Carry handgun with round in the chamber.

[cbhausen]

Being an engineer-type and understanding somewhat how most modern pistols operate, I couldn’t fathom carrying without a round in the chamber.

 

[Trapper Jim]

When the condition turns red, clear your garment, un snap your kydex retention lock, try to make an unpracticed presentation, rack your slide, tap on the top of your dot to make sure it’s on, find the dot through rain on the glass, take an athletic stance, drop your support elbow for photo ops, remember to ride the reset, and jerk the trigger 19 times to pepper the lower left landscape of the perp.

Your mama would be proud.

Training? Who needs training.


See you at the morgue…

Trapper

 

[BehindBlueI's]

@BehindBlueI's this post 10 years ago is what convinced me, so thank you!

Coincidentally, I told my wife earlier today that this story was my reasoning for always chambering a round and topping off the magazine. I was getting ready to run some errands and she asked me why I always took that step… I didn’t realize it had been 10 years.
-Andy

Honestly, I was not prepared for the thread to be 10 years old when I searched it back up. Glad it made an impact for folks, so thanks.

It is, however a reminder, that the clock is looking at me yelling: Tick tock, mf-er, tick tock...

 

[Amishman44]

My suggestion for those "Not Comfortable" carrying with One in the Pipe:
View attachment 334010
(It's also my suggestion for anyone Starting Out with a Handgun for PP)

Bingo! Love revolvers!

 

[EricG]

In my experiences and observations, those who carry on an empty chamber aren't truly dedicated this "life".
They are the ones that visits the range once a year, maybe. They don't really understand the manual of arms, the term "sight picture" is a screen shot on their Android device and the gun has more lint on it than the back of my sock drawer.

The comfort level isn't there and they truly shouldn't be carrying a gun, IMHO.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I had this conversation with a co-worker just a few weeks ago. He's learned this (not carrying chambered/ready) from his dad or uncle or from someone he trusts. He insists it's safer and all the other usual excuses.

Just as with many other paradigms, getting someone to change one is most difficult...at least when I do the talking.

 

[ratames]

The latest issue of Concealed Carry Magazine from USCCA had a decent article on this very topic.

 

[JesusFreak]

I'll admit I carried mine for a couple months without a round chambered. The main reason being that, while I was not new to firearms, but I was new to handguns and carrying one. The other reason was my Max 9 did not have a safety switch, only a trigger safety. And finally I didn't have a fitted kydex holster, only a generic soft one. I was very unfamiliar with this setup. I didn't yet have the muscle memory to holster/unholster without feeling "fumbly" and I was concerned about an ND.

After a couple months of training, handling, practicing with snapcaps, etc as well as obtaining a proper holster, I was comfortable carrying it chambered. My biggest fear is accidentally hurting someone else because of my own failures of knowledge and training. That was, relatively speaking, easy to overcome with some time & effort.

 

[penguinship]

I'll admit I carried mine for a couple months without a round chambered. The main reason being that, while I was not new to firearms, but I was new to handguns and carrying one. The other reason was my Max 9 did not have a safety switch, only a trigger safety. And finally I didn't have a fitted kydex holster, only a generic soft one. I was very unfamiliar with this setup. I didn't yet have the muscle memory to holster/unholster without feeling "fumbly" and I was concerned about an ND.

After a couple months of training, handling, practicing with snapcaps, etc as well as obtaining a proper holster, I was comfortable carrying it chambered. My biggest fear is accidentally hurting someone else because of my own failures of knowledge and training. That was, relatively speaking, easy to overcome with some time & effort.

When I started, I did the same. Eventually, I saw that my trigger didn't get pulled on its own, I was more comfortable carrying chambered

 

[Gunaddict]

A lot of things can happen in the moment. If the firearm I am carrying has a safety, then I will carry in the chamber. If not, I work racking the slide into my draw drills. Know your weapon, practice, and take nothing for granted. I also carry wheel guns that have no safety other than the long trigger pull. As long as you get comfortable, do what you will.

 

[russc2542]

I can only reiterate what has already been said, it's a reflection on the state of carry and training of the person carrying.

While it's true that safety is in the hands of the user, not the tool, there are some guns that are arguably less safe to carry with one in the chamber due to mechanical design (not or less bump/drop safe).

 

[flint stonez]

Ran into a young man open carrying not long ago. I noticed his Glock didn’t have a magazine inserted. As someone who once lost a magazine when using a bogus holster I thought he’d lost the magazine. So as any fellow gun owner would do I informed him his magazine was missing. He looked at me weird and said he never keep a round in the chamber or a magazine in his firearm. I was dumbfounded and asked him, “why”? He informed me that it was so law enforcement wouldn’t feel threatened when they seen the firearm. My question was, “why not carry concealed so know one knows?” He might as well have carried a hammer on his belt.
Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t understand.

 

[Leadeye]

It's interesting how this has played out over time, flintlocks and early percussion carried at half cock. Cap and ball revolvers with all chambers loaded, but the hammer in between on a stud or in a notch. Rifles and shotguns carried at half cock, but in the same era revolvers carried on an empty chamber. Americas first semi autos carried on an empty chamber or half cock, and DA revolvers fully loaded. Later semi autos with a full chamber and safety engaged.

Technology of the time and the perception of the time.

 

[russc2542]

It's interesting how this has played out over time, flintlocks and early percussion carried at half cock. Cap and ball revolvers with all chambers loaded, but the hammer in between on a stud or in a notch. Rifles and shotguns carried at half cock, but in the same era revolvers carried on an empty chamber. Americas first semi autos carried on an empty chamber or half cock, and DA revolvers fully loaded. Later semi autos with a full chamber and safety engaged.

Technology of the time and the perception of the time.

Basically. It goes back to the internal safeties. Hard whack on a de-cocked hammer (hence carrying half-cocked) could set a round off. It was still socially acceptable to carry DA revolvers on an empty chamber till transfer bar linkages became common, or so I've heard. For semi-autos: drop safeties. That's one of the reasons I've heard the IDF started with open chamber standard: in the early days they took whatever firearms they could, that meant they weren't all bump/drop-safe.

 

[cosermann]

Quite a few examples of people taking the asphalt temperature challenge with empty chambers on ASP’s YT channel too.

 

[GunsNstuff]

I had a video back and forth argument with a guy called Mister5point56 on YT maybe 10 or 15 years ago called. His position was if you're not comfortable enough to carry with a round in the chamber, you shouldn't be carrying a gun at all. I looked at that as elitist, "I'm a gun ninja, making me far better than you, so just sit this one out little boy and leave the open carrying gun ninja work to experts like myself" attitude. If you're new, if you're not a gun guy/gal, if you feel safer carrying without a round in the chamber, that is still better than not carrying at all. If you're comfortable and know that you are safe. If you know you have built the muscle memory to be positive that your finger will never go to that trigger while handling the gun, then carry with a round in the chamber.

A gun is shaped the way it's shaped because your 3 fingers naturally wrap around the grip wile your trigger finger naturally wraps around the trigger. So it's not about knowing to keep your finger off the trigger, It's about breaking that natural habit of touching the trigger when you're holding a handgun. No one shoots themselves or a friend on purpose while handling their gun. They do that on accident because they haven't built the muscle memory to never touch that trigger and to keep it straight alongside the frame of the gun. So until you're confident that you have retrained your brain & fingers, do what is safe for yourself.

Revolver guys are so well trained that they keep 5 or 6 rounds in the chamber while us novices are talking about keeping just 1 in the chamber.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Quite a few examples of people taking the asphalt temperature challenge with empty chambers on ASP’s YT channel too.

But were they comfortable with their decision?

 

[firecadet613]

But were they comfortable with their decision?

Yes. They no longer have a care in the world...

 

[92FSTech]

Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t understand.

You're not wrong. That's some truly stupid ****.

 

[10mm]

I have been around firearms most of my life. The day I got my permit I was 18 and had a proper holster for my little bersa 380. My grandfather told me one thing after I had it and that was if you didn't have one in the pipe you would be better served carrying a rock or a brick.
This is a rather simplified way of saying that under stress you may be surprised at how little fine motor function you have in a high stress situation and the sliver of time it takes to rack and get back on target (or god forbid that you forget and the hammer falls on an empty chamber and this panics you further) may be the difference between life and death. It seems a silly thing, to me, to carry a weapon you can't t trust.