EDC/CCW: how many rounds do YOU carry?

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We all make our own choices. I agree with Rock6 & 1911 guy that if one carries an auto they should carry at least one extra magazine. A firearm is a pain in the posterior to carry. If I am going to go to all the trouble to carry a firearm a magazine is very little more trouble in my opinion.

With that said in cooler weather I usually carry a full sized .40 with a 12 round magazine & an extra magazine. In summertime I usually carry a smaller subcompact 9mm with a 12 round magazine & a spare magazine. Every once in a while I get an itch to carry my SR 1911. If I carry it It is with 7 + 1 flush fit magazine in the gun & 2 spare 8 round extended magazines. So I guess I usually have 24 - 25 rounds on me.
 
Off duty I carry my Shield 9mm with a spare mag. Colder months that means 8+1 in the gun plus a reload for a total of 17 rounds. Summer I carry the 7+1 (flush mag) and a reload for a total of 16 rounds. Spare mag is in a holder in my front left pocket.

After much research my carry rounds are 124g Federal HST. A lot of good rounds don't do well in short barrels.

I used to carry a J-frame with two speed strips in a pouch on my belt. It was more comfy to carry and I shot the gun well, but five shots followed by a slow reload made me nervous.
 
Depends on the weather really

If it's hot most likely no spare and a pocket Auto (6-7 rounds)

If it's colder I'll either have a larger gun with one spare or a larger gun and a new York reload in the front pocket ;)

As a side note...I usually technically have a spare 6-7 rounds available, since I'm nornally always with my soon to be wife and she always carries her (as she calls it) "stormtrooper white" TCP.
 
First of all, if I made my carry decisions based on the horror stories and statistical extremes, I would never leave the house. Statistically the chances I will ever need the gun approaches zero anyway: I don't buy or sell illegal drugs, or work behind the counter in a convenience store, or attend cockfights, or...

I have to wear dress shirts in the office so pocket carry limits my choices a bit. For many years my office carry was a J frame and no spares. The purpose of that gun was just to get me into a stairwell and out of the building. I have since replaced it with a Kahr PM9, so I now have 6+1 and because it's not a cylindrical speedloader I can comfortably carry a reload for it.

For IWB in the summer it's a Kahr P9 7+1 and a 7 round spare. For winter it has been a Sig P220 in 45acp (8+1) and a spare or a S&W 1086 in 10mm (9+1) and a spare. I have lately been giving serious thought to changing my winter gun to a Beretta PX4 compact in 40 S&W (12+1) and a spare.

When hiking in bear country it's Glock 20 in 10mm (15+1) and a spare, loaded with 200 grain hard cast flat points. I guess I'm more afraid of the bears than the people :)
 
I either carry a 1911 with 7+1 in the gun and a spare 8rd mag, or a G19 15+1 without a spare. Gotta drop a few more lbs to fit a spare doublestack Glock mag IWB
 
One full mag plus one extra round for myself in case my position is overrun.

Not kidding. Okay, yes I am...

M
 
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Colt Det Special with 6 in the cylinder, If I cant do it with 6, probably couldn't do it with 14!
my usual grouping with the little snubby, is less than 3 inches and all within a couple inches of POA from up to 15 yds.
 
If I'm carrying a .45acp 1911; 8+1 and two eight round reloads.

Shield 45; 6+1 and two seven round reloads.

If I'm going to a shopping center/mall, etc.; M&P9c 12+1 with two 17 round reloads.
 
I started carrying 7+1 and an 8 round spare mag. I always carry a spare mag, because mags fail. Next I upgraded to a gun with a 9+1 capacity and a a spare 9 round mag. As soon as I get a new holster, I will be carrying 15+1 and a spare 15 round mag. I'm going towards more rounds because I now live in a state that allows open carry, and I've realized from competition that you can miss a lot on a bad day.
 
Glock 19 with a +2 and an extra Glock 17+2 Mag. (18 rounds on the gun + 19 on the extra mag) of Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 Grain +P JHP

or

Glock 30S 10+1 and an extra 13 round mag with Speer Gold Dot LE Duty 45 ACP AUTO 230gr
 
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RetiredUSNChief said:
Probably no more so than "two is one and one is none".

While there is often a grain of truth in many such sayings, I prefer to base my decisions on criteria other than some trite aphorism.
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I think that particular saying ("Two is one, and....") more has its roots in the military and its only on critical items.

You're right though, I hate that one too (mostly cause the guys who say it generally just have their overloaded, brand new backpacks in the closet and they never actually carry them anywhere).
 
Indeed. I've often heard that the "two is on..." phrase originated in the military. I've even heard it was Navy SEALS. Which is funny, because as a submariner with several years aboard a SpecOps boat which delivered SEALS on all kinds of missions, I never once heard them refer to that phrase.

Personally, I think it more likely originated with some mall commando, or perhaps some simple catch phrase someone came up with as a way to capitalize on marketing for training.

There is only so such "redundancy" an individual can have, even SpecOps trained individuals. Rather than multiple redundant firearms, they'd rather have well cared for and reliable firearms in the first place (which meet their mission requirements) and save all that extra weight for other material and equipment.

The concept of "redundancy" does have its place in the military in a variety of roles; some of which is readily adaptable to us as civilians, some not. But an important distinction many don't seem to realize is that much of the redundancy thought of for troops is encompassed in the "teamwork" concept. It is not necessary for multiple redundant firearms on the individual level because you have redundancy out the yin-yang by fielding scads of troops with all kinds of weapons in the action.

Such matters as these (how much ammunition do you carry, two-is-one, etc) are subjective...there are no definitive answers, there are no exact "right" and "wrong" quantities, no tactics which work 100% of the time in all possible scenarios.

The only thing that significantly increases the real time value for any given weapon, amount of ammunition, tactic, etc. is training. And training will increase that value by orders of magnitude, because it makes whatever you actually have on hand far more effective when it is actually used.


Which brings us back full circle...where do you think all those SEALS I knew back in my submarineing days spent their time preparing? Was it in discussions over what weapons they wanted to redundantly carry? Or was it in all the physical training, weapons training, tactical training, diving training, etc.? Carrying two weapons as redundancy was a very, very tiny consideration, relatively speaking.
 
You might not have noticed that "those guys" crashed a helicopter and had a spare one ready to pick them up when Bin Laden was killed. And I would bet they all were carrying a pistol in case their rifle went down. I'll also say I made over a hundred parachute jumps in the Army, I always had a reserve chute in case the main failed, I bet they did too when they jumped. I also understand the teams tend to cross train so if an individual goes down a key skill is not missing and another can fill. Yeah, they don't think about that saying at all.
 
I don't think the two is one mantra ever came from firearms considerations but rather backups to your primary methods. Many military units use GPS for missions, but tons of people still carry maps and protractors. Army rifles use red dots but still have a Matech backup iron sight...just in case. Sidearm in military circles is a backup to your rifle. Of which if someone is using their pistol, something went horribly wrong.

Since most civilians don't carry a rifle, the two is one mantra has related to two magazines. Two or more knives. Multi tools with knives and brass knuckles etc.
 
If I need more than 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.

Heck, if I need the entire 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.
 
Pretty much regardless of what I'm carrying, I like carrying a double mag carrier for it; helps balance the pistol when carrying on the strong-side hip, and fits in a pocket when carrying a single-stack AIWB under a thin shirt.

My EDC is a S&W 3913LS (8+1), though when wardrobe permits I sometimes carry my FNS (17+1).

If I need more than 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.

Heck, if I need the entire 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.
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Just keep in mind that there is no penalty for having rounds remaining on your person or in the magazine.

A primary argument for reserve capacity is *reserve*; I would imagine that in the immediate aftermath of a violent attack, the risk of another attack would be higher (reattack by the original perpetrator circling back? attack by an accomplice?), so I would think one would not want to be unarmed while waiting for the police to arrive and secure things.
 
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Wanderling said:
If I need more than 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.

Heck, if I need the entire 11 shots, I am in deep, deep doo-doo.
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Which might happen

Then again I personally would say that if you need even one round fired at another person, possibly killing them, you are in deep, deep doo-doo. Or you are committing a crime by using deadly force when it is not justified.
 
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