One in the chamber?

[thomjb]

Always one in the chamber...Glock 19, or Sig 228

 

[Tireburner Turner]

gotta have one in the chamber. if someone walks up to your car window with a knife and says "give me your money", your not gonna have time to reach for your gun, rack the slide, then pull the trigger. He has stabbed you and taken off by then!

If you have a golden nugget in the pipe and ready, then all you have to do is to go for the wallet and come out with your firearm and squeeze. That extra second it takes to cock your gun could cost you your life. But hey, that just how i feel about it!

 

[cbop]

Why isn't there a choice for one in the chamber and an empty mag?

Actually both my wife and I carry with one in the chamber... she wouldn't have it any other way

 

[RA8]

So, this was starting to get discussed in another thread, but I felt that it deserved its own.

When you carry, do you have one chambered? Or do you not chamber a round?

If you don't have one ready to go, why not?

I've always carried with one chambered, never really thought about not carrying with a round in...so I'm just curious why some choose the other route?

I carry with one in the pipe 100% of the time i have a holster.
Clips, and belt carry. Never(glocks).
My uncle has been a police officer in PA for over 30 years(i think), and carrys a sig in his waistband with one in the pipe every where he goes.

 

[RA8]

Deleted, accidental repost.

 

[RA8]

deleted, accidental repost.

 

[Indy317]

I never carry a chambered auto unless it has a thumb safety. Just a weird personal thing based on no hard evidence just personal opinion. That said I mostly carry a revolver so that doesn't really matter for me most of the time.

It takes .5 seconds to rack the slide and personally its worth the time for me. Not saying its not for others but im weird like that.

But what is the difference between the loaded revolver and a chambered auto? Do you only carry revolvers with thumb safeties (if such a thing even exist!)? The only thing I fear is carrying crappy guns, revolvers or semi-autos, that are much more likely to fire if dropped on the hammer/back of slide.

I personally don't like cocked and locked. I like the simple nature of Glock style shooting: You pull the weapon, aim, and all you have to do is pull the trigger. As such, even if I had thumb safeties, I wouldn't use them. I think safeties are for more storage, which is why I actually like magazine disconnects. Take out the mag, gun doesn't fire. The only carrying safety I wouldn't mind is a grip safety, because it is automatically engaged if you need to fire the weapon. To me, fumbling around with levers wasn't how I was taught to shoot, so I tend not to use them even if available.

wife doesnt like the idea of one in the chamber so thats why i dont carry with one in it... however when i'm w/o her, there is one in the chamber

My wife likely wouldn't like it either, but who cares what she thinks. There is always divorce if she really doesn't like it. Then again, I sometimes re-chamber are round in my weapon just to make sure it works and is functioning. She yelled at me for "shooting a bullet" when the non-fired chambered round fell to the ground. She has no clue on how guns work/operate. All she knows is that if you pull the trigger, the gun fires, therefore don't ever put your finger on the trigger.

I just get concerned with auto's that have no safety and a light trigger pull. I think that's a logical concern....

There are some 1911s I have seen with trigger jobs that are so light, I understand the need to carry the gun locked if one cocks that hammer back. My uncle has a gun like this and I just couldn't believe the minimal amount of force it took for a cocked hammer firing. While it is nice, I fear just jumping up and down hard enough could set it off.

I do not, however, understand the argument that a gun without one in the chamber is no better than a paperweight.

If the confrontation is such that the other person already as a weapon drawn on you, then your gun, regardless of condition, is nothing more than a paperweight. You can't out draw a drawn gun..impossible. Do your best to survive.

If the confrontation is verbal, maybe with stabbing, striking weapons in hand and in very close proximity...a gun may or may not be a paperweight. A non-chambered semi-auto gun is most definitely a _serious_ disadvantage, because even if you have time to draw it, chances are the attacker(s) who decide to stay in the fight would have already reacted on your drawing. So while not a paperweight, it does put one in a serious, a very serious, disadvantage in quick too manifest, close distance encounters. If we are talking about an active shooter situation, where you are not the immediate target, then yea...obviously not a paperweight, as you likely will have time to take cover, chamber the round, and do what you choose to do.

It all depends on distance from threat, what the threat has, etc.. A chambered, ready to go weapon is the best (this means one in the chamber, no safety levers to deal with, just point and pull the trigger and a bullet will be fired). This is why cops carry with guns at the ready. I don't know of any cop that carries a duty weapon that they need to chamber before firing. I am not sure about officers that have guns with safety levers, though I would bet most of those safeties are off.

I did have the embarassing "slipped out of holster onto bathroom floor" event happen once....

Reading this and your other posts on here, you need to seriously re-asses if you want to carry a firearm. In my 12+ years of carrying a firearm, say 24/6.9, I have _never_ had an "embarrassing" moment. Some people are so wiggly around guns, they really shouldn't have them. Get in the mindset of physics, not what-ifs. Get a good holster, and if you have to disarm to go to the restroom, don't guess if your gun will not fall off the toilet paper dispenser...know if it will or not. If you can't balance the gun anywhere, take out the ammo, put the bullets in your pocket, and go from there. Don't take chances. Get comfortable, get a good holster, carry something you feel safe carrying.

There is a law enforcement/firefighters training center in Indy. They don't allow weapons to be carried because of liability because someone, 99% likely to have been a "trained" police officer, negligently caused the firing of a bullet through the ceiling of the men's restroom at this facility. I don't say he fired it, as I don't know if he pulled the trigger, or if he was so lax in his handling of his gun, he dropped it and it fired. This should _never_ happen. The only way I would give someone as pass is if at the same time they were removing their weapon, they suffered a medical condition...then that is at least somewhat understandable.

 

[perminator]

I always carry my 1911 in condition 1 cocked and locked on rare occasions while around lots of children, birthday parties etc. ill let the hammer down and move to condition 2 but never carry without one chambered

 

[pfeigert]

I responded to the poll that I do not carry one in the chamber. However, after reading all the comments, I've decided to try 'locked and cocked'. When I carried a revolver, it never bothered me to have the hammer on a loaded chamber. Thanks for all the input.
Pete

 

[hotfarmboy1]

locked and cocked 100% of the time in my 1911's. If my CZ-52 (which I rarely carry) same thing cocked and locked, my taurus 709, chambered with safety on, and revolvers fully loaded. The only time there isn't a round in the chamber of my carry gun would be when hunting and climbing into my treestand. Just in case I might fall.

 

[EMTaco]

Always one in the chamber in my carry guns. I leave the chamber empty on the one in the nightstand because it forces me to wake up enough to rack the slide before pulling the trigger at 3 in the morning.

 

[smitty12b]

1911, cocked and locked

 

[Timjoebillybob]

But what is the difference between the loaded revolver and a chambered auto? Do you only carry revolvers with thumb safeties (if such a thing even exist!)? The only thing I fear is carrying crappy guns, revolvers or semi-autos, that are much more likely to fire if dropped on the hammer/back of slide.

I personally don't like cocked and locked. I like the simple nature of Glock style shooting: You pull the weapon, aim, and all you have to do is pull the trigger. As such, even if I had thumb safeties, I wouldn't use them. I think safeties are for more storage, which is why I actually like magazine disconnects. Take out the mag, gun doesn't fire. The only carrying safety I wouldn't mind is a grip safety, because it is automatically engaged if you need to fire the weapon. To me, fumbling around with levers wasn't how I was taught to shoot, so I tend not to use them even if available.

There are some 1911s I have seen with trigger jobs that are so light, I understand the need to carry the gun locked if one cocks that hammer back. My uncle has a gun like this and I just couldn't believe the minimal amount of force it took for a cocked hammer firing. While it is nice, I fear just jumping up and down hard enough could set it off.

I agree for the most part, my carry piece has an external safety that I carry with it off, but it is da/sa with a relatively sturdy trigger pull in da. But I wouldn't carry it cocked with the safety off. It would be drop safe from just hitting the ground but the trigger pull is light enough in sa that I would be afraid of it snagging something on the way down. In da yes there is the same problem but from it dropping from waist height it doesn't impact hard enough to fire. Now head height different story, it might.

And yes such a critter as a revolver with a thumb safety exists. The webley-fosberry automatic revolver had one and here is another one
Spencer, Safety, Hammerless, Maltry and Henley, .32, revolver, catch, latch, 1880s,American

 

[MrsGungho]

1911 cocked and locked

 

[indianajoe]

Sig P226 at home, unchambered. Carrying a Ruger LCP, with one in the pipe.

 

[kevinj110]

XD9 one in the pipe.

 

[cce1302]

yes, one in the chamber.
If it's a revolver, one in each of six chambers, or eight chambers, as the case may be.

 

[Michiana]

A gun without a round in the chamber is like a car with a dead battery. You don't want to jump your car everytime you need it do you??

You start your car several times a day on the average; you most likely will go your entire life and never pull your gun.

 

[truckie166]

My storm is easy to take off the safety when i pull it out of the holster, so it is a non issue after i pratcied taking it out a few times.

 

[cce1302]

You start your car several times a day on the average; you most likely will go your entire life and never pull your gun.

That's a good argument for not carrying.