How many rounds?

[74novaman]

How many are you carrying daily? I have a PT145, 10+1

74novaman - I bought a PT145 yesterday - haven't shot it yet due to lack of ammo. How do you like it? Have you had any problems with it.

Carry count:

Baretta 92FS - 15+1
Walther PPK/S - 7+1 and spare 7 rd. mag.
Taurus PT145 - 10+1

Not a single problem with mine. The Heine sights take some getting used to, but they're not bad. I've had 400 rounds through mine, and no problems. The pistol feels great, shoots great, and is nice and small for carry.

Fun fact- The magazines from a 24/7 Pro will fit in the 145, and you can get a spacer from Taurus to fill the gap. I plan on carrying with the flush 10 round, and carry a 12 round 24/7 mag as my backup mag.

[USA1]

Fun fact- The magazines from a 24/7 Pro will fit in the 145, and you can get a spacer from Taurus to fill the gap. I plan on carrying with the flush 10 round, and carry a 12 round 24/7 mag as my backup mag.

good to know that

[Mike from Texas]

For me, it's not about the round count. It's about having a backup plan in case of a mag failure, ammo failure, multiple BGs, etc....I'm by no means looking for a gunfight but I also refuse to be a victim due to not having enough.

Here's "Skiprr's Deep Thought of the Day." Mull over the term "gunfight." Considering your choice to carry a gun, what do you think is the most important component of the term? "Gun" or "fight"?

Gabe Suarez has commented that in his years as a trainer he's found most students to be "hardware-centric" rather than "software-centric." By that he means that we more often believe "gun" is more important than "fight."

Suarez is specifically commenting on training versus equipment, of course, but I'll posit that an extra mag or two, a knife, a good flashlight, a can of pepper spray on your keychain, even a BUG are all elements (not to ignore training) of "fight," not "gun." They're preparation for an "in the unlikely event of" incident.

The thing with a firearm is that, once you go to gun in the face of a threat, no further escalation is possible. You can't take it back and you can't call a time-out. There's no referee and there are no rules. If you're prepared to go to that extent, you'd also better be prepared to win the fight, whatever the fight proves to be. And we all know Murphy has a way of quickly changing what we expect...or even what we initially perceive.

Part of that "software" training Suarez was talking about is what to do after you are forced to pull the trigger: 1) stop the immediate threat; 2) scan for additional threats; 3) improve your position, if possible (e.g., nearby cover); 4) reload; 5) scan for threats; then 6) call 911. And scan for threats. And keep scanning. I'd personally never want to be greeted, whether by a responding LEO or by the initial threat's MS-13 brother who'd seen the encounter and decided to weigh-in, if my gun is less than fully-charged and operational.

Let me clarify, I'm not looking to get in a shootout with anyone. If I am ever in a situation where the gun part comes into effect I would like to think that I am prepared to bring the fight along with the gun. Since I have never been in that type of situation I can't say for sure but I am pretty darn sure I would bring plenty of fight.

[Skiprr]

Let me clarify, I'm not looking to get in a shootout with anyone.

My observation wasn't directed at you. You were just fortunate enough to have used the key word, "gunfight."

I've offended some before by stating, "A gun is not a magic wand." My comment was another way of saying essentially the same thing. Knowledge and willingness to prepare, and knowledge and willingness to do what needs to be done if the unthinkable happens are more important than merely deciding to stick a pistol in a pocket.

Preparation includes training, practice, continuous improvement, and the decision of which clubs you choose put into your golf bag and which ball to use...to bring the metaphor back to extra mags and other equipment.

[Mike from Texas]

Let me clarify, I'm not looking to get in a shootout with anyone.

My observation wasn't directed at you. You were just fortunate enough to have used the key word, "gunfight."

I've offended some before by stating, "A gun is not a magic wand." My comment was another way of saying essentially the same thing. Knowledge and willingness to prepare, and knowledge and willingness to do what needs to be done if the unthinkable happens are more important than merely deciding to stick a pistol in a pocket.

Preparation includes training, practice, continuous improvement, and the decision of which clubs you choose put into your golf bag and which ball to use...to bring the metaphor back to extra mags and other equipment.

Didn't take it as anything negatively directed at me. Just wanted to clarify that I believe I would bring plenty of fight to a gun fight.

[Skiprr]

Didn't take it as anything negatively directed at me. Just wanted to clarify that I believe I would bring plenty of fight to a gun fight.

Thanks. And good on ya!

[The Annoyed Man]

Like Excaliber, I carry one spare mag always, sometimes two.

Round count? Depends on what I'm carrying at the moment.

5 + 5 for a 642 S&W
7 +1 + 7 (+7 if needed) for a Kimber 1911
7 +1 + 7 (+7 if needed) for a Springfiled 1911
12 + 1 + 12 for a USP Compact

The thing is for the USP, I only own the one spare magazine that came with the gun. But that still gives me a total of 25 rounds carried, which exceeds the 22 total rounds of either of my 1911s, so I don't feel particularly under armed with only one spare magazine. And, part of the carry equation for me is comfort. Since I carry my spare mags in IWB holders, I can carry two spare single stack magazines with acceptable comfort. But the double stack USP mags are fairly bulky to carry, and I don't think I could comfortably carry a 2nd spare that way, so I've never bothered to buy a second spare.

[jlangton]

The KP944 has a 10+1,and I carry a spare 10 round in a single mag pouch. The extra mag helps balance out the weight of the gun on the opposite side,and rides right next to the cell phone,so it's virtually undetectable. It's also a black nylon carrier that looks like a flashlight/knife pouch,so even seeing it doesn't alarm folks.
JL

[mr.72]

well AFAIK there is no requirement to conceal loaded magazines generally speaking... likewise it is perfectly legal, as far as I can tell, to have magazines loaded with ammunition lie unattended in a bag or on your key ring set right on the table at Starbucks. Now maybe this isn't wise but certainly I wouldn't get all nuts about trying to conceal a magazine with ammo. Yeah someone might see it and assume you have a gun on you but I seriously doubt most people who are not carrying will recognize a magazine carried openly as a pistol magazine, and those who will recognize it probably picked up on some other cues you are carrying anyway, like the bulge along your belt line and your "Glock Perfection" t-shirt.

[NcongruNt]

10+1
One or two spare 15rd'ers
Sometimes a BUG.

i would have to get some suspenders to hold up my britches with all that steel and lead

Nah, just a good gun belt.

As for me, I carry 15+1 in the Hi-Power (9mm) and 2 extra mags.

Then there's the BUG (Ruger LCP), which is 6+1 and 1 extra mag.

That puts me at a total of 57 rounds that I tote around.

There is more than one reason I do this. As Excaliber mentioned, multiple attackers is a possible scenario one might face. It happens a lot.

The other main reason is to mitigate the risk of a failure. I test my equipment regularly to make sure it is reliable, but there are some circumstances that may require a backup plan.

In the case of magazine failure, a backup mag is cheap insurance. Consider that an altercation turns up close and personal, and in the ensuing tussle, the floorplate of the mag strikes a hard surface, forcing it off. Suddenly, you're down to one round. Having an extra mag on your person gives you an option to recover from that.

In the case of a gun failure or hard jam, you're stuck without a gun. In a confrontation against an armed criminal, this is very bad. This is why I carry a BUG. The BUG also gets an extra mag for the same reasons the Hi-Power does.

[03Lightningrocks]

Wow...some of you fellers hang out in some really rough places! I believe I would move if I lived in a war zone.

[Excaliber]

well AFAIK there is no requirement to conceal loaded magazines generally speaking... likewise it is perfectly legal, as far as I can tell, to have magazines loaded with ammunition lie unattended in a bag or on your key ring set right on the table at Starbucks. Now maybe this isn't wise but certainly I wouldn't get all nuts about trying to conceal a magazine with ammo. Yeah someone might see it and assume you have a gun on you but I seriously doubt most people who are not carrying will recognize a magazine carried openly as a pistol magazine, and those who will recognize it probably picked up on some other cues you are carrying anyway, like the bulge along your belt line and your "Glock Perfection" t-shirt.

As you note, it probably wouldn't be the smartest thing to have magazines open to plain view. I agree. I don't agree that an openly carried pistol magazine wouldn't be readily recognized for what it is by many (though certainly not all) folks. Remember, this is Texas.

While it may not be illegal, you'll never see a serious armed professional exposing magazines in this manner unless he is in uniform.

This might be a good time to consider the concept that, when in doubt, it's generally unwise to engage in practices the pros avoid because there's usually a pretty good reason for their behavior.

Identifying oneself as the "shoot me first" target, "scaring the horses unnecessarily," and providing fodder for dinnertime conversation along the lines of "Honey, you'll never believe what I saw some gun nut do in Starbucks today" come to mind in the topic under discussion here.

Also, if an LEO (on or off duty) happened to observe openly displayed magazines next to someone's latte, the looks one would receive from him wouldn't be admiring glances, and with his curiosity aroused some uncomfortable conversation would be pretty likely to follow with the initial observer and the backup officers he'd invite to the party. If that happened, the subject of the story might not fare well if he was printing that day.

[Excaliber]

10+1
One or two spare 15rd'ers
Sometimes a BUG.

i would have to get some suspenders to hold up my britches with all that steel and lead

Nah, just a good gun belt.

As for me, I carry 15+1 in the Hi-Power (9mm) and 2 extra mags.

Then there's the BUG (Ruger LCP), which is 6+1 and 1 extra mag.

That puts me at a total of 57 rounds that I tote around.

There is more than one reason I do this. As Excaliber mentioned, multiple attackers is a possible scenario one might face. It happens a lot.

The other main reason is to mitigate the risk of a failure. I test my equipment regularly to make sure it is reliable, but there are some circumstances that may require a backup plan.

In the case of magazine failure, a backup mag is cheap insurance. Consider that an altercation turns up close and personal, and in the ensuing tussle, the floorplate of the mag strikes a hard surface, forcing it off. Suddenly, you're down to one round. Having an extra mag on your person gives you an option to recover from that.

In the case of a gun failure or hard jam, you're stuck without a gun. In a confrontation against an armed criminal, this is very bad. This is why I carry a BUG. The BUG also gets an extra mag for the same reasons the Hi-Power does.

NcongruNT has shared some seriously good thinking here.

When a really bad day comes along, if you're prepared for just about everything to go wrong and something doesn't, you're ahead of the game and your plan still works.

If your plan only works if everything goes exactly right, the bad news is you'll find yourself in the soup every time.

The good news is, if the situation is bad enough, you'll only have this unpleasant experience once.

[jbirds1210]

What and how much I carry is dependent on who I am with and where I am going.

I agree.....it just depends on what I am doing. I carry anywhere from a sub-compact Glock with one extra mag to a full sized Glock with three extra mags (40 or 9mm really just depends on my mood ).

If I am with the Compvest crew......I might just grab some popcorn and sit back for a few minutes.

Jason

[CompVest]

What and how much I carry is dependent on who I am with and where I am going.

I agree.....it just depends on what I am doing. I carry anywhere from a sub-compact Glock with one extra mag to a full sized Glock with three extra mags (40 or 9mm really just depends on my mood ).

If I am with the Compvest crew......I might just grab some popcorn and sit back for a few minutes.

Jason

We could all be in trouble then. Especially as I was thinking the same about hanging out with you!