Wouldn't 5 be enough?

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ColeK

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Wouldn't 5 be enough?
This question was asked on the 24hourcampfire.Handgun form, below is what he posted:

#12590334 - 01/28/18 Wouldn't 5 be enough?
Windfall; Campfire Regular; Joined: Sep 2017; Posts: 430; WI./FL.
Like a lot of you, I carry a S&W J frame with five .38 Special +P loads in the cylinder. This is a close quarter personal defense handgun, not something for longer range or extended shooting. I read that many of you carry extra ammo in the speed loaders or clips or you Glock shooters with more ammo weight in the clip than the gun itself. I would sure think that if I had the time to be reloading, that I would also have time to be out of the situation. Am I just being naive not packing lots of extra ammunition along or are lots of people just paranoid? I figure that my best defense is not putting myself in harms way to begin with. Comments?


I know longer post on any of forms over there because too many members too low road, so I am asking the question here.

Since I am retired, yes 5 enough, I stay aware of my situation anb a S&W Model 637 in my left front pocket and my cane in my right hand.

There are some places along the 4 lane highway that runs through small town, (15k) in a county of 23 (23k), I'll also carry my .357 Mag. S&W Model 60 loaded with BB 38 Spl +P+, depending on the time of day or evening. After about 9 o'clock the druggies and out of towners start to gather at the all eaters on the highway and more times then not they are looking for trouble.

If I have go too one of 5 Metro areas that are with 200 miles of me all have problem areas I have to go through, I also carry 2 of my 1911 with 3 magazines each and a speed strip for my 637 and Model 60 in each pocket and a 2 by 2 strip on each side of my belt.
 
If I have go too one of 5 Metro areas that are with 200 miles of me all have problem areas I have to go through, I also carry 2 of my 1911 with 3 magazines each and a speed strip for my 637 and Model 60 in each pocket and a 2 by 2 strip on each side of my belt.
Click to expand...

If you need 4 guns and 10 reloads, I'd suggest going to a different city...............or (sorry) finding out why you have such paranoia...
 
Are we talking driving or walking through these areas? You'll play hell getting me out of my car, and if you do even 5 shots is a game-changer. I feel very comfortable with a single stack and a spare mag or a double-stack gun with just the mag in it. If the threat realistically exceeds that in my mind you really need a riot gun, pistol caliber carbine or preferably an AR.
 
I used my gun the other day. I was using the ATM, and I noticed the same guy who was in the store, while I was
withdrawing money, watching me from the outside of the store. When I exited the store, I had my hand in my pocket,
on the gun, with the safety off. I was watching the guy as I left and went into the next store. Never drew my pistol.
But I had my SA going, full blast. At some point, my new friend decided he didn't want any part of me. Must have been
my sunny nature. The gun happened to be a 32 single stack. Could have been a double stack 9, or a 357 snubbie,
(Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday kind of thing for me.) wouldn't have mattered. Never has, hopefully never will. Keep
the radar running full time, and what you have in your holster won't be as important.
 
I want to say I heard the average shooting is over in 2-3 shoots so those statistics say 5 would be enough. Also the odds of ever having to be involved in a shooting are exceedingly low as well. If I'm ensuring my odds by carrying in the first place it isn't too hard to ensure those odds further by carrying a reload. I'm new to the game so my experience is limited but I think a full mag/cylinder plus one reload is about what I'd carry to be comfortable. At the end of the day it really comes down to what makes you feel confident and secure (within reason of course).
 
ColeK said:
If I have go too one of 5 Metro areas that are with 200 miles of me all have problem areas I have to go through, I also carry 2 of my 1911 with 3 magazines each and a speed strip for my 637 and Model 60 in each pocket and a 2 by 2 strip on each side of my belt.
Click to expand...

Do you use duct tape to keep your plates on?

Danoobie said:
I used my gun the other day.
Click to expand...

We must have different definitions for using a gun.

Back to the original question, although I'm starting to suspect I'm in some sort of twilight zone style loonie thread... Yeah, sure 5 is enough, hopefully... maybe. But then again, carrying another five isn't exactly going to kill you and it turns out to be a lot better than the box of fifty that got left in the glove box.
 
For Self Defense...?

Collateral.gif




​
GR
 
I honestly do think 5 is enough if you do your part. For you, zero has been enough thus far. You won’t know until it happens. Pray it never does.
 
somethingbenign said:
I want to say I heard the average shooting is over in 2-3 shoots so those statistics say 5 would be enough............
Click to expand...


The trouble with training/equipping for the 'average', is that 50% of the time you will have enough or more than enough.

The other 50% of the time you will not...............think about that.
 
Shane in MT said:
The trouble with training/equipping for the 'average', is that 50% of the time you will have enough or more than enough.

The other 50% of the time you will not...............think about that.
Click to expand...

Five - is 100% more than the 2-3 round average.

Statistically, the odds of encountering/drawing/firing more than Six(6) rounds to stop the threat, in a self defense situation? Are about 1/6,000.

...Or, only about 66% ^ than the odds of ending up a Highway Fatality that same year. (1/10,000)




GR
 
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I'm retired from the job, but pass my fellow Troopers every day on the road. I carry a CZ PO1 with three mags, a set of cuffs, my ID, a few medical items, etc......In a small pack with me whenever I travel. Should I ever pass one of them in a situation where I'd stop to render assistance, I'd at least be well armed.

Otherwise...I occasionally carry my 2" M-60 (5 shots) or my G-42. ( I DO carry a 6 shot speed strip for the 60 and a spare mag for the G42 though)

I agree that the smartest thing to do in so many of these possible self defense scenarios...is to NOT get involved.
 
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In an extended gunfight probably not but in a "common" SD situation, probably. I carry a J frame daily with one reload.

I'm not in the camp of needing 17+1 and 3x 17 round spare magazines. I don't look down on those who do, everyone has the right to carry what they think they need.
 
When I'm outside my home, 0 is enough. The only gun I keep loaded at home is a 6 shot revolver.

I do have my concealed carry permit. It makes it much more convenient going to the range but I have never felt the need to carry.
 
Garandimal said:
Five - is 100% more than the 2-3 round average.

Statistically, the odds of encountering/drawing/firing more that Six(6) rounds to stop the threat, in a self defense situation? Are about 1/6,000.

...Or, only about 66% ^ than the odds of ending up a Highway Fatality that same year. (1/10,000)




GR
Click to expand...


That's good to know......
 
Difficult to know where to start.

You do not carry a gun loaded with 3 rounds because you've heard that's, on average, all you'll need.
You do not plan on never needing to reload because if you have time to reload you have time to extricate yourself.

Both very faulty reasoning.

Two assailants, not all that uncommon nowdays.
You fire two rounds at each, miss one completely & strike the other one in a non-debilitating area.
You have one fully active assailant & one merely wounded assailant, and both are armed & still aggressive.

This is not at all outside the bounds of probability.
And there you are, with one round left.

You may have time to reload, but do you have time to run?

One assailant, extremely agitated on whichever drug applies, kicks in your door, you are able to fire all five shots in your snub, and actually strike him five times.
And he continues to advance on you, telling you quite loudly that he's going to kill you.
He doesn't feel the pain, you did not strike him in the spinal column or the heart, and he doesn't know he's supposed to stop.

Can't happen?
With five minutes of Googling, you should be able to find at least that many true life cases where a cop somewhere emptied his duty pistol at & into a guy & had to reload before it was over.
In college, majoring in Police Science, nearly 40 years ago one of the actual textbook cases I recall IN A TEXTBOOK showed a guy with 33 9mm holes in him from a police shooting.

I distinctly recall a fast food joint being held up locally about 15 years ago.
Counter guy empties his 5-shot .38 into the robber on the other side of the counter.
All good torso hits.

Bad guy apparently too astonished to register that he's hit.
Counter guy too astonished that robber is just standing there that both stare at each other for several seconds before robber collapses.
Had robber thought to fire his own gun, counter guy would probably have been killed.
He certainly had time to do it.
And counter guy had time to reload, but had no reloads to reload with.
Also had no time to escape instead, trapped behind counter.

There are numerous scenarios of a similar nature where 5 was not enough, and a reload would be highly indicated.

Lotta people feel perfectly comfortable with a 5-shot snub & no additional ammo along.
I am not one of those, and as a retired cop I feel distinctly uncomfortable even in everyday life on those occasions where I drop down to pocket-carrying a 5-shot .38 snub in certain situations.

I, at the VERY least, ALWAYS carry spare ammunition, and I'm not at all paranoid.
Denis
 
I a lot of cases just showing that you have a gun will be the end of a problem. Most bad guys want an easy target . If it is needed then usually 5 would be enough but there is always that one time ............
 
Let's just push the cart downhill, here, for a second, Cole, and say you are in a SD situation,
where there is shooting. The cops then impound all the guns you have on you, as evidence.
Just saying, that's an awful lot of hardware to lose, in a situation where more than likely you'll
never even draw your second gun. Not to mention you would make it easy for a DA or plaintiff to argue
aggressive intent, on your behalf.

Click Click, really, Duct Tape? Don't you know you're supposed to use medical tape for that? It doesn't chafe as much.
 
More is better, but five is fine.

JMO

Then again.......Dpris makes some good points. I typically carry 11 rounds.
 
I've carried a S&W M10 as a duty weapon, with two speedloaders.

Now that I make the decisions, it's usually a Glock 17. Same amount of ammo, but the two reloads are already in the pistol, where they belong.
 
The only 5 shot we have is my wife's 5 shot .44 special, as a bedroom barricade option. The loaded AR and 90 rounds loaded in magazines is an arm's length away. Out and about in the world, I carry/wear at least a 7 shot autoloader with at least one reload. Both vehicles are equipped with grab-and-go shoulder bags that each include a loaded Glock 23 and extra mags, medical supplies, lights, etc. Likely and possible are always part of the game, to be considered. When was the last time you used a fire extinguisher? If you had one, wasn't it great that it was there?
 
YES. 5 is enough. Except when it isn't...

Everyone who bothers to prepare will have to pick a level that they feel is reasonable and prepare to that level. It is IMPOSSIBLE to prepare for every possibility.

The important thing isn't that you pick the same level that I do, or that your favorite gunwriter does, or that your best shooting range buddy does, but that you pick a level that MAKES SENSE.

Too many people buy a gun they like (or that's really easy to carry) or pick a carry gun from among the guns they already own, and then try very hard to rationalize why the capacity that gun offers is enough. That is not picking a level of preparation that makes sense. That is lying to yourself so that you feel comfortable carrying a gun you want/want to carry, or a gun you already own.

In other words, the decision needs to be based on facts, on reality, and on your particular circumstances. The decision should not be merely an exercise in justifying what you want to carry to yourself and others.
 
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