Is This REALLY Necessary ?

[Treo]

Ok background I am a civilian, not a cop, not in a job that requires a firearm. I carry strictly for self defense, and my CCW is a .40 S&W W/ a 12 round magazine. My question is do I really need to carry a spare magazine ( I seem to get "made" far more often for the magazine than I ever have for the gun ( maybe I should just stick it in my pocket). I live in Colorado & would definetely carry the spare in the woods. my question is specific to daily CC. so yes ? no? is it a mall ninja tacticool thing or a question of better to have and need not? any input & experience would be greatly appreciated

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

You might as well as if you should drink Coke or Pepsi.

 

[kfranz]

No, you don't "need" it.

BTW, the correct answer to Jorg's question is Dr. Pepper.

 

[Harvster]

It's all a matter of personal risk assessment. Chances are none of us will ever need to use our guns. It's a smaller chance that we'll need extra ammo. But, you never know, and so you need to arm yourself to your own comfort level.

 

[DDrake]

Statistically you will be attacked by a group, but statistically most "gun battles" are ended with 3 shots.

So.... if there is a 5 in 100,000 chance of you being a victim in a crime.... maybe there is a 5 in 100,000,000 chance of you needing multiple magazines.

Probably not needed, but can't hurt.

 

[Soybomb]

You'll likely never a gun at all. If you're having a bad enough day that you wind up needing a gun, do you trust that you'll be having a good enough day to only need 13 rounds? If you can carry it without much inconvenience I'd say it wouldn't hurt. If you can't, well then 13 rounds is still better than none.

 

[jerkface11]

I doubt you can come up with many self defense shootings where a mag change was required. Oh the correct answer is Mountain Dew.

 

[CPerdue]

I heard Tom Gresham (Gun Talk: http://www.guntalk.com/site.php ) raise this issue last Sunday (second hour IIRC). Basically, w/o a spare mag what do you do if you have a malfunction (or drop the first one)?

If I can hide the gun I can hide the mag.

 

[NG VI]

all day weight training

 

[NG VI]

all day low intensity weight training is all it is

 

[Zundfolge]

Ok background I am a civilian, not a cop

Minor nit pick ... cops ARE civilians too.


Anyway, you won't likely need a spare magazine ... but they're small and in the off chance you do ever end up needing a spare magazine you'll really REALLY need it.

Spare magazines area also useful for clearing stoppages ... gun jams, you drop the mag thats in it and you've eliminated it as the source of your problem, reload with the fresh mag and continue.

 

[possum]

in a fight for your life you will never wish that you had less ammo!

i carry a minimum of one and normally 2 reloads.

 

[Soybomb]

You'll likely never a gun at all. If you're having a bad enough day that you wind up needing a gun, do you trust that you'll be having a good enough day to only need 13 rounds? The odds are on your side that you won't, but the odds that you wouldn't need a gun were on your side too. If you can carry it without much inconvenience I'd say it wouldn't hurt. If you can't, well then 13 rounds is still better than none.

 

[Biker]

My main carry gun holds 5 rounds of .45 LC. If that ain't enough, I'm having a real bad day.

Biker

 

[Treo]

Next Question

I use an Uncle Mike's clip on pouch and it tends to stick out of my shirt,get caught on car doors ( mostly because I'm fat) and stick me in the back when I sit down. any suggestions ? ( assuming I decide to keep it ) & as some posters have already pointed out I am far more likely to have to shoot a rabid coyote, fox , racoon, Preble's meadow jumping mouse ( Colorado joke) than multiple armed thugs P.S for all you nit picky types the civilian / cop thing was meant as two seperate statments I'm a civilian ( no longer in the millitary) & not a cop ( as my civilian occupation)

 

[gym]

No, most ex cops, don't even carry anything with more than 5 rounds, 13 rounds are a lot of rounds, unless yor run into the Taliban, the chances of needing more than that one clip are slim to none

 

[kimbernut]

Spare Mag?

Then again, there are the occasional stories of the BG taken out with the very last round. That's too close. To quote the Boy Scouts "Be Prepared". If pocket carry is necessary so be it. 5-11 Tactical Khakis work well for me with the cell pocket for the spare.

 

[joffe]

Damn, that spare tire in the boot is a lot of dead weight and space. I've never had a use for it before, why not just ditch it?

My suggestion would be to just conceal the magazine better.

Why do people order concealment IWB holsters and then continue to carry their spare mags in duty/range style mag holders that are practically offset from the belt?

 

[Owen]

I carry a spare because

1.) Holstering a depleted gun is bad mojo. The karma monkeys will find you for sure.

2.) magazines are the weakest point of any semiauto. If you have a double feed or the like, I prefer to clear it the normal way, but replace the magazine with a new one.

3.) mo'butta mo'betta

 

[RNB65]

It depends on how good a shot you are.
.

 

[Owen]

undercover mag pouch = leatherman holster.

thanks to WildBill for that tip.

 

[Eyesac]

I hope it's not necessary. I don't carry one, but I might soon (when I get some good mag holders). I'm going to get a couple and just try it out, if it's too much to lug around, I'll stop!

 

[strat81]

I usually carry an extra mag because of the malfunction issue. Mags are the weakest point.

Besides, no one ever lost a gun fight because of too much ammo, right?

 

[cpaspr]

For IDPA, I use an OWB mag holder, and an OWB holster with cover garment. For CC, I use an IWB holster and the spare mag goes in my left front pocket. The only other thing that might go in that pocket is the cell phone because a) it is short and fat and breaks up the outline of the mag and b) only goes there if I don't have a shirt pocket under my sweater or sweatshirt.

 

[willbrink]

Do you "need" to carry a gun? Need is a tricky word. If you run a pawnshop in the major city, you may need the extra mag...point being, perceived risk, how prepared you feel you should be, your personal comfort level, the risk to benefit of having an extra mag, etc, etc. As a civilian, the likelihood you would need an additional 12 rnds is miniscule, but better safe than sorry? Only you can answer that, and taken to its logical conclusion, you also have people with an extra mag, a flashlight, a knife, a can of pepper spray, a cell phone, and even a few more gizmos. They are better prepared (all things being equal) than the guy with a gun and nothing else.