I started carrying a spare again after Buffalo.
I think Buffalo and Uvalde both had guys with body armor? I know Buffalo did.
I started several things. Carry a bigger gun to shoot and control well (acquired a duplicate to the gun I compete with), carry a spare magazine, and look to get a durable RDS (I’ll need to hit something small, long ways off, or give my self an advantage against someone with a rifle), start practicing dryfire and drawing from concealment with the same model gun I compete with. Look to start USPSA again.
I was already carrying full size guns, but got a bit lazy with the spare magazine and dryfire.
I like the idea of a P365, etc. and recommended one to a friend last week (he has to carry deep concealed and with a tucked in shirt) with an Enigma.
I like the idea of pocket carry, but as one other said here - it’s not the odds but the stakes.
God Bless,
Brandon
According to Google, beer pong is a sport because it has its own world series. Sandals are legit sports attire.
Doesn't read posts longer than two paragraphs.
I almost always carry a reload, in part because once one makes the decision to carry and deal with the associated occasional minor discomfort and inconvenience, the spare mag or speed strip or whatever doesn't really add anything onerous to that. Better to be ready for the outlier event and it's not difficult.
There's some good discussion above related to personal choices, and that's what I really want to talk about. Because I tend to be involved in a series of work projects that last for anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and can be anywhere in the U.S. or beyond and in anything from an urban office environment to remote wilderness, I perhaps need to re-evaluate those personal choices more often than many. There's no single answer for what I do, so it's important to do that evaluation often.
In the pandemic era, working from home, it's easy. I'm in a small place five miles off the main highway, violent crime is rare and no one can remember when the last homicide was, more than 30 years for sure. Any of several options work here. That's not been typical in the past though (and it's only 10 minutes drive to the nearest tweakers and junkies, so go over the bridge and the evaluation changes).
The more remote project sites make it easy to carry whatever seems to be the best tool, and as many spare mags as necessary. General rule of thumb is the further from civilization and the greater the potential risk (illegal grows, dogs, feral pigs, etc., depending on where), the more spare ammo gets carried.
Urban sites can be less intuitive. For a couple years I spent a lot of time in Oakland, which like most large cities is a fairly heterogenous place. What's counterintuitive is that while some neighborhoods are higher risk, there are also lots of NPE's which sometimes restricted the choice to a J frame in a pocket and a couple of speed strips. Having grown up in Chicago before carry was an option, I tend to think situational awareness is the single most important thing. Everything else is just for the rare time when that isn't enough.
Last edited by Salamander; 06-23-2022 at 10:21 PM.
I have a Ruger LCP. I don’t carry in the neighborhood often (mowing the lawn, walking in the neighborhood on lunch breaks), church, or in the gym.
I’m contemplating an enigma, P365, etc. at some point for something like that. But pretty much everywhere else - grocery stores, parks, downtown, restaurants, etc. Glock 34 with a spare magazine. It’s comfortable for my body type for whatever reason.
God Bless,
Brandon
My perspective is that a spare mag will likely not be required for most people but is super cheap insurance with few downsides as long as it does not displace something that may be potentially more important (fixed blade, flashlight, etc) to complement your pistol.
I like others have seen mags dropped in ECQC and I think it can be more than a training or skills issue…I happened to end up with two guys ontop of me after running the 17T to malfunction (sim / FUT) and dropped the mag, ran the slide and tossed the gun. With multiple adversaries I could easily imagine one of them going into a 2 on 1 vs my pistol hand and being unable to effectively retain the mag because I’m defending with the support hand against positioning / strikes.
In that circumstance I think a clinch pick is more important than a spare mag, as I have no illusions of doing a speed reload in a FUT, though in ECQC and in life situations are constantly changing and reloading the gun at a break in the engagement is plausible.
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A57460
CTC lasers : Pistols = ABS : automobiles