Blog #183 / / Whether or Not to Carry an Extra Magazine?

When it comes to concealed carry a lot of us are gear junkies. We want the best pistol for protection, we want it tricked out with the best bells and whistles, and we want it to be as slick of deployment as possible. Basically, we are all aspiring to be our own protectors and be smooth operators. While having an infinite amount of gear would be awesome like in a video game or Hollywood movie, in the real world we need to decide what we do and do not want to carry. We need to distill our gear selection down to only the most vital and valuable components possible. For those reasons, that brings us to an important question: If you conceal carry a firearm for protection regularly, are you carrying a spare magazine? There are a lot of mindsets people have when it comes to this question. Some people are of the mindset that: “You should never need a 2nd magazine, and if you do, you’re done for anyways!” That is a heated statement by some people, but it holds a tiny bit of validity. If you are in a self-defense conflict that requires an additional magazine you are in a hairball of a situation. So, then what is your ally?... Marksmanship and likely awareness. If you are always aware and vigilant about your surroundings you can often avoid a lot of conflicts. If “trouble finds you” someday and there was no way to avoid it, then yes, judicious marksmanship could be of tremendous value to stop a threat endangering your life. Let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute. Statistical criminal reporting overwhelmingly shows that when someone gets attacked or needs to brandish a firearm it is not one assailant; rather, several people may attack you. Knowing that, carrying a spare magazine could be incredibly valuable. We all pray we never need one (“it is better to have and not need than need and not have”), but what if someday you did need an additional magazine? A lot of this is simply theoretical, but it is good food for thought. There are increasing holster manufacturers who are making firearm holsters that also accommodate an extra magazine so it may be something worth looking into. If you dive down that rabbit hole, then you simply need to find one that is comfortable for the way you choose to carry, has solid retention, and can equally be deployed at a moment’s notice. Until next time, continually check out our blog, join our newsletter, and watch the website for new and exciting updates! As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!