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player_twister,

Carrying your weapon without a round in the chamber can very dangerous. During the high stress levels of a fight, you have to remember to rack the slide before you can defend yourself. You may not have the time to do that extra step - or worse - forget and all you get is a "CLICK".

Overcome your fear by practicing good safety skills. As one of my instructors says, "Keep your booger hook of the bang switch". You can begin with an unloaded pistol, if you wish. Practice drawing the pistol smoothly, keeping your trigger finger on the slide, so it is not near the trigger. Once this becomes natural, repeat with the pistol loaded - including one in the chamber. You should also be able to pick up a fully loaded pistol from a table top, with one hand, and not pull the trigger.

I can't imagine carrying a gun with no round in the chamber.....I know a lot of people do it and I never understood it. I always think of it as carrying a knife with no point.

As soon as my license gets here I plan to carry with one in the chamber(15+1). If you practice repeatedly from the same position you plan to carry you muscles will build a memory and in a high stress situation you might not even know you just pulled and shot till its all over. So the best advice I can give is to practice repeatedly from the same replative position that you plan to carry in. And make it you to an IDPA match or two. I have found those a good place to practice.

I've been appalled by the number of times I've seen "non-conditioned" renewal students get their semi automatic jammed chambering the first round. And this is in the semi-low-stress environment of "proficieny demonstrations" at the range - when no one is trying to stick a knife in 'em. Does this let you know how I would answer your question?

Greybeard wrote:I've been appalled by the number of times I've seen "non-conditioned" renewal students get their semi automatic jammed chambering the first round.

The only thing worse is if they do not know how to clear the jam either.

If you are ever concerned about safety and firearms in general...

The best safety is the one between yer ears...

All that other stuff...Comes with the territory, and based upon your training, skill and level of comfort you dictate to your personal situation...

I carry with a round in the chamber.
Reason 1: If the attack is on, it will take long enough to draw. I don't want to waste time racking the slide. I want to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible.
Reason 2: If you keep a round in the chamber and a full magazine, you're carrying one more round than if you didn't keep a round in the chamber, but merely a full magazine. (Was that clear? )
Could that extra round save your life or the life of a friend or relative? Maybe.

I also recommend getting training. I recently went to the PPOH course. Charles taught us to clear jams & double-feeds. His method takes 3-5 seconds--less if you practice it. This is something I couldn't do before the class. This is the type of knowledge that could possibly save my life if I needed it.

Try IDPA. It's a definite skill-builder built into a fun game. I'm consistently the lowest performing shooter at each match. But am I a better shooter for having attended than I was beforehand? Absolutely.
With IDPA, you start your course of fire with a chambered round, a topped-off magazine, and one or two full extra magazines. Since safety is their highest priority, you learn to move about safely with your weapon, then speed starts to develop.

player_twister wrote:I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

Every person is different. And there are a wide variety of guns and methods of carry out there.

I think you're correct to do what you feel safe with.

Honesty, for somebody just starting out I think it's a good idea not to chamber a round. As you gain experience carrying, you will find out if you are prone to making mistakes.

That's the approach I took when I was starting out.

It didn't slow me down too much the one time I drew it for real.

You don't wanna be that Glock [abbreviated profanity deleted]'ty guy

After years of experience, I carry cocked-and-locked today.

I would disagree with those that believe that guns can ONLY go off if you pull the trigger. While most modern handguns are pretty safe, long guns are more prone to go off accidentally due to slam fire, impact, and cook-off.

Moral of the story is always follow the 4 rules, know your gun, practice safe gun handling, and use a quality holster.

Thank You for all the Excellent posts. I have been to the Range Dozens of times, but only 4 times with this particular handgun. I was more confident with my .308 because it has a hammer on it, which my 9mm doesn't. I plan on going to the Range a few more times before I start chambering.

Trying to chamber a round upon drawing is dangerous. For one it adds a lot of time to your draw. Two you may not be able to do it the same as you practiced under stress, or in a tussle. Three have you ever heard of a slam fire?

I take it "slam fire" is the slide slipping while cocking, and disharges?

I've been appalled by the number of times I've seen "non-conditioned" renewal students get their semi automatic jammed chambering the first round.

I never thought of these two.
Thanks again.

Chambered for me. If I have to shoot I don't want to have to think. I just want to point and shoot.

Braden wrote:Chambered for me. If I have to shoot I don't want to have to think. I just want to point and shoot.

I understand this reasoning, although this same reasoning can be used to not select a gun with a safety. I like having a real safety. What it means is that I practice clicking my safety off whenever I pick up my gun. I practice and it becomes automatic and a part of muscle memory.

A round in the chamber...ALWAYS.

What type of holster do you carry in?

What type of holster do you carry in?
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S.S.G.

I have an Inside Waist Band, Fobus (close to waist), Shoulder, and Belt holster with x-tra clip for all my firearms. What I use all depends on the weather, and what I will be wearing.

What really concerns me is the Inside Waist Band. Reaching and digging are a little scary if I need to do it fast.

That's the key, to me. I have carried that very pistol in a few different holsters.
regardless of manufacturer, to quell your concerns, I would recommend a holster with a trigger guard (something that covers the trigger).
That's what I do.
it makes it so you have to draw without your finger on the trigger. get used to drawing that way and you'll be more comfortable with having one "in the pipe."
just be mindful of reholstering, too!

My winter carry is a 1911. It has a manual safety. I carry it with a round in the chamber. I am absolutely not worried about the pistol discharging while I draw.

My summer carry is a Glock. It has NO manual safety (in fact, your Sigma is a near-copy of my Glock). I carry that with a round in the chamber, as well. I am also not worried about discharging this pistol on the draw.

The key is to practice drawing with your finger OFF the trigger. I find various features on the pistols to put my fingertip on - slide stop for the 1911, takedown gadget on the Glock. Whenever I'm holding a handgun, my finger is like that - on the takedown, resting on the trigger guard, on the slide stop, depending on the model of gun. My finger only goes into the trigger guard when I want to squeeze that trigger (range practice, dry-fire, etc).

It takes a fraction of a second and one hand to move your finger into the trigger guard and slap that first shot off. It takes several seconds and both hands to rack the slide and then fire. Frankly, once the gun is in my hand, the Glock is NO LESS SAFE than my 1911, because I'm in the habit of sweeping the manual safety off as I draw and holding it down the entire time I'm shooting. Effectively, that safety doesn't exist while I'm holding the pistol.

The only safety that really matters is me. I know first-hand how fast someone with a knife can move (Fortunately, it was a practice situation with markers instead of daggers). A BG with a gun is just as dangerous. If I carried with an empty chamber, either one would have time to kill or maim me several times over while I racked that first round in.

To my mind, I might as well carry a completely empty gun as carry an unchambered gun; at least if it's empty, I can "give it up" to the BG and attack him with my fists while he tries to get it to work.