Joe Doakes from Como Park emails
I like this line:
“if your day has reached the point where you’ve had to pull a gun and start shooting, it’s already taken a statistically unlikely turn and is unlikely to get any more normal from that point. You don’t want to be the one to forfeit for inability to shoot back.”
What’s the consensus at SITD – extra mag, or no?
Joe Doakes
If I owned a gun – which I don’t, because they terrify me and I could never shoot anyone – I’d say “Yes”.
Thoughts?
If I were to carry, I say yes. Two thoughts behind that:
Better to have and not need, than need and not have.
Ammo is cheap, your life is not. Anything worth shooting once is worth shooting again.
I agree with shakingmyhead.
While shakingmyhead is mostly correct, anything worth shooting once, is only worth shooting again if it remains a threat of death or gross bodily harm. Just saying.
In my state magazines are restricted to 10 rounds. That’s enough for one short session firing .45 ACP. I need a break after ten shots for my hand to settle, check the target, etc. I don’t think a bigger magazine is really practical for a 1911, though I think that I have seen aftermarket 12 or 14 round magazines.
But the restriction is “security theater.”
I have two magazines. It takes considerably less than a second to swap magazines & fire.
I would like to own a parabellum with 18 rounds in the magazine, but I won’t buy one with the magazine restriction. There is a reason they were designed with a high capacity magazine.
A big, slow .45 ACP round can be fatal if it hits a person just about anywhere. A .22 round is a lot less deadly, but the ten round restriction is on every hand and long gun. It is silly.
Seems like I vaguely remember from reading somewhere, not that I would carry an evil pistol or heaven forbid shoot anyone….but doesn’t clearing jams involve a second magazine sometimes?
Perhaps the answer is “can you conceal both the gun and the extra magazine appropriately?” If the answer is “yes”, then by all means keep the extra magazine around.
They make belt holsters with an attached magazine pocket.
Just remember – as my carry permit trainer said: You are not shooting someone, you are delivering kinetic energy to neutralize a threat. Therefore I wouldn’t recommend neutralizing the threat with any less kinetic energy than a .380 round!
JD: Any idea how many armed law enforcement officers were in close proximity to Reagan when he was shot?
Emery: any idea how the shooting of Reagan differs from a typical case of self-defense by a carry permit holder? Hint; take the class. As Fat Albert said, if you’re not careful, you might learn something.
I see all sock puppets are on parade today. And not a coherent thought between them. Not that any are expected.
Yes. Ideally you want a spare. Any real training you will ever do will involve spare mags.