Carry with a chambered round???

Lemme ask you this, when you are in a situation where draw and shoot is all you can do, do you wanna draw, pull, click, rack, pull, shoot? You're on target, sights set and click, omfg!!! Rack and regain sight picture, someones dead. Or you're dead.

Leaving the chamber clear is one step closer to malfunction when you go to rack a round.

 

well said bro

 

Thanks for the input! Definitely something to take into consideration.

And I understand that - And I understand that in a high stress situation one's fine motor control will go out the window. And I know the extra step is one more obstacle that can lead to failure, but it is also possible to just pull the gun, rack, aim and shoot without these hickups. That's what practice is for, right? That being said, I will most likely be carrying with one in the chamber as I will be getting a holster that covers the trigger.

 

locked and loaded.....

 

I wouldn't go with a holster that doesn't cover the trigger/ trigger area. just my .02

 

I have never heard of anyone practicing with an unloaded weapon. No one in law enforcement practices that way and no one in CO teaching CCW does that.

You comment "fine motor control will go out the window", along with fine motor control you will get tunnel vision, slowed senses, lack of hearing, memory loss, etc. You think you will remember that your gun is unloaded when all that is on your mind is SHOOT TO STOP THE THREAT!

 

One of the two semi-autos I use has no safety but that is not the issue...anything mechanical can fail...

I choose not to carry one in the chamber for one reason...

The extra second required to cycle the slide while I'm raising the weapon is time I have to evaluate the situation and decide if I really want to shoot.

Pulling the trigger some place other than the range is a life changer...you don't want to make a bad shot (i.e. shoot an innocent bystander or find out you mistook someone's iPod for a gun).

If that extra second is the difference between my life and death, then it just isn't my day...

It was funny too...while I was debating this in another thread (I was in the minority) someone in the medical field chimed in and stated they'd just finished treating someone with a self-inflicted to the buttocks because they carried with one in the chamber....

 

I know one instance were not carrying a round in a chamber saved someones life, a fireman's life.

An LEO, on duty, with a gun, had his gun taken by a convicted felon. The felon then ran, was intercepted by a fireman who had the gun pointed in his face and it went click.

If you are carrying a gun, carry in the chamber, and know how to keep control of your weapon.

 

Well if I was planning on carrying without one chambered, then you can be sure that I'd practice pulling my gun, racking the slide, and shooting.

But this is why I asked! I'm just trying to gain some knowledge and hear people's thoughts. Input, especially LEO input is very important to me, thanks.

haha thanks for sharing that. it's good to hear both sides of the story. I feel like some people who carry without one chambered may be sometimes intimidated to share because they are in the minority in such a touchy/important subject. Thank you

 

Condition 1 is the only way to go for a carry weapon but only if you have the right holster for it. I've had my safety accidentally bumped off and if it wasn't for my Mitch Rosen leather holster I would have 2 sphincters right about now.

RJM

 

No problem...I've never been too ashamed or embarassed to throw my opinion out there...

I'm old-school conservative and, more and more often lately, find my views on the smaller bar in the polls

 

I carry one in the chamber every day for work haha. I carry the Beretta M9 and it has a hammer so I know it will not fire unless I pull the trigger. On my personal Springfield XD 40 I dont put a round in since it does not have the hammer. Maybe it is a psychological thing but, what is preventing the weapon from firing if it is dropped?

 

deaf keep one chambered because the criminal will have one already chambered

 

I've seen a vid of a guy shooting himself in the calf when the plastic stopper on his jacket's drawstring got into the trigger guard before slamming his piece into a "trigger-protected" holster...

He had quite the hole in his calf and it looked like it stung a lil' bit...

 

If he's got the drop on you it isn't your day...keep your life insurance paid up...

 

^^ This too. The majority of the time, yes. but with some combinations, no.

 

I would recommend carrying one chambered, personally..

My reasoning for that is should you need the other hand and arm to establish distance/break contact while drawing your firearm...well, you're going to be shit out of luck to pull a "Israeli Quick Draw" and make your personal defense weapon no more useful than a brick.

Just my 2 cents.

I would recommend a double action only, de-cocked, or a safe action trigger system for CC though.

 

If I am within 20 ft of you you can not draw chamber a round and fire before I jam my knife into you. On average when carrying unloaded you get 0 shots off vs an attacker within 20 ft. If you carry loaded you generally get 1.5 rounds off before they are on top of you....guess you could just use it as club, but for me I open carry with a round in the chamber 90% of the time the other 10% is concealed with a round in the chamber.

 

So then you haven't practiced cycling the slide on your butt (I carry small of the back) right out of the holster by pushing the rear sights into your buttocks while pushing down? Still only delays me about a second...

 

lot's of good points made in this thread...

i will say that when i first started carrying, i didn't have the self-confidence/trust to carry w/ one chambered, ...but after a couple months, and as i began carrying more regularly, i swithced to carrying chambered... later on, after taking many hours of handgun training from expert instructors, it became apparent why carrying chambered is advantageous to not...

- as the victim of an attack, the badguy alwayss gets the element of surprise (or "first move"), ..which already cuts into the amount of time you have to react (OODA loop: flee, or fight)...

- having the weapon in ready-to-be-fired state means weapon manipulations are avoided... having to manipulate the weapon (i.e. charge it, "rack the slide", etc.) always introduces the possiblilty of causing a malfunction, ...and it often requires two hands to do, and takes time, ...again digging into your reaction time...

- sometimes a one-handed draw-to-fire or "point shoot" is necessary if you don't have use of the other hand, ...the other arm/hand is disabled, ...or you are doing something else (parrying a blow) w/ the other hand...

- yes, you can practice your one-handed malfunction drill, to rack the slide off your belt or your thigh, ...but these are "last resort" type tactics, ...and are definitely not good as part of your standard operating procedure!!!