Spare mags - a rational discussion

Wild, it sounds like what you need is checkup and a visit to a good spa. But your neighborhood sounds nice -- kind of place people don't lock their doors because they don't have to. Maybe someday I'll be able to move to some place like that. Someday, not now.
 
WA...

... I think it was Mike Irwin, but it was something about the starter pistol for a fat man's mad dash.

Cheers,

M
 
Something about the starter pistol for the fat man's mad dash tactical retreat IIRC. Very true in my case as well, though I'm working on the fat part. Can't change the fact that at 35 I'm already an old man who has had too many broken bones and busted up joints in his life to run very far very fast (it ain't the age, it's the mileage :D).

I find myself often these days carrying two revolvers. Don't really know why other than when getting dressed to go somewhere I strap a .357 on my belt and drop a .38 in my pocket. Doesn't really inconvenience, both carry well and I shoot both very well.

But there are other days where it's a .380 in my pocket and other than that, I'm just happy to see you. :eek: :o

There's usually no rhyme or reason to what I carry from one day to the next, other than the further I go from home the more firepower I tend to bring with me.
 
I posted this link under another thread...

... but it also applies to this one.

http://www.ajc.com/news/dogs-that-killed-uga-118158.html

This pack of feral dogs numbered from 11 to 14.

While gunshots might have made them all turn tail and run, they also might not have.

I'd rather have at least one round per dog, or a couple per Alpha.

A couple posters in the other thread have indicated that they have had to shoot at feral dogs, themselves.
 
WildAlaska, I really wanted to call you out on the word "militates", but I looked it up and it's a real word. :o Good one! And it's kinda the truth that if I'm going to carry a spare mag IWB, it probably wouldn't be much more inconvenient to carry a New York reload. I don't carry anything actually ON my belt. My IWB is actually only technically "on my belt". I hate stuff sticking off my belt. Plus, I'm a product of growing up in the mid '90s and early 2000's, so all my clothing is pretty large on me, and if I've ever tucked in my shirt, it would be the first time. So lots of IWB space.
 
MLeake said:
http://andrewsleather.com/usr_a.jpg

The Urban Safari Rig shoulder holster.

It's one way to achieve perfect balance...
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Does it come with a coupon good for a discount on a future laminectomy?:D
 
A matter of taste?

Not really. You can dislike brussel sprouts, but get your iron from lettuce, or green beans, or spinach, or red meat, or other options.

You can get fiber from other sources, too.

In other words, you can make up for any nutritional deficit from your dislike of brussel sprouts through other means. There is no real downside to disliking brussel sprouts. That is a matter of taste.

What you really mean about this thread is that the calculus of risk vs benefit is a personal one. Sure, it is.

But to say that the value of a spare magazine or additional ammunition is simply a matter of like or dislike is off the mark. What you mean to say is that you don't find the risk to be worth the inconvenience it would take to ameliorate the risk.

It's nothing like preferring chocolate over caramel.
 
Mello2u said:
I don't like Brussels sprouts and won't eat them.

This thread seems like statements that are a matter of taste.
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I agree with you, both about Brussels sprouts and this thread.

It seems like a lot of these discussions come down to trying to require that the guy on the side of the question opposite ours justify his misguided decision. Phui.

I've always taken the position that I have no obligation to justify, among other things, my choices of firearm, carry method, etc. I'll explain my reasons, because they might be of interest to someone (or not, as the case may be). And you can think, and say, that my reasons are a bunch of hooey. But I also don't have to pay attention to your opinion. (Then again, if you've given me reason in the past to believe that you really know what you're talking about, I might just pay attention to your opinion and learn something.)

And of course you have no obligation to justify your choices to me. On the other hand, I'm free to question the wisdom of your choices, but you sure as heck don't need my approval.

However, as the Romans said, "De gustibus non est disputandum." (There's disputing about tastes.)
 
MLeake said:
...But to say that the value of a spare magazine or additional ammunition is simply a matter of like or dislike is off the mark. What you mean to say is that you don't find the risk to be worth the inconvenience it would take to ameliorate the risk....
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I disagree. In a sense it's a matter of taste, insofar as one's personal risk tolerance is a non-rational idiosyncrasy not too dissimilar from his like or dislike of the smell or taste of cabbage.

The point is that it is non-rational. We can discuss the risks and utilities all be want and even attempt to calculate the actual probabilities of needing an extra magazine. But at the end of the day it's going to come down to the fact that for some the convenience of leaving the extra magazine at home is going to be paramount.
 
You don't have to justify your opinion to me at all...

... but risk analysis and taste are not good similes.

By some people's reckoning, the unlikelihood of the risk makes it less important than their perceived inconvenience in carrying a spare magazine.

By other people's reckoning, the additional inconvenience of a spare magazine, compared to the inconvenience of carrying at all, is so minimal that the risk of a magazine failure or other circumstance is more important than the minor increase in inconvenience.

That's not akin to whether you prefer Burberry or London Fog, or Vanilla or Rum Raision, or Remington vs Mossberg.

So carry as you like, but don't call it "taste." Especially since "taste" is generally irrational anyway (do you know why you like chocolate better than peanut butter?), and pretty much kills any discussion.
 
All your arguments in favor of a second magazine are even better arguments in favor of a second gun. New York reload. If you can carry one high-cap automatic, you can carry two.
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Amen. Why carry an extra mag when you can carry a second gun? It solves the problem and no one can reload a gun quicker than they can draw a second gun. Just put the second gun where you would carry your spare mag.

I carry two guns. Both are accessible with either hand. They are both low capacity, so I end up with "only" 14 rounds total.

Besides, I have my doubts that most folks can reload in time if they find themselves in need of a reload anyway. If you've fired 10 to 15 shots or more and you still have threats, you either have too many threats to handle or you're missing a lot, which is another whole problem altogether. Either way, you're likely to be brought down before you have time to reload, especially if you carry your spare ammo in your pocket or off body :eek:

And feral dogs? If you've got 10+ dogs attacking you and the sound of your first couple shots doesn't send them running, you'll never stop all of them before they rip you apart. And if you need to reload, you really think you'll be able to do so while they are attacking? Ever watch just one dog attacking someone?

But whatever floats your boat. If it makes you feel better to carry a bunch of spare ammo, then do it. I don't understand the logic, but who cares? Maybe some day, I'll need that 15th round and say "Gee, maybe I should have listened to those spare ammo guys on TFL."
 
If you want two guns, that's fine...

... harder to carry and conceal, but not impossible.

A spare magazine is much easier to carry than a second gun, but isn't as fast into action, and although changing magazines is a valid step in clearing a stoppage, it isn't a guaranteed fix.

Either the spare magazine or the spare gun can have its use.

Or there are times when anything beyond the gun and its initial magazine (or cylinder - although this thread was specific to magazines) really is much harder to carry for some reason or another. (Could be a dress function where it's hard to tailor formal wear to hide anything else; could be an undress function where clothing lacks pockets or outer layers; could be any number of things)

My point is and will remain, though, that if your situation and clothing allow the option of a spare magazine without undue aggravation, it's a good idea to carry the spare, partially for ability to use more rounds, and partially for ability to resolve certain stoppages.

Nowhere has anybody said "You must do this." We have said, it isn't really a matter of taste, there are definite benefits to a spare. The question is, when are those benefits worth the extra effort and inconvenience, and when aren't they? That's more subjective.
 
harder to carry and conceal, but not impossible.
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That would depend on the second gun. A small, flat semi-auto like a Kel-Tec P32 or P3AT or a Ruger LCP is flatter and lighter than many high capacity magazines when fully loaded.

Of course, such a gun isn't going to give you the same capacity or stopping power, but the advantage of not having to take the time to clear a stoppage or reload along with the fact that the spare gun can be drawn and fired with one hand in the event the other hand is injured would make up for that, in my opinion. Ever practice reloading with one hand? It can be done, but it isn't going to be quick.

The other advantage of a second gun is that it can be used to arm a companion who isn't otherwise armed.
 
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