How did you decide how many rounds were enough?
Paul Howe (guy from Blackhawk Down who runs a training company now) says he figures three rounds per bad guy as a safe rule. Sometimes you'll miss, sometimes they'll need a few rounds, so he figures a 3 round average.
I've settled on four rounds per potential bad guy because I'm dealing exclusively with handgun rounds and with my family behind me I may tend to get a little carried away.
So for me I've decided that although going from 8 to 10 rounds is better, it doesn't really get me excited about the increase. If I need more than 8 I want 12, and if I'm going to 12 I might as well have 15 in a Glock19ish sized gun. That puts we close enough to feel comfortable with 3 bad guys and to not be at slide lock when it's over. And 8 rounds is my very bare minimum (my smallest gun is a Shield that carries 8+1, and I rarely carry it).
....as always Blue, your logic is solid and well thought out......just a few extraneous thoughts on my part, perhaps not as well reasoned as yours---Clint Smith posted a video where he addresses the # of rounds fired in law enforcement engagements----when wheel guns were standard issue, the average # of rounds fired was 5.something, just a fraction under cylinder capacity. When the early autos (Smith 39's etc.) became popular it went to some fraction under the magazine capacity and when Glocks became standard it jumped to a fraction under their larger magazine capacity. His point was that people tend to shoot to slide lock frequently, i.e. they shoot a lot, not well. That's probably largely a training issue (or scar), but does tend to show a psychological trend perhaps. I'm have no credentialed sheep-dog responsibilities and my infantry days are long gone; for me, carrying is strictly personal defense. I've no doubt that historically there has been a case where a person like myself has had to reload during a personal defensive encounter however I can find no record of one. Well, there was one that I found, but the perpetrator in that case was a mountain lion. I've quit worrying about round capacity---obviously it's nice to have plenty of ammo on board, but the reality in my world is that I'm no more in jeopardy carrying a 1911 with 8 +1 than I am with a Glock 19 stuffed to the brim. For pocket carry I've gone from a Glock 43 to a Sig 365 not because of the added magazine capacity, but because I like the ergonomics (feel and trigger) better. I may wind up being a bullet sponge in a gun fight by running out of ammo, but somehow I doubt it---if so, at least they'll be able to put a Raven sticker on my to-go box at my funeral. JMO-YMMV.
