Carry with a chambered round???

Thanks!
Ok, I see it now. Someone used a handheld camera to take a picture of a video monitor.

 

Even Grandpa can tell that is not PTZ....


plus I am only a Dad so far.

 

Due to my skill level, I would be hesitant to carry one in the chamber. None of the ranges allow me to practice firing from a draw. I have used dummy rounds at home but I know that is not the same. I do have situational awareness and hit where I aim. I do not beleive I would be a danger to anyone else.

Question, until I can put in the time live firing from a draw with my new weapon, would you recommend that I or anyone else not comfortable
1) chance a negligent discharge?
or
2) chance being a little too slow but still able to protect my family as long as I am not the first person targeted?

 

[Duplicate post]

 

Most ranges prohibit drawing from a holster, but you can still safely practice target acquisition from a "low-ready" position. With the handgun already gripped and pointed downrange, and well below your eye-line, quickly bring the firearm up to firing position, while moving your off hand into the supporting position, and clicking the safety off (if so equipped), simultaneously. You should also assume the weaver or isosceles stance at this time. It should all be done simultaneously, and completed as the sights come into alignment with the target and your eyes... remember - front sight! Then apply proper trigger control, breathing, and sight alignment, and you're all set.

You can also practice drawing from a holster all you want at home, with an UNLOADED (check three times) firearm. Same with dry-firing. It costs nothing, and vastly improves your skill level. So pick a spot on the wall, a picture across the room, etc, and dry-fire your "shot" when you have sight alignment. If you have laser sights, you will immediately be able to see if you would have hit your point of aim, but even without them, you can diagnose problems in your technique.

I must emphasize again, TRIPLE CHECK that the firearm is unloaded; if it's a pistol, make sure the magazine AND chamber are clear. EVEN SO - never point at a living creature, or anything you wouldn't want permanently destroyed.

Using the two practice techniques above, you can build the correct skills and muscle memory to become as proficient as if you did live fire practice from a holster draw.

Be safe.

 

OIC all the time. If you think you can pull chamber and be on target than you need to go to a shooting range and have a guy do the 30 feet test for you or closer. IMHO bring an attacker up close and having the potential to take my weapon away from me is very dangerous to me and other people.

 

There's a practice system I saw years back that uses a dummy round with a laser or some kinda light and a target that receives the light. It only fires the light as the 'primer' is struck so you get an accurate acknowledgement as to whether or not you hit. You can also make indoor safe practice ammo using hot glue formed bullets and primers. The biggest danger in shooting from a draw is accidentally triggering off the target; practice drawing and not fingering the trigger 'till you're on target. Unchambered reduces this risk but increases the risk of an attacker getting your weapon or at least stopping you from being able to use it. If someone gets close in before you can rack the slide you're stuck with a gun that you now have to protect instead of it protecting you. If it were ready to fire you can hold him off with one hand while you fire from the hip with the other. A good safe option would be a double action weapon so it requires a deliberate trigger pull. You can still shoot one handed from any position and not worry about an accidental light trigger touch discharging early. All but one of my revolvers and my Beretta shoot double/single and I keep my Beretta chambered and half-cocked so it's ready and drop safe but not 'touchy'. Choosing to carry is a big responsibility and in my opinion if you don't feel fully confident carrying in a ready state you're not ready to carry. It's been well proven that in a panic state even a manual safety can fumble up a shooter, let alone having to fully rack a slide. A panic racking, assuming you remember and have time, may be short stroked and when you get a click you'll REALLY be flustered and unlikely able to recover in time.

 

Those are very nice tools for "quick draw" practice, but they have the drawback that you do not expect recoil, so you don't flinch, or push in anticipation of recoil.

One of my biggest problems used to be that I was always hitting low and left.
I started having my wife load the mags and slip a dummy round in.
When I hit the dummy, I found I was pushing the barrel down... I was anticipating the recoil and attempting to compensate for it. The result was striking low.

The left was uneven trigger pull.

 

Good point and many experienced shooters still have the flinch. It's said by experts that dry fire practice does lend towards being a better shooter, as does shooting BB guns or anything else. Any trigger time beats none. It creates muscle memory and a general comfort with firearms. I don't shoot a lot, and have managed to mostly eliminate my flinch, but still do it time to time, especially with higher caliber stuff. Shooting black powder brings it to light sometimes as even with modern caps & good powder I get some delayed and occasional missed ignitions. I occasionally stagger load a revolver with empties and/or hot loads to test and remind myself. Strangely, some people have no flinch at all. My girlfriend who'd never shot before is one of those, yet some of my buddies who shoot a fair amount are super flinchy. I can hand her anything from a .22 to a hot loaded .50 BP pistol and no flinch, I was quite shocked.

 

Thanks for the lead on Laser Rounds for practice. I researched this last night and I will be getting this:
http://www.centrolutions.com/products/lasr-laser-activated-shot-reporter
and this:
http://www.laserlyte.com/products/trainer-lt-9


I will carry condition 3.

I am not military or police. Both of which I have the utmost respect for. I do not have to put myself into questionable situations. I don't have any visions of grandeur. I am a civilian that has limited use for a tool, but even if you come after the start, you can't bring a sammich to a gun fight.

You mention the gun like it is your only tool. As if they get too close for you to use your gun then you are toast. Someone here in another thread mentioned that if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

I am not too proud to change my path, cross the street or just stand my ground at an intersection with many escape avenues open, watching, while someone questionable passes by. My grappling and disengaging skills along with my situational awareness have kept me safe many years walking through Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta and others while not carrying a gun or a knife.

My intent for carrying is to be prepared if there is a psycho shooter. I will trust in my ability to move and/or find concealment while I draw, rack and aim.

If there is war, riot, etc.. then I will go to condition 1. Until then, 95 percent of the other people on this planet are not out to get me, and an additional 4.9999 percent do not want to kill me out right, and I will do my best to be aware of and avoid the other .0001 percent.

here is a link to another discussion where the author proposes condition 3 is valid for some people and there are many comments for and against below:
http://thinkinggunfighter.blogspot.com/2010/09/myths-of-israeli-method-of-carry-or-why.html

 

This has probably been said already, as I only read about 1/3 of this thread.
While your adrenaline is going and you're all amped up, you will be lucky if you are HALF as good as your BEST training. There is too much that can go wrong while trying to manipulate a weapon. Your hands will probably be sweaty, you could short stroke that slide, drop the gun, or completely forget. One reason I dont carry my 1911(other than its huge and heavy) is the safety. One more thing to have to remember. I have been through quite a bit of training with it, so I am comfortable with it, but I prefer the ease of my Glock, or Airweight. Whatever you decide, train. I thought I was "good enough" before I decided to seek help. Turns out I was far from decent. I'm better now, but still nowhere near as proficient as I should be.

 

Great article written by someone who actually has a clue.

 

You just made my case for me carrying condition 3.

If I can not be clear headed enough to rack a slide I would be more of a danger to others than a help. Imagine my chance at being able to:
1) Always point the gun in a safe direction
2) Always keep your finger off the trigger
3) hmmm.. hmmm..hmm. hmm
4) Know your target and what is beyond

Everyone says until you are in that situation you don't know how you are going to react. Once I have been in that actual situation I can make a decision on wether I should carry condition 1. Until then, I need to be a responsible gun owner.

 

If thats what you are comfortable with, that is fine. But to add more steps that take up precious time, and add more opportunities for user error, doesnt seem like a good plan to me. To add about the bolded part, hopefully none of us are ever put in a situation where we figure out our shortcomings.

 

I hope none of use are ever put in that situation as well.
God Bless our troops and Emergency Responders

 

Indeed!

 

I was put in a situation once many years ago. My weapon was not in a ready state and therefor I made the choice to not go for it as I didn't think I had time to ready it without the assailant killing my GF. I was eventually able to take the situation under control (the bruised man received 3 life sentences) but for several hours many lives were endangered. Tho there's no way to say with certainty what would have happened if I'd chosen the immediate end route, it would have been nice to have that option be a little more ready. Very rare moment indeed and I assume I won't have that kinda luck twice in my lifetime. There's also the possibility that I could have preemptively stopped it, but I just didn't see it coming. At 20 years age I didn't know psycho killers actually existed in real life, and certainly didn't expect to find one in my driveway!
I have little faith in my fighting/grappling skills and therefore am more apt to fear a hand to hand situation while I'm carrying to turn into a loss of my weapon, hence my opinions on carrying ready. I can't legally carry in public (California) so I only carry at home. I spend a lot of time here and usually working on stuff throughout the yard during the day. In the evenings my doors & windows are always open if the weather is decent. I used to rely on having guns throughout the house being ready to get to in any room, but I came to realize that one in the pocket at all times is a much more useful option even tho a little inconvenient at times. You just never know when 'that guy' will jump your fence and burst into your house or even casually walk up your driveway as has happened. As a bonus, solicitors don't visit my house any more

 

I find having range markers clearly visible along the driveway tends to be an effective deterrent.

 

an unloaded gun is just as good as a hammer....

 

That'd work great at my house, it's about 120' long.

Hammers swing and hit better than most guns.