No doubt covered many times but.. Rounds Carried In Gun?

[Amishman44]

On what should one base the number of rounds one prefers to carry? One's gut? One's experience? Statistics?
Recent lethal-force statistics suggest the current avg is 8 rounds per incident [1].
The old avg of 2-3 rnds has increased over the years; a bit because of the shift from revolvers to autos, but more significantly due to changes in handgun tactics.
The incidence of situations involving multiple attackers is also increasing. Should that factor into one's calculus? I think so.
Can one get by with less? Maybe? Who knows? It depends.
As you decrease the number of rounds carried, the probability that you won't have enough (if a situation arises) increases. They are inversely related.
If friends ask me, for the above reasons I suggest they consider something with a payload of at least 8 rounds if they can. Most end up with something on the order of 15 rounds (and carry a spare mag).
You pays your money and you takes your chances.
[1] - John Farnam - Enough Ammunition

I think it's really up to the individual and their belief or comfort level in how they feel they need to be prepared to protect themselves!

When I was single...I carried a 5-shot, SP101 .357 for years very comfortably! I never felt I needed anything more...ever!

But as I've grown older...and my experience has changed, improved, been re-considered, etc...I'm now a big believer in the .45 acp cartridge! I've gained an appreciation for the 'bigger-is-better' approach...and am making the transition to .45! As always, I'll probably end up with more than one...but they'll be guns I become very familiar with and develop the capability to shoot well before I would consider carrying them!

One other issue is the changes in how crimes are being carried out...and the greater number of incidents's involving larger numbers of groups committing crimes together! Being aware of one's surroundings and definitely knowing when to get the heck out of Dodge can go a long way to preventing being a victim of crime!

Stay alert...even though you may not be able to prevent the crime from occuring, having a split-second to prepare to defend yourself can go a long way toward not being a victim! Your mind is still your best defense and/or weapon!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

What is the caliber (not asked originally) and number of rounds both in the firearm and available to you to reload it that makes each of use feel comfortable when facing the unknown each day.

My minimum is my Sig P220 in .45 ACP with 8+1 and a spare magazine plus an LCR as a backup (.38+P) with one speed strip or my GP100 in .357 with two speed loaders (18 rounds of .357) and the LCR.

I wouldn't mind having more capacity, I've just yet to find a double stack I shoot better than the single stack P220 or a quality revolver. If I ever do, I'll adopt it in a heartbeat, this is a tool to save your life, not a religious icon. I'm of the opinion that speed and accuracy are more important in more encounters than capacity. There are always statistical outliers, no doubt about it, but preparing for the least likely events at the expense of preparing for the most likely isn't good sense.

 

[AlwaysVigilant]

Much like everything else in "carry land". People will do whatever they want, and will rationalize anything to their preferred way of thinking...its called human nature. Logical breakdown is a must for anyone really wanting to find the optimum "fit" for who they are and how they live. In this day and age, for personal carry, the pistol is defensive instead of offensive because of the way laws work. You almost always don't get to pick the fight or the conditions, and this must be weighed for those that care.

Tons of factors:

OC or CC. Not as a matter of debate on which is better, but rather what fits your needs in your life. I CC because it is necessary in my job and most places I go in my off time. For others this is not a concern, so OC is their choice. This creates limits on size and capacity by default, but also in how you train and what it takes to be excellent at getting the gun into the fight.

Next up is manual of arms. Not all firearms have the same functions available in all sizes, calibers, and designs. Do you want a manual safety or not? DAO, DA/SA, SA? Hammer/no exposed hammer? Striker? Trigger pull weight? This is not only a practical matter with how you carry but how you train as well.

Then there is the loaded weight of the gun and the size of the gun vs. carry method and carry equipment...belts, pockets, rigs etc.

Last is environment. Home is different than the usual day, which is different than the occasional trip to unfamiliar territory and areas of town.

Boiling it down for me is this:

What can I carry that is a good balance between shoot-ability (which can be trained and practiced regardless of what you chose...important to remember), carry-ability for my given environment, comfort both physically and mentally, effectiveness in as many scenarios as possible.

In summary more rounds is preferable anytime you can have them in a pistol that fits your criteria...why wouldn't they be?! A reload is never a bad idea either, no matter how many rounds you have in the gun...again why would it be?! Avoid the pitfalls of making excuses because something requires extra effort, training, or whatever, and many of the "arguments" will simply disappear. Not a popular sentiment, but its true.

The easy button is not for prtecting lives, its for ordering office supplies.

 

[timsdl72]

I think you took one sentence and ran with it while disregarding the rest, because I agree with just about everything you've said above. My point with the example is that it's a personal choice, and your threat risk may look vastly different than someone else's. There isn't a cookie-cutter answer to the OP's question. I wasn't suggesting you should strap on 150 rounds to mow the grass.

Yep, I did! Might do it again if I see a comment that suggests 150 rounds should be considered reasonable. However, I'm glad to see you weren't promoting it. We all know of circumstances where we choose to carry more. As an example, it's not uncommon for me to leave the car without my EDC if I'm headed into the gas station at noon on a saturday. However, that doesn't happen after dark. If I'm in Indy, the EDC is a constant companion and if it's dark and I'm out of the car, bank on me having the reloads and a backup. I hope I never see the need for 150 as a "normal" state of affairs.

BTW, retirement plans include Wyoming or Montana property. I probably won't mow with 150 but I bet 25-50 of 45-70 or .454 will be at hand with a nice lever gun and same chambered revolver when roaming about the property!