Upping Your Round Count
Increasing your capacity when on the range or shooting competition offers a huge advantage, but what about adding rounds to your carry gun? Upping the number of rounds in your carry system has a number of benefits and could even increase your chances of surviving a deadly encounter.
The Benefits of Topping Off
Regulation isn’t something many of us like, but legality does need to be mentioned. If you live somewhere with magazine restrictions, I always recommend keeping things legal in your defensive firearms. Remember that your self-defense is technically a crime.
There are a few ways to increase capacity, and each has its own pros and cons. One simple way is to carry a spare magazine. Keeping a spare handy will nearly double your opportunities to stop bad behavior. More importantly, a fresh magazine can keep a malfunction from turning into a ride in an ambulance. If you get a click with no bang, strip that mag, reload, and go back to work. The only downside is adding weight and bulk to your system, but those factors are easily mitigated by using the right carry method.
Another popular method, especially if you don’t want to bring a spare along, is to increase your magazine capacity with extensions. Not to be confused with fancy hair, extensions allow you to keep a few more rounds in your blaster, and keep it mostly the same size as before. For example, the Tyrant CNC Hellcat/Pro magazine extensions give you an extra three rounds of 9mm but add less than an inch to your grip.
The Last Round
Regardless of how you increase your capacity, the why remains the same. Nobody has ever wished they had less ammunition in the middle of a fight for their life. Take any advantage you can and get home alive. So, will you carry a spare magazine or add extensions? “Both” is my favorite answer. Stay safe out there!
