I am thinking of building my own shoulder rig for my HK USP40C.  I was thinking of mounting 4 mag slots running down the side opposite the holster.  So the main question is.  Are 4 mags to many?  Bare in mind I am not in law enforcement of any kind.  This is more for just personal protection.

R4M

Yes it is 4+1 and most places I don't think I would need that many.  I do do a personal protection thing though.  I protect myself personally.  Maybe I could just do a 3 mag with a slot for the tac light/laser.  O well thanks.

R4M

Here's a Murphy kind of law:

No matter how many mags you are carrying, when the shooting starts, you will always wish you had one more mag.

personal viewpoint: you can never have enough mags, especially loaded ones.

You can never have enough.

Ok well I think the post so far are pointing to me make a 4+1.  Thanks

R4M

I agree with everyone else. No such thing as too many.
It might look strange to the local Gestapo though. Perfectly Legal, but slightly harder to explain why you are in the local food mart with 75 rounds of ammo on your person.

I have discussed this with fellow magaholics and have come up with a number.  

At lease.....  TEN per AR15.

Step 1

My name is akira, i have a problem, I'm a magaholic. [:)]

When I leave the house, I am like Issaic Hayes in the movie "I am going to get you sucker".

What about a backup?  Do you have extra mags for that?  And do you have a deep hideout weapon? Some think it's necessary.

I would agree you also need a flashlight to see what you're shooting at- many gunfights occur when it's dark, or at least half do anyway.

A tactical knife and a backup for offside carry "just in case" is essential.  What if you're carrying it on the strong side and take a hit to that arm?  Need to get access to your back-up gun and knife there.

Don't forget cell-phone, pager, kubotan, wallet, keys, spare-change.  

you're all nuts.  Planning for a battle or something?  "personal defense" doesn't even dictate having more than one mag.  If you can't kill the one attacker with 30 rounds you deserve to die.  How often are you going to be attacked?  Now, how often of those many many times someone's trying to kill you are there going to be more than 1.  More than 10?  If there's that many do you think you'll be able to kill them all before they kill you because you spend more time at the range?

Where the Hell do you live that you would need 5 magazines to protect yourself?  I normally carry a .45 with 2 spares or a .357 with 5 extra cartridges in a pocket.  It's not likely that you'll going up against a gang that will want to deal with any kind of weapon.

Life isn't like Hollywood, crooks don't stick around when the shooting starts.  5 mags makes you look like a psycho.

I carry one in the pistol and two back-up. If I'm through those either me or they are dead.

I've carried several combo's in a Galco shoulder rig with 2 spares and a pair of cuffs(LEO). In my opinion it's too many. In all honesty most of the time when off duty it's a Glock 23 w/o spares or a Centennial with 1 reload. Even with 2 spares if you felt the need to have more you could put on a belt pouch. If you have a shoulder rig you will have to cover it up with a jacket or vest so the belt pouch being concealed should not be a problem. the space for the other 2 mags would usually be better served by a flashlight and knife, something you could use a lot in everyday happenings. My .02.

I have been packing a J frame with NO reload for 4 years. I guess when my time comes I will have to just surrender to BadGuy #6

4+1 mags is not unreasonable for a novice to carry.

However, my own personal daily carry is a bit more involved.

Typically, if I'm just running down to the grocery, I will carry a 1911 in a FOBUS holster on my right side hip, with another 1911 in a Galco IWB in crossdraw position on my left side. 6 mags in belt mounted pouches on each side stand ready to feed the 1911s.

I carry a Kahr E9 on my right ankle, with 3 extra mags in elastic loops sewn onto the holster. Left ankle supports Ruger SP101 with 2 speedloaders in elastic loops on that rig also.

When the heat of the situation dictates, I will typically use up the 1911s in a "New York reload" to get myself to adequate cover. There, I will remove my modified Jansport backpack. It appears to be the kind of backpack that any student or other schmuck would carry, but I have removed the zipper from mine and replaced it with velcro, so it can be ripped open for rapid access. When open, it will lay flat as it has velcro from the floor, all the way around the top, and back to the floor again. On one side of the pack is a PWA Commando, broken down into upper and lower, with 28 rounds in a 30 round mag already in place in the mag well. Sure, it takes a little more effort to put the halves together that way, but with the hundreds of hours of practice I've had with this setup, it's faster than assembling the rifle and then loading the mag. The rifle is held in place with rubber bands that attach through small hooks that I have scavenged from old blousing rubbers and sewn into the pack. There is nothing to unhook, I just pull on the halves until the rubber bands break, then assemble.
On the other side of the pack, are 24 more mags in the same rapid access rubberband holders that the rifle is kept in.

Knives, I've got knives. I keep a Gerber Apllegate-Fairbairn folder in my left rear pocket. In an ordinary street accost, it would come out at the same time as my right side 1911, blade forward in my outstretched left hand as a defensive instrument, 1911 held close to my body as an offensive tool. This may seem backwards to the uninitiated, but the tactics are sound.

A small bladed (2½" Gerber) with belt clip rests on my belt in the small of my back, ready to defeat soft restraints.

A bayonet is also affixed to the inside of my backpack as a last ditch defense when all ammo has been expended. Next to the bayonet is a single round of .223 in rubber bands, to be used if the situation is desperate enough to warrant self termination in lieu of capture.

I have a few more goodies concealed about my person, mini stun grenades, micro-thermites, etc., but the details are not worth mentioning, as I'm sure most of you make the same preparations.

Again, this is just my running down to the grocery or video store setup, so please don't flame me about travelling light.

Of course, if I know I'm going into a moderate to high crime area, I will be carrying HEAVY.

Govt Thug, you are the MAN!

However you neglected to tell us where you hide the L.A.W.S., [:D]

I think that one extra mag should be suitable for the majority of CCW situations.

As for my personal rule, I try to have a small stockpile of at least four mags per pistol and ten per rifle.


Tyler

I agree, if anything you're going to give yourself a back problem before you ever get attacked.

Where's Tac-Girl when you need her...

Let me just add clean underware and a hankie.

... Jeff Cooper, is that you?

Hey! you might get lucky and take out 2 with one shot! Hold the others at bay w/ empty gun, using the Dirty Harry line "Well, do you feel lucky punk?"

Gee, when that 1 mag you got in the gun fails when you need it most. You'll realize that you need at least one extra. Or when it falls out under stress because you hit the mag release. 5 extra pistol mags is excessive. If you need that much firepower you should be carrying a UZI or MP5. But you need spare mags, without them you better have another gun. But you're the expert [;D]

I don't speak for him, but I interpreted his reply to mean one mag in and one backup.  Unless he uses 31 round glock mags in his carry weapon, since he mentioned 30 rounds.

i dont know ask the mallninja [:D]

I think shoulder rigs are torture devices.  I'm sure their right for certain applications, but I can't think of one.  For CCW I prefer IWB for pistol and a mag carrier on the weak hand side.  I think this is standard for most.
If you feel the need for one, or just want one, you certainly don't want to carry around 50+ rd's of ammo that way.  Put that weight on your waist.  It won't hurt as much and it will move less.
I think every time you carry a weapon you should have a spare.  But mostly it's for redundancy.  If you have a mechanical failure with your weapon (not very likely but we're talking life and death here) you can probably fix it by switching mags.
I agree that a light, a knife, mace, cell phone and wallet(with your CCW permit) are more useful to carry than another 3 mags.
If your building a SHTF battle vest, then you need at least 4 spare pistol mags, and 8 spare AR mags.  That is what I have on my chest rig, without reaching into my side pack or other pack.
I can't imagine how many our soldiers in Afghanistan must be carrying right now.  God bless them.  If it were me(and I'm thankful it's not) I would carry only water and mags.  Eat what I kill along the way.  (Good thing I'm not there, I don't want to imagine what raw camel and coyote tastes like, gag, vomit, choke)
If you feel the need for more firepower I suggest your AR locked in a quick access locker under the back seat. With a spare mag in a holder on the stock of course.

Shoulder rigs are great for when you are driving. Besides the dedicated driving holsters, if you're involved in a protection detail as the driver, shoulder rig is the way to go.

In my opinion, you don't need ANY ammo...
Or maybe 1 or 2 rounds at least...

How many of you have actually been in a situation that required unholstering your gun ?

Several years ago while out drinking, me and a buddy left a bar, and as we walked around the corner of the building, several BIG dudes confronted us...(Bodybuilder types)
Don't remember how many,maybe 3 or 4, but these guys were so big, one of them could have stomped us both into the ground...
Apparently my buddy was talking to one of their ex-girlfriends in the bar and was being "watched"...
My buddy was carrying, I was not...
I backed away, as one of the guys grabbed my buddy by the throat and put him up against the wall...
(I knew he carried)
My buddy broke free, and pulled his gun...
All these big guys Immediately got real small...
Except for one...He walked toward the gun with his hand up, and kept yelling "put the gun down"...
My buddy fired 1 shot past his head, and the guy stopped in his tracks, turned around and walked away bitching with the others...
That was the end of the confrontation...
It was the only time I ever encountered "serious" trouble...

I don't think these guys would have robbed or killed us, but they sure would have beat the hell out of us, had we not been armed...
They were all built like Hulk Hogan...NO SHIT !!!

So in other words, It's my opinion that you're better off carrying something comfortable and lightweight, that you will ALWAYS WANT to carry...
If I had to carry all that extra gear, I'd be more likely to leave it at home...

Right now I just carry a Scandium .357 snubby in a bellyband...
It's ALWAYS with me...

If you need to draw your weapon, chances are, you will be REAL close to the badguy, and will (should) only need one shot...

NO AMMO? Man you must trust "the force" [:P]

Don't know about your buddy but it's not a wise thing to start discharging warning shots. Too many problems arise. If you need to shoot, shoot to stop the threat. That's if you are in real fear of serious bodily harm you have a right to defend yourself.

Most don't consider it but it is wise to carry an itermediate weapon like OC or a baton, etc. You will not need to shoot eveyone you encounter, some may just need a little liquid hell.


PS maybe my viewpoint is a little differnt since I actually have to unholster my gun at least once a week.

If they are not a deadly force subject you take them out or down with defensive tactics, or others means.(OC,baton,)