Carry with one in the chamber

[Bad Notch]

I always carry with 1 in the chamber. What good is a gun with no bullet in the chamber when you need it most ?

 

[UNLOCKEM]

I agree with out of the house, one chambered. Back home, empty chamber with the doors and windows locked. The first thing a burglar is thinking is how to get in the house without making any noise. Also something else to consider: Do you have a dog? Dogs pick up sound and movement alot quicker than we do. All these things can make a big difference in the amount of time you have to react.

 

[GMack_1]

If you do choose to carry with one chambered, AND choose to unchamber when you get home for safety purposes, make sure to unchamber gently. If you use the same round over and over again the bullet will slowly seat deeper into the case and increase pressure if the round is ever used..., i.e. not a safe situation. There have been many posts on this subject on this forum. Either rotate the rounds from top to bottom in the mag, or better yet do more shooting. While I'm on the subject of safety, never pistol-unchamber a round and catch it with your hand. It looks cool, but if the ejector is just slightly out of position (i.e. bent) it could ignite the primer and go off in your hand. And yes, it has happened. I appreciated your post. The more kids know about this stuff the better, I think. Good luck.

 

[MarkM]

I have Sig Sauer SP2022 and I want to carry with one in the chamber, but I've never had a gun with a decocker. It makes me nervous to drop it on a live round. Can someone tell me I'm being crazy. So I'll finally do it.

 

[Car Ramrod]

I have Sig Sauer SP2022 and I want to carry with one in the chamber, but I've never had a gun with a decocker. It makes me nervous to drop it on a live round. Can someone tell me I'm being crazy. So I'll finally do it.

You're being crazy.

However, always make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction when using the decocker, just in case. Also, if possible, until you get comfortable using it, ride the hammer down while decocking.

 

[CPT Nervous]

I have Sig Sauer SP2022 and I want to carry with one in the chamber, but I've never had a gun with a decocker. It makes me nervous to drop it on a live round. Can someone tell me I'm being crazy. So I'll finally do it.

You're being crazy.

 

[Rocdenindy]

I always carry my Glock 23 with one in the chamber. I want to be able to point, aim, and shoot. I don't want to think about having to rack the slide. Now that being said...At home, my Glock stays unloaded. I have a single shot shotgun that is unloaded also but I have the ammo for it accessible quickly for home defense and can get to and load my Glock pretty quick.

 

[aaron580]

Yup I always have one in the chamber of my G21. Always be prepared!

 

[Bunnykid68]

Only because 2 will not fit

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

I have Sig Sauer SP2022 and I want to carry with one in the chamber, but I've never had a gun with a decocker. It makes me nervous to drop it on a live round. Can someone tell me I'm being crazy. So I'll finally do it.

Yup, you're being crazy. Like has already been said, if you're still nervous about it, ride the hammer until it is seated. (I do that anyway because mechanical devises fail at the most inopportune moments)

edit: apparently the emoticons don't work in the post title...boo

 

[T2D4]

i'm starting to transition from none-in-the-chamber to OITC, and for me it's all about the holster. my springfield XD40 has that rear handle safety that makes all the difference for me. the holster covers the trigger too, so less concern about fingering the trigger while drawing.

i just got a g22 that i only have a pouch type (iwb) holster that i don't feel comfortable drawing from. a nicer shoulder holster would probably rectify the situation.

i'm still new enough to guns that i don't yet appreciate how hard it is to discharge one without actually pulling the trigger. just paranoia, and i understand the adamant argument against carrying without OITC, but it's all about getting used to it, i suppose.

 

[cosermann]

... my springfield XD40 has that rear handle safety that makes all the difference for me. ...

I'm always interested if XD owners actually know how that safety works. Presumably, one draws and reholsters with a full firing grip. That's what people typically seem to practice anyway (and rightfully so).

But, if one reholsters an XD with a full firing grip, where's the grip safety benefit? Any trigger obstruction when reholstering in this scenario = gun goes bang. To get the "benefit" of the grip safety, one's reholstering grip has to be modified, say with the thumb on the rear of the slide, to get the "benefit" of the grip safety.

Here's another one, let's say one reholsters an XD with a modified grip, but a piece of shirt, elastic coat cord, etc. snags the trigger pulling it back, and holding it back in the holster. All is fine, right? You reholstered taking advantage of the grip "safety."

Now, let's say you didn't notice what happened, and you later obtain a full firing grip to draw the XD. What happens the moment you obtain a full firing grip, in the holster, with an obstruction holding the trigger to the rear? . . . If you said "bang," you win a prize.

Mechanical "safeties" can be an adjunct to proper technique, but never a replacement. Always reholster in a deliberate, careful, judicious manner. No one ever won a gunfight by being the first/quickest to put their gun away.

Sorry to get a bit off topic there. Stay safe.

 

[Aaron1776]

I think the best idea would be, leave the house, one in the chamber, come home, empty chamber. I just cant see a situation where I have locked doors and loud breaking windows, where I wont have enough time to rack the slide.. I mean it takes a 10th of a second. Out on the street, if something happens, you could have NO warning. so one in the pipe...

Ideas??

This is what I do, but then again 1-don't have kids in the house, and 2- I have three layers of warning. 1st, the breaking of glass, (light sleeper) 2nd the alarm, and 3rd the dog that barks at everything that moves outside. If you can't rack the slide under stress automatically, you honestly haven't trained enough. Obviously on the street I have one in the pipe.

However, like I said, I don't have kids. I'm the youngest of my entire family. My friends don't have kids, and everyone I know knows how to treat a gun with respect. In the case of children the gun would always be on my hip. No sweatpants for daddy. If the gun is in a holster, then there is no reason not to have one in the pipe.

So for guys with kids. Gun in holster, holster on you, round in the pipe, all other guns locked in a heavy duty safe.

I was taught never to sleep with a gun chambered on your bedstand cuz one night you'll wake up gripping your gun wondering how you came to that position. Heard too many stories of people waking up to a BANG with a smoking gun in their hands. I know I have had nightmares where I woke up still thinking someone was coming in the house and found my .45 in my hand.
Then again I also sleep on the second floor and you have to run up a long flight of stairs to get to me....so perhaps if I move to a one story place I'll change that policy.

 

[jaschutz79]

I can't believe some of the answers I'm hearing. I ALWAYS carry one in the chamber. Under stress, racking a round will take much longer than u think.

Have any of you "slide rackers" consider you might not have two hands while drawing? Could be injured....could be blocking or deflecting...could be dragging your child to cover. Do you practice for that? Not to mention that you are at a severe disadvantage to a assault that is closing from distance (ie Knife,Bat, Hands etc.)

All this uncomfortable feelings of safety tells me is that you don't train enough to be confident with your CCW. If you don't feel like you can keep your finger off the bang switch....then train until you can.

A couple thousand dryfires and you'll gain the confidence

 

[Zephri]

I always carry with two in the chamber, any less and I feel under prepared.

 

[Bunnykid68]

For everyone that takes their bullet out of the chamber when they get home, do you just reload that round? Have read numerous stories on INGO about bullet set back from reloading the same bullet repeatedly.

 

[jlwest1213]

For everyone that takes their bullet out of the chamber when they get home, do you just reload that round? Have read numerous stories on INGO about bullet set back from reloading the same bullet repeatedly.

I do it all the time, with ball, hydra shock, and ranger bonded and have not had an issue (Glock 17).

 

[Bunnykid68]

I do it all the time, with ball, hydra shock, and ranger bonded and have not had an issue (Glock 17).

Just throwing it out there. I do not remember the problems it may or may not have caused, but have glimpsed it in a few threads.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Just throwing it out there. I do not remember the problems it may or may not have caused, but have glimpsed it in a few threads.

When I need to reload my pistols (having unchambered it for whatever reason) I always place the round in the chamber and let the slide go home. I don't chamber from the magazine. I don't know if this is the right way to do it, but there is no chance of bullet set back doing it this way.

 

[cosermann]

It's hard on the extractor, since most are designed to receive the rim coming up from the magazine (sliding under the extractor) rather than having to ride up and over the rim.