How much is too much?

[Scollatz]

So when carrying a firearm, either open or concealed, depending on how many rounds your mag holds, what are we trying to be ready for. 1 assailant, a mob, a terrorist attack, all of the above?
So should we carry 1, 2, 3 or more extra mags, a backup gun, 200 extra rounds in the car, a long gun in the trunk. Does it depend on what part of the country you live in?
I am interested in opinions, let me know your thoughts.

 

[Kasper]

So when carrying a firearm, either open or concealed, depending on how many rounds your mag holds, what are we trying to be ready for. 1 assailant, a mob, a terrorist attack, all of the above?
So should we carry 1, 2, 3 or more extra mags, a backup gun, 200 extra rounds in the car, a long gun in the trunk. Does it depend on what part of the country you live in?
I am interested in opinions, let me know your thoughts.

Well that is what the Police do and if it is good enough for them then it is good enough for me.

 

[GeorgeK]

Your as bad as my wife, how many do you need, don't you have enough now?
Can you really have enough or to many, I THINK NOT !!
All joking aside, I carry enough to feel comfortable and a long gun or a AR pistol in the pickup.

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

 

[Eidolon]

The following was posted by Masaad Ayoob in another thread on this topic and there's really nothing I can add to it

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."

 

[bofh]

No one ever said "Why did I bring all this ammo?" after a gun fight. Think about that for a moment.

 

[therewolf]

So when carrying a firearm, either open or concealed, depending on how many rounds your mag holds, what are we trying to be ready for. 1 assailant, a mob, a terrorist attack, all of the above?
So should we carry 1, 2, 3 or more extra mags, a backup gun, 200 extra rounds in the car, a long gun in the trunk. Does it depend on what part of the country you live in?
I am interested in opinions, let me know your thoughts.

Even with a single stack mag, I don't carry a spare. I look at it like this. I carry a strong Streamlight,

and a multi-tool, which I use constantly. I never use the gun. I don't carry extra flashlights or multi-tools,

which I do use several times daily, ergo, humping mags on a gun I may never use doesn't make much

sense, now does it?

I CC to exercise my rights. The actual gun itself is a deterrent, a measure of resistance, which no matter

how well logistically supplied could be overcome with enough extra force. Considering I rarely travel alone,

and I moved to a sane area of the country, I don't see the point in overcrowding my belt.

Since I hunt a lot, and do a lot of pest control on the property, I do carry some other firearms in the truck.

JMHO, YMMV.

 

[bofh]

Always carry a spare magazine! It is not always about running out of ammunition during a gun fight. Magazine issues are the #1 root cause for malfunctions in semi-automatic firearms. Also, there is: FAST = Fight, Assess, Scan, Top off. Those that have trained know what I am talking about and know why "topping off" is important.

 

[therewolf]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
OR, leave Beirut, and move to an area where your life isn't

dependent upon the logistic support of your firearm...

 

[Reba]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
OR, leave Beirut, and move to an area where your life isn't dependent upon the logistic support of your firearm...

Where would that be?

I live outside of Charleston, SC. The nine church members murdered there during a Bible study weren't meeting in a war zone.

Americans are attacked in malls, schools, athletic events, restaurants, Christmas parties, their nice homes--not in "Beirut." Any quiet, safe place can become a killing field in a flash.

 

[XD40scinNC]

Where would that be?

I live outside of Charleston, SC. The nine church members murdered there during a Bible study weren't meeting in a war zone.

Americans are attacked in malls, schools, athletic events, restaurants, Christmas parties, their nice homes--not in "Beirut." Any quiet, safe place can become a killing field in a flash.

But there was only 1 shooter.

Of all the good guy with a gun stories we see on gun forums and in the news we see, can you recall any where the good guy had a need to reload?

 

[Reba]

But there was only 1 shooter.

Not in all attacks (and that's not just gun attacks). Home invasions are often more than one attacker.

Also, it's not just the number of attackers that matter. The circumstances and environment of the attack matter, too.

Of all the good guy with a gun stories we see on gun forums and in the news we see, can you recall any where the good guy had a need to reload?

I haven't read all the gun stories out there but the ones that I have read or seen on TV don't always go into the good-guy shooting details of how many rounds were fired. That's not something I've kept track of.

The point is, one doesn't have to live in a war zone in order to be at risk of an attack. Who knows what you might be required to do to quell that attack?

I'm not saying how much anyone should carry. I'm just pointing out that violent attacks can happen anytime, anywhere, not just war zones.

 

[therewolf]

Oh, absolutely, they can happen anywhere.

Another thing which can happen is, instead of Elmer carrying his 1911, and extra MAGs,

along with all the rest of his EDC, one day he says "oh bother" and doesn't bring his gun

at all, because it's too much ruck to haul. Guess what day he's attacked? I would

respectfully submit the .45 you do carry, is better than the .45 with extra mags you

don't carry.

 

[XD40scinNC]

Not in all attacks (and that's not just gun attacks). Home invasions are often more than one attacker.

Also, it's not just the number of attackers that matter. The circumstances and environment of the attack matter, too.


I haven't read all the gun stories out there but the ones that I have read or seen on TV don't always go into the good-guy shooting details of how many rounds were fired. That's not something I've kept track of.

The point is, one doesn't have to live in a war zone in order to be at risk of an attack. Who knows what you might be required to do to quell that attack?

I'm not saying how much anyone should carry. I'm just pointing out that violent attacks can happen anytime, anywhere, not just war zones.

No argument with these things can happen anywhere. Actually the better the neighborhood, the more tempting the target. Richer people have nicer things to steal.

The topic is also about "carry", while out and about, not home defense. The carjacker at Wal-Wart, the punk watching the ATM, often solo.

True, home invasions are often 2 or 3 bad guys. And frequently the story goes, 1 shot, the rest flee, plus this is not a 'carry' situation where packing spare mags comes into play. My HD gun is my largest capacity, and same for the gun on the wife's side of the bed.

A few examples;
http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/police-homeowner-shoots-home-invasion-suspect/4377949/
Pistol-packing deli owner fires at robbers in gripping surveillance video | NJ.com
Police: Homeowner shoots, kills intruder in southwest Charlotte - | WBTV Charlotte
Dallas Homeowner Fights Off Home Invasion « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
Concerned citizen holds Lowcountry burglary suspect at gunpoint - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

 

[Reba]

No argument with these things can happen anywhere. Actually the better the neighborhood, the more tempting the target. Richer people have nicer things to steal.

The topic is also about "carry", while out and about, not home defense. The carjacker at Wal-Wart, the punk watching the ATM, often solo.

True, home invasions are often 2 or 3 bad guys. And frequently the story goes, 1 shot, the rest flee, plus this is not a 'carry' situation where packing spare mags comes into play. My HD gun is my largest capacity, and same for the gun on the wife's side of the bed.

A few examples;
http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/police-homeowner-shoots-home-invasion-suspect/4377949/
Pistol-packing deli owner fires at robbers in gripping surveillance video | NJ.com
Police: Homeowner shoots, kills intruder in southwest Charlotte - | WBTV Charlotte
Dallas Homeowner Fights Off Home Invasion « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
Concerned citizen holds Lowcountry burglary suspect at gunpoint - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

Got it.

Thanks for the links.

 

[bofh]

Oh, absolutely, they can happen anywhere.

Another thing which can happen is, instead of Elmer carrying his 1911, and extra MAGs,

along with all the rest of his EDC, one day he says "oh bother" and doesn't bring his gun

at all, because it's too much ruck to haul. Guess what day he's attacked? I would

respectfully submit the .45 you do carry, is better than the .45 with extra mags you

don't carry.

You are stating a false dilemma (also commonly known as false choice). The choice is not between 1911 and extra mags OR no gun. The choice is between 1911 and extra mags OR 1911 and no extra mags. Nice try though.

 

[bofh]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
OR, leave Beirut, and move to an area where your life isn't

dependent upon the logistic support of your firearm...

As I said, those that have trained know what I am talking about and know why "topping off" is important. You just show your level of training with this comment. :wacko:

FYI: A handgun is the wrong weapon of choice in Beirut. So, even when trying to make a joke, you screw up.

 

[bofh]

First, there are other reasons to reload than having multiple attackers. The single attacker not being stopped while you running your gun empty would be one important reason. A double-feed during a gun fight would be another one. To clear it, you have to eject the magazine anyway. As most malfunctions are magazine related and you have no idea during a gun fight on how many rounds are still in that magazine, loading a new, full magazine after a double-feed is the recommended procedure.

Second, just because recent attacks in the US were committed by a single shooter, doesn't mean future attacks won't be committed by multiple shooters:

• Four attackers killed 63 people and wounded more than 175 people at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013. Do you think that this can't happen in the US?
• Three attackers killed 89 people at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, France, in 2015. Do you think that this can't happen in the US?
• Two attackers killed 13 people and at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, in 1999. Oh, wait, that actually happened in the US!

As I said before in this thread:

No one ever said "Why did I bring all this ammo?" after a gun fight. Think about that for a moment.

 

[HKS]

So when carrying a firearm, either open or concealed, depending on how many rounds your mag holds, what are we trying to be ready for. 1 assailant, a mob, a terrorist attack, all of the above?
So should we carry 1, 2, 3 or more extra mags, a backup gun, 200 extra rounds in the car, a long gun in the trunk. Does it depend on what part of the country you live in?
I am interested in opinions, let me know your thoughts.

In most cases, one or two assailants is the most likely scenario, so an extra mag is probably not necessary. Even so I always carry at least 1 extra mag.

If you find yourself unlucky enough to be up against a cell of terrorists, like the muslim couple in San Bernardino, then having several extra mags will come in handy as you try to keep them pinned down while the poleece arrive.

Most articles that I have read point out that against several shooters with AK's or AR's you are at best going to be hopeful of pinning them down in their place, and that will take a lot of bullets.

Generally speaking one extra mag should suffice however.

 

[NavyLCDR]

I CC to exercise my rights. The actual gun itself is a deterrent

Ummm.....how does a gun that the criminal cannot see and thus does not know the potential victim is carrying deter that criminal from attacking that potential victim?

 

[Reba]

Ummm.....how does a gun that the criminal cannot see and thus does not know the potential victim is carrying deter that criminal from attacking that potential victim?

Maybe he's referring to the gun after it's drawn out of concealment? Otherwise, I don't get it.