How many rounds do you need in a CCW?

B

bdog

New member
Obviously the more the better. But what do you feel is sufficent? I mean, unless Tony Soprano is after you, more than likely your major threats are going to be random acts. And in this scenario once they see you have a gun they are more than likely going to turn tail and run looking for an easier target.

I figure 11 rounds (10 + 1) is enough for nearly any situation I encounter. Is it just me, or do you see it as a waste of money spending $85 for an extra 3 rounds? In some cases I can see it being worthwhile for example if you have a small caliber, but with a 40 or 45 isn't ten enough?

Please no political discussion here. I think the 10 round max is total BS, and wish we could hold the full capacity or guns were designed for, but I am posing this question based on the current situation.
 
I feel confident with whatever is in my nasty wheelguns....either 6 .357s or 5 .44s.

Sam....my favorite 9mm is the 9X32R
 
My usual CCW is either a S&W3913 (8-rounds) or a 4013 (10-rounds) and I do not feel under-armed with either especially when I carry a spare mag.
 
I read that an average of 2.5 rounds are fired per incident.

When carrying my Glock 33 I'm good for 4 shootouts. And my S&W 640 is good for 2 shootouts.

I like to have more ammo handy, however. Like in my briefcase, glovebox, etc.

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Wear your PFD
 
Seriously, how many firefights have you been personally involved in? You know anybody who's been in a firefight? LEO's don't count.

I usually carry a five round .357. I have a 12 rd. Makarov -- Klintonated to ten rounds. And I feel secure with either. The eight round mag in the 1911 is fine too.

Mostly the sidearm is to give you cover until you can get to the long gun in the car. Of course if you're in "deep nasty" country, you'll want an AK-47 and maybe 120 rds. with a high cap side arm and several mags.

Sort of like picking a shirt to go with the weather.
 
I usually carry 50 rounds when I carry the G19. Three 15+2 mags with one in the pipe. I am forced to increase that amount by the Klintonized 10 rounds when I carry my G26. :) I carry the stock Klinton mag when the gun is holstered, and carry the 3 G19 mags as spares. ;)

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Yeah, I got a permit to carry,it's called the friggin Constitution.---Ted Nugent

"Glock 26: 17 rounds of concealed carry DEATH comming your way from out of nowhere!!! THAT'S FIREPOWER, BABY!!!"
 
I need at least one round. :D

Actually.. I'm quite comfortable with a 5 shot .38 snubbie most of the time. However, if larger carry is permitted, I'll do so. Point being.. I feel much better armed, than NOT armed.

Y'all get the point. :D

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God, Guns and Guts made this country a great country!

oberkommando sez:
"We lost the first and third and now they are after the Second!(no pun intended)"
 
I believe suckersrus is correct, that for non-le citizens in gun fights, the average round count is less than three. If the number is incorrect, I would like someone to let me know.

Mike
 
Big Mike,

The numbers I have see published by the FBI and the Justice Department, going back to the 70's have always been 2-3 rounds.

The trouble with that average is that it could mean out of every two gunfights they studied, one required one shot and the other one required five. If that guy Murphy happens to be at the scene when the brown smelly stuff hits the air circulation device and you are on the "required five" end of the scale, what do you do about bad guy #2?

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Dave T
PCSD Ret
 
Carry 7+1 and a spare mag.Should be enough I hope.If it isn't I screwed up.

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Bob--- Age and deceit will overcome youth and speed.
I'm old and deceitful.
 
I always try to carry 1 extra 10 round mag for my Glock 29. I carry 1 speed loader for my revolvers. A gun without bullets is an expensive rock. :)
 
One fully-loaded handgun SHOULD be enough, but there are always, albeit extremely rare, exceptions. The one (actually, the only one) that springs to mind is the story of the guy in the early '90s who needed several full-capacity (hi-cap) magazines to keep a gang of thugs at bay while he was protecting a downed LEO (should be peace officer, but that's another topic).

I usually take along an extra mag. for my MK40 or an extra 5 rounds for my 642. For my NAA .22 Magnum, which is slow to reload, I don't bother.
DAL

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Reading "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," by Ayn Rand, should be required of every politician and in every high school.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined."
--Patrick Henry, during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution (1788)

GOA, JPFO, PPFC, CSSA, LP, ARI, NRA
 
"Average" doesn't mean squat to me. Look at it this way, when you think of how stupid the average person is, by definition, 50% of the people are even stupider. ;)

Usually, I carry a Springfield V10, which is 6+1 and a spare mag. Sometimes I carry a Beretta 92FS, 15+1, with two spares. My choice of sidearm depends on whether my hackles are at attention when I get up in the morning. "Average number of shots fired" doesn't even enter into the equation.

And yes, I keep a long arm in the Jeep. :)
 
THe reason I think that most gunfights are short, is that someone usually gets hit early, or retreats quickly. The longer you are firing, the longer YOU ARE BEING FIRED AT, thus increasing your own liklihood of injury or death. If you can't take em down quickly, retreat quickly if at all possible.
 
For me it is 9 rounds in the 1911 (8 in the mag, 1 in the chamber), an extra 8 round mag and a Surefire 6Z.

This is more then enough IMO... if it isn't then I'm in a world where I shouldn't have gotten myself into in the first place. (i.e. should have taken some steps in yellow or orange to avoid the situation).




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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr.Rob:
coinneach you'd carry a mortar in your truck if they'd let ya!

Always carry a spare magazine.[/quote]

Jeez, Dr. Bob...you say that like it's a BAD thing... :D

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Mike
mnealtx@yahoo.com
 
It doesn't matter how many rounds are in the magazine (my guns range from 8 to 13). I firmly believe in carrying AT LEAST two reloads (extra magazines) since an empty gun is an expensive club. You never know how many perps you might have to deal with...its not always just one.

[This message has been edited by Quantum Singularity (edited September 12, 2000).]
 
You can't base anything on statistics because you never know how many will be attacking you.

Sure, its fine to assume that one person will be attacking you and that 5 shots of .38 should be enough, but if you are attacked by more than one, you will be rudely undergunned.

Low lifes usually attack in threes. One approaches you to distract while two more flank you. So if you think a 5 shot wheel gun is enough, then you are in need of a reality check.

It would be wise to carry a pistol with an 8 or 10 round magazine thats backed up by at least one spare 8 or 10 round magazine. If the magazine in the pistol breaks or refuses to function at the moment of truth, it would be nice to have a spare...or two.

I carry a .45 with two spare magazines. That should be enough to get me out of most situations. And if not, then there's always the shotgun in the trunk.
 
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