In the army, us riflemen carried 6 spare magazines. But we were there to ultimately use our weapons because that was our job. My risk calculus tells me I will never even use my firearm but if I do one mag will be sufficient.
In American Handgunner Mas Ayoob has written up several incidents in
which extra mags made the difference in self-defense shootings.
One that comes to mind is when a shooter on the way back from the range
came to the aid of a cop attacked by gang members. He went through
several mags before the affray ended.
He wrote up another affray where a bunch of revolvers, stashed in a business,
were used to defend the owner against attacks.
There are more but these are the ones that came to mind tonight
I've got some thoughts on this, but probably not going to articulate them very well:
First I think it depends on how you see yourself and what tribe you identify with. I think many of the folks on here see themselves as serious practitioners of the martial art of the pistol, and identify with the group that is likely to think being over prepared is being merely prepared - kind of the old 'two is one and one is none' thing, except with magazines in this case. I don't think anyone can fault that mindset.
I've always tried to live by what I told my students - 'survival means surviving all the risks, not just the sexy ones.' I think everyone needs to do a realistic risk assessment and tailor their habits accordingly, not falling into the trap of being prepared for the sexy risk at the expense of others.
I carry a spare mag about half the time. Best practice is to carry one all the time for reasons stated up thread. If I am carrying my G43, I ALWAYS carry a spare mag.
If you really don't like carrying an extra mag, you can always add a J frame.
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That's what I carry. I know carrying a spare mag is good, there's no question about that. The reasons have been discussed. However, it's a decision derived from paranoia, which makes me question the actual chances of needing it. You just never really know I guess, that's all it comes down to.
Like folks said, we don’t care if you do or don’t.
I absolutely do, I actually carry two. A back up for mechanical failure or me being a dumbass. It balances the gun on my belt/pockets. And gives me a warm feeling that I am a few rounds shy of a box of ammo in my pants.
In all reality in the way I live my life, I have a very small chance of ever using my gun but still carry.
I will answer a sentence or two here. "I know carrying a spare mag is good, there's no question about that." Ok. Then the point of this thread is? Are you just wanting confirmation from the hive mind as to your thoughts? Fine, no sweat.
"However, it's a decision derived from paranoia, which makes me question the actual chances of needing it." Well, this I would question. I have noticed over the centuries that "paranoia" gets tossed around by many people who can be pretty careless with it. Can they actually define it? Do they really know what it is and looks like? Yea, probably not. And not to be trite, but using the rough & tumble definition of it as "someone's out to get me", this forum is populated with people who truly think there are. And they're right. A recent event in Memphis is a fine example. It's why we carry. So the reality of the world we live in is there is a small percentage of people who have zero compunctions about harming/killing others. Some really enjoy it. There are some who it's their driving force and goal in life.
So if you ask me (and you did) I say that all the reasons listed here above are excellent for carrying a (or more, your call) mags. I am in a small minority who would go further and say that carrying a short barreled 9mm is . . . no, never mind. That'll derail this thread and I'll get dog-piled for sure.
In the end, you're correct - you just really never know. That's what it all comes down to. Good luck and may your choices make you happy and serve your needs perfectly.
Cat