Or, how many rounds should you carry and in what way? I’ll start by saying that I almost certainly carry far more than I need. I’ve always heard the “rule of 3’s.” Three shots at three yards in three seconds. That’s great. It’s also an average. While the rule of 3’s tells me that all I need is my J-frame with no spare ammunition I’m unconvinced. Statistics are great but should I ever need my gun I won’t be in a statistical fight, I won’t be shooting a statistic, and I won’t be under attack by a statistic.
For me, I’m not just planning for people. I live in the desert and spend some time in the rural areas. Snakes, javelina, rabid animals, mountain lions, bobcats, etc. There is no shortage of things I might need a gun for protection from.
So what I try to do is balance what is likely, which the rule of 3’s, vs what is possible while still not loading myself down.
Table of Contents
How many rounds do you need?
Probably three. But as I mentioned above, “probably” doesn’t really make me feel all warm and fuzzy and I don’t think it should you, either. On the other hand we’re not cops and will often have the option of withdrawing. Even if you’re in a stand your ground state that doesn’t always make standing your best option. Sometimes it’s best to leave if a situation develops around you, whether you’re involved in it or not.
It also depends on your daily life. If you’re a drug dealer who’s in some sort of dispute with other drug dealers I suppose you should be carrying as many magazines as you can possibly fit on your belt and in your pockets. Also, if this describes you then please find another way to make a living; this one isn’t healthy for you.
Please keep in mind that the opinions I’m about to give are just that: my opinions. You have to decide what works best for you.
Crime can happen anywhere. As can civil unrest, as we’ve seen lately. Having said that, if you spend all your time in low-crime areas then I’d say a revolver or a single-stack 9mm or .380 with a reload is probably sufficient.
Going camping, hiking, or somewhere you’ll be all alone and far from help or witnesses? More. A lot more. Forty, fifty, even more. You’re all alone and, depending on your location, you may have threats other than the two-legged kind to worry about. I can’t prove it but I’m assuming it takes more rounds to stop or discourage a bear than it does a person.
Is round count the only reason to have more ammo?
Nope. What’s the procedure to clear a double feed? Part of it involves stripping the magazine out. If that’s your only magazine then you have to make sure to hold on to it which means putting it in a pocket or something while you work on the gun. Then retrieving it from wherever you temporarily stored it to get it back. When I have a spare mag it’s in an easily accessible mag carrier on my weak side so I can get to it quickly. So when clearing a double feed the mag in the gun can just be dropped if I’m under time pressure.
It’s also theoretically possibly for a magazine to just fail. In that case a spare is also necessary. I once saw someone load a magazine into a rifle. As soon as he pressed it home and it clicked the mag just came apart. Bottom plate, spring, follower all went flying. We found all the rounds but never did find all the pieces of the magazine.
Finally, it’s become more common for guns to come with magazines with different round counts. One for concealment and the second for more rounds. My Shield came with a 7 round and an 8 round. The 7 conceals better but the 8 is longer and makes it easier to control the gun because there’s a space for my pinky now. My CZ RAMI came with a 10 round and a 14 round. The point is, you probably carry with the shorter magazine to reduce printing. If you do end up in some sort of extended fight and you have cover and time it might be worth doing a tactical reload just to get the bigger magazine in the gun to make it more controllable. You should obviously practice this so you can do it without fumbling.
How many more magazines?
Keeping in mind the above, one is probably sufficient. You are realistically more likely to need the spare for malfunction clearing than for the extra ammunition. Still, I make it a point to make sure I own at least three magazines for my carry guns. Sometimes I will carry both spares. In The Shootist, John Wayne was explaining to Ron Howard about carrying on an empty chamber. And Ron’s character asked, “What if you need that sixth shot?” To which the Duke replied: “If your insides tell you to load six, then load six.” If those quotes are wrong, sorry. I’m doing this from memory. The idea being that if you have a feeling you want more rounds then carry more that day. Best case scenario is that you carried something you didn’t need.
I am normally fine with a single spare magazine. It’s easy to carry, takes up very little space, and I practice reloads regularly. For years I carried my M&P Shield with 7+1 and a single 8 round spare and felt perfectly comfortable with that. It’s still a viable option for me.
Another option
Of course, you may not need a spare magazine at all. You could also have a second gun (where legal; there are places it is not.) New York reloads are a thing and they’re effective. If you’re set up correctly pulling another gun can be faster than swapping a magazine. A major failure on the part of your primary weapon is solved by a second gun.
This is one of the things my J-frame is for. It’s normally in my left front pocket. I’m right-handed and my primary is my RAMI on my strong side. I also like the option of being able to draw a gun with either hand. If my strong side happens to be busy I can still defend myself.
There are a few considerations.
- You have to make room on your person for a second gun which takes up more space than a second magazine.
- You have to practice with two different guns, although to me that just means “more fun.”
- You may have to practice with your off hand. My practice with my J-frame is about 70% left hand. I wrote an article recently extolling the virtues of shooting with your off hand.
Which one is right for you?
It’s a choice only you can make. Also keep in mind that it’s not an either/or choice. I’m carrying more ammunition than normal lately. I’m avoiding any areas where civil unrest is likely to occur and if I see anything forming around me my first and best option is to leave. The world is imperfect and I may get caught out. If you’re someone who lives in or near an area that civil unrest is happening leaving may not be a viable option for you.
I’m also carrying more ammunition than normal lately because I have some new magazine carriers that I’m testing; that’s not really a consideration for most people.
What’s my answer? When I’m in a non-permissive environment I carry only my J-frame. I have two Bianchi speed strips for reloads. They’re six round strips for a total of 17 rounds. Speed loaders are another option but those are bulkier. Again, non-permissive environment. Speed strips are very, very concealable in a pocket. Even more so than a spare magazine. They’re also better for tactical reloads. Although whoever named them “speed” strips was wildly optimistic. I have an article about such things.
For normal life I have my RAMI strong side IWB and my J-frame in my pocket as I said above. I still have the speed strips. I may or may not have a spare magazine for my RAMI. As I mentioned, I am testing mag carriers so sometimes I will have two spare magazines for the RAMI. The 14 round that came with it and a 16 round from a CZ 75B. I normally do not carry the 16 round magazine.
If you do the math I can have up to 58 rounds on me, 42 when not testing mag carriers. Is that too many? Oh, yeah. I don’t need anywhere near that. The 17 I have when I have only my J-frame is much more reasonable. I would be perfectly comfortable with just the RAMI and the J-frame (16 rounds) without spares. It is extremely unlikely that I will need anywhere near 40+ but unlikely doesn’t mean impossible and it costs me so little in terms of money and effort to have some extra ammunition there’s really no reason not to.
How many rounds do you carry and how? Let me know in the comments.
