How much ammo do you carry with you?

[Guest Revelator]

+1

I second. I carry 10 in the mag, plus one chambered, plus an extra 10 in the spare. If I need more than 21 rounds, I'm probably outnumbered or outgunned.

[Guest readyornot]

Full mag, plus one chambered, and one extra mag. After that it's up to a good pair of running shoes.

[Guest gmachuta]

I see that I'm not the only to carry more than mag. I also agree with some of the post, that if you need more than what's in your gun then your in serious trouble and hope that the cops are on the way to take care of the situation.

[deerslayer]

Can you rattle off how many gunfights needed 10-12 rounds on one side to be resolved? I mean for the private citizen, not LEs. Although even LEs it is pretty uncommon (not counting the current mentality with 50 shots fired and 2 hits).

Nope, I sure can't. I still like to be prepared, however. One local shootout involved a citizen with a carry permit who emptied his eight shot .45 and scored seven hits. A J-frame may have gotten him killed, no?

[The Rabbi]

Nope, I sure can't. I still like to be prepared, however. One local shootout involved a citizen with a carry permit who emptied his eight shot .45 and scored seven hits. A J-frame may have gotten him killed, no?

Dont know, I wasnt there.

[ZenDog]

The way I figure it, ammo quantity is a personal choice, kinda like everything else in life- to each his or her own. Make your best guess and deal with the results of your choice. None of us knows what tomorrow holds for us.

How many rounds will you need tomorrow? Carry that many.

I figure can make some mistakes no matter what I do- I can be wrong a lot of different ways. I can carry too much ammo or too little ammo. Kinda like auto insurance-- it is a gamble. I hope I never need any ammo at all! But, I would rather have too much than too little. I don't think too many people at the end of a gunfight look at their weapon and say "@#$%^. I only used 4 of my 17 rounds-- what a fool I am for carrying 13 too many rounds!"

On the other hand....

I had too little auto insurance once before -- I was ignorant and just carried the minimum for uninsured motorist coverage. That worked great for 32 years. Then I got hit by an uninsured motorist and my medical costs overran my coverage--- that really sucked.

Never again. I'd prefer to deal with the consequences of carrying a magazine I never use than to deal with the consequences of not carrying a magazine that I really need.

But that's just my choice. I could be wrong.

[The Rabbi]

Everything has a down side otherwise we would all be carrying exactly the same gun and ammo.

In this case, in addition to the weight and bulk, there is the issue of how does it look to be in a fight and it discovered that you carry more magazines than an infantryman in Iraq. That could definitely be spun to someone's disadvantage. You were looking for trouble, that's why you carry all that stuff. Paramilitary mall ninja.

It is at least as likely as running out of ammo.

[deerslayer]

Everything has a down side otherwise we would all be carrying exactly the same gun and ammo.

In this case, in addition to the weight and bulk, there is the issue of how does it look to be in a fight and it discovered that you carry more magazines than an infantryman in Iraq. That could definitely be spun to someone's disadvantage. You were looking for trouble, that's why you carry all that stuff. Paramilitary mall ninja.

It is at least as likely as running out of ammo.

I don't "carry more magazines than an infantryman in Iraq." I think that's a bit over the top. And in my case, the extra weight and bulk of a single mag is not an issue. The juror who concludes that you are a mall ninja for carrying an extra mag will probably go ahead and conclude that you are a mall ninja for carrying a gun. In a courtroom setting, an extra mag can easily be explained to have logical benefits. An expert witness (a retired police trainer, for instance) can clarify this even more. On the other hand, if you carry three guns, five mags, pepper spray, two knives, a stun gun, a flashlight, and a folding baton, your mall ninja argument is much more realistic.

[Rightwinger]

One round each for BOTH front shirt pockets.

Situational dependent. Minimum one mag or speed reloader. Max can range up to 5 mags in the carry bag.

[strickj]

One round each for BOTH front shirt pockets.

Situational dependent. Minimum one mag or speed reloader. Max can range up to 5 mags in the carry bag.

[Rightwinger]

Barney was a lightweight. Only one bullet in his right front pocket.

[Guest jackdog]

normally G23 with a 13 rd mag and one in the pipe. Have carried extra mag on some occasions, but then again I have carried my P3at often with only a total of seven rounds. Guess it depends on my mood. What I do carry at all times is a very high level of situational awareness, so as to avoid ever using my gun.

[molonlabetn]

Yeah, a failure to stop when you only have 5 rd at your immediate disposal wouldn't end well... especially if you're facing more than one BG. The likelihood is that they will run away as soon as you fight back. But since it's conceivably even less likely to be attacked in the first place... playing the odds isn't even a worthwhile point. The idea is to be a prepared as reasonably possible. 'Reasonable' is relative to each person's situation.

[Guest canynracer]

6 in mag...one in chamber...I think I need another mag...then again...I probably wont get one..LOL

[The Rabbi]

Yeah, a failure to stop when you only have 5 rd at your immediate disposal wouldn't end well... especially if you're facing more than one BG. The likelihood is that they will run away as soon as you fight back. But since it's conceivably even less likely to be attacked in the first place... playing the odds isn't even a worthwhile point. The idea is to be a prepared as reasonably possible. 'Reasonable' is relative to each person's situation.

With the odds of any event happening defining the situation. Like I said.

I am just not aware of any situation where a person armed with a 5 shot was overwhelmed and killed/injured and had he had another x number of rounds it all would have been different. Hard case to make.

[molonlabetn]

With the odds of any event happening defining the situation. Like I said.

I am just not aware of any situation where a person armed with a 5 shot was overwhelmed and killed/injured and had he had another x number of rounds it all would have been different. Hard case to make.

New York City: The three armed robbers who have invaded a hair salon doll't look twice at the slender, lovely young black woman in one of the chairs. They've come for the money.

But she looked at them more than once. She's an off-duty NYPD patrol officer. She knows enough not to trigger a gunfight to prevent a mere robbery, but when it looks as if they're going to savagely brutalize the customers, she takes action, and suddenly things get loud.

She fires five shots. Four take flesh. She has hit all three opponents, but now her J-frame Smith & Wesson .38 Special is out of ammo.

All three punks are still alive. Two are thinking only of crawling or staggering away, but a third is still up and running. He pistol-whips the officer and tries to shoot her twice with his own illegally-obtained El Cheapo pistol. It misfires both times. Wounded and desperate, he flees with the others, to be captured later.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E1DF1738F93BA35751C0A962958260

Suppose she could have stopped them with more rounds?

How unlikely is this, really? I don't think it's that unlikely... Not such a hard case to make. The only reason she is alive is that this 3rd BG's gun jammed... NOT because she carried a J-frame, that's for sure.

This only took about 30-seconds to find... and it was the first search result (probably because it was a cop story which received noteriety... and because she was lucky enough to survive).

[Marswolf]

How much ammo, and which gun to carry, depends on where you go.

If I'm going to Wal-Mart, the P3AT is probably just fine with seven rounds. I normally throw an extra magazine into my jacket pocket. If I was going to walk down a high crime street at 2 am, I'd want my USP 40 with a couple of extra magazines. I have been in places where I carried four spare magazines.

You have to adapt what you carry for the situation. When possible, avoid those nasty situations.

For most people they will never need any rounds. If you do, most of the time a half dozen rounds will be more than enough.

[The Rabbi]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E1DF1738F93BA35751C0A962958260

Suppose she could have stopped them with more rounds?

How unlikely is this, really? I don't think it's that unlikely... Not such a hard case to make. The only reason she is alive is that this 3rd BG's gun jammed... NOT because she carried a J-frame, that's for sure.

This only took about 30-seconds to find... and it was the first search result (probably because it was a cop story which received noteriety... and because she was lucky enough to survive).

One? One lousy story and someone is going to base his behavior on that??

You found it because it doesnt happen very often, if it all.

How many people carry snake venom antidote in their daily carry?

DROWNED GREENSBORO TEEN SUCCUMBED TO SNAKE BITE.(TRIAD/STATE)

From:The News & Record (Piedmont Triad, NC)Date:September 2, 1999More results for: COPYRIGHT 1999 News & Record. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. Byline: From Staff and Wire Reports

DUCKTOWN, TENN. -- A Greensboro teen who drowned last week in a Tennessee lake had been bitten by a snake and died from the venom, the medical examiner says.

The 16-year-old likely was bitten by a rattler or copperhead in the water before going under, U.S. Forest ...

[mdmoseley]

I always carry one spare mag just in case of a failure but there are times I will take 2 spare mags.

[molonlabetn]

Heh... I suppose that my weapon jamming isn't likely enough to worry about since there aren't many stories of private citizens killed because of that?

The point wasn't to research as many stories as I can find. You wanted an example of how carrying only 5 rounds might turn out bad, and there ya' go, and it was very easy to find. Doesn't mean the J-frame isn't a great carry weapon... but it means it's worth considering pocketing a speed-loader too.

btw, I do have some antivenin for camping... but I don't carry it with me around town. Color me 'over-prepared' by your standards, but I like my chances of survival compared to the next guy.

Edited March 11, 2008 by molonlabetn

[creeky]

I don't like snakes... they creep me out.

I do like "J frames"... and Lab puppies. They are cute

and don't creep me out.

[Fallguy]

I do like "J frames"... and Lab puppies. They are cute

and don't creep me out.

The "J frames", Lab Puppies or both?

[willis68]

8 in the magazine, 1 in the chamber, that is all that is needed for me anyway

[The Rabbi]

Heh... I suppose that my weapon jamming isn't likely enough to worry about since there aren't many stories of private citizens killed because of that?

That's true.

But you can find A story to illustrate anything. Ed Lovette tells one about the undercover officer whose 1911 either failed to get off-safe or he re-engaged the safety. In any case he was killed. Does that make the 1911 a bad platform for PD? (my answer is yes, but that's just me).

The one consistent factor I have ever seen in success or failure in armed encounters is: have a gun. Everything after that is secondary.

[willis68]

That's true.

But you can find A story to illustrate anything. Ed Lovette tells one about the undercover officer whose 1911 either failed to get off-safe or he re-engaged the safety. In any case he was killed. Does that make the 1911 a bad platform for PD? (my answer is yes, but that's just me).

The one consistent factor I have ever seen in success or failure in armed encounters is: have a gun. Everything after that is secondary.

In all fairness if you are going to carry a 1911, you damn sure better know how to use one, I do so I carry one, Any gun that you carry will get you killed if you dont know how to use it under any circumstance, alot of people in my experience are carrying guns, of all sorts and have not practiced working out serious gun malfunctions, clearing them and getting their pistols back in action, if any of you are not comfortable doing this with a semi auto pistol, I suggest you carry a revolver so in the future you dont get yourself killed.