Gun cap - ##+1, do you FULLY load your weapon

[SecedeTX]

I carry a rather low capacity firearm daily. One in the tube, and replace an extra in the mag. I only have 7 rounds. And yes, an extra mag at all times. 15 rounds is not a lot in a a problem arises situation. Mall shooting comes to mind.

My thinking is, if I miss on the first 14 rounds, that 15th round could get me out of the fight.

Same thing with my AR. I can miss my first 30, but I need to be NINJA accurate with the one left in the tube.

I have a minor in statistics. Always overplan for the unexpected, hoping you never need it. If you are 5 standard deviations out of the norm (which a firefight would probably qualify), have enough backup to get you through (through = alive)

If anyone would like me to expand on standard deviation theory, I can turn this into a dull thread in a matter or seconds :)

Sorry for being a math geek

[BrianSW99]

Looks like I'm in the minority here, but I don't top off the 15rd magazine in my Glock 19. I may or may not carry 1 spare mag in a cargo pocket. The reason is, I always keep at least one mag fully loaded with SD ammo and when I have to unload the gun for some reason, like for an IDPA match, range practice, cleaning, etc, I know from experience if I'm not able to put the chambered round back in the magazine there's about a 95% chance it's going to get lost. I know thats the fault of my own disorganization, so that may not be an issue for everyone.

I'm personally comfortable with carrying 15 instead of 16 in the gun. If I were carrying a single stack gun with with only a 7 or 8rd capacity, I would go ahead and top off.

Brian

[Humanphibian]

Para P-13 Limited kept -1, full backup on belt with light, 2 full back-ups in the truck with the AR @30rnds M855 and 6-10 backups....depending on which bag I left home with

[Seabear]

I always carry # + 1, I see no reason not to. Yes sometimes when I go to the range I end up with a round of SD ammo in my pocket. No biggie, I know where it is.

I had something interesting and eye opening happen a couple weeks ago. I guide hunts on a large ranch, and I have gotten in the habit of carrying my 5 shot snubby while working. I carry the first two chambers loaded with snake shot, and then 3 SD type rounds. When I am in my truck I normally have a rifle or shotgun or both handy. Well, as luck would have it, 4 of us went to go release two HUGE hogs from a trap. One 350 pounder had crippled the other one that was about 250 lbs. Our original plan was to let these hogs go because we didn't want to clean them and the land owner doesn't like for us to just drag them off. We decided we would have to put the crippled one out of it's missery for sure, well the larger hog was doing eveything he could to chew through the trap to attack. We figured if we managed to get him out we were going to be in for a fight, so we decided to put them both down. As it turned out I was the only one armed and I only had three rounds capable of dispatching these hogs. You had to be there, LOL the large hog was snapping and lunging at me eveytime I tried to get close to make a clean shot. That's when it hit me, I only have three rounds!!!!!!!!!!!! It really gave me a sick feeling, knowing if I didn't put them out with one round each I was a long way from more ammo. Fortunately each hog went down instantly with a +p Gold Dot behind the ear.

Afterward, it sure got me to thinking about my carrying habits on the ranch, and how it could also transfer to my "on the street" carry techniques. More ammo is definitely better. I didn't like that feeling of knowing I might not have enough to do the job.

On a side note, even though my snubby is a .357, those .38 Gold Dots I had it loaded with did wonders. It's nice to know they could do the job, the largest hog was about the most PO'd and violent hog I have ever seen. He had shredded the other hog, and was intent on doing the same to us. Mr. Gold Dot said "nighty night".

[smasraum]

Well, I'm on a road trip across 4 states tomorrow, and I'm going to be packing 19+1 plus two more mags for a grand total of 58 rounds. I hope I don't need any of them, and I hope I don't find myself thinking "I wish I had more ammo."

[lonewolf]

I admit it. I don't top off the mag after chambering. That gives me 14+1, 15 in another mag and 10 in another for a total of 40 rounds available. And yes, I keep the 10 and 15 round spares in the same location every time, in such a manner that should it be required I will always grab the spare 15 rounder first....

I need another 15 rounder to carry rather than the 10, but have reduced my work hours to 1/2 while attending college, so things are a little tighter in the budget area. Did stock up on a few hundred rounds of ammo, though........for all my guns.....

[RPB]

I admit it. I don't top off the mag after chambering. That gives me 14+1, 15 in another mag and 10 in another for a total of 40 rounds available. And yes, I keep the 10 and 15 round spares in the same location every time, in such a manner that should it be required I will always grab the spare 15 rounder first....

I need another 15 rounder to carry rather than the 10, but have reduced my work hours to 1/2 while attending college, so things are a little tighter in the budget area. Did stock up on a few hundred rounds of ammo, though........for all my guns.....

I'd pop the "10" in, chamber one, pop it out put it in the "9" carrier, and insert a 15
I'm a slow reloader

[drjoker]

I normally don't carry, but when I go on long road trips, I do. When I do, I realize that I'm NOT in a war zone. 58 rounds of ammo is gonna be real heavy and hard to carry all day long. I'm also afraid that my magazine spring will be worn out by too much pressure, so I actually carry 1-2 less rounds than the full capacity of the mags/gun. For example, if it's a 1911 with 7+1 round capacity, I'll carry 7 rounds only. If it is 15+1 round glock, I'll carry 14 rounds. I need to preserve my mags more than I'll need to count on that 1 extra round. Most SD shootings are over in 1-3 shots, so 7-14 rounds should be plenty. I also never carry extra mags, but rotate their use, again, to avoid wearing out the mag spring. Instead of carrying a spare mag, when I carry, I'll carry a spare mouse gun. I figure it'll be easier and faster to pull out a gun and shoot than, trying to unload, reload, and rack the slide while someone is shooting at you. Besides, guns sometimes malfunction.

The ideal mouse gun would be a Kel-Tec P3AT or one of it's copies (Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP, etc). For example, the P3AT weighs 11 ounces fully loaded. A Glock 21 magazine weighs 12 ounces. A fully loaded P3AT weighs less than just the magazine for other guns. In other words, it is easier to carry a BUG than a spare mag and better, too, since guns sometimes fail to function (yes, even Glocks have failed me before).

Look at your CCW right now, chances are it's got lint in it from pocket carry or carrying under clothes to conceal it. Now, take it to the range to shoot without cleaning it first. Did it fail? I've had Glocks fail with lint in it. Sometimes, life happens, we get busy and forget to clean our guns. That's what a BUG is for.

[Excaliber]

I normally don't carry, but when I go on long road trips, I do. When I do, I realize that I'm NOT in a war zone. What you need 58 rounds of ammo for? That's gonna be real heavy and hard to carry all day long. I'm also afraid that my magazine spring will be worn out by too much pressure, so I actually carry 1-2 less rounds than the full capacity of the mags/gun. For example, if it's a 1911 with 7+1 round capacity, I'll carry 7 rounds only. If it is 15+1 round glock, I'll carry 14 rounds. I need to preserve my mags more than I'll need to count on that 1 extra round. Most SD shootings are over in 1-3 shots, so 7-14 rounds should be plenty. I also never carry extra mags, but rotate their use, again, to avoid wearing out the mag spring. Instead of carrying a spare mag, when I carry, I'll carry a spare mouse gun. I figure it'll be easier and faster to pull out a gun and shoot than, trying to unload, reload, and rack the slide while someone is shooting at you. Besides, guns sometimes malfunction.

The ideal mouse gun would be a Kel-Tec P3AT or one of it's copies (Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP, etc). For example, the P3AT weighs 11 ounces fully loaded. A Glock 21 magazine weighs 12 ounces. A fully loaded P3AT weighs less than just the magazine for other guns. In other words, it is easier to carry a BUG than a spare mag and better, too, since guns sometimes fail to function (yes, even Glocks have failed me before).

Look at your CCW right now, chances are it's got lint in it from pocket carry or carrying under clothes to conceal it. Now, take it to the range to shoot without cleaning it first. Did it fail? I've had Glocks fail with lint in it. Sometimes, life happens, we get busy and forget to clean our guns. That's what a BUG is for.

I wouldn't be carrying a gun if I didn't think I might need it, and if I do need it, I've seen enough shootings not to expect any I might encounter to fall in the "average" category.

As someone else has pointed out, folks who survive a firefight never complain about having too much ammo left over, but I've seen cases where they ran out and really wished they hadn't. There are lessons there for folks who don't want to repeat the latter experience.

Two spare mags, even at my age, don't get me huffin' an' puffin', so I find it no trouble to carry them. Whether they hold 7, 8, 10, or 20 rounds, it still doesn't make enough difference to me to make it worthwhile to leave one or both at home just so I can travel lighter.

The concept of a backup gun is valid for times when the first one fails, and a tiny gun drawn from deep cover can bail you out sometimes when nothing else will. However, I don't view a mini .380 as an equivalent replacement for another magazine for my primary because the fact is the pebbles from a mousegun just don't deliver the same results as 230 grain hollowpoints from my .45. My primary gun also points, aims, and shoots more accurately both at distance and at moving targets, and my reload time with a spare mag is just about the same as my draw time with a second gun.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but in over 35 years of carrying all kinds of service quality guns, including Glocks, for extended periods under less than ideal conditions, I've never had a stoppage that I could remotely attribute to lint, dirt, sand, or other crud. I do pay attention to my guns, and can't say it can't happen, but with anything close to reasonable weapon care practices, I wouldn't put it in my top 20 worries.

YMMV.

[RAM4171]

Colt Officers' .45 all stainless steel 7+1, an extra 10 rd, an extra 8 rd, and .380 with 7 rds. The extra rds and the BUG are all on the offside, I feel that balances the weight of the all steel primary. The business that I'm in produces a couple of trailer loads of scrap aluminum each year, when I go to the scrap yard to sell I'll carry a third or fourth gun. I just feel real uneasy walking in South Dallas with a couple of grand cash in my pocket especially when a whole lot of dregs just watched a couple of guys spend an hour or so unloading a ton or more of metal from my trailer, and then me walk into the office for five minutes and then walk out , everyone else goes to a teller window with b.r. glass.
But I digress, always top of the mag in the gun and carry two spares

[Excaliber]

Colt Officers' .45 all stainless steel 7+1, an extra 10 rd, an extra 8 rd, and .380 with 7 rds. The extra rds and the BUG are all on the offside, I feel that balances the weight of the all steel primary. The business that I'm in produces a couple of trailer loads of scrap aluminum each year, when I go to the scrap yard to sell I'll carry a third or fourth gun. I just feel real uneasy walking in South Dallas with a couple of grand cash in my pocket especially when a whole lot of dregs just watched a couple of guys spend an hour or so unloading a ton or more of metal from my trailer, and then me walk into the office for five minutes and then walk out , everyone else goes to a teller window with b.r. glass.
But I digress, always top of the mag in the gun and carry two spares

Under those conditions, a Level IIIA vest and another armed individual who maintains physical separation from you so you couldn't both be confronted at once would not be extravagances.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm also afraid that my magazine spring will be worn out by too much pressure...

drjoker, just to let you know, you really don't need to worry about that with modern handguns. You will not wear out your springs by keeping your magazines topped off. That is a myth. It might have been true 60 or 70 years ago, like back in WW2, but spring metallurgy has come a very long way since then, and keeping your magazines topped off will NOT hurt the springs.

Secondly, also by way of comment, as I posted previously in this thread, I carry an extra magazine, and on some occasions, two spares; but the reason for doing so has little to do with round count. One of the most common causes of jams, failures to feed, etc., in semi-automatic pistols is magazine failure. Therefore, I carry a backup magazine in case the primary magazine fails. And by the way, magazine failures are most often due to magazine follower issues or a dirty magazine, not spring issues.

The conclusion is that, for safety's sake, you really should carry at least one spare magazine if you're going to carry a semi-auto. Again, it's not so much about round count as it is about mechanical backup.

[phrogg]

And just to answer the OP's question: Yes I carry +1 all the time. All those rounds spent most of their lives together in a box and I'd hate to see them separated from each other when they could still hang out in a magazine and chamber together for a while :-).

[OldCannon]

I also never carry extra mags, but rotate their use, again, to avoid wearing out the mag spring.

Turns out, this is exactly what you should NOT do if you're worried about wear. Compression and Uncompression is what leads to spring wear.

I used to think that way as well. Now I just leave all my mags fully loaded and don't worry about it.

[Poldark]

G19 most of the time with a spare mag in my pocket( +p ammunition) or on my belt and at times my S&W 637 revolver + one speedloader,both with IWB holsters. Always one up the spout.

I do have a Kimber Pro Carry II and am considering transitioning this to my EDC.