How much ammo do you carry daily

Boolah, boolah, Boolah, Boolah - Hip Hurray.

Hey I took that in school - in Introduction to Finite Math.

I do think that folks look for all or none answers in the gun world.
 
Miami shootout 86 is a good example of why more ammo is important. BG's took rounds and kept moving, so don't believe "1 shot" drops them..
 
Miami shootout 86 is a good example of why more ammo is important. BG's took rounds and kept moving, so don't believe "1 shot" drops them..
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Now your getting into the "need a full ammo can" of handgun ammo to be (almost) prepared camp. :eek:

How many of us keep two fire extinguishers in the kitchen in case the first one malfunctions? I trust the first one to work when I need it because I check it routinely. For that matter how many of us keep one extinguisher in the kitchen? We're all about being prepared, right?

I buy a fire extingusher that is sized for the fire case I plan for. I don't keep a bucket of Purple-K and extra CO2 cartridges to reload it if the fire is still blazing. I plan to exit stage left.
 
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Miami shootout 86 is a good example of why more ammo is important.
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I submit that the disastrous outcome of the Miami shootout had more to do with poor marksmanship and training than any sort of hardware issue. Boxing in two guys who were known killers at point-blank range was foolish, and the agents weren't prepared for the response.
 
Extra reloads are not as much for during the gunfight as for after the gunfight....not all the bad guys attack at the same time....
 
TS, how much accuracy do shooters tend to maintain (compared to their normal range performance) when they are taking fire, and the target is moving?

I'm one of the more accurate pistol shooters I know, yet I suspect my hit percentage would go way down in an actual gun fight. Maybe I'm just a pessimist.

Then again, if I'm wrong, I end up with extra bullets.

If you're wrong....
 
Back to the OP.....

I usually carry 1 extra mag or a speed loader, when I (rarely) carry a shoulder holster I carry 2, just to balance it out.:D

On the norm I carry a double magazine pouch with an extra mag and a folding knife in it.
 
TS, how much accuracy do shooters tend to maintain (compared to their normal range performance) when they are taking fire, and the target is moving?
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From what I've heard, about a third of normal. That means 2/3 is gone.

Of course, I'm not boxing in two confirmed homicidal Rangers known to have rifles at point-blank, either.

Then again, if I'm wrong, I end up with extra bullets.
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Never a bad thing :)

If I'm wrong, and six isn't enough, I have to wonder how many would be enough. If I need more than that, I'm likely in a protracted fight, and one for which a handgun itself is not sufficient.

Then again, none of us will know until we're there. As Glenn mentioned, it comes down to our tolerance for risk. I'm already hedging the bets in my favor by having a gun with which I've practiced. Situational awareness, mindset, and presentation go a long way as well.

Could I perhaps enhance my potential chances by carrying a more extensive loadout? Perhaps, but I suppose everyone has a line at which they say "this works." Mine's there somewhere.
 
I'm all over the map on this. For a long time I habitually carried 17 and a spare, often with a spare 5 shot gun. These days I usually find myself just carrying the 5 shots. However, I keep a man purse as an in car bail out bag and it has bigger gun and about 70 rounds, as well as a few non gun essentials like first aid for leaky holes.
 
Then again, if I'm wrong, I end up with extra bullets.
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Maybe, Maybe not. Maybe the BGs win and they end up with extra bullets.
I certianly hope not, but assuming your gonna win just because you have more ammo is a bad assumption. More ammo wouldn't have helped in Miami.
 
I usually carry one to two spare mags of whatever gun Im carrying which typically results in a total of 16 - 25 rounds available.
 
I don't normally have any ammunition with me because unless I'm going walking in the woods I don't usually take a gun with me. My guns are mostly for going to the range. The main reason I got my carry permit is so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping them unloaded while transporting them.
 
mavracer, I don't assume I'm going to win. It would be counterproductive, though, to plan for being dead - aside from having good insurance for the wife, which I have.

As far as stacking the odds in my favor, ammo is a consideration, but far from the only one. I think regular target practice, plus regular IDPA participation, plus various courses of fire under supervision of instructors from multiple service branches (Joint tours) would help. I think regular training in the dojo probably helps. I think regular physical workouts probably help.

Doing my best to watch for and avoid trouble may be the biggest advantage I have.

I do a lot of things aside from carrying a spare magazine that might help me in a confrontation.

But I do love how some people love to make assumptions about why people carry spares. "Spray and Pray mentality; poor marksmanship;" the list goes on. It would be insulting, except it says a lot more about those who make assumptions than it says about me.
 
It would be counterproductive, though, to plan for being dead
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As it is counterproductive to plan to miss, however missing and dieing are both very much a reality. too much of the first is a good way for the second to occur. Planning to extend the fight by shooting COM until the threat stops increases the chances of recieving a fatal wound yourself. there's nothing you can hit in the chest that will physicly stop somebody from shooting to slide lock.
 
But I do love how some people love to make assumptions about why people carry spares. "Spray and Pray mentality; poor marksmanship;"
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Folks in the gun culture love resorting to cheap, all-or-nothing statements of absolute certainty. The 9mm won't stop anything, 1911's jam, the Beretta's going to blow up in your face...I hear it all day long.

If one has decent training, good situational awareness, the common sense to avoid trouble, and a reliable weapon he's proficient with, he's ahead of 99% of the population. The rest is down to splitting hairs over loadout.

A competent shooter who carries a 15-round automatic with a reload isn't necessarily paranoid, nor does his loadout suggest he'll feel compelled to exhaust all 30 rounds in a confrontation. Nor is someone who carries a smaller gun or array of ammunition tempting fate. It just comes down to comfort level.

I don't feel more vulnerable with a revolver than I do with a high-capacity auto. Yet, if I'm carrying the latter, I'll have it loaded to full capacity. Why? I honestly...well, it seems weird not to. I usually carry a spare mag when I carry one, even though I won't carry it if it's given me trouble. So, why the spare? Don't know. Habit, I suppose.

I know what works for me. That might be different for someone else. To each his own.
 
Tom Servo said:
If one has decent training, good situational awareness, the common sense to avoid trouble, and a reliable weapon he's proficient with, he's ahead of 99% of the population. The rest is down to splitting hairs over loadout.
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Very, very well said, Tom.
 
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