How many rounds should your carry gun have loaded in it?

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george burns

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I am not sure where to post this, so I figured here was my best guess. So you are carrying a gun for 1-90 years, how many rounds should you have in the gun, and at the ready. This would be your EDC, or Every Day Carry weapon. Opinions are welcome , with reasons would be better. Please refrain from saying it depends on where you are going, as you can get in trouble just as easy , in your house as in the worse place in town, if we knew where and when someone was going to put you in that kind of a jeopardy, we could just stay in a bunker that day.
Also , this is not a caliber comparison, a hit is a hit, a miss is a miss. The number of rounds only, and your reason, please.
 
If I'm carrying a semi-auto, I tend to carry a pair of spare magazines. With a revolver, I'll pack eighteen rounds most of the time, twelve in speed loaders if it's a double action. I can carry that much ammunition without particularly noticing the weight. A lighter load is actually less comfortable in the manner that a Chiefs Special is less comfortable than an N-frame.

If something tells me I might need more, and I'm not heading out to do some practice, I do one of two things: either pick up a rifle or a shotgun or head in the opposite direction from where I originally thought of going.

I don't anticipate killing 24 on days I carry a revolver. Neither do I expect to shoot 22 bad guys on days I have a 1911, but I absolutely don't plan on running out. The way I look at it, the likelihood of staying alive is directly proportional to how much ammunition I have left. It's a measure of how I value my carcass.

I'm not saying I'll never miss--I have--but I don't understand why it would be a good idea to turn loose of a round that I didn't at least believe was going to hit.
Most of the time this would be my maximum carry load. If for some reason, I wanted more I'd probably carry a second handgun, which isn't such a bad idea--or a third.
And a few knives. Happiness is when you clink when you walk.
 
It is pretty standard in the training community that if you carry a semi - one should carry about 10 rounds and at least one extra mag.

A revolver - two speed loaders and/or strips. Note that you will be much slower on the reload and run out faster. Tom Givens has an interesting concept of time in the fight. He discusses it in his newsletter - https://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-03_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf

Good read on the issue.

PS - the ban states and slim line guns are attracting folks to the .GE. 7 round guns but with extra mags.
 
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Im ok with 10, and a couple spare mags. Less than that im sure is enough for most situations but i feel confident with 10 minimum.
 
I myself carry, a P365, the past few months 10-12 rounds of 9mm, with at least 1 spare mag, sometimes 2, If I take a 7 round auto, like a 1911 or a single stack 8 round 9mm, I have 2 spare mags. And sometimes I will just put an LCP on my ankle instead of a second spare mag. I found that especially for driving, a small 380 in an ankle holster is much easier to get to quickly, IE: car jacking.
When I carried in NYC for 25 yrs, I had 3 attempted car jackings/robberies,while driving nice cars either in rush hour traffic, or late at night, sitting and waiting for someone.
 
Full magazine in the weapon plus two spares. For my current carry that's 45 rds. For my previous it was 36. For my smallest potential carry it would be 22. Also I wouldn't rule out 3 spare mags. The number of magazines has less to do with the number of rds (obviously plenty) but also the number of magazines as they too can fail.
 
So you are carrying a gun for 1-90 years, how many rounds should you have in the gun, and at the ready. This would be your EDC, or Every Day Carry weapon. Opinions are welcome , with reasons would be better.
Are you asking if people carry their guns with only partially loaded mags or cylinders or are you asking about what capacity weapons most people here carry? If it's the first, the answer is going to be, "however many will fit". If it's the second, well, the subject of how much capacity is enough in a carry gun has been beaten to death, so I won't get in to that one.
 
For me a G26 with 13 at the ready, one 12rd mag on my person and one 15rd mag in the car.

How many rounds one "should" carry is dependent on the willingness of the person.
 
It should be loaded with as many as you can stuff in it:D
The fact is, concealed carry guns are a compromise of trade offs. I'd like to have a magazine capacity of ar least 16, of 50 AE. But, you know...physics. The size, weight and shape of the the gun your willing to carry will dictate the caliber and capacity. I cant seem to conceal anything larger than a single stack compact 9mm, and even that's too large to carry comfortably consistently. So I carry 6+1 in a small 380.
I know folks that can make a double stack 1911 disappear when they carry...fact is duty size, and duty capacity guns are not fat guy friendly for concealed carry:oops:
 
As many as it will carry. Even with my slim stack pocket gun, I am carrying at least 14 rounds.
 
I believe in chosing the platform first, rounds carried equals the firearm capacity plus a spare standard magazine. That said, I believe understanding potential threats and adapting is more important than some arbitrary round count. I feel very comfortable carrying 18 rounds of 9mm running errands around town, if entering an area "without the rule of law" 2 extra mags (34 rounds total) would be included.
 
13+1 in my BHP, and another 13 in a spare mag on my belt. another couple mags plus a box of 50 in the car because why not.
ya never know when mayhem or plinking may occur
 
Masaad Ayoob is quoted as saying

"Two complete reloads was standard equipment for most police officers before any of us here were born.

If I was asked in court why I carry spare ammunition, my answer would probably be the same as my answer for why I load with hollow point ammunition: "Sir, if the police determined it was the best thing to use to protect people such as myself and my family, it seemed obvious that it was the best thing for ME to carry to protect myself and my family."

It makes sense to me so I generally carry a Glock 19 and 2 reloads. So 45 rounds.

If concealment is the primary concern I carry a Glock 26 and 1 reload. 24 rounds.

I carry the reloads more to deal with malfunctions than because I really I really expect to ever need even 12 rounds let alone 45
 
I usually just carry with the one full mag in the gun, but the spare mag is generally in the car too. Its a single stack 7 rd mag.. so 8 rds.
Same. 1911 owb around the farm. 1911 Iwb when I have to leave to the farm. I'm comfortable with 8 rounds. Some guys are only comfortable with a G19 and 3 extra mags and some are ok with a 38 j frame and no speed loaders. I carry what I shoot best. Capacity has been beaten to death too many times.
 
For concealed carry, my standard is usually gun + one reload. My NAA Mini's are carried usually sans reload. OWB non-concealed with duty size platforms get two (auto) or three (revolver) reloads.
 
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Not counting Police officers, which I understand many never have even fired their weapons at a bad gun, but just the civilian population that have had assaults, how many rounds were fired, and how many were in a situation where they actually had to reload a new magazine? My guess is very few rounds were fired and most attacks were at close distance. Maybe each area people live in is different, where I live it is usually just a few rounds. I do not believe I have read about a fire fight with civilians in decades. Unless you count the hood where they seem to like to shoot and spray. But even there, it is just a few rounds.
I focus more on awareness, quickness to draw with accuracy more than I do on carrying around a lot of ammo. Typically I just carry a fully loaded firearm and a small concealed one at that. Occasionally i will carry a spare mag, if going out of town, but for EDC, no.
 
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I keep my guns at whatever capacity they hold when I take them out plus maybe a spare mag or two.

A related story....
Several years ago I was asked by a coworker to help him pick out what I thought were different sights for his 1911. He insisted on having me meet him in the parking lot so he could show me the gun. I was quite surprised to find that the gun had no sights on it whatsoever. Come to find out he had bought it that way.

I was even more surprised when I asked for the mag and he told me he didn't have one and didn't see the need for one. He theorized that one round of .45 would be plenty and besides 7 extra rounds added "too much weight". I ran through several scenarios with him (what if his first shot missed or there were multiple attackers, etc) and his response was "the first round will kill the first person and the rest will run away".:what::scrutiny: I handed his gun back to him and walked away.
 
Not counting Police officers, which I understand many never have even fired their weapons at a bad gun, but just the civilian population that have had assaults, how many rounds were fired, and how many were in a situation where they actually had to reload a new magazine? My guess is very few rounds were fired and most attacks were at close distance. Maybe each area people live in is different, where I live it is usually just a few rounds. I do not believe I have read about a fire fight with civilians in decades. Unless you count the hood where they seem to like to shoot and spray. But even there, it is just a few rounds.
I focus more on awareness, quickness to draw with accuracy more than I do on carrying around a lot of ammo. Typically I just carry a fully loaded firearm and a small concealed one at that. Occasionally i will carry a spare mag, if going out of town, but for EDC, no.

If you're making your decision based on statistical probability leave your gun it at home
 
If you're making your decision based on statistical probability leave your gun it at home

In actuality, you are right and I fully agree with your statement. However, I will still carry a a small, light weight pistol. So easy to do. I worry more about people that text message while driving and running their mouth on a cell phone killing me more than someone shooting me.
 
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In actually, you are right and I fully agree with your statement. However, I will still carry a a small, light weight pistol. So easy to do. I worry more about people that text message killing me more than someone shooting me.

You're not wrong.

The scariest moment of my life was the day I was riding a motorcycle home from work and I looked around me and I realized that the driver of every car around me had a cell phone in their hand.

Having said that I mean if we're talking about a small gun anyway an extra magazine really isn't that much more of a load.
 
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