What is your choice: Follow up shots vs. powerful cartridges?

[Mike_Fontenot]

My EDC primary carry is either my 10mm Kimber Eclipse (8+1, plus two 8-rnd reload mags) or my .44mag S&W69 5-shot, with a (very slow) 5-rnd speedloader.  I feel equally well protected with either (except when the "bad guy" is a bad bear ... then, I MUCH prefer the .44mag).  I don't shoot the Eclipse much faster than I shoot the .44mag (always in SA mode). So obviously I come down in the camp "power trumps quick followups".  If I were in the other camp, I'd carry a big, heavy high-cap 9mm.

[climb14er]

I carry either a CCO 1911.45 ACP or a Glock 19, prefer the 1911 for two reasons...

It's  thinner and carries easier  (for me) and the #1 reason... smooth single action trigger.

Follow up shots with 230gr JHP easier than the 9mm, which is fairly smooth as well.

So, I carry both a larger round with a better trigger.  Case solved, in the city.

In the back country, it's  200gr Hard Cast in 20SF and I hope I can follow through under stress as I do on the range.

[sqlbullet]

One of the things I see about reloading mags with many guys (when i use to work and at range ) is they're afraid to just let the mag drop... It was for fear the mag might get damaged and unusable. Esp on their new shiny safe queens.

Mags are a item that are meant to be replaced if need be

I get the feeling.  Some of my guns have expensive and hard to find mags, and I don't wanna abuse the ones that work in practice.

At the same time, you perform how you practice.  I remember in the academy them telling us stories of officers found shot with their hands clutching spent shells since in training they always picked up empties for reman.

Easy to fix.  Get some old pillows when you wanna practice mag swaps.  You get to let them fall without worry.

[tommac919]

Agreed with hard to find mags.... that can't easily be replaced.

But I even see it with Glock mags... and that is true that you perform like you practice.

[DM1906]

One of the things I see about reloading mags with many guys (when i use to work and at range ) is they're afraid to just let the mag drop... It was for fear the mag might get damaged and unusable. Esp on their new shiny safe queens.

Mags are a item that are meant to be replaced if need be

I get the feeling.  Some of my guns have expensive and hard to find mags, and I don't wanna abuse the ones that work in practice.

At the same time, you perform how you practice. I remember in the academy them telling us stories of officers found shot with their hands clutching spent shells since in training they always picked up empties for reman.

Easy to fix.  Get some old pillows when you wanna practice mag swaps.  You get to let them fall without worry.

This was the Newhall (CA) CHP shootout. It's been a premier training media since 1970, although the reload under fire aspect wasn't really dissected until many years later. The primary tactical reason for pocketing the brass was noise. It was, incorrectly, believed that brass hitting the ground was a clear indicator to your adversary that several seconds were required to reload, allowing a window of opportunity. Like the M-1 Garand clip ejection sound, it turned out to be a fallacy. It seemed to make sense, but never actually made a difference. Over the years, prior to the acknowledgement that it was a fatal flaw, pocketing the brass evolved into a housekeeping (laziness) issue.

As said by others, train to let the mags/brass hit the ground. If you're concerned with damage, use a carpet remnant or doormat to drop them on. Undamaged mags do you no good if you lose the battle, and your heirs won't care about that. Train to WIN. Everything else is secondary. The ONLY reason to ever pull a mag from a pistol during an exercise (or a firefight) is if it's stuck, or during a combat reload.

[Dave84]

I prefer power over faster follow up shots. That being said I carry a single stack 9mm a lot more often then any of my 10mm's. It conceals under a loose shirt. I am very warmblooded so you won't see me wearing a jacket or even a vest all that often unless its actually quite cold.

[BrowningGuy88]

I have carried a Shield 40 for a couple years now with 6+1 in the gun and a 7 round mag extra in the opposite pocket. I have felt quite comfortable with those 14 rounds of 165 grain hollow points for a long while now. However, given recent events and a scary event in a dark parking garage one night with my family I bought the G20 and have started training with it. Once it's up to par or I'm up to par with it, I will be rocking 46 - 180 grain hollow points in the city.


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[dan10mmman]

10mm gives both in a trained set of hands.  no need to choose. 

[blaster]

^ this!

[Bazzer]

Follow up shots vs more powerful cartridges? How about both?  And having a good set of running legs might well help!

[Keiichi]

OP, to answer the question in the subject of your post directly:  in a perfect world, yes.  Both things, ideally.

Real world, what I can comfortably carry daily, shoot well, and know based on FBI standard testing does the job... well, I'll compromise so that I have something with me always.

That's me, anyway.

[Quick 2]

I just figured I stay in the middle. Rock Ultra 10mm 8 in the mag 1 in the pipe cocked and locked, 2 extra 8 rd mag of either 125gr DoubleTap SCHP 1600fps or Underwood Ammo 155 gr XTP's at 1500fps. Back up is a FS S&W M&P 9mm 124 +P Gold Dots. 2 Cold Steel drop point Spikes and a tactical pen this is my EDC.

[gandog56]

Me, I don't understand why evrybody wants zillion cartridge mags. If I need more than 7-8 shots, I figure I should be running, not shooting!

[sqlbullet]

sometimes running isn't an option.  When that happens I don't wanna run outta shots before they run outta attack.

[4949shooter]

A member over on another forum s few years ago spoke about a black bear hunt that went wrong.

He shot the bear with a 44 mag but it kept coming at him. He emptied the revolver and then found himself clicking on am empty chamber. He says his son stepped in with a rifle and finished the bear off before it could do any damage. I can't verify his story other than a picture he posted with the bear.

The guy gave up on his 44 mag revolver (I believe it was a Smith) and purchased a Glock 20.

FWIW...