Do you carry with a round chambered?

[Bigum1969]

Ok here's my options in carrying as I see them. I can carry with
1) one in the chamber, safety off, hammer down.
2) one in the chamber, safety off, hammer in upright position.
3) one in the chamber, safety on, hammer in upright position.
4) Not one in the chamber, safety off, hammer down.

My reasonings:
1) Cocked and locked and in SA ready to fire? No. Too easy for a good jolt to set the hammer flying or an AD
2) Locked and in DA ready to fire? Probably more safe. Choice of cocking hammer back for easy trigger pull and better accuracy or DA TP for down right "MUST FIRE NOW" scenario.
3) Locked but safety on? Most safe, but could be dangerous too. Could fumble for the safety, or forget about it. That would be bad. Safe way to carry, but for the time it takes to flic the safety off I could rack it just as fast.
4) Safety off and the hammer cocked but no bullet in the pipe is how i carry, especially around the house. With the hammer cocked there is less resistance on the slide making it easier to slide back. Is actually faster than fumbling with the Slide safety. Also a good "Hey I just chambered. Stop or I'll shoot you!" indicator to the BG.

Look, maybe it's not the "Best" way to carry, but I'm still carrying. I'm not defenseless and those around me are more safe because of that. Whether there is one in the pipe or not, there are 15-17 right there and another 10-12 right beside it waiting to go.

Maybe it's irrational to "fear" the gun going off. I've tried to explain that to the women of the house, one of which would feel more safe if it was locked in a safe, upstairs. I don't fear it going off because I know my pistol and I know how it will be safe to carry it. But I don't carry it loaded because a half-second isn't going to make much difference. This isn't the matrix and I can't dodge bullets, but I can jump for cover as I'm drawing my pistol if that's the case. Otherwise I will more than likely have time to draw, rack, and aim.

This reminds me of the movies or television when a SWAT team enters a room to take down a bad guy and you can all hear them rack their slides when they enter the room. Come on, that's ridiculous.

Carry however you want, but I think pointing a gun at a bad guy will give him the same message as racking your slide. Also keep in mind that you'll likely need two hands to rack your slide. You could be in a situation where you've only got one hand.

 

[jeremy]

I also refuse to own a sidearm with an external safety. For much the same reason that I carry with one in the chamber. Time is crucial. Quarter seconds count.

The closest thing to a safety on my current carry pistol is a decocker.

 

[jeremy]

Also as Bigum pointed out you may only have one hand as an option. Whats worse it may be your off hand.

 

[SavageEagle]

This reminds me of the movies or television when a SWAT team enters a room to take down a bad guy and you can all hear them rack their slides when they enter the room. Come on, that's ridiculous.

Carry however you want, but I think pointing a gun at a bad guy will give him the same message as racking your slide. Also keep in mind that you'll likely need two hands to rack your slide. You could be in a situation where you've only got one hand.

LOL Ok now. If I'm entering in a room with the intent to shoot someone, then yea, that would be dumb to enter THEN chamber a round. That is stupid.

Yes, there are many situations that could result in the need of one-handed shooting. If I get into that position I'm screwed already, BUT that is why there is training on one handed operation of your given pistol. Look, if you guys think it's dumb to carry without a round in the chamber, so be it. That's your OPINION. Doesn't mean it is a fact. I respect your opinions. When I feel comfortable carrying a round in the chamber, I'll do so. Until then I'll take that chance that I may or may not have that extra HALF SECOND it takes to chamber a round.

BTW, if that HALF SECOND is too long, you were probably dead already and it probably didn't matter.

 

[DRob]

Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent!

Probably the most important aspect of carrying a handgun is to practice, whatever your carry preference. It's a fact that, in a stress situation, you will do whatever you have practiced. Right or wrong, regardless of what you think sitting there at your keyboard, in a real honest-to-God gunfight, you will do what you're conditioned to do. That's also the reason I always carry the same gun.

 

[Caleb]

flamefest in the making..... *runs and hides behind cover*

 

[Bigum1969]

Probably the most important aspect of carrying a handgun is to practice, whatever your carry preference. It's a fact that, in a stress situation, you will do whatever you have practiced. Right or wrong, regardless of what you think sitting there at your keyboard, in a real honest-to-God gunfight, you will do what you're conditioned to do. That's also the reason I always carry the same gun.

Great point and great advice

 

[SavageEagle]

no, no flamefest. We're all respectable adults here. Just a lively discussion.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

patience grasshopper

 

[WHITE_WOLFE]

What.......no one carries one of these?

I carry everything chambered, but I dont carry this old Colt 45.

 

[TomN]

I always ALWAYS carry one in the chamber! If I wanted to carry a club I'd carry a club.

 

[Stevenlong8]

sometimes

when on my person yes, when not no.

 

[SavageEagle]

Look, you just can't ALWAYS carry one in the chamber. Do you have children? Small Children? I have two. And unless I completely disarm or put it in the safe, it gets knocked around alot. And while I carry IWB at home around the kids, I carry in a nylon holster. It's just not completely secure and something, whatever the chance is, could make it go off. Would you take that chance? Even if it's 10%? 1%? .00000001%?

I take no chances with my kids lives when it comes to gun safety. Which is why I opted for a digital safe instead of a regular key or combination safe. They don't know there's a key hole and a key for it. My point is there are times when carrying with one in the chamber is irresponsible.

 

[GetA2J]

Probably the most important aspect of carrying a handgun is to practice, whatever your carry preference. It's a fact that, in a stress situation, you will do whatever you have practiced. Right or wrong, regardless of what you think sitting there at your keyboard, in a real honest-to-God gunfight, you will do what you're conditioned to do. That's also the reason I always carry the same gun.

Oh great! we're all doomed.
At the first sign of trouble, I'm going to my keyboard and ask ingo members and ar-15.com members how they feel about the situation I am in right now.







J/K

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Do you think you are the only person here with kids? If you choose to carry in a way such that the gun "gets knocked around alot" then you might reconsider your approach. We have all been through the crappy holster thing, and I can certainly commiserate there, but move forward. Get a holster that doesn't suck. I know money is an issue, but a secure holster doesn't cost a fortune.

Further, mechanical abuse leading to AD may not be a concern with your firearm. If you are willing, list a make and model here and lets discuss the possibility of your gun going off. Again, this isn't meant to be an attack, and you are welcome to carry as you please, but don't act like this is your only option. Odds are, its not.

I would argue that with the majority of modern carry weapons, it is not irresponsible to carry loaded. Further, it seems as if your equation factors in the possibility of dropping the gun. Remove that from the scenario. If your gun stays in the holster, it won't go off. How can that be irresponsible?

 

[SavageEagle]

DA/SA Semi Compact Baby Desert Eagle 9mm. That's a slide safety/decocker that deactivates the Trigger and Firing Pin. The Safety is a pain to manipulate one handed, but is doable. But it takes the same amount of time, if not longer since i haven't been training myself to do it, to flick than to rack the slide. The Holster is an Uncle Mike's knock off but I'm not worried about the gun falling out or dropping it.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is the situation:

The safety is a PITA, so you dont carry loaded with safety on.
The holster is secure, so your concern is not about AD due to physical abuse.
The decocker does not introduce a transfer bar-type barrier.

I am unfamiliar with Desert Eagle. Can you verify that there is nothing blocking the hammer from the firing pin? If you can use the decocker and carry with it loaded and on DA, do so. If not, I would say see what you might improve about your grip to learn to work the safety. I am not dismissing the chance that the safety is a really bad design. I find it more likely that its challenging for you based on the way you are working with it, and could thus be helped with some practice.

Best of luck,
Josh

 

[Metro 40]

.

 

[WHITE_WOLFE]

I have one 7 year old kid and I carry chambered. I am confident the pistol is not going to fire unless I put my finger on the trigger. I would be worried more about another family member before I would my son.

If your not comfy with it then dont do it.

 

[fpdshooter]

I always carry a round loaded in the chamber of every pistol I carry on my person. My truck guns (read: rifle) are carried the same way my patrol rifle is, loaded mag inserted in the gun, but empty chamber. I do that for several reasons only one having to do with safety.

Having said that, the Isreali's (spelling?) are famous for carry ALL weapons with a loaded mag insterted but emtpy chamber. They have their own reasons for it, and let's face it, they do know a thing or two about shooting.

Do what you want for why you want to. Just make sure you know why you are doing it and doing it for the correct reasons.