Do you carry an extra "clip"...oops magazine?

R

ReserveCop

New member
I remember in the early 90's when my agency started to switch from a revolver to a semi-auto for its LEO's, we had to take a multi-day training course.

Our certified LEO firearms indstructor told us the following:

when you carry your semi-auto OFF-DUTY (note: on-duty, we carry, like most department's, 2 extra magazines), carry at least 1 extra magazine with you...NOT only for the extra ammo you might need in an emergency, but MAINLY because the magazine is the weakest part of the semi-auto "weapon system" and if you have a problem with your semi-auto, it would most likely be due to a defective magazine, therefore carrying an extra magazine was vital.

Thanks for your opinions.
 
I carry at least an extra mag for both the primary and the backup gun of the day. Most of the time I carry more than one spare for the primary, but one spare mag per pistol is minimum loadout.
 
ReserveCop, your Weapons Training Instructor was well informed, knew what he was talking about, and gave the cops in your class very good advice.

Carry an extra loaded mag, if your are carrying a semi-auto. Carry extra rounds if you're carrying a revolver.

You just might save yourself some misery, someday.

J.B.
 
I always have at least 8 spares mugs for my primary, 4 spares for each of the three backup guns. I also carry 2 hand granades, 1 smoke granade and 24 Oz Mace spray can.
I always have level IIIA vest on me, even in the shower.
If I am going out at night, I wear night vision gogles.


....now seriously



I usually carry at least one spare.
If I am going out at night, I have SureFire 6P.
 
One spare mag in an offside jacket pocket. The malfunction remedy being by far the most important reason (IMO) to carry a spare.

- gabe
 
Yep, I certainly do.

In fact, when I'm carrying my P7M13 in a shoulder holster, I NEED the other magazine to help offset the weight of the gun.

A very good friend of mine is a police officer, and while he normally carries his gun when he's out and about off duty, he won't carry a spare magazine, no matter how much I badger him.

In fact, there are quite a few times when he simply asks me if I'm carrying, and if I am (about 100% of the time when I'm with him) he doesn't even both to take his gun with him.

Good grief.
 
A single spare carries nicely on the weak side of the belt, giving me a total of 30 Speer Gold Dots if needed. I doubt they will be, but stranger things have happened.

The point about mag failures is good, but I think if you test all your mags at the range you should know which ones will work. IMHO one of the silliest things a person can do is buy an auto with only one mag, and rely on that one mag forever. They'll leave it loaded 24 by 7 by 365, which means the spring will eventually lose tension, and there goes feed reliability. I have 6 hi-caps for my house/carry gun and rotate them in pairs -- one month loaded, two months resting. Seems to work fine. No mag malfs so far.
 
No need, I carry a Makarov

Well actually, I do carry one extra mag with me, but don't feel so paranoid about FTF's or FTE's with a Mak due to mag failure. BTW, clips are for Garands, Mauser C-96's, SKS's and anything else loaded from above.

Pilot
 
David,

Unfortunatly, and I know this from experience, magazines sometimes have silly ways of becoming dinged or otherwise damaged while on the way to or from the range...

I still don't know how it happened, by one of my 1911 magazines developed a punched-in feed lip while it was sitting in my magazine cabinet. I must have hit it with something. but when I got to the range, I couldn't load it. Luckily it was easily fixed with a pair of needle nosed pliars.

Perhaps the most durable magazines I've ever seen are those for the HK P7 series. The things have better quality & thickness steel on them than my car.
 
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