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Minimum 13, up to 50 depending on gun and circumstances.

Kinda depends on the gun, but in principle, I always carry at least one reload. That looks like this:

• 3" Kimber: 7 + 1 in the pipe, plus 1 8-round mag, sometimes 2 8-round mags.
• 5" Springfield: 8 + 1 in the pipe, plus 1 8-round mag, sometimes 2 8-round mags.
• M&P 45: 10 + 1 in the pipe, plus 1 10-round mag (if shoulder holster carry, I'll pack 2 extra 10 round mags).
• M&P340: 5 rounds in gun plus 1 5-round speedloader.
• Kahr PM9: 6 + 1 in the pipe, plus 1 7-round mag.

It's worth mentioning that with the first three guns, deep concealment is not as much of a priority, and consequently I am more apt to pack more than one reload. With the last two guns, these are for pocket carry or deeper concealment because of their small size and light weight, and carrying more than one reload begins to offset the advantages of their size and weight.

Also, it is an old saw that once you get into a firefight, you'll wish you had packed a suitcase full of ammo. I can't think like that. Because of my back, I can only carry so much extra weight around. I don't carry a gun so that I can get in a firefight. I carry a gun to defend myself. If I have to shoot more than a magazine load, then I urgently need to be elsewhere. The main reason I carry a backup magazine isn't because I expect to shoot a magazine dry, but because there is always the possibility with a semi-automatic pistol of a magazine induced failure of some kind. So I carry a backup magazine in case of one of those kinds of failures. Note that of the carry guns listed above, the 10 round capacity M&P magazine is the highest capacity magazine I own for any of my pistols. My wife has a 15 round Glock 19, but it is not her primary carry gun. That honor goes to 5 shot revolver, and that is about to get replaced by a 7+1 shot 9mm. She also carries 1 speedloader for her revolver, or 1 backup magazine for either the Glock or her Kahr CW9.

It's another old saw that a pistol is used to fight your way back to the long gun you should have never put down in the first place. In the highly unlikely event that I was ever going to find myself in a firefight, I'd be packing an AR15 and about 5 extra 30-round magazines. I'm not going to criticize the decision of any CHLer to carry more than one or two back up mags/speedloaders, but I just don't see the need for it myself. I can run like a heffalump if I'm scared enough.

I am presently sporting my XDm 3.8 9mm compact with 13 +1. I have a 19 round mag on my weak side. I don't always carry the extra mag with this gun, depends on how I am feeling. If I carry my Kahr, it is 6 +1 with a spare 7 rd mag at all times. Just can't feel happy with only 7 rounds knowing what the miss ratio is when the adrenaline is pumping. For that matter, I would carry spare mags always if they were easier to carry.

RJ

in the car:

M59: 15+1 in the gun plus two 14 round mags. Total of 44 rounds of 9mm.

When I get my CHL...dunno, can't decide on a gun or caliber yet.

Excaliber wrote:Minimum 13, up to 50 depending on gun and circumstances.

Where are you going that you feel may require 50 round of ammo? Baghdad?

Depends what I'm carrying;
357=15 + 6 for the Texas Defender= 21
9mm= 46 + 6 for the Texas Defender= 52

Today at one point I was carrying 49 rounds in mags for my G23. Now if you count the ammo can full of .22s that I carried around this afternoon we're talking in the thousands.

Typically I carry 14 rounds. Most of the time there are officers around who all carry 40 cal glocks so if a gang of zombies ever attacked I could bum a mag or two.

Enough, I hope.

Added in Edit:

loadedliberal wrote: Where are you going that you feel may require 50 round of ammo? Baghdad?

How about inside the loop...Houston?

loadedliberal wrote:

Excaliber wrote:Minimum 13, up to 50 depending on gun and circumstances.

Where are you going that you feel may require 50 round of ammo? Baghdad?

Maybe Oak Park?

I always have two extra magazines for whatever is my primary carry that day. A) not so much for round count as, has been mentioned, if Murphy decides to rear his head and cause a mechanical failure; and B) two spare mags instead of one just because I never bother to buy a single mag holder--double mag holders are useful for other things like IDPA, single mag holders not so much--and besides, I don't mind the extra weight balancing the pistol on the other hip. Ditto if I happen to be using (which is only occasionally) a shoulder rig because, hey, there are two mag holders on the other side, so I might as well put something in 'em.

I'll often have a tiny BUG in a front pocket, but I only bother to carry a spare mag for it in another pocket if that's the only gun I'm going to carry due to dress/social event requirements, which is rare.

If it's just the BUG and only one spare mag, 13 total rounds. If it's the XD(m) .40 (my highest capacity carry gun) plus the BUG, that's 56 total rounds. So I can see exactly where Excaliber's coming from. Typically, though, I carry a small Kimber, so 22 rounds, plus 7 in the BUG if I have it with me.

Primary-Glock 17 with one spare magazine and Surefire flashlight-total 34 rounds

Secondary-Keltec P3AT .380 with two spare mags-total 18 rounds

Thirdly-Benchmade folder pocket knife (beats harsh words)

As many have said, I dont plan on being in a drawn out fireworks show but "once we are in the fight, it aint over, until its over."

Brian Mobley wrote:Primary-Glock 17 with one spare magazine and Surefire flashlight-total 34 rounds

Secondary-Keltec P3AT .380 with two spare mags-total 18 rounds

Thirdly-Benchmade folder pocket knife (beats harsh words)

As many have said, I dont plan on being in a drawn out fireworks show but "once we are in the fight, it aint over, until its over."

I forgot the knife.... I carry one of these:
CRKT M21-14


The thing is, I'd use it if I absolutely had to, but I would have considered myself to have lost the fight already if I'm at contact distance. My goal in life is to never get into knife distance with anybody. My CRKT, despite being all tacticool 'n stuff, is largely relegated to opening envelopes and boxes, and occasionally cleaning my fingernails.

....but I do keep it sharp, just in case....

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Brian Mobley wrote:Primary-Glock 17 with one spare magazine and Surefire flashlight-total 34 rounds

Secondary-Keltec P3AT .380 with two spare mags-total 18 rounds

Thirdly-Benchmade folder pocket knife (beats harsh words)

As many have said, I dont plan on being in a drawn out fireworks show but "once we are in the fight, it aint over, until its over."

I forgot the knife.... I carry one of these:
CRKT M21-14


The thing is, I'd use it if I absolutely had to, but I would have considered myself to have lost the fight already if I'm at contact distance. My goal in life is to never get into knife distance with anybody. My CRKT, despite being all tacticool 'n stuff, is largely relegated to opening envelopes and boxes, and occasionally cleaning my fingernails.

....but I do keep it sharp, just in case....

EWWWwwww! You'd stab/cut someone with a knife you used to clean your fingernails!! That's just WRONG! (and totally disgusting!)

21

sjfcontrol wrote:EWWWwwww! You'd stab/cut someone with a knife you used to clean your fingernails!! That's just WRONG! (and totally disgusting!)

I spit on my bullets too, before putting the cartridges in the magazine.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:EWWWwwww! You'd stab/cut someone with a knife you used to clean your fingernails!! That's just WRONG! (and totally disgusting!)

I spit on my bullets too, before putting the cartridges in the magazine.

When I got married (many moons ago), the marriage came with a couple of pre-teen boys (tweenagers). The first time we had pizza, there were a few pieces left over for the next day. The boys licked the pieces they wanted to "reserve" for themselves. Step-dad put an end to that little procedure. I don't think I'd want to eat a piece of pizza that even **I** had licked the day before. Yuck!

(we now return to your regularly scheduled topic, already in progress...)