Spare mags - a rational discussion

Need for resume....

As noted above, resume was pulled. You were correct on that point, Kyo. However, can we please avoid turning this into a "spray and pray" issue. For some of us, we were taught from day one that we should always carry a spare magazine with a semi-auto, in case of feed issues / stoppages with the first magazine.

While there are mall ninjas and zombie hunters out there, most of us probably don't fall into that category. Many of us probably fall into current or former military or LEO, who were trained to carry the spare.
 
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Will be in Atlanta area in a couple weekends.

I'll assume your old enough since you have a carry permit, Kyo, so I'll buy you a beer if you like.

Of course, we won't be able to carry if we partake.

Cheers,

M

PS Dynamic Sphere is a good book, a copy resides in my bookcase; have you read Aikido and the Harmony of Nature? I've been to a few of Saotome's seminars, and the man was just incredible on the mat.
 
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In the entire history of gunfighting, there has never been a case where one of the shooters wished he had a smaller gun that held fewer rounds of less powerful ammo.
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That about sums the whole thing up. I can't think of a better argument for either side then that!! might as well close it down now!!! :D
 
Back on subject- when I baby sit my aunt's and uncles kids, I keep 2 extra mags with me for a total of 3+1 in the gun. First 2 are hollow points, the others are FMJs. Why? well, im in a house with a bunch of little kids. its just extra peace of mind because Im not actually walking around in public concealing a dual mag carrier and a full size gun +1 mag in the pocket. I can get away with it there.
If I ever go on a camping trip, or anything like that, I will load up all 4 mags again. It really depends. On everyday adventures, its just 1 spare. Out of town like to Helen- only 1 as well. Different state? probably 4
 
Back on subject- when I baby sit my aunt's and uncles kids, I keep 2 extra mags with me for a total of 3+1 in the gun. First 2 are hollow points, the others are FMJs. Why? well, im in a house with a bunch of little kids. its just extra peace of mind because Im not actually walking around in public concealing a dual mag carrier and a full size gun +1 mag in the pocket. I can get away with it there.............
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Good LORD!! I hope I never have to baby sit children that will require me to carry 4 magazines!! :eek:
 
In a house full of little kids...

... I'd be the big idiot kid wrestling with most of them, so I probably would have my weapons locked up. For some reason, I'm that guy that kids like to jump on screaming "spin me! spin me!" and that dogs all just somehow know will scratch their ears.

Get the feeling you may have been joking on that last one.
 
Extra ammo is never a bad thing. The weakest point of any pistol platform is the magazine. Therefore, you would be stupid not to carry at least one spare magazine, (regardless of capacity).
 
I certainly wouldn't say you'd be stupid not to carry a spare mag. From a statistical standpoint, the odds are very much against you ever actually needing it, unless you live in seriously bad area or something. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a civilian self-defense situation (let's not get into military-style combat scenarios) in which someone lost a gunfight because of a malfunction attributed to the magazine.
 
And there we go.

Just one time, I'd love to see one of these threads with a complete lack of any of the following accusations about the people on the other side:

  • "paranoid"
  • "sheep"
  • "stupid"
  • "living in denial"
  • "living in fear"
  • "Rambo wanna-be"
  • "unprepared"

Can it be done? Based on available evidence, this old cynic doubts it...

The next post along those lines gets the thread closed -- and the member who posts it gets a demerit. Think twice, post once.

pax
 
Pretty rare isn't the same as never...

... and I've had to drop a magazine at the range in order to clear a stoppage with a 1911. This happened a time or two - enough to convince me not to carry that 1911 as a CCW - and statistically was an anomaly. My other semi's haven't had that happen, so far.

However, if they ever do, I'll have the spare mag.

The flip side of this argument is, what would I gain by NOT carrying the spare mag?

Pocket space? That's why I have magazine holders for my belt. Or cargo shorts and cargo pants.

So, I've been trained that it's prudent to carry a spare mag with a semi-auto, and I don't see any real gain from not carrying the spare mag, ergo why would I not carry the spare?
 
I only carry one mag. 19 rounds is plenty. Or 19+1. What I carry depends on where I'm going. If I'm going somewhere I think may be sketchy, I carry the XD(M). That way I've got lots of lead. Mostly it's been the Springfield 1911. 8+1 is fine for most instances, IMO.
 
hi pax. relax :D your being "paranoid" lol. just kidding.

anyway, Mleake, I can bat for the other side on your argument. carrying an extra mag, or extra speed loader, takes up more space. How much more space? Well, a double stack would be easier to see in pants. I keep my extra mag in the back pocket, and it can float around sometimes. it really depends on what clothes you wear. if you are a girl, a purse might be ok. A guy like me who wears jeans, its not a problem.
I don't keep it in my front pockets because my wallet/keys/phone are in those pockets. I mess with those about a million times a day, so a mag there is not the best. Back pocket it is. What if you have a business suit and don't have back pockets? You gonna put it in your sock and cover it with your pants? In your waistline maybe? No idea. But sometimes, I can see why you don't want an extra mag.
 
I'm not basing carrying a spare mag on total round count

but rather on having a second magazine, since magazine failures will really ruin your day with a pistol, especially if you don't have a spare.

I'm happy with a pair of 8 rounders, and in fact from time to time will carry a 6 and a 7 when my PM9 arrives. Either of those loadouts would be less in round count than the load in Skan21's one mag. However, if his magazine has an issue after one or two rounds fired, with no spare magazine, then he'd be in a worse position than I would be given the same problem, since I'd have a spare mag available.

Again, what is the gain in NOT carrying a spare magazine? Plenty of people have said why they feel it is unnecessary, but nobody has really indicated what they think the plus side is to not carrying a spare magazine. ("I don't think it's necessary" isn't the same as "you would gain x if you did not do that.")
 
Kyo ~

Never use a mag pouch? Why not? :confused:

I guess I could see the difficulty if you carried in a pocket. But most of us carry on the belt. And if the belt is already in place, a mag pouch is an easy addition.

pax
 
ahh glad you asked me. I don't like to use mag carriers on the belt because they actually print more then the gun. I carry the gun IWB, the mag holder I have has a place for 2 mags and clips into the belt, but only for OWB. If I open carry I still just keep it in the pocket.
 
Kyo...

... thanks for actually addressing the question.

For me, if I'm carrying a double-stack, it means I either have a loose outer shirt or a jacket, depending on the weather. I'm probably carrying OWB, because I don't really like double-stack IWB. If that's the case, and I want to preserve pocket space, I have magazine holders made by Galco and SimplyRugged that I can just snap over my belt on the opposite side from the pistol. The same outer shirt or jacket that covers the pistol on my right does a great job of concealing the magazine on my left. Or, if I have plenty of pocket space available (I really prefer cargo pants and shorts, if only because I hate having a wallet in a hip pocket when driving or otherwise seated, it just annoys me, so thigh cargo pockets are wonderful things for me) then I just toss the spare mag in either the front left or left cargo pocket, depending on where it flops around less.

If using my shoulder rig, it has a dual magazine pouch setup opposite the pistol, to act as both spare location and counterweight to the pistol. If the holster is concealed, so are the spare magazines.

The only time I'd really have to worry about the pocket space, or the possible annoyance of the mag banging around on me, would be shorts and t-shirt or tank mode. However, a pistol suitable for that mode tends to be a smaller, single-stack type, and the magazines aren't as bulky or heavy in the pocket, and don't bang around so much against my thigh.

On an odd note, the biggest problem I have on a board shorts day is where to stick the ubiquitous folding knife. Those days, it tends to be my smaller folder, tucked into the waistband of the shorts on strong side, with a pistol in the right cargo. On those days, keys, cell phone, wallet, and any loose change end up in the left pocket, so a spare mag becomes pretty unlikely.

So, for me at least, aside from outdoor play activities there's almost never a real gain to not carrying the spare. I can see where this would be more of a problem for a slimmer person, or one who prefers wranglers or similar jeans.
 
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