Reconsidering carrying one in the chamber....

[aus71383]

I have a question for those that carry condition 1 do you do so with your safety on?

When I carried a gun with a safety - yes, the safety was on. Now I don't, so it's not an issue.

Austin

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[tacman605]

Diggy22.

Welcome to the forum.

To answer your question, yes and no, it all depends on the type of firearm I was carrying at the time.

If I was carrying a 1911 style pistol the round was chambered and the safety was on. If I was carrying a DA/SA pistol like a Beretta the round was chambered, the gun decocked and the safety was left off. I rely on the long DA first shot to prevent problems.

[Spec]

It took me a while to get comfortable with it, but when I'm carrying out of the house, it's in "condition 1" readiness. The PPS is tucked in its IWB holster (Crossbreed) and not going to discharge on its own, and when I'm ocing, the PPQ is in it's IMI polymer holster with a singlepoint retention. Either weapon is not going to fire unless I pull the trigger, which would require me pulling the firearm.

Seconds matter, and I'd rather be ready if the worst happened. The gun will never be out of its holster in public unless there is a threat, so I'm not worried about mishandling it.

At home, however, I "step" them down to loaded but unchambered. In my home I like having the extra safety, especially with the daughter around, of having an unchambered firearm. My house affords me an extra few seconds to chamber a round - the only two points of entrance do not go directly into the house but into entry ways that also have no line of sight to the actual living areas what so ever. I feel this is a good compromise between out and about and at home.

A note about my daughter: She's 10, we bought her first firearm at 9 1/2, a Remington youth .22LR. She's well familiar with firearm safety, but a bit of extra precaution on my part, I feel, is expected.

Until you step outside to take out the trash or get the mail. Now you are throwing in two different training techniques... K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) is a better option.

After spending about an hour reading through all of these posts I've decided a few things:
1) Everyone will continue to carry how they see fit/are comfortable with
2) The only thing that will change a person's mind is real world experience or good training
3) some people have not been aquatinted with "Murphy's Law" (everything that can go wrong WILL)

With #3 in mind, I've had hours upon hours of professional expert firearm training. Personally I will always carry with a round in the chamber here is why;
1) during training 50ft can be covered so fast at just a jogging speed clearing clothes and a holster then being accurate is EXTREMELY HARD under stress. Things are 100% different under stress. Your motor skills are deeply affected
2)If you don't want to go hand to hand first YOU WILL HAVE TO GET OFF THE X and create distance so you can shoot semi-accurately
3) drawing from concealment fast is HARD, shirts don't just poof out of the way. Murphy's Law loves to reek havoc. At this point the threat is upon you and you will most likely have to you your weak hand (racking hand for C2er's) to hold the threat far enough away from you so you can draw and shoot from retention at point blank range.

Summary Carry how you wish. Everyone remain alert. Get trained by an instructor not youtube!

[tokerblue]

I have a question for those that carry condition 1 do you do so with your safety on?

- I don't carry any firearms with manual safeties. I duck hunt and in the excitement of seeing ducks fly by unexpected, forgot to disengage the safety at least twice. I was not able to get the shot either time. Not a big deal since I hunt with others and safety is of utmost importance, not to mention that missing a shot at a duck isn't life or death.

[Diggy22]

Thanks for the answers i am new to handguns in general and it still is new about all of the workings. I believe tht I would carry sigh the safety but with more understanding of firearms I realize that it is not necessary

[Billb1960]

Nowhere did I suggest the woman was a sterling example of how to CC. Just goes to show that a C3 weapon is not a brick as some might suggest when an untrained person can utilize a C4 firearm to successfully defend themselves and their family. The guy was certainly a threat and she was justified in drawing her weapon.

Really? What threat did he pose that she couldn't have turned around and walked away from? Disgusting behavior is not a threat, it's just disgusting. The only mitigating circumstance that I can see is that she had a child with her which might have hampered her escape from the situation. Her weapon was a brick and if he hadn't given her the time to open her purse and use 2 hands to load the weapon then she could be dead or injured right now. If your 'assailant' gives you enough time to load your weapon then they're hardly a threat.

[HD_FLHTK]

I have had a ccw for a while, but only have actively carried my G19 for the past few months. With small children, I have been shyed away from carrying chambered. My daily life is fairly mundane, and sometimes my weapon is secured in my vehicle in order to prevent exposure.

This evening, my family went to church. My weapon was on my person. After the services, my family of 4 walked across the street to a poorly lit parking lot. While crossing the street, my wife and I noticed a large male, dressed in black, in the corner near our car. She made sure I noticed too. I would have been really un easy had an off duty cop (church security)in uniform/cruiser had not been parked within 20 feet of where this guy was. As we approached he spoke to me, no threatening words, but very uncomfortable. We quickly put kids in car while we moved around the lot. He walked two cars over and stood next to another church member who was sitting in his car......very odd.

The Leo finally confronted him as we left.

I'm 6'3, 225 and this guy was much larger. This made me very aware that had something occurred, securing my kids/wife, drawing, chambering would not have worked......

Just wanted to share this with others who may be carrying an empty chamber. Maybe this was God's way of telling me.

I carry one in the chamber and let the hammer down. As I draw, I just pull the hammer back. Works at the range. Haven't been in a gunfight and hope not to be.

Digger

[3wggl]

Really? What threat did he pose that she couldn't have turned around and walked away from? Disgusting behavior is not a threat, it's just disgusting. The only mitigating circumstance that I can see is that she had a child with her which might have hampered her escape from the situation. Her weapon was a brick and if he hadn't given her the time to open her purse and use 2 hands to load the weapon then she could be dead or injured right now. If your 'assailant' gives you enough time to load your weapon then they're hardly a threat.

You said it yourself...the child could have made it difficult for them to quickly escape. In that situation, with a child, I don't think it was her responsibility to wait until he was on top of her. I tend to agree with the many respected forum members in that thread that felt she was justified in drawing her pistol.

Call it a brick if you want...doesn't change the fact it was a pistol, carried in condition 4, that was effectively utilized to protect her and her son.

[Billb1960]

You said it yourself...the child could have made it difficult for them to quickly escape. In that situation, with a child, I don't think it was her responsibility to wait until he was on top of her. I tend to agree with the many respected forum members in that thread that felt she was justified in drawing her pistol.

Call it a brick if you want...doesn't change the fact it was a pistol, carried in condition 4, that was effectively utilized to protect her and her son.

Don't put words in my mouth. I never said she had to wait until he was on top of her. She had time to use both hands to retrieve her weapon from her purse, insert the mag and charge the weapon. If he represented a real threat then he would have assaulted her long before she had a chance to load her weapon. In that same amount of time she could easily have been moving out of the area with her child and called 911. His actions while disgusting did not rise to the level required to justify deadly force and since 'brandishing' is considered ADW in Washington state she could have been charged.

[tacman605]

HD_FLHTK. Welcome to the forum.

You did not mention what firearm you were carrying but the practice of chambering a round they lowering the hammer then recocking for use is probably not the best option. If you firearm is equipped with a manual safety it is probably better to chamber a round and engage the safety.

One of the points of folks not carrying one in the chamber is the fear of a negligent discharge. The method you described is not really a safe one. All it would take is for your thumb/finger to slip one time and allow the hammer to fall and you may end up shooting something or someone you do not intend to.

[.40]

Really? What threat did he pose that she couldn't have turned around and walked away from? Disgusting behavior is not a threat, it's just disgusting. The only mitigating circumstance that I can see is that she had a child with her which might have hampered her escape from the situation. Her weapon was a brick and if he hadn't given her the time to open her purse and use 2 hands to load the weapon then she could be dead or injured right now. If your 'assailant' gives you enough time to load your weapon then they're hardly a threat.

Look, an empty gun is not a brick. An empty gun is still a gun, and certainly works as a potential threat to any aggressor as he doesn't know it's empty. If I draw an empty .45 and point it at somebody, You can bet they're going to reevaluate their course of action. I doubt I'd get the same reaction if I pointed a brick at them. An empty gun works wonderfully as a threat. How many incidents have I read about where someone merely just produced a gun, and the aggressor magically remembered that there was somewhere else he needed to be. I would say a person stands a better chance using an empty gun as a bluff than no gun at all. Yes, it's far better than a brick. Have you ever had someone point a gun at you that you knew was empty. I have. It was still unnerving and made me flinch. People move out of the way when a gun is pointed at them.

[svgheartland]

Wow. I read this whole thing. What's wrong with me?

I carry condition 1. What I would suggest, and then I'm gonna stop drop and roll, is to consider looking at platforms that will provide one in the pipe but with a measure of safety that is comfortable and suitable for your personal requirements. Thumb safety, grip safety, decocker, etc. or not. Whatever. I gotta get a life.

Stop, drop and roll.

[TxTchRR]

Look, an empty gun is not a brick. An empty gun is still a gun, and certainly works as a potential threat to any aggressor as he doesn't know it's empty. If I draw an empty .45 and point it at somebody, You can bet they're going to reevaluate their course of action. I doubt I'd get the same reaction if I pointed a brick at them. An empty gun works wonderfully as a threat. How many incidents have I read about where someone merely just produced a gun, and the aggressor magically remembered that there was somewhere else he needed to be. I would say a person stands a better chance using an empty gun as a bluff than no gun at all. Yes, it's far better than a brick. Have you ever had someone point a gun at you that you knew was empty. I have. It was still unnerving and made me flinch. People move out of the way when a gun is pointed at them.

This works sometimes and is legal in states like Texas where brandishing when in fear of your life is a justifiable self defense, however in other states where brandishing is illegal in All scenarios it doesn't. More to the point, RATIONAL people move when a gun is pointed at them. Druggies won't, criminals that have had a gun pointed at them many times likely won't, and people who sense that you are scared to shoot them likely won't. I've had a chambered and loaded weapon pointed at me before, I knew the person who was holding it didn't have the conviction to pull the trigger and I also knew showing fear could incite them to do something they didn't want to do, so I did nothing but stare at them, they backed down. DO NOT COUNT ON THE PERSON THREATENING YOU BEING RATIONAL. I'm all for de-escalating any situation in a non violent manner and I will likely pull my weapon in the hopes it will intimidate them if possible, but I will never ever rely on that and in a close quarters attack no chambered round immediately puts you at more of a disadvantage than you already are.

[Taurahe]

A defensive handgun without a round chamber is the same as a millenia old defensive tool..... its called a rock

[dugo]

This works sometimes and is legal in states like Texas where brandishing when in fear of your life is a justifiable self defense, however in other states where brandishing is illegal in All scenarios it doesn't. More to the point, RATIONAL people move when a gun is pointed at them. Druggies won't, criminals that have had a gun pointed at them many times likely won't, and people who sense that you are scared to shoot them likely won't. I've had a chambered and loaded weapon pointed at me before, I knew the person who was holding it didn't have the conviction to pull the trigger and I also knew showing fear could incite them to do something they didn't want to do, so I did nothing but stare at them, they backed down. DO NOT COUNT ON THE PERSON THREATENING YOU BEING RATIONAL. I'm all for de-escalating any situation in a non violent manner and I will likely pull my weapon in the hopes it will intimidate them if possible, but I will never ever rely on that and in a close quarters attack no chambered round immediately puts you at more of a disadvantage than you already are.

Yep. Reminds me of an old saying in some professions, "Don't be a hopeful ... (whatever)." In law, if you prep for a hearing/trial and leave something out of your prep because you "hope" it won't come up, it may . In medicine, if you are in a case and "hope" things will go a certain way, they may not.

The better addage is, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." That is usually good advice. I would not want to be "hopeful" in a fight, and not prepared for the worst.

Other thing is that if you draw a gun and know it is loaded and you are willing to shoot if you have to, it is likely to send a different subtle message to your attacker. If you pull a gun and you know it is not loaded, and/or you don't intent to shoot, a savvy attacker may pick up on body language, facial expression and other things and almost instinctively know that you won't shoot. That can be a very bad thing.

I would guess that if you are not willing to shoot if you have to, then you are much better off with a Taser or pepper spray... if you are willing to use that ... and more training.