Spare mag. When is extra ammo a good idea

[stephen426]

I have recently switched to a Glock 43 which only holds 6+1. I am a decent shot, but I carry 2 extra mags in my weak hand back pocket. I certainly don't expect to need 19 rounds of ammo, but carrying one makes the mag unbalanced in my pocket. I actually made my own mag holster with some Cordura fabric and a little sheet of thin Kydex. I'll try and get a picture uploaded.

 

[Ramey]

I have recently switched to a Glock 43 which only holds 6+1. I am a decent shot, but I carry 2 extra mags in my weak hand back pocket. I certainly don't expect to need 19 rounds of ammo, but carrying one makes the mag unbalanced in my pocket. I actually made my own mag holster with some Cordura fabric and a little sheet of thin Kydex. I'll try and get a picture uploaded.

I read about magazines and back up guns being stored in back pockets. I'm puzzled as to how you sit down on top of that?


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[Rangerrich99]

As usual, take this with a grain or three of salt:

For myself, whether I take an extra mag or not is almost completely based on my guts. If I feel like taking an extra, I take it. If not, I go with the one in the gun. Now, the caveat to that is I currently live in a town that hasn't had a violent crime or even a break-in in the last ten years. We have speeding, running stop signs, and occasionally we have vandalism. As in someone egged the house on the corner a few weeks back.

So, if I'm running around my little burb I rarely carry an extra mag.

However, if I head into Phoenix proper, I almost always carry an extra. And after that little incident on the I-10 a few days ago, I decided to carry that extra mag in an actual mag holster, especially if I'm carrying my Shield or one of my 1911s.

That story was really a reality smack to the back of the head for me. I thought about how I'd feel if I'd just fired on a guy (maybe more than once) and how uncomfortable I'd feel if I only had the one mag for my Shield with an unknown number of other perps scuttling around just out of sight. So now when I have to be in/around Phoenix I carry the extra.

 

[stephen426]

I read about magazines and back up guns being stored in back pockets. I'm puzzled as to how you sit down on top of that?

I will try and upload a pic, but I forgot my photobucket password. The side that goes against my butt is the side I have the kydex backed side on. That makes it a flat surface rather than 2 bumps for the mags. The Glock 43 mags are single stack so they are pretty thin. Its about the thickness of a wallet so it kind of balances me out on my other "cheek"

 

[Evan Thomas]

I read about magazines and back up guns being stored in back pockets. I'm puzzled as to how you sit down on top of that?

It depends on how your pants fit. Mine ride high enough (and my butt is big enough ) that I don't sit on my back pockets -- they're behind me.

 

[Targa]

From Pnac: Definately a good idea to carry a spare mag, something like 90% of semi-auto failures are magazine related.

I am bad about carrying an extra mag, chalk it up to laziness I guess but I agree that a malfunction is a very good reason to carry an extra one.

 

[Malibru]

I carry frequently. My own personal rule is that if you are making the commitment to carry, you need to carry extra ammunition to feed the gun. Even when I carry my snub revolver, I carry extra 5 round speed strips in my pocket. If you can find a good way to conceal and carry a firearm you should be able to find a way to carry that extra magazine. Get creative.

I would much rather carry my firearm in a proper concealable holster, and will even tuck a spare mag in my sock/boot if need be (I never ankle holster, try running that way!).

If you are willing to stockpile ammo at home, preparing for the inevitable, then why would you not carry extra ammo when you carry a firearm outside the home?

Please, no offense intended to anyone, just my thoughts.

 

[vito]

Thanks for the link to the snagmag. I usually pocket carry (right front pocket in DeSantis holster), and often wearing a shirt that doesn't have a pocket. So in my left front pocket I already have my keys and smartphone (wallet in back pocket, and yes, I know that is risky but its the way I've carried a wallet for the last 60 years or so). Keeping a loose magazine in my pocket with the keys and phone ends up with a fair amount of lint in the mag, as well as just a bulging pocket. The snagmag may be a way to carry a mag relatively comfortably and I might try it.

On the other hand, sometimes I carry my S&W642 without a speed loader or speed strip, feeling that the 5 rounds in the gun are enough to get me out of trouble.