I carry a 1911 45 ACP daily. 9 in the pistol, another mag with 8 in the pocket. I have several 10 round magazines, and could easily carry 39 rounds. I would still start with the same 9 in the gun since concealment with a regular magazine is easier.

 

While I don't carry a 1911 every day, I do carry a single stack every day. Capacity may be an issue but until I can conceal a double stack in my required work attire, I'll worry more about shot placement and if needed, a quick reload. I generally carry 1 spare mag.

 

I carry a Springfield range officer compact
(.45 acp) as my edc.
I use Wilson combat 7round compact mags in it and I don’t feel undergunned at all. 7+1 in the gun, and I carry 1or 2 extra mags typically.
I have full size steel 1911’s as well but the lighter weight and shorter butt length is worth the loss of one round. To me. Others may feel differently.
I defected to a wondernine for a while but never warmed up to it. (Glock)

 

If you can hit your target, a .45 1911 will serve you well. All you have to do is one good shot and the games over.

 

That assumes one aggressor and a solid hit with the first shot. Expect neither in an armed confrontation.
MY EDC is a SA 1911a1 National Match in .45 ACP, or a Ruger SR-1911 Alloy frame. I carry them in a Milt Sparks Summer Special, and carry 4 extra mags in two mag carriers from the same source. I considered getting a Glock in .45, for the extra magazine capacity, but never could shoot it as well as my 1911s. I truly believe that sacrificing marksmanship for magazine capacity is a fool's trade. YMMV.

 

My EDC is a 1911 chambered in 10mm with 8rd magazine in the gun and four spare 10rd magazines on the belt. For total of 49 rds (1 in the chamber). Picture below is representative. I switched out the NHC to my DW Specialist Commander. The first pouch below has two 8rd magazines before I switched to all 10rd magazines, except for the one in the gun.

With some practice in combination with a magwell (to assist in slamming magazines into the well) you can get really fast conducting combat reloads. I'd rather have 9 or 10rds in the magazines chambered in 10mm full power Underwood Ammo Xtreme Penetrator cartridges than the 30rds in my Beretta M9A3 chambered in the less effective 9mm cartridges.

 

My EDC is a 1911 chambered in 10mm with 8rd magazine in the gun and four spare 10rd magazines on the belt. For total of 49 rds (1 in the chamber). Picture below is representative. I switched out the NHC to my DW Specialist Commander. The first pouch below has two 8rd magazines before I switched to all 10rd magazines, except for the one in the gun.

With some practice in combination with a magwell (to assist in slamming magazines into the well) you can get really fast conducting combat reloads. I'd rather have 9 or 10rds in the magazines chambered in 10mm full power Underwood Ammo Xtreme Penetrator cartridges than the 30rds in my Beretta M9A3 chambered in the less effective 9mm cartridges.
View attachment 644836

If you don't mind, who makes the mag pouches?

 

You can never be prepared for all possible situations. Having hundreds of rounds in loaded magazines on your person or having a belt-fed full auto may not get you out of some situations. You have to choose your own level of comfort. I have a J-frame in my pocket just about all the time but have easy access to other weapons most of the time.

I do carry a single stack 1911 in 45 Auto on frequent occasions and feel that I can make a good show of myself with the 1911 and the J-frame. I take an evil Black Rifle or a shotgun with me when I have to go to town with my wife. Sometimes I take both.

I might up my game if the riots start up again before the midterms. A large mob filled with people who want to do you grave harm may take a lot of persuasion to deter them.

 

I’ve carried a 1911 for serious social work
for neigh on half a century.
I trust it in 45acp and 10mm w/2 extra magazines

Sumtin' like this rig

///

 

I’ve carried a 1911 for serious social work
for neigh on half a century.
I trust it in 45acp and 10mm w/2 extra magazines

///

I've also carried a 1911 with two spare mags for the better part of fifty years. It worked when it needed to.

 

I carry my 5" Garrison .45 in a De Santis 1CL 85 holster. I wear it on my steel reinforced $30 Gun Belt with a Craft two mag pouch with an eight round WC 47D in the pistol and two in the pouch.
With one up the pipe I have twenty five rounds of 230 grain Gold Dots.

 

1911s and six-shot revolvers have been companions all my adult life. With a reload on the side I'm happy.

 

Why do so many people think they will still be standing after they give their 6 or 8 very best shots? We are talking CCW not assault troops.

I carried protecting dignataries including the VP of the US back up to SS, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and foreign officials in harms way in the US and abroad, dozens of them, ambassadors and such. . We had long Guns handy but when we moved on foot we had one in the tube and three 7 round mags. In a CCW encounter it is unlikely you will need a spare mag. You are either done or dead. There is no legal or rational reason for a self defense shooting to lay down suppressing fire, you shoot at the threat. Only.

 

If I'm not carrying a commander length 1911 I'm carrying a 45 shield. Depends on the pants or shorts I'm wearing at the time. Some shorts have belt loops with poor placement and a 1911 pulls them down. So its 9 ir 8 rounds in the gun and often 8 or 7 in the pocket. I dont feel under gunned at all. As far as hp, I carry 200gn lswc. Dont really see the point in hp ammo.

 

Because it goes in at one caliber and becomes a larger one? We use expanding rounds for game to be humane and more certain of a clean kill. Not sure an attacker deserves that courtesy, but it is custom.

 

Chances are 8 rounds is enough. However, there are exceptions.

The overwhelming number of incidents where a pistol is drawn results in zero shots. The mere presence of a firearm de-escalates the situation. Of the small number of incidents with a single assailant in which a shot is fired the average number seems to be three. That said, there is always that very rare occasion in which you are confronted by multiple assailants. In that occasion, it depends upon how many assailants and how good you are at putting shots on target. If you are confronted by four assailants and can put four shots in a human torso, you're golden. You can even 'double tap' them and prevail. If you're not capable of doing that the sky is the limit depending upon how ill prepared you are.

...and if you're confronted by five or more assailants...you may be screwed.

 

...and if you're confronted by five or more assailants...you may be screwed.

Nah... Each of them gets ONE bullet, starting off. They who remain interested in "interacting" get the other four.

 

I'm not John Wick, so the pistol and one, at most two, spare magazines is all I want or need.

 

I don't carry a 1911 every day. I have a variety of hollow points in some magazines, but I feel just fine if I carry ball ammo. 230grain ball has been a fight stopper for over a hundred years.

 

Just one issue with ball - over penetration. I don't care to chance killing someone I can't see behind the perp. It isn't a battlefield, and I'd use Glazers if I could get them.

 

The NYPD promulgates a yearly booklet that us old timers call SOP 9. Basically it lists, examines and details every single firearms discharge by MOS in the previous year. There is quite a bit of statistical data presented, such as number of incidents by tour, day of week, officer assignments, type of incidents being responded to and many others. The one that I have been following for the last thirteen years has been the number of shots fired per MOS during gunfights. The resulting table is below;

Shots fired per adversarial incident by all officers involved with five or less rounds being discharged

2007 68%
2008 84%
2009 90%
2010 77%
2011 69%
2012 72%
2013 73%
2014 72%
2015 65%
2016 73%
2017 65%
2018 65%
2019 65%

So for the thirteen years listed 71.54% of all gunfights involving NYPD officers FIVE ROUNDS OR LESS were utilized to end the conflict.

Now, if all of the coppers working in all of the A houses in NYC would be safely equipped with a 1911 containing 9 rounds then I consider myself perfectly safe carrying mine in my retirement. Extrapolating further, legally armed civilians going about their everyday lives and NOT being involved in enforcement activities should be even better equipped carrying a 1911 ammo wise.

For a little bit of further perspective when I graduated the Police Academy in 1982 I was immediately put out on foot patrol in the heart of the 79 Pct, Bed-Stuy. I was armed with a 6 shot .38 spl. S&W Model 10 and two dump pouches as my issued gear. It took three days for me to get involved in my first shooting. All came out just fine.

 

My Colt Combat Commander .45 with 8+1 in the gun and 2x8 round magazines should be enough…I say should be enough because I’m not a LEO anymore and my “job” is to use my gun to disengage from the bad guy quickly; not get into a sustained firefight.

I’d rather not remain stationary and try to trade shots.

 

My Colt Combat Commander .45 with 8+1 in the gun and 2x8 round magazines should be enough…I say should be enough because I’m not a LEO anymore and my “job” is to use my gun to disengage from the bad guy quickly; not get into a sustained firefight.
I’d rather not remain stationary and try to trade shots.

YES! THIS!!!
THIS is why I carry 4 spare magazines. NOT to slug it out with "the crowd", but to assure my secure and uninterrupted flight to my house or vehicle, where the M1A and AR15 reside. THEN we can discuss the wisdom of trading shots.

 

In my honest opinion, if you are afraid 17 rounds (one in the tube and two eight-round magazines) will not be enough for CCW, you need to hire a fully armed squad of Navy SEALS. Ask yourself, what if 9mm isn't powerful enough to penetrate your attackers' ballistic armor, what if there are 30 attackers, what if your weapon breaks, what if they have air support? What would be a reasonable threat be? One attacker, two, three? What distance will the threat come from, less than ten feet, less than twenty feet, long range 100+ yards? You are looking for an answer to a question without facts. No single weapon will protect you from every conceivable threat. You must be able to deploy, fire and hit your mark regardless of what weapon or amount of ammo you carry. I'm comfortable with 17 .45acp rounds in a 1911 I know I can hit my target with. I can't cover every possible threat.

Grumpy

(Edited to correct punctuation and spelling errors. OG)

 

I think this is the crux of it, and spot on. No weapon system will give you guaranteed success in all conditions even if you are an expert with it - too many variables to calculate. If you train and practice, you will know what your limits are; stay within those if possible when trouble comes your way, and it is likely you will prevail. Having said that, no matter what you carry on you, you can be screwed if a situation arises that is outside your capabilities, that's just the way it is.

 

Here is what I carry and what my position is on that....

I used to have a Springfield Armory "Loaded" 1911. At first I was kind of bummed about the low capacity on a 1911 because I thought "ok if i carry this then im putting myself at a disadvantage because of the few rounds, and possibly risking my life, just to feel like I look good" I just always made sure to carry extended magazines as my secondary magazine.
but I also own a Browning 1911 in .380 which is only an 8 round magazine and has no extended magazines that exist for it (major bummer).

BUT THEN.....

as I learned more and delved deeper into the 1911 world, I started looking for my next purchase. I was learning about many of the 1911 companies (the ones with acceptable quality and then the super coveted, super high quality, 1911s, I found a company (Alchemy Custom Weaponry) that makes BEAUTIFUL 1911s, one of which was a double stack in 9mm that I ended up buying (with the capacity being a major reason why). I was originally looking to buy a super classic O.G. looking 1911, but when I saw the 2011 on their website, I said "oh naaaaw....I'm going tactical style, emphasizing practicality." As such, I decided to get the Red Dot Sight mount on the rear part of the slide to let me mount either a Holosun or an SRO, and THAT is what changed my mind. Once I started shooting the 2011 using the red dot, it was mind blowing just how accurate I was able to be without trying! It was this accuracy that made me realize "If I have the ability to use a red dot, and practice with it, then I could maximize the probability of hitting my target almost guaranteed." because it truly does feel like you are cheating when you use a red dot, and if my life is going to depend on it then hell yea I would accept ANY kind of cheat code possible. Now I daily carry this 2011 with a 17 round magazine.

With that knowledge I was no longer "bummed about the low capacity". Now I was thinking, "dayum, 5 rounds of .45 ACP to the chest of an attacker....? eeeesh that would be lights out". In other words, I didn't feel like the capacity was a disadvantage, I was instead, thinking of how the red dot gives me almost surgical precision, making me more effective, and reducing(not eliminating) my need for extra capacity). Soooooo, I went and ordered a Government size 1911, in .45 ACP, with the RED DOT cut/mount. This means that I will have 8 +1 shots to hand out with extreme precision before I have to reload. Although the absolute classic style is a 1911 with no red dot, any 1911 that I am going to carry concealed will MOST DEFINITELY have a red dot, they are just so damn good to have.

Hope you get something out of my experience 🤙🤙🤙

 

I just carry an AK pistol with a 75-rd drum mag and two banana clips for reload.

 

Citizens and law enforcement use hollow points not to ensure "a clean kill", but to control the penetration of the bullet. When a JHP bullet expands in tissue it does two things: it is more likely to stop inside the tissue and transfer maximum energy on impact, and by doing so it reduces the risk of an overpenetrating round continuing in flight in search of something else to hit. FMJ ammo is among the worst choices for self defense, as it wastes energy going right through the perp and endangers anyone on the other side.

Having said that, it's also important to understand that the "mighty .45" isn't much more assured of a fight-stopping impact than a 9mm is. Yes it's more powerful than a 9mm, but how much is highly debatable. The reason why .45 ball had a better reputation in combat than 9mm FMJ was because the slower .45 bullet was more likely to stop inside the other guy and transfer all of its energy into the target. The speedy 9mm was nearly as powerful on paper, but shooting someone with it was like stabbing them with an ice pick.

 

Being the internet I think a lot of people have visions of a 40-60 round gunfight like in a movie. If I carry the 9mm 1911 I have at least 20 rounds on me. The 45 ACP narrows it down to 18. I have never felt underarmed with either mainly because I shoot them far more accurately than a G19. When I was a kid I told my grandfather about a 30-30 that only held 6 rounds. He nodded his head and said "well, if you make those 6 count you will be fine."

 

Let's consider the mall hero's example for a second. He fired 10 shots, 8 of which connected with the mass shooter. We will probably never know if it really took 8 hits to bring him down or if they simply hit in such rapid succession he was already dead before the last ones struck him. What we do know is that there were two misses, and our hero is very lucky they didn't strike anything living. Something to think about when you're feeling warm and cozy about having 18+1 rounds in your gun and another 36 in spare mags. That's a lot of bullets for you and your attorney to account for if you ever end up in a situation where you fire off most of them.

 

Let's consider the mall hero's example for a second. He fired 10 shots, 8 of which connected with the mass shooter. We will probably never know if it really took 8 hits to bring him down or if they simply hit in such rapid succession he was already dead before the last ones struck him. What we do know is that there were two misses, and our hero is very lucky they didn't strike anything living.

Absolutely. Of course, the background behind the mass shooter could have been a brick wall for all we know. We don't know what type of ammo the hero was using (FMJ, HP, frangible). We do know 8 of the 10 hit the target. Nice shooting regardless.

Grumpy

 

When not at home on the farm, but at work in the capitol city, it's a Sig P220, a 1911, or a Smith Model 66.
Each with a reload.

Same for road trips, and except I carry a longer barreled pistol with 30 round mags in a case.

Carried a version of these three handguns, off and on, for 40 years.

 

When I carry a 1911 I have 11 + 10 rounds and statistically it is probably enough capacity about 85% of the time. From what I can gather, 9mm, 10mm, 45 doesn't matter, the ability to shoot is what matters.

Since someone brought it up, as much as I like it, I typically don't see any reason to choose the 1911 over 16 + 17 in a lighter smaller less snaggy gun so I guess I am trading accuracy for capacity and some other stuff but I figure even though the 1911 is much easier to slow fire accurately, my EDC is more than adequate at speed well past typical self defense ranges.

I carry a revolver even less because 5-7 rounds seems way too little although statistically it is probably good for 60% of the time , I have too many thumbs for speedloaders, and I am way less accurate at speed with a revolver double action pull.

I think regardless of the capacity laws, I would rarely carry more than one spare magazine at this point in my life. Not saying that is more right or better than 2 or 3.

 

S&W model 28 4" .357 Magnum.

Sometimes less is more.

 

S&W model 28 4" .357 Magnum.

Sometimes less is more.

I couldn't disagree with you more! That image shows the effect of what a 357 mag does at night. It can get you killed. Read the Newhall Massacre by this man in the image. I'll stick with my 1911 in 9mm thank you very much!

 

What do you guys think? Does anyone carry a 1911 every day? How many extra magazines do you carry? What is your system?

I carried a 1911 as a lawman on and off duty in the greater Los Angeles area for many years. Now as a retiree I prefer a lighter pistol like the Glock 19.

If we move to Idaho I can see carrying the 1911 regularly.