Spare Magazines

[Arbninftry]

Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.
Robert Rogers 1757

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robe..._of_Ranging%22

Don't forget nuthin!

[Hot Sauce]

I use these: Persec Appendix Mag Carrier

I'm a really big fan of them.

[LSW]

I usually carry a double magazine carrier with a couple of 15 round mags for my M&P and my wife is afraid I'll be characterized as some kind of rambo wannabe if I was ever involved in anything. I really don't see why you wouldn't carry a reload or two if you're going to carry a pistol, the extra weight is marginal. Also a consideration, I used to carry the spare mag in a pocket holster, but after training with that method vs using the OWB kydex mag carrier under a t-shirt, the reload split times are almost twice as long from the pocket. While OWB is slightly less comfortable and less concealable, the speed and dexterity with which the reload occurs is so much greater with the kydex owb that I no longer carry a reload in the pocket unless there's no other choice.

Still searching for a good IWB mag holster, the JM looks interesting. Tried a comptac leather IWB, but it's such a tight fit with an M&P mag that the whole pouch and clip just gets ripped off my belt when I try to use it. It's all leather but I don't know if I have the patience to really break it in.

[Cypher]

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."

This thread is the reason I joined this forum. This topic comes up a lot on the internet but this is the only thread I've ever seen with monolithic agreement on the topic.

I've never been in a gun fight, I've witnessed a few shootings but I've never once been required to draw my weapon in self defense. I carry spare magazines because I've been taught that changing the magazine is the simplest way to reduce a malfunction (something else I've never had to do outside of training). I carry 2 because it really doesn't seem like all that much to carry and as Mr. Ayoob said the cops in my town seem to carry 2 as the standard.

[Malamute]

I'm a hillbilly, I usually carry a spare G mag in a pocket, though 1911 usually one or two on the belt, and maybe another in a pocket. Theres enough spares in the console to stay busy for a while though.

[JustOneGun]

Years ago someone in my agency took an X-ray of a G22 mag fully loaded. The spring was quite twisted. Download it by one and it was not twisted. I replaced my mag springs every year whether they needed them or not. I still download by one and replace the spring every year in my carry mag(s).

As for carrying an extra mag, as an officer I carried two, of course. As a civilian I usually don't carry any extras. Sometimes I still get the habit and grab it. For me the natural limitations of civilian gunfights leaves me not only questioning whether I would need all 14+1 rounds, but in the event of an on-going problem I plan on heading the other way. As for malfunctions I can't see spending any more time tapping and racking when I am taking bullets. I plan on doing something else. Usually I train for a tactical retreat. In civilian language that means I am going to run, run, run, or stab, stab, stab depending on where I am in relation to the bad guy. As usual, YMMV.

[Cypher]

If it's just me I'm going to run like Hell. The problem is my wife, she's crippled, she can't run and I'm not going to leave her.

I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be Joe Badass, I'm old, I'm fat and I'm not the slightest bit tactical but I promise you I'll die or they'll die before they get to her.