How many rounds do you really need in a self-defense firearm?

Unless you're either preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse, or are so scared that you'll just spray bullets in all directions when you get in trouble ... you are more than adequately armed with a decent-sized revolver. And there's a FAR better chance that you'll actually be able to use those 6 rounds since revolvers don't jam, and misfires don't make the gun useless.

If for some reason you think you need more rounds available (in case a ninja hit squad breaks down your door?), buy a Speedloader or two. It takes just over two seconds to reload my Ruger revolver, and I doubt most people with a semi-auto do much better swapping magazines.

Ask any cop how many times he's ever had to use that second magazine he carries. Pretty close to zero, for 99.9% of them.

I enjoy my semi-autos, but never carry them as a defense weapon.

Modern semi-autos last 10's of thousands of rounds before they need springs or other parts replaced...look up the reliability tests for the M9 the military currently uses. Magazines are a bit more finicky, but if you buy a few good ones, you should be set for life. How often do you fire your CCW? I certainly train with my XD9sc, but I practice/compete with a full sized handgun with similar controls/manipulations. This way I minimize wear, and get to train with a more comfortable gun. I'm not sure I could wear out my pistol, but I don't want to try. Plus, that gives me a rock solid excuse to buy another gun.

As for magazine capacity, I don't know. I don't think you can predict how many rounds you would need. What if you were in the bank during the north hollywood shootout (assuming it wasn't in CA, you could carry there, had an opportunity, etc)? How about aurora? You might have shot the guy 5 times before realizing he had armor on. You might want more ammo available than if you were in your home defending against a sickly, weak crackhead attacking you for money. For this reason, I personally favor the semi auto, but I would not hesitate to carry a good revolver if that was my only option.

I know what you're thinking, did he fire 6 shots or only 5? Feel lucky punk? LOL... Sorry, I had to do it.

I know stats say usually only 1-3 shots are fired but I still have that horrible fear of running out when you need it the most. I would rather be there to explain to the jury why I reloaded 3 times vs. the police telling my family I won't be home. I feel "ok" with 5 as long as I have another mag or speedloader but that would be about the minimum. I carry a 1911 about 90% of the time now so there's either 7+1 or 8+1 and I feel that is plenty. I always have at least one extra mag on me, 1 or more in the car, my desk, truck, etc. If you can't take care of it in 7-8 shots you either need to spend a lot more time at the range or you're in the middle of a situation that you need to be trying to withdraw from. I can understand your stance on the revolvers, they are pretty much flawless and very easy to take care of. With technology as it is now, the springs don't wear out near like they used to. I have magazines for Sigs to AR's that are over 20 years old and still function perfect. With that said I buy a new magazine every year for my carry gun to make the primary and the old one becomes back up. What's $30.00 for life insurance? I don't think it's too much harder or takes me any longer to clean my 1911 vs my Smith 586 or DW .44 or at least not enough to notice.

As many rounds as it takes to kill the attacker.that means if you have to unload a 15 round magazine to kill even though you hit every time then it's fine. That also means on a side note that you need a more powerful gun. My cousin uses a reproduction of the first style pistol which used one shot. This means he aims for the head. If he misses he is done but he is confident about his aim with it. Personally I have a minumum of 3 and a max of 10. This gives me a range of options for self defense. A 9mm and larger to a black powder 44 and smaller. It's best not to be picky. A 9mm is the most preferred self defense gun but on the other side of that a 12 gauge should only require one shot with buckshot. If a simi auto fails for some resin I will just have to hope I can get to a different gun fast but I really at this point think a revolver is the best choice do to reliability.

I think you should carry as many rounds as you can that is comfortable for you. My own personal preference is 14 rounds. 14 shots of .40 S&W or two magazines of .45 Auto. For home defense 13 shots plus another magazine of 9.

But you fall to your level of training. Make sure you practice sight alignment ad trigger control several times a week without ammunition. And make sure pay for some good professional training. You just simply do not know how little you know about firearms until you get some good training. I recommend Front Sight Firearm Training Institute located about 40 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The general consensus is that if it takes every magazine in your gun to disable someone, then having an extra magazine is not going to help.

From a legal standpoint, I can see all sorts of things happening against you with a low capacity gun. People are very anti gun, and reloading is a huge no-no. Now if you have a low capacity gun, then one can argue that if you have time to reload, then you have time to escape. On the flip side, having excessive round count, like high capacity gun, can run you in equal problems especially if one argues that you were ready to kill or whatnot.

In all, my opinion is that you should have at the very least 6 shows in a revolver and at the very least 7 rounds in a semi auto. That should be way more than enough. However it takes trigger discipline to not squeeze off every round. It's very easy to fire off an entire magazine in less than a few seconds. So in all practice!

That depends upon the person's preferences. Some people are fine with a two shot derringer, or a four shot one like the COP 357. I wouldn't be.

Some people like revolvers because of reliability. Other people like semi-autos for capacity reasons. I see both sides of the argument, but I prefer revolvers.

5 is plenty. Look at the statistics of police and civilian defensive shootings: Nearly all take place at less than 10 feet (more like 5) and are over before anyone has to reload. 5 is enough (although I made a little thin leather pouch to keep in a pocket on the other side, holding 12 more rounds).

http://www.ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/572...

I agree with you about the beauty of simplicity, and revolvers always function.

3-5 rounds depending on your guns stopping power. If someone comes at you with a knife and you have a revolver, a bullet will stop them... Dont test it tho :P Maitenence of a firearm is something that you can do cheap with the right knowledge and parts. A revolver has higher stopping power then say... A 9mm. 9mm are used commonly by police due to ammo capacity, cheap maitenence, reliablility, and availability... Every firearm has a weakness... Ex. 9mm's very low stopping power, and slow shooting. You just gotta find out what your strenghts are and build around them. Goodluck!

Well some where I read most home invasion gun fights are over in 4 rounds or less.

I think your 5 shot revolver is fine for two reasons.

1: that's is what your most likely to shoot and be familiar with. Key here is to practice with it.

2: It is over that 4 round statistical number.