How Many Shots Is Enough for Concealed Carry?

[todd9.3x57]

"one shot, one kill" as my drill sergeants said.

[Forester232]

What the majority seems to forget is adrenaline. It doesn't matter where you are when the situation arises. Adrenaline will make you shake and have tunnel vision causing inaccurate firing or completely emptying your firearm without hitting anything. There are studies of actual shoot outs and the number of fired rounds. Until you have been in the position of having to protect yourself in live shooter situation you won't understand what the adrenaline surge will do.
This post was set up to ask how many cartridges you would carry with no reloads for your firearm. With my back ground and training I would carry the highest capacity firearm concealed that I was able to carry. In the 70s it was a Colt 1911 7+1, now it would be my Sig 226 with 13. If I had a larger capacity magazine, I would probably go with that.
Every one has their own thoughts on this and training with lots of practice will make you better, but you have to take into consideration the adrenaline surge - Buck Fever. When some one starts to shoot at you, the adrenaline jumps and anyone who has served in the military under fire knows what I talking about.

[Whiterabbit]

I didn't even vote since my vote is 1, so I did not see the results until now. There are two votes for 19+. Maybe they missed the underlined, and clearly stated "no reloads counted". Or maybe they really are shooting 19+ capacity handguns? I know the FN 5.7 holds 20, that was the selling point, and is a very cool gun. A quick search shows a Kel-Tec in 22 mag that holds 30, and I assume there are other 22 LR and 22 mag guns out there that are 19+. I'm not aware of any 9mm with a standard magazine of 19+, but there likely is one somewhere. Maybe these guys are carrying with extended magazines?

So to those that voted 19+, what are you shooting?

I voted 5, but I bought and shot an FN for the 20 round reason. really like that gun.

[HWooldridge]

Deleted. It was a Reddit link to a shooting in a South American bank, but the post yielded an error.

[Bmi48219]

To paraphrase Pat McManus’s often repeated quote regarding what is the legal limit on brook trout, “all you can shoot, plus one”.

[Idaho45guy]

10 and 2 is my CCW criteria...

At least 10 rounds capacity and 2" 5-shot groups at 25 yards. I carry a 12-round P365 most of the time, but will upgrade to a 13-round G23 Glock if I can conceal it, and go with an 11-round XDM 10mm in the woods.

My 10mm will do 3/4" 5-shot groups at 25 yards. I am confident at engagements out to 100 yards with it.

I have shot under stress, and I was amazed at how my brain slowed down time and I got tunnel vision focused on the threat. Training and tactics I hadn't thought about for decades came back immediately. I was pretty amazed.

[Laguna Freak]

Annually, I average 23 daily carry rounds. 8 in my .45 and 11 in my .40. I carry 2 spare mags for the .45 and 1 spare mag for the .40. The .40 is my summer carry and .45 for winter carry because I have to wear a t-shirt to prevent Les Baer combat grip belly rash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FergusonTO35]

I think being comfortable and confident with your piece is way more important than capacity. I am fortunate to have a number of CCW guns to choose from, but my absolute favorite is the Glock 42. I'm thinking of cashing in some of my less favored pistols for more 42's. I do have a P365 9mm in layaway jail because I got a good deal on it. Will it ultimately supplant the 42? Remains to be seen. If it is unpleasant to shoot then I already have a buyer lined up for it.

[Ramjet-SS]

Not a good or even reasonable question in my opinion.

The right answer is the amount that stops the threat….

[rintinglen]

And all you need is the Amazing Kreskin to let you know in advance what that number will be.

[billmc2]

I didn't even vote since my vote is 1, so I did not see the results until now. There are two votes for 19+. Maybe they missed the underlined, and clearly stated "no reloads counted". Or maybe they really are shooting 19+ capacity handguns? I know the FN 5.7 holds 20, that was the selling point, and is a very cool gun. A quick search shows a Kel-Tec in 22 mag that holds 30, and I assume there are other 22 LR and 22 mag guns out there that are 19+. I'm not aware of any 9mm with a standard magazine of 19+, but there likely is one somewhere. Maybe these guys are carrying with extended magazines?

So to those that voted 19+, what are you shooting?

I didn't vote either. What I normally carry is a CZ PCR. I have the 14 round mags, but I understand they make 15 round ones, so for that gun it would be 14 + 1 for a total of 15.

I don't normally carry my Beretta 92FS. I've made a cross draw holster for it and its not hard to conceal. That has the Mec-Gar 18 round mags. Using those mags it comes to 18+1 for a total of 19. Those are not extended mags either.

[Idaho45guy]

Not a good or even reasonable question in my opinion.

The right answer is the amount that stops the threat….

Yep. And no one knows how many that is. You can go by FBI statistics that are decades old and decide a J-Frame with 5 rounds is adequate. Or... You can recognize that the world is a completely different place than it was a few short years ago and that more rounds and more accuracy is warranted.

The only people who wish they have less capacity are those who have never faced danger.

[rintinglen]

I once witnessed a man die in an automobile fire, I keep a fire extinguisher in my car. But I do not drive a fire engine. I carry a swiss army knife, not a tool box full of screwdrivers. In hot weather, I carry a compact gun, usually a revolver, because that is what I am accustomed to, but sometimes an LCP in a pocket. Those are the smallest guns I can use effectively. When it's cold, I carry whatever I feel like. A winter coat will hide just about anything this side of a 10 inch barrel silhouette pistol, and a big enough coat might let you hide one of those.

I have to differ with Idaho: the FBI data may have been decades old, but they reflected many, many years of data. The notion that the world has gotten somehow vastly different is misguided. You may find yourself contending with a modern day version of the SLA, but the odds are very, very long against it, just as they were back in the 70's when the Weathermen and other groups were active. By far the most common need for a firearm is against one or two assailants. How many shots you need to repel them depends on your ability. NYPD Officer Jim Cirillo dropped three robbers with a Model 10 Smith. I've seen several dash cam videos of officers firing multiple shots without hitting anyone with semi autos. The question we need to answer is where do we stand on that scale and make a choice accordingly.

But 5 is the least I would carry.

[BLAHUT]

I disagree. This was from a number of years ago at Front Sight.
Hostage-taker head shots.
1911 .45

Sherry if this is your target, good shooting girl...

[FergusonTO35]

I once witnessed a man die in an automobile fire, I keep a fire extinguisher in my car. But I do not drive a fire engine. I carry a swiss army knife, not a tool box full of screwdrivers. In hot weather, I carry a compact gun, usually a revolver, because that is what I am accustomed to, but sometimes an LCP in a pocket. Those are the smallest guns I can use effectively. When it's cold, I carry whatever I feel like. A winter coat will hide just about anything this side of a 10 inch barrel silhouette pistol, and a big enough coat might let you hide one of those.

I have to differ with Idaho: the FBI data may have been decades old, but they reflected many, many years of data. The notion that the world has gotten somehow vastly different is misguided. You may find yourself contending with a modern day version of the SLA, but the odds are very, very long against it, just as they were back in the 70's when the Weathermen and other groups were active. By far the most common need for a firearm is against one or two assailants. How many shots you need to repel them depends on your ability. NYPD Officer Jim Cirillo dropped three robbers with a Model 10 Smith. I've seen several dash cam videos of officers firing multiple shots without hitting anyone with semi autos. The question we need to answer is where do we stand on that scale and make a choice accordingly.

But 5 is the least I would carry.

This, 100%. I am planning to practice putting rounds into the vitals of a silhouette target at greater range, like 25 yards or more. Pinpoint accuracy is not what I am going for, rather can I put one or more shots somewhere important at that distance and kill or at least disable the bad guy. Recently, a guy with a handgun did just that against an assailant in a mall in Indiana.

[scottyp99]

I pocket-carry a j-frame on a regular basis. Yeah, only 5 shots, but I practice situational awareness, and I feel like 5 shots of .38 Special +P ought to let me get out of just about any situation I am likely to find myself in. If I knew I was going to get into a gunfight, I'd bring my shotgun full of 00 buckshot, and all my friends who own shotguns.


Scotty

[BadgerShooter]

When police carried wheelguns, the average officer fired 5.some rounds per engagement. Once hi-cap guns came on the scene the average went to 15.some rounds per engagement. At least in
law enforcement shooting, the answer is "All you got". The problem with the smaller capacity guns in our current world is if you have to face multiple attackers or mobs. More bullets keep you in the fight longer so you can get to your long gun - (the purpose of a handgun). Putting yourself in the path of mobs is a whole nuther story.

The advantage of the small gun is that you are far more likely to have it with you when you need it. Everything is a tradeoff - everybody needs to decide their place on the small vs big scale.

One of the gals I am training runs a Sig 365 XL. Seems to be an excellent gun. Her and I have put more than 500 rounds through it and its been accurate and reliable. It's smaller and slimmer than a G19 and holds nearly the same capacity. Pretty close to having your cake and eating it too.

[M-Tecs]

One of the gals I am training runs a Sig 365 XL. Seems to be an excellent gun. Her and I have put more than 500 rounds through it and its been accurate and reliable. It's smaller and slimmer than a G19 and holds nearly the same capacity. Pretty close to having your cake and eating it too.

That is my daily carry gun. I have one for the wife also. They both shoot better than anything else I have tried in that size class.

[FergusonTO35]

If you have to pull your gun in an emergency, it is statistically likely that the miscreant will change his mind without a shot being fired. So, just having a gun in the first place already puts you way ahead of the curve.

[BadgerShooter]

Statistics are cold comfort when you are bleeding. I've been in two situations in my life and didn't have to shoot but you better be ready and able. Both you and your equipment.