Carry with a chambered round???

I've never been called regular. I don't always carry but when I do I have it loaded to max and that includes chambered. The only safety is my finger and brain.

 

just a regular citizen, but when i graduate college i'll be applying for a position with fish and game as a officer.

EDIT: forgot to mention I've been shooting for about 11 years

 

Civilian. Certified Firearms Instructor (Pistol, Rifle, Home Safety, as well as Metallic & Shotshell reloading), and Certified Range Safety Officer.

 

Plain ole civy.

Amateur Gun Runner.

 

Absolutely,

1911 guy, Condition One.

Chambered, cocked, locked, as God and JMB intended.

 

Just the regular citizen with a concealed permit in PA. Always carry a gun with a Cross Breed Holster, which by the way has been the best investment ever! Even though it took 12 weeks to come in. But, I do reload and shoot weekly to remain safe and god forbid I ever have to use it I actually hit the person I need and not an innocent bystander (Unlike some of these fools in Pgh)....

 

I've been thinking about trying one of those. I carry IWB off duty and the gun sits a little bit lower than I'd like. I know many of the Cross Breed style holsters under different names have adjustable height and cant/tilt. I might have to take the plunge.

 

I carry chambered and all the firearms in my house are chambered save for a few rifles. If I had kids in the house none would be chambered except my carry duty of which unchambered and in the night stand when I went to sleep.

You never know what situation will arise the need to draw your firearm. You should be ready with the least amount of obstacles in the way to remove the threat. Like in the video above, you may only have one arm free. Someone may have a gun to you demanding your wallet. In that situation I would want to be able to draw like I was pulling my wallet and fire. Can't do that if you have to rack the firearm. That said, every firearm is different. I would never carry a firearm with a hair trigger. I like a long steady pull on a carry weapon. It provides enough resistance to be sure of your target before the bullet is flying. It also acts as a safety of sorts.

 

Many different people here with different backgrounds, maybe ill start carrying as well...

 

Don't carry an unloaded gun. You won't remember to throw one in the chamber when you need it under stress. Don't carry if you don't train, you won't be ready to use it.

 

Take the plunge and buy the cross breed holster! I have 4 cross breed holsters and I love all of them. I have 3 in cowhide and 1 in horsehide, with that being said just get the cowhide cause the horsehide squeaks and that gets annoying. These holsters are very comfortable, and I have very few complaints. My only issues is that I'd like more cant adjustment, but that's as easy as punching a new hole in the leather.

Now as far as the topic question, I always carry with one in the round. If you don't feel comfortable or safe with carrying with a round chambered you should really re-evaluate your method of carry. The gun should always be safe and secure in your holster, and that will prevent most negligent discharges of not all. Get to know your firearm of choice, and get yourself to the point where you can handle feel comfortable handing it in any situation.

Those are my thoughts and my way of carrying, but choose for yourself and be safe! Your safety and the safety of others is priority while handling a firearm in any condition.

 

I hope you never have to use your weapon to defend yourself. You just added a time/dexterity penalty to your response. Educate yourself by a legit firearms instructor, please.

 

Whether to carry chambered or not very much depends on the firearm's safety mechanism and my judgement of the ultimate safety of that. Of course, since I don't want to be shot or shoot someone else, I always err on the side of safety.

My current pistol has a safety system requiring two separate actions - grip and trigger pressed simultaneously - so I carry chambered. My previous pistol had a crappy mechanical safety (a slight turn disabled it), so I didn't carry chamber. At first glance, one might assume the latter (a mechanical safety switch) was the safer choice, but that was certainly not the case.

And this brings me to my next, most important, point - always test the safety on your firearm. Having a safety is not the same as having safety that works reliably. There should be no realistic way for that safety to be accidentally deactivated (it brushing up against objects, objects brushing up against it, etc). Test it, repeatedly, not just assume it. If, after testing, you aren't fully convinced about the reliability of that safety, don't carry with a round chambered.

 

I've been carrying since March. I'm just a regular civ. At first, I used a pocket holster and kept the safety on. I carry an LC9 and its got a long trigger pull. The holster keeps the trigger well covered so I graduated to keeping the safety off. The best chance for an ND would be when re-holstering so I make absolutely certain that nothing will be able to pull the trigger. Now I have an IWB holster that I use most of the time. Its by MDJ holsters, it's pretty much the same style as a crossbreed but costs half as much and I had it in 4 days. Ordered Friday night just before Memorial Day weekend, it was waiting for me when I got home from work on Tuesday. It works great and it's adjustable for cant. I always carry with a round chambered. Too many things can go wrong to be sure you can rack the slide in an emergency that can either prevent you from operating the slide or giving the other guy a time advantage. I'm sure you can get it down practicing at home in the living room every time, but if you have to use your gun for SD its going to be a much more stressful situation and who knows what the conditions may be like. What if you just got shot in your left shoulder? Not so easy to rack that slide now, huh? Maybe you can practice operating the slide with your teeth in case you don't have use of your weak hand?

 

Walking around carrying basically an unloaded pistol is like riding around in a vehicle with a spare tire without air in it. It just doesn't make sense and it's not going to do you a damn bit of good when you need it.

 

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If you carry and are reluctant to carry with a chambered round because your scared the gun will go off/accidentally discharge/etc you probably shouldnt be carrying a weapon to begin with. 2 cts

 

Not directed at you. Just a blanket statement.

 

I agree. If the gun wasn't made to be carried with one in the chamber, you're carrying the wrong gun.

If you think that you'll be able to keep your heart rate low enough to be able to rack the slide reliably, in a high pressure situation, you're going to have a bad time.
Just to emphasize my point: Run around the block, as fast as you are able, stand 20' away from a wall while pointing at a spot on it. That's how inaccurate you will be in aiming. Try doing other simple things, like putting a key in a lock. The level of dificulty increases quickly the higher you go over 64 heartbeats per minute. Now tell me how easy it will be to properly rack the slide, when your life depends on it.

 

I have been carrying since April. Springfield XD40 subcompact. Carried with a round chambered since day one. I have a crossbreed style holster and also a full kydex holster for IWB. In my opinion I would carry almost any pistol with one in the chamber with a proper holster. If the trigger is completely protected in the holster, what is there to worry about. Finger off the trigger while drawing. It just doesn't make sense to not carry with a round in the chamber with the proper equipment.

Now if I was Mexican carrying then I wouldn't have one chambered, but then again I'm not going to Mexican carry

 

I find it funny that a guy who "sells guns for a living" carries a gun with the safety off and no round in the chamber. That is completely backwards from what the gun manufacturer and all of the experts would recommend.

Tip for all of you guys thinking about getting a gun to start carrying: Talk to the gun seller and make sure he knows what he's doing before you buy anything from him. If he doesn't know how to carry a gun, he probably cleans it and puts it together wrong too.