If you get a malfunction (very unlikely with good gun/ammo/mags), the vast majority are cleared with an immediate action/phase I which is just tap-rack-assess no spare mag needed. If you immediately relegate your gun to paperweight status because it hiccups and you don’t have a spare mag, I think I know what you could start working into your training.
If the gun hiccups and that immediate action doesn’t clear it, there is a good chance that pulling the mag, working the slide to clear, and reinserting that same mag will clear it. Good quality pistol mags dont’ often just &$# the bed and go from flawless to useless
I used the pink rhino off Amazon for several months and couldn’t believe my shots were so inaccurate. Well, they weren’t. The laser cartridge was. I bought a G-Sight directly from the manufacturer and it is much more accurate. I’ve shot thousands of rounds so far on my cartridge, and it works great. It really helps improve my range shooting.
You obviously have never walked alone through the streets of Manhattan or through Central Park after 2 am. Or strolled through East L.A. with the wrong colors, those were and are dangerous places when I was a kid, I’m retired now!
I don’t leave the house with less than 124 rounds. 24 of which are attached to my body! That extra mag can save your life if the first should ever fail. SOUP happens when it’s not supposed to! May as well ditch the spare tire from your trunk! Got a spare key to the house, neighbor, friend under the flowerpot?
Other than that I don’t add the extra round, but there is ALWAYS 1 in the chamber. On a side note, I don’t chamber check, because there are no bullet fairies. I was in condition 1 last night, and I’m in condition 1 when I awake!
Todays world leaves no margin for error! This is your “local” jewelry store!
Trust me when I say I long for the old days, when he (1 perpetrator) came up behind you with a knife, gun or baseball bat and offered you a choice , your money or your life.
I’m +1 in the chamber and 1 spare mag often with another spare or 2 in the vehicle.
I have seen more than a few videos of trained people having malfunctions in self defense situations. A perfect grip isn’t always attainable in a stressful situation. A tap/rack will likely fix most of those malfunctions but I like having the spare just in case. And there are always those extremely rare situations where even having a spare mag might leave you wishing you had more.
I have studied the laws in my state and other states I visit. Ten round capacity definition- you can only own a 10 round magazine ( unless you purchase pre-ban. That is a different topic). But, if you have one in your chamber ( Chamber is not a magazine), you are ok, and you can top off your 10 round magazine. Now, if you own a Kel-Tec/IWI shotgun- My state said ten rounds -but loophole, you can use mini shotgun shells and load extra 5 -8 more rounds, all legally. Because you are feeding the rounds right in the tube – Not a Magazine
I’m still waiting on that one, single, solitary example of a private citizen concealed carrier using a reload.
Let’s make a wager. Whatever $ amount you feel is fair. You show the number of times a private citizen concealed carrier has used a spare magazine in DGU, I’ll show the number of times a private citizen passenger vehicle operator has used a spare tire. Larger number wins. You game?
It is a hollow arguement as that kind of data isn’t likely available for anyone, not public, not military.
Also, no one has to prove such a thing to you. do as you wish, as we all will. (Don’t pick fights with your friends, in other words.)
If someone gets a jam they may exchange, and it has nothing to do with having enough ammo. Make your own choices instead of asking others to prove theirs.
I agree with you. I have never read it- but we live in an age where the media controls the narrative- Even though we have never read it or watched a video, it does not mean it has not happened.
Practice allows us to repeat the practiced behavior consistently.
Oh I don’t doubt that it has happened to someone at some point, and will happen in the future to someone at some point.
But I am convinced it is extraordinarily rare, and my opinion as a result is that too many people put far too much emphasis on a spare mag (let alone multiple spares…) while completely ignoring other things far more likely to be of lifesaving benefit, such as less lethal and medical.
People will be safer overall when they prioritize based on reality
To really get into that silly spare tire argument…nobody should be carrying a spare tire for their care instead of carrying medical in their car. And, of course, flat tires do actually happen.
When Law Enforcement talks about typical or average…they are not every case. There will be outliers on both ends of the spectrum. I am in the camp of carry the extra mag and never need vs. need and not have. Isn’t that also why we all carry in the 1st place.
Each person should do what they feel comfortable with.
No 2 self defense situaions are identical. There will be similarities but there will be more differences. Being as preparred as you can for any situation is what we strive for.
Times are changing and not in a good way. Close to where I live a guy in an apartment complex came across thieves breaking into cars. Thieves started shooting so the fuy speed away in his car. Thieves chased him to the corner station and kept shooting at him. He sped away from there and they finally gave up a few miles down the road.
That part is definitely true. It’s your choice. All of it. To carry a gun or not to carry a gun, what size gun, what cartridge gun, spare magazine or not, first aid or not, non-lethal or not, night sights, red dot sight, WML, pocket knife, three guns, body armor, rifle in the trunk.
Whatever floats your boat.
I do suggest using some logical deduction/reasoning and not just feelings on what you carry and why, but…how you decide is up to you same as the decision itself is up to you
It’s a drill we practiced at CCW class which I now regularly do at the range.
I don’t have snap-caps but I intentionally lose count of ammo in my mags to simulate failure when it’s emptied and would necessitate a reload.
As you can tell, I only bet on sure things! If I’m in a defensive situation and my first mag fails, I have a backup and having a backup is a sure thing!
You make a point! I sure hope that we in this community never ever have to hear about a private citizen having to reload. If it comes to that, you may want to reconsider your load out.
We also learn that shot placement counts! True enough, if I can’t hit my target with my current 8 round mag, I either need more training or I’m dead! Wishing I had that second magazine.
FYI, all my years military and civilian, have endowed me with the knowledge of redundancy. I carry an IFAK, less lethal products, pocket knife, defensive flashlight, extra pair of glasses, jumper cables. All in the name of “JUST IN CASE”!
Whether you’re a master at clearing malfunctions in the heat of battle, Murphy has a way of screwing with your day.
In the age of empty prisons, roaming bands of thugs, and the legality of homicide and rape, all bets are off!
Stay safe!
I love these conversations- We are brothers and sisters- No matter what, that is how I feel.
My opinion: We need to think about multi-threats at once. It comes down to our training and understanding our limits, and how to push and train beyond those limits. I go to the range once a week- I have four firearms. I am Proficient with all 4- because I train with each one and take 2 -3 classes a year. We are having a good conversation about extra mag or no extra mag. I have a smoke alarm in my house in case of fire- I have a camera outside my house- in case i have some threat, I carry a spare mag because the world I once knew is gone. I am 50 years old I witness more of my share of threats. My EDC is my emergency; please break glass- Judo is my hand-to-hand skill- I will always choose to walk away or even hide to avoid conflict. ( If you don’t look for trouble and make good life decisions, you may never need to break the glass.
And after a lifetime in the forest, encountering potentially dangerous wild animals with no more than awareness, hands, and maybe a stick — my worries are just the opposite. Even in the woods, the occasional human or the hunting season concentration appeared more hazardous than the wild beasties. Or are those visitors the “beasts in the forest” you were referring to?
