When you are only carrying your snubby...

[dusterboy49]

If I was carrying only a snubby, I would hope to be in a position where I could go for a head shot at close range.
Of course circumstances would not always permit a head shot.

 

[Ryno300]

I don't carry a snubby often, but when I do carry a speed loader. More often I carry a semi-auto and I ALWAYS carry an extra magazine. My thought is really not about the need for additional ammo, but more so a pack up / alternative if I have a magazine jam.

 

[usaf64]

I carry a .38 special and an LCP. That gives me 12 shots pretty quickly. Sometimes I also carry two speed strips (12 more shots) and an extra magazine for the LCP (6 more shots). I bought a little camera case at Meijer's which I carry the spare stuff in. When I first started carrying about 8 months ago all of this went with me all the time. Since then though, I only carry the camera case rarely. I also carry two knives. My self-defense instructor who was a retired IMPD officer stressed the importance of never giving up in a fight. Snubbies are about as reliable a weapon there is, which is why I bought one. The LCP is a quick way to get "reloaded" and also can be a good way to thwart a robber. I carry it in my back pocket. If he wants my "wallet" I can produce it, take a step to the side and stop the threat.

 

[augdog]

Speed strip in my back pocket or speed strip in my right front watch pocket

 

[Captain Bligh]

I have never carried more than what whichever gun I was carrying held.

This. I hate carrying extra stuff on my person. I think a prolonged fire fight is quite unlikely for most of us.

 

[gungirl65]

I carry a snubby SP101. I usually carry 10 extra rounds with me.

 

[BIGKAT9]

I also carry sp101 snubby always have one speedloader when i put it in my pocket,when using shoulder holster i have 2 speed loader pouches .

 

[Excalibur]

Not really a revolver guy, but if I were, I would think to get a speed loader. But it depends on what I am wearing

 

[TTravis]

I figure that if I shoot well enough,
there will be guns lying on the ground that I can pick up if needed.

 

[bwframe]

My "snubby" is a little more at 3", yet still it takes a LOT of practice to be proficient with it. I carry two speed strips which are terribly slow to load, but I have them and they lay flat in my pockets. One cylinder sticking out from my body is all that I can tolerate.

I would strongly suggest to anyone that carries a "snubby" as their primary weapon to take a SD pistol class with it to get a firm understanding of what it will and will not do and what they can and can not do.

 

[El-Cigarro]

Do you carry a reload of some kind? i.e. speedloader, speed srip, a couple loose rounds

I know from reading, that in most self defense situations there are not too many rounds fired. Snubbies hold 5, subcompact 9's hold 6 or 7 and 1911 hold 7 or 8, so I was curious if a reload for a snubby is a good idea?

I carry 1.

 

[gglass]

Yes...

 

[danmdevries]

Not usually. Speedloader in the truck. I don't carry a second magazine regularly either if I'm carrying an auto. LCR is my winter carry in my coat, PPS in the summer. Neither carries many rounds but both are light and unobtrusive. Adding a second magazine/load makes it less so.

 

[.452browning]

I carry a speed strip with my .38 stubby. But I carry my G17 as primary with a spare magazine also.

 

[jmiller676]

Carrying extra ammo is like buying 2 gallons of milk at a time. Nobody wants to wake up Sunday morning and be out of milk.

 

[cosermann]

Lots of good reasons given in the thread so far, for carrying a reload.

…I know from reading, that in most self-defense situations there are not too many rounds fired. …

Really? What are you reading? When was the data collected? Could be older information.

… Studies have shown that sometimes it takes 5 shots. Others have shown that it took 10. ...

In addition to the other good points lovemachine makes (and others in the thread), this is getting closer to what I think is a good "number” in our modern context. The number of rounds fired has risen a bit over the last 25 yrs for at least two reasons: 1) the shift to semi autos (although this didn’t affect the avg as much as you might think), and 2) changes in tactics/training (more effective tactics I might add) that favor a more active defense.

Based on the most recent interpretation of the data I’ve seen, the avg number of rounds fired is about EIGHT (8) [1]. Keep in mind this is the current average. It’s not extreme. It’s not preparing for the worst situation that might come along. It’s average. Furthermore, it’s an average in the context of police use of service calibers. I’m not sure we’d get the same number if we collected data for civilian use and/or smaller calibers like .380acp, .32acp, etc., but we've got to base our decisions on something.

Ergo, I try to never carry a primary handgun with a capacity less than 8, unless there’s some kind of odd limiting circumstance, and always carry at least 1 reload for my primary (usually 2). I want to be able to cycle through a minimum of 8 rounds before having to do any sort of reload. Just happens to be the way the dynamics of such fights seem work out.

In the semi-auto context, ammo and mag malfunctions rank right up there with the most likely things that can go wrong. So, you need the spares as a quick way to fix things. In the revolver context, you may simply need more ammo than the typical cylinder carries.

But hey, people do their own risk analysis and make a decision based on that process (I hope). Just consider that the capacity of a small framed snubbie may be less than the average number of rounds required in a gun fight, and there are lots of factors that will tend to bump that number up.

[1] - John Farnam - Enough Ammunition
.

 

[Irukanji]

No spare mag for my Glock 19. Hopefully 15 gets it done.

 

[mercop]

I am back to carrying a wheel gun a lot these days. A Ruger Speed Six 357 with 2 3/4 barrel or a Taurus Model 85 UL that was my back up when I was on the job. I would never leave the house carrying a wheel gun without a speed strip in my strong side pocket. IMHO this is primarily for a reload after a confrontation, the same as an admin reload.

If I was carrying a single stack auto, a spare mag would be primarily for more ammo. With a high cap pistol it would be to remedy a tumbled magazine.- George

 

[rbMPSH12]

This doesn't apply to snubbies but I usually carry two spare mags for my M&P Shield. With a semi-auto, you never know when you'll get a double feed or something and need to strip mag out to clear the malfunction. Easier to drop that mag and get a fresh one than have to grab that one off the ground and put it back in.

 

[cosermann]

Do you carry a reload of some kind? i.e. speedloader, speed srip, a couple loose rounds...

Or, you can carry a SECOND snubby. . .