of Trident Concepts) posted about this same topic yesterday.

https://www.tridentconcepts.com/one-of-one-is-none/
There is a old saying in my community, “one of one is none.” The context centered around equipment and specifically equipment critical to performing our mission. So, things like weapons, ammunition, radios etc.

You can take that philosophy to the extreme in no time flat; when mountaineering I once took enough food and fuel to do the expedition twice…literally twice. It’s always fun and games until you have to carry the equipment over long periods and arduous conditions. Then it’s not so fun.

In the daily carrying of a concealed firearm is it necessary to carry a spare magazine. Some will come out and say absolutely and always, my response is it really depends. It really depends on a lot of things, but the two most important would be lumped into perceived threat and capacity.

I find that a big mistake is folks don’t take a second to evaluate their environment. Instead, they go with a blanket type statement like “I can never predict when a gunfight is going to occur.” That is partially true, while using an absolute like “never” will give credence to that statement if you remove it from the statement now it is a bit more manageable. By the same token we all have to live our lives, I for one enjoy life and all it’s ups and downs. If I truly could never predict a gunfight, then I probably establish a FOB and run random patrols for supplies.

Since that is not the case, you have to evaluate the perceived risk with the activity. Does every situation call for a spare magazine…maybe. If you follow this train of thought then does every situation call for soft armor, helmets and other protective measures. I mean if you are going to go the extreme then go all in.

We use a threat matrix that provides guidance based off the available information. Can you be the subject of random violence, of course you can, but at some point you have to ask when enough is enough. If you subscribe to carrying a spare magazine every time you carry a pistol then good on you. But, I’m a bit skeptical…I’m sure there are times you don’t. So, how do you go about determining the choice to carry or not carry a spare magazine. That is my concern, what was your decision making process.

Take the time to create your own threat matrix and load out, adjust it according to your skill and equipment. Then make it a habit of reviewing the matrix as part of your jock up drill. I suggest you consider the capacity of the pistol you carry daily, does it have sufficient ammunition for the first scenario? I encourage at a minimum 10 rounds, in my head that gives me a decent load out to deal with two lethal threats. But here is something a lot of folks don’t think about and that is attack site number two. You may have survived the first attack, but will you be able to fend off a subsequent attack? That is where a spare magazine really comes into the picture. Then there is your marksmanship skills to consider, I hate to say it, but lack of good marksmanship skills is not reason alone to carry a spare, but it doesn’t hurt.

The bottom line is you need to have something other than blind obedience as to why you carry or don’t carry a spare magazine. Better to need it and not have it, than not have it and need it sounds great until you put that theory to the test on a daily basis.