When the P365 arrived many were thankful for a truly concealable 10 round Sig. When the XL hit, suddenly 12 rounds were necessary for many. Then some turned to the 15 round mags as a minimum. Now with the XMacro 17 rounds is the new "10 round" minimum. When will it end, LOL. I am glad Sig offers so many variations but the original P365 with a 12 round mag, or with an XL grip module (P365 X) is the max size I choose to EDC. Previously it was a PM 9 for me, and although I never felt "undergunned" the P365 seemed magical to me when it arrived.

I'd say go with what you're comfortable with.
Some may feel good with a single stack and an extra magazine, others want 15 rounds and a few 15 round magazines for backup.

When carrying a full-size semi-auto pistol, I usually carry just one spare magazine of the capacity “normal” or “standard” to the gun.

When carrying a revolver, thanks to the relative flatness and ease of carry of speedstrips and 2x2x2 pouches, I’m often carrying four reloads.

I have no issue, mostly, with capacity, as I do with a firearm I know is going to work when I need it. I have realized I am a better shot with a striker fired gun and that is what I stick with now. I practice to feel comfortable with what I am carrying and carry an extra mag in case Mr. Murphy and his "Law" comes into play.

At a certain point, you have to start thinking about weight. A Glock 43 weighs 3 oz less than a Sig 365 with a 12 round magazine. Is that significant? Maybe.

How many rounds you carry is dependent on your own assessment of your threat risk. Carry accordingly

I carry several items with me always...
Swiss Army knife, nitroglycerin, and a spare magazine for my P239... even when I'm not carrying the P239.

The spare magazine is in a black nylon knife case on my left side and a few years back I was going into the SS office and a security guard came up to me from the left and saw it and asked if there was a knife in it and I honestly answered 'No'... and he did not ask me any more questions..... I was a tad nervous while there thinking he might come back around and think about it, and look at me a little closer.

You usually find out AFTER the gunfight is over!

Agree with most of the posts here. No magic number.

I always carry two spare mags on my belt, even with a G19. Has NOTHING to do with the number of rounds. If have a malfunction with mag in the gun (#1), drop mag on ground and continue the fight. Or, perhaps, it does take a second mag (#2) to end it. Afterwards, I want a full mag (#3) and whatever partials I have while waiting for the cops. Or the perp's fellow gangbangers, relatives, neighbors or friends. Overkill? Yes. So what?

If the above never happens, I'm not going into a deep depression because I've carried one or two spare mags around for my entire life.

Where I live, I'm comfortable carrying 7 rounds. Where my daughter lives, I'd be barely comfortable carrying 17 rounds with a full extra mag.

https://www.police1.com/office...ob-clGBbLYpnqqHxwMq/

Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the jobBefore the call that changed Sergeant Timothy Gramins’ life forever, he typically carried 47 rounds of handgun ammunition on his person while on duty

Before the call that changed Timothy Gramins’ life forever, he typically carried 47 rounds of handgun ammunition on his person while on duty.

Now, he carries 145, “every day, without fail.”

Gramins detailed the gunfight that caused the difference in a gripping presentation at the annual conference of the Assn. of SWAT Personnel-Wisconsin in 2012.

Now a police commander, the most threatening encounter in Gramins’ career with the Skokie Police Department came on a lazy August afternoon in 2008.
Now a police commander, the most threatening encounter in Gramins’ career with the Skokie Police Department came on a lazy August afternoon in 2008. (Photo/Timothy Gramins)
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At the core of his desperate firefight was a murderous attacker who simply would not go down, even though he was shot 14 times with .45-cal. ammunition – six of those hits in supposedly fatal locations.

The most threatening encounter in Gramins’ nearly two-decade career with the Skokie (Illinois) Police Department north of Chicago came on a lazy August afternoon in 2008 prior to his promotion to sergeant, on his first day back from a family vacation. He was about to take a quick break from his patrol circuit to buy a Star Wars game at a shopping center for his son’s eighth birthday.

An alert flashed out that a male black driving a two-door white car had robbed a bank at gunpoint in another suburb 11 miles north and had fled in an unknown direction. Gramins was only six blocks from a major expressway that was the most logical escape route into the city.

Unknown at the time, the suspect, a 37-year-old alleged Gangster Disciple, had vowed he would kill a police officer if he got stopped.

“I’ve got a horseshoe up my ass when it comes to catching suspects,” Gramins laughs. He radioed that he was joining other officers on the busy expressway lanes to scout traffic.

He was scarcely up to highway speed when he spotted a lone male black driver in a white Pontiac Bonneville and pulled alongside him. “He gave me ‘the Look,’ that oh-crap-there’s-the-police look, and I knew he was the guy,” Gramins said.

Gramins dropped behind him. Then in a sudden, last-minute move the suspect accelerated sharply and swerved across three lanes of traffic to roar up an exit ramp. “I’ve got one running!” Gramins radioed.

The next thing he knew, bullets were flying. “That was four years ago,” Gramins said. “Yet it could be 10 seconds ago.”

With Gramins following close behind, siren blaring and lights flashing, the Bonneville zigzagged through traffic and around corners into a quiet pocket of single-family homes a few blocks from the exit. Then a few yards from where a 10-year-old boy was skateboarding on a driveway, the suspect abruptly squealed to a stop.

“He bailed out and ran headlong at me with a 9 mm Smith in his hand while I was still in my car,” Gramins said.

The gunman sank four rounds into the Crown Vic’s hood while Gramins was drawing his .45-cal. Glock 21.

“I didn’t have time to think of backing up or even ramming him,” Gramins said. “I see the gun and I engage.”

Gramins fired back through his windshield, sending a total of 13 rounds tearing through just three holes.

I have battled this question several times over the more than 30 years I have carried concealed. For me, it comes down to what I am willing to carry and what I shoot well.

Like you, I carried a PM9 for almost 10 years. Great gun, easy to carry but I was not a fan of the trigger, mostly because it was vastly different than everything else I had. Because of that, and its small size with my XL hands, I never shot it to my expectations beyond 15 yards.

Living in California at the time, with a 10 rounds mag limit and an "approved roster" of guns from which to choose, I went with a Walther PPS. It holds 6,7 or 8 rounds depending on the magazine, but it fit my XL hands better than the Kahr. It shoots like a much larger platform and for some reason, I shoot it extremely well with not much effort.

2 years ago, I left that God forsaken state and moved to NC, and promptly purchased a P365XL. "Yohoo, 12 rounds!" What I found however, is I shoot the Walther much better than I do the SIG. When they are loaded to capacity, the weight is almost identical, but the Walther is easier to conceal. With the PPS I carry and extra mag, with the 365 I usually don't. (I know, I know!) So technically, I have more ammo when I carry the Walther, it just requires a mag change.

So in the end, even though 12 rounds in the gun are more comforting than 8 round, the PPS is still what I carry most.

"How many rounds are enough?"

Answer: Whatever you are comfortable with.

Some might be fine with a 5 shot J-Frame with no reloads, others might pack a Glock 17 and 2 spare mags.

My carry about 90% of the time is a Sig P365XL, with the 12rd magazine that has a magguts spring/baseplate to make it a 14rd magazine. I then carry a 15rd spare magazine on my weak side. So that gives me 14+1 and a 15rd spare for 30rds total.

For many many years i felt that a 5 shot SW jframe on my ankle was plenty enough to get me out of trouble. The ankle carry jframe is still the most comfortable way for me to carry but i no longer feel 5rds is enough and either carry my glock 19 or P228.

There are only two times when you can have too much ammunition:

1) You are on fire.

2) You are drowning.

I carried a P229 in .40 for a long time. So I was fine with 13. When I went to 9mm, it was a P320CA, so I bumped up to 18. But tight belts to waist carry began to impact my back. Luckily the P365 came out around that time. Wasn’t comfortable with single stack, pocket sized (7-8) but 11 is good enough. I do look at the loaded spare mag a fair amount, thinking “I should take that” but I never do. Never carried a spare on me before.

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
There are only two times when you can have too much ammunition:

1) You are on fire.

2) You are drowning.

LMAO....

quote:

Originally posted by ARH19456:
When the P365 arrived many were thankful for a truly concealable 10 round Sig. When the XL hit, suddenly 12 rounds were necessary for many. Then some turned to the 15 round mags as a minimum. Now with the XMacro 17 rounds is the new "10 round" minimum. When will it end, LOL. I am glad Sig offers so many variations but the original P365 with a 12 round mag, or with an XL grip module (P365 X) is the max size I choose to EDC. Previously it was a PM 9 for me, and although I never felt "undergunned" the P365 seemed magical to me when it arrived.

How many rounds is enough should be a function of what scenarios you are preparing for amd how effectively you use your weapon.

Carrying to deal with a robbery at an ATM or car jacking is far differrn that carrying because you expect to be in a headlong gunfight. Cops have to prepare for the gunfight scenario...

Been fun to read. When I carried a P239 in 357sig with the extended mags, both in it, and a spare, people said “That’s not enough rounds”. Then single stack subcompacts came out, and the the same rounds were acceptable. LOL.

I like a double stack subcompact with a full size spare magazine. That’s the amount of rounds I’m comfortable with.

Depends on the area...
In the old days (before C19 craziness) I think that 15 was enough. 10 certainly was a joke.
However, in today's environment, there are at least 2 or 3 thugs doing bad work and maybe a getaway driver. Factor in the 10% of hitting what you are aiming for and you come to the conclusion of 30 rounds min.

If you don't train enough to ensure hits first and fast, it doesn't matter.