Do you carry with a round loaded in the Chamber?

[philip964]

There is a horrible video on line I have seen of a jeweler trying to rack the slide while be shot by the BG. He fails to ever get a shot off and dies on the video. The video shows the BG removing the gun from his still warm hand unfired.

If that does not make you a believer nothing will.

[aggie06]

I don't undertstand the logic behind not carrying with one in the chamber. The holster covers the trigger, so I'm not worried about something catching on it. I'd rather not have to rack a slide if I'm in a situation where I need my gun. Just seems like one more thing to do wrong in a stressful situation.

A friend of mine said he didn't like Glocks due to the lack of a safety

I carry an XD with the Glock-style double trigger and a 1911 style grip safety. The grip safety doesn't make me feel any safer.

[VoiceofReason]

I don't undertstand the logic behind not carrying with one in the chamber. The holster covers the trigger, so I'm not worried about something catching on it. I'd rather not have to rack a slide if I'm in a situation where I need my gun. Just seems like one more thing to do wrong in a stressful situation.

A friend of mine said he didn't like Glocks due to the lack of a safety

I carry an XD with the Glock-style double trigger and a 1911 style grip safety. The grip safety doesn't make me feel any safer.

"Feeling safer" is irrelevant. The question is “are you actually safer because of the grip safety”? I believe the answer is yes.

Remember the 1911 was originally designed with young soldiers in mind, many that had not had experience with guns before the military. The grip safety was an added measure against accidents.

A coworker told me that he went to a jewelry store with his wife and spotted a 30.06 sign on the door. He went to the car and as he was sliding his Glock under the seat, the thought occurred to him that there was a 1 in 1000 chance that the trigger would snag on a seat spring. He sold it and bought a 1911.

I don’t know if this will interest anyone but I am an armature WWII history buff with a small collection of memorabilia. I have a Field Manual (July 23, 1941) with a section on checking the safety features of the 1911. Always has been, always will be a great gun.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have one of those manuals too.

[canvasbck]

If I removed the blade from my knife, it would greatly reduce the chance of me getting cut by it.

If I removed the engine from my truck, it would eliminate the possibility from the diesel running away in a flammable vapor cloud. My chances of killing someone in an automobile accident are greatly reduced.

If I took the head off my hammer, the chances of smashing my finger are greatly reduced.

Without an ax head on the end of my ax, my chances of losing a toe while attempting to split wood are almost zero.

Without a chain on the chainsaw, an otherwise dangerous tool is now completely safe.

If I were to permanantly shut off the power to my home, I know I will never accidentally throw on a light switch after the pilot has gone out on a gas appliance and blow up my house.

[VoiceofReason]

I have one of those manuals too.

Great, we need to compare notes sometime.

[VoiceofReason]

If I removed the blade from my knife, it would greatly reduce the chance of me getting cut by it.

If I removed the engine from my truck, it would eliminate the possibility from the diesel running away in a flammable vapor cloud. My chances of killing someone in an automobile accident are greatly reduced.

If I took the head off my hammer, the chances of smashing my finger are greatly reduced.

Without an ax head on the end of my ax, my chances of losing a toe while attempting to split wood are almost zero.

Without a chain on the chainsaw, an otherwise dangerous tool is now completely safe.

If I were to permanantly shut off the power to my home, I know I will never accidentally throw on a light switch after the pilot has gone out on a gas appliance and blow up my house.

Your point? Other than sarcasm?

What does this have to do with common sense safety?

[canvasbck]

If I removed the blade from my knife, it would greatly reduce the chance of me getting cut by it.

If I removed the engine from my truck, it would eliminate the possibility from the diesel running away in a flammable vapor cloud. My chances of killing someone in an automobile accident are greatly reduced.

If I took the head off my hammer, the chances of smashing my finger are greatly reduced.

Without an ax head on the end of my ax, my chances of losing a toe while attempting to split wood are almost zero.

Without a chain on the chainsaw, an otherwise dangerous tool is now completely safe.

If I were to permanantly shut off the power to my home, I know I will never accidentally throw on a light switch after the pilot has gone out on a gas appliance and blow up my house.

Your point? Other than sarcasm?

What does this have to do with common sense safety?

My point, sarcasm aside, is that many things we have can be made safer but sacrifice functionality in doing so. A chainsaw is an extremely dangerous tool in the hands of novice users, you could remove the chain but then it's useless until you put the chain back on. A handgun is also useless without a round in the chamber until one is put into the chamber. With the chainsaw example, I know I have time to put the chain back on before I NEED to cut wood. With a defensive handgun, I DON'T know if I have time to chamber a round.

I do own a gun that I don't feel comfortable with carrying a round in the chamber. It's a S&W 380 with only a trigger safety. That gun will never be my primary carry weapon. I will probably be selling it to someone who is comfortable with carrying a weapon with no safety other that the trigger safety.

I keep a pump shotgun near my bed WITHOUT a round in the chamber, not to prevent accidental discharge but to make the BG wake me up by chambering before he can shoot me with my own gun. If I need the element of suprise against a home invader, the loaded pistol is in a gunvault.

[Darth_Dad]

I keep my guns in two conditions: loaded (round in chamber) in a holster with the safety off or loaded (round in chamber) unholstered with the safety on. I carry everywhere its legal and when I carry there is a round in the chamber with the safety off. I choose my guns such that I feel safe carrying them in that condition. My holsters have excellent retention of the gun and the gun won't fire if the hammer strikes the ground. For some (i.e. Bersa UC 45) the safety drops the hammer, others (i.e. CZ-82) require it to be cocked to engage.

My HD shotgun has a shell cambered and the safety on. It has the big button safety so as I grip the gun the safety is disengaged. The sound of a shotgun racking is universally known and feared, but will you always have the time to rack it?

As with everything in life good habits requires practice. Bad habits come from complacency, meaning laziness, or ignorance. I perfrom lots of dry firing and slow draws to develop good habits and muscle memory.

"Wax on...Wax off.." Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid.

[aggie06]

A coworker told me that he went to a jewelry store with his wife and spotted a 30.06 sign on the door. He went to the car and as he was sliding his Glock under the seat, the thought occurred to him that there was a 1 in 1000 chance that the trigger would snag on a seat spring. He sold it and bought a 1911.

You make a good point in that feeling safer is irrelevant. The Brady Bunch all "feel" safer with more restrictive gun laws, but that doesn't mean they are. Your coworker's story doesn't really resonate with me because I don't take the gun out of the holster to disarm, but good for your him for doing whatever he needed to do to feel comfortable carrying.

[Dan20703]

I can't believe this thread is still alive.

[CarryTexas]

As luck would have it, every firearm I carry has a safety that operates exactly the same way.

Looks like this...




Yeah...one in the chamber. Always.

[bdickens]

I don't understand it. It's like having a car with no gas in it.

[G26ster]

Ok, I don't agree with, but can understand the logic behind not carrying a round in the chamber. What really surprised me, were the few people that don't even carry a magazine in the gun...

That seems like a really hard case to make.

I think those who said they don't carry a magazine were simply responding tongue in cheek

As luck would have it, every firearm I carry has a safety that operates exactly the same way.

Looks like this...

I can't really agree that keeping your finger off the trigger is a "safety." A necessary "safety procedure" though. By saying that keeping your finger off the trigger is a safety, it's the same as saying, "I never had an accident due to inattention, diversion, or distraction." "I never cut myself, fell down, tripped, dropped something, or in any way made an error." A "safety" is a mechanical device that attempts to nullify the errors we, as humans, make. Just my humble opinion.

[rdcrags]

None of my guns have a safety. All always have rounds in the chambers.

Indeed, is this thread still going?