Situation is causing me to rethink carrying capacity

[Scott]

I'd like to add to all the recent talk about switching to 9mm from whatever caliber your carrying now. As a lot of you have been doing, I have thought about switching from carrying a 40 and going back to just 9mm. A few weeks back I observed a guy pointing a Glock at another person. As if that wasn't enough, what really got my attention was the 33 round magazine sticking out of the end of the gun. Gun was pointed sideways, no doubt. It's also not the first time that I have ran across this. Usually a banger caught with it in a car. Anyway, just wanted to add something else to think about. As for the situation, no one was harmed.

[nightmare69]

Kinda hard to conseal with a 33rd mag sticking out the back, may be a bit unconformable driving also.

[C-dub]

I think there is a 31-round one for the .40 if you'd like to go there and not switch back to 9mm.

[mr1337]

I'd like to add to all the recent talk about switching to 9mm from whatever caliber your carrying now. As a lot of you have been doing, I have thought about switching from carrying a 40 and going back to just 9mm. A few weeks back I observed a guy pointing a Glock at another person. As if that wasn't enough, what really got my attention was the 33 round magazine sticking out of the end of the gun. Gun was pointed sideways, no doubt. It's also not the first time that I have ran across this. Usually a banger caught with it in a car. Anyway, just wanted to add something else to think about. As for the situation, no one was harmed.

Did you call the cops?

Also, keep in mind that the majority of gun fights only last 2-4 rounds. But, there's no such thing as too much ammo. I carry 15+1 in a Glock 19 plus an extra fully-loaded mag of 15 rounds. Not so much for firepower, but just in case I need to clear a malfunction with the main magazine, I can swap them out.

[MechAg94]

I think there is a 31-round one for the .40 if you'd like to go there and not switch back to 9mm.

Who makes the 31 rounder? All I have is the 22 round mags.

[ghostrider]

Who makes the 31 rounder? All I have is the 22 round mags.

not Glock :-)

http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/-31-Roun ... -p2297.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://glockparts.com/detail.aspx?prod=156645&manf=148" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MechAg94]

Okay. I might look at the one, but I have had no good results buying Korean mags. Only ones I have used that seem to work are M1 Carbine mags.

[The Annoyed Man]

Is 40 poorly placed rounds of 9mm going to make up for 5 well placed rounds of .357?

I'm not making fun of capacity, but all the capacity in the world won't make up for A) poor judgement in where you go, and B) poor shot placement if trouble finds you anyway.

I do appreciate the capacity argument, and I capacity-up or down according to where I'm going, how far from home I'll be, and how long I'll be away. BUT..... there is a limit to how much I am willing to carry. "[F]or God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)

With that in mind....... I have two "hi-cap" guns at my disposal. One is my XD(M)45-Compact 3.8. It has a 9+1 magazine, and a 13+1 extended magazine (I have two of those). If I carry both extended mags, I have 36 rounds of .45 ACP on hand, but I almost never carry both. If I need more than that, I need an AR15, not another pistol magazine. The other "hi-cap" gun is a Glock 19, with 31 rounds of 9mm. If I need another 15 rounds, I need an AR15.

If you need LOTS of rounds, then no handgun is going to fill the bill, and you need an AR15 and several 30 round mags. Well, that doesn't really work for me as a daily carry strategy. I think an AR SBR or AR pistol stored in your vehicle is a great idea......but I'm talking about what you can carry on your person, and still look like a harmless person, hiding in plain sight, without drawing attention to that pair of 3-gun sextuple magazine holders bulging out the sides of your windbreaker.

33 round magazines are fine in a standoff, but they are too much for most people to carry around.....and that's 9mm. A 31 round mag of .40 weighs more, and a 27 round mag of .45 even more yet. It's just not practical for most of us.

Some people are fond of saying that you never wish you had less ammo in a firefight. But I'm even more fond of saying that I don't live and move in such a way as to get into firefights. I really do think that it is possible to take things too far, and to let your fears govern your actions. This is not denial. This is trying to live without a spirit of fear. The nation has some serious challenges from potential terrorists, and from criminals sneaking across a border that the feckless moron in the White House refuses to defend because he is trying to build his party the illegal way.......literally. But, the likelihood that any of it will affect any one individual of us today any more certainly than it would have 5 years ago, or 10 years ago, is slim. Whatever the risks were to you a decade ago, that is pretty much the risks to you today.

Dress accordingly. For me, that usually means either a 5 shot .357 plus a reload, a 5+1 shot .45 plus a backup 7 rnd mag, or a 9+1 shot .45 plus a backup 13 round mag. I simply refuse to live in fear of the boogyman.

[patterson]

I agree with Annoyed Man

[rbwhatever1]

I'm with TAM. Calm, methodical, well placed shots will give one the best chance of surviving an incident.

I wonder if they make these for 1911's...

[Beiruty]

A pistol is not a SMG. I carry a minimum of 31 rds of 9mm. If you need more, then you are fighting a war. Run for your rifle hide.

[Jumping Frog]

Let's not forget Travis Dean Neel who saved the life of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Flores. Flores was attacked by four men and shot five times. Neel fired 39 shots using 3 fifteen round magazines to drive off the attackers. Most of that was suppressive fire.

Would he have preferred a rifle? Sure. But he used the tools he brought to the party.

Is a defensive gun use with 39 shots fired unusual? Of course .... But it is not unheard of.

Carrying, whether 5 rounds or 50 rounds, is not about living in fear. It is also not about probabilities, as none of us are likely to require armed defense. It is simple prudence and preparedness, no different from a kitchen fire extinguisher or stocking hurricane supplies. Where we draw the line at number of rounds is entirely individual. Personally, I prefer erring towards the higher end of the range.

[mr1337]

Let's not forget Travis Dean Neel who saved the life of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Flores. Flores was attacked by four men and shot five times. Neel fired 39 shots using 3 fifteen round magazines to drive off the attackers. Most of that was suppressive fire.

Would he have preferred a rifle? Sure. But he used the tools he brought to the party.

Is a defensive gun use with 39 shots fired unusual? Of course .... But it is not unheard of.

Carrying, whether 5 rounds or 50 rounds, is not about living in fear. It is also not about probabilities, as none of us are likely to require armed defense. It is simple prudence and preparedness, no different from a kitchen fire extinguisher or stocking hurricane supplies. Where we draw the line at number of rounds is entirely individual. Personally, I prefer erring towards the higher end of the range.

Great points. The guy that runs the LegallyConcealed Youtube channel recently made a point that statistics don't matter. And by that I infer that he meant probabilities don't matter. When it happens to you, it's 100%. It's not a 15% chance, or a 1 out of every 500 people statistic. It's 100% you, right then and there.

I think it's amazing how Neel was able to out-gun four hardened criminals just by having some extra capacity.

Also a note about having a rifle. If you have time to go get a rifle, chances are you're able to exit the situation safely and you're able to get to a safe place. Unless, of course, you're law enforcement. For the most of us, our handgun is what we've got, and whatever capacity we bring with us is what we'll have when stuff hits the fan.

[VMI77]

Is 40 poorly placed rounds of 9mm going to make up for 5 well placed rounds of .357?

I'm not making fun of capacity, but all the capacity in the world won't make up for A) poor judgement in where you go, and B) poor shot placement if trouble finds you anyway.

I do appreciate the capacity argument, and I capacity-up or down according to where I'm going, how far from home I'll be, and how long I'll be away. BUT..... there is a limit to how much I am willing to carry. "[F]or God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)

With that in mind....... I have two "hi-cap" guns at my disposal. One is my XD(M)45-Compact 3.8. It has a 9+1 magazine, and a 13+1 extended magazine (I have two of those). If I carry both extended mags, I have 36 rounds of .45 ACP on hand, but I almost never carry both. If I need more than that, I need an AR15, not another pistol magazine. The other "hi-cap" gun is a Glock 19, with 31 rounds of 9mm. If I need another 15 rounds, I need an AR15.

If you need LOTS of rounds, then no handgun is going to fill the bill, and you need an AR15 and several 30 round mags. Well, that doesn't really work for me as a daily carry strategy. I think an AR SBR or AR pistol stored in your vehicle is a great idea......but I'm talking about what you can carry on your person, and still look like a harmless person, hiding in plain sight, without drawing attention to that pair of 3-gun sextuple magazine holders bulging out the sides of your windbreaker.

33 round magazines are fine in a standoff, but they are too much for most people to carry around.....and that's 9mm. A 31 round mag of .40 weighs more, and a 27 round mag of .45 even more yet. It's just not practical for most of us.

Some people are fond of saying that you never wish you had less ammo in a firefight. But I'm even more fond of saying that I don't live and move in such a way as to get into firefights. I really do think that it is possible to take things too far, and to let your fears govern your actions. This is not denial. This is trying to live without a spirit of fear. The nation has some serious challenges from potential terrorists, and from criminals sneaking across a border that the feckless moron in the White House refuses to defend because he is trying to build his party the illegal way.......literally. But, the likelihood that any of it will affect any one individual of us today any more certainly than it would have 5 years ago, or 10 years ago, is slim. Whatever the risks were to you a decade ago, that is pretty much the risks to you today.

Dress accordingly. For me, that usually means either a 5 shot .357 plus a reload, a 5+1 shot .45 plus a backup 7 rnd mag, or a 9+1 shot .45 plus a backup 13 round mag. I simply refuse to live in fear of the boogyman.

When I'm in the mood for revolver carry and less concerned about concealment, it's 8 rounds of .357, plus two speed loaders, for a total of 24 rounds....though sometimes I don't bother with the speedloaders.

[LDB415]

I carry 15+1 in a Glock 19 plus an extra fully-loaded mag of 15 rounds. Not so much for firepower, but just in case I need to clear a malfunction with the main magazine, I can swap them out.

A+, correct answer!