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Thread: Spare carry mags? Really?

  1. #1

    Spare carry mags? Really?

    I get the whole idea, but how realistic is it... Maybe if you live in an area with high crime. But even if you do, what are the chances of not only firing your pistol, but having to reload it? It's the 0.001% chance of being in that situation that has redefined carry essentials. I watched the new TFB video about the Glock 43 vs. 43X vs. 48 and they say having a grip that's .75" longer is no big deal because it offers much more ammo capacity.

    I think being able to conceal it in the first place is where you should start, not with capacity.

    With lots of videos where Navy Seals give you their opinion on EDC items and how many mags you should stow in your belt, I think it has led many people thinking you need to be prepared for 10 guys trying to kill you like we are living in a John Wick movie.
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  2. #2
    An empty gun is a great paperweight. Sucks to fight with though. Your call.
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  3. #3
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    One of the arguments for carrying one or more spares is that the mag is the heart of the system and also prone to damage/problems. Without one your pistol is less than handy.


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  4. #4
    Site Supporter Coyotesfan97's Avatar
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    Magazine failures are the #1 malfunction. I look at carrying one spare mag as insurance to fix a failure.
    Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
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  5. #5
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    Other than a reload, there's a couple of other good reason to carry a spare mag or two:
    -Balance. It can help balance out the gun on your belt.
    -Clearing a jam. Sometime, dumping the mag is the best and only way to clear a jam. And since a lot of feeding problems are mag related, dumping the one and going to a fresh one may be your best bet, even if it takes the rest of your life to do so.

    And, to quote "Unforgiven", "I don't want to get killed from lack of being able to shoot back".
    "You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
    "I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
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  6. #6
    Member olstyn's Avatar
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    Sure, the odds of actually needing a spare mag are quite low, but the effort required to carry one is also quite low. Oh, I have to thread something which is an inch and a half wide onto my belt! How will I ever manage such a monumental task?

    Based on the above, I personally view it as more of a "why not" than a "must have."

    YMMV, of course - on some level, by carrying a gun at all, you're preparing for a low-percentage scenario, so you've already acknowledged that low-percentage things do happen, and therefore the idea that you might need an extra mag at some point shouldn't seem completely insane. Unlikely, sure, but not impossible.

    ETA: Also, I'd like to be alerted the first time someone hears of a gunfight survivor/victor complaining that they had too much ammunition available to them.
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  7. #7
    Site Supporter Sero Sed Serio's Avatar
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    Within the past few months I went out into the world with a single-shot carry gun because I had put a mag into a different G19 and forgot to switch back. A spare mag gave me a full up gun as soon as I realized.

    When my boss was a cop he had a civilian return his P229 mag to him from where it popped out and was sitting on a restaurant seat.

    Another cop I know bumped his mag release with his flashlight and dumped a mag while holding a hallway during a building search.

    I’ve lost count of the number of left-handed cops I’ve given a quiet word that the mags in their Glocks were dislodged.

    Lots of weird stuff and human errors happen in the real world. I view spare mags as a way to fix malfunctions (including inadvertent empty gun) first, but as one of my instructors used to say, the only time you have too much ammo on you is if you’re on fire or drowning, which is a secondary benefit.

    Somethingsomething odds, somethingsomething stakes...
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  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by olstyn View Post
    Sure, the odds of actually needing a spare mag are quite low, but the effort required to carry one is also quite low. Oh, I have to thread something which is an inch and a half wide onto my belt! How will I ever manage such a monumental task?

    Based on the above, I personally view it as more of a "why not" than a "must have."

    YMMV, of course - on some level, by carrying a gun at all, you're preparing for a low-percentage scenario, so you've already acknowledged that low-percentage things do happen, and therefore the idea that you might need an extra mag at some point shouldn't seem completely insane. Unlikely, sure, but not impossible.
    Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".

    So carrying in the first place is an example of preparing for the worst, and carrying a spare mag is preparing for the next worst thing. But at what point does this burden intersect with reality? And if you carry a pistol that malfunctions from time to time, why are you carrying it? (No one specifically in this thread.)
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  9. #9
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    I once spotted a security guard in PNG doing a cash pickup with no mag in his S&W Model 59. That could have led to an awkward silence instead of a bang.
    "You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
    "I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
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  10. #10
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt_J View Post
    Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".

    So carrying in the first place is an example of preparing for the worst, and carrying a spare mag is preparing for the next worst thing. But at what point does this burden intersect with reality? And if you carry a pistol that malfunctions from time to time, why are you carrying it? (No one specifically in this thread.)
    Because that first shot when you need one may be the first indication that your gun has problems. Things happen beyond your control, and it's good to have options.

    And a single double stack mag (or a pair of single stacks) isn't all that much of an extra burden. I've toted both with a 1911 under a t-shirt and shorts in the Florida summer.
    "You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
    "I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
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