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How do you carry your SD Pistol? With a round in the Chamber - No round in chamber

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POLL - Do you carry: With a round chambered - No round in chamber

310K views 1K replies 741 participants last post by  JD 
#1 · (Edited)
As I have not been able to find a simple poll (recent or not) of members regarding your choice on keeping a round chambered or not. (please forgive me if I've missed anything from the last 365 days!) Please vote at the top of this post!

There are plenty of discussions, but I am just looking for a simple count.

After answering, please feel free to expound upon your choice by giving details such as your pistol's usual condition (0 ~ 4), its trigger type (DA/SA, etc.) & so on.

Thanks much!
 
#5 ·
Always chambered...ALWAYS!!!!
 
#6 ·
Nope.

The odds of me needing my gun in self defense are very slim.
The odds of me needing my gun in self defense .5 seconds faster, even more slim.
Human error has shown time and time again that no matter how careful you think you are, stuff happens and you realize you are only human and the gun is only something humans create.
 
#52 ·
I agree.I have read so many posts on this subject the answers are predictable.Most carry chambered.Many will say we are dumb because we do not,they will say the gun is useless with empty chamber,you will not have time,etc.I do not live in a war zone,not in the military in hostile territory. I believe to each their own.You have to make your own choice.Also these posts usually end in arguments and name calling.
 
#9 ·
- I've borrowed my post from another thread as it now seems more appropriate here than there - apologies if this is against the rules! -
I am currently awaiting response to my application for my Permit to Carry, but I do carry in my home & on my property without a round chambered. I've done my best to stay prepared for the slim chance that I'd need to use the weapon, keeping in mind that I'd need that extra second to pull the slide & be ready for the next step.

When I began to consider a weapon purchase, I decided to start out right & take a basic handgun familiarization course (convinciing my wife to join me). I also took a membership at my local range & used my free pistol rentals to help me decide what weapon would suit my needs & start the process of proper handling & training. Since purchasing my first weapons about a year ago, I've always kept a full magazine of my SD ammo in the pistols along with a full back-up mag or so, but didn't want to keep a round chambered because I wasn't sure I'd be able to practice safe handling. I felt that as long as I prepared for the extra second that was needed to chamber a round, that my SD plan was reasonable.

For the first 4 months or so I carried sporadically in & around my home with my Remora no clip holster, but at times found it uncomfortable to do so without wearing a belt on my shorts during warmer weather. When the weapon wasn't on me it would be holstered & high atop a shelf nearby, where I figured that it was at least available if needed. I made sure to go to the range at least monthly to improve on my handling & trigger skills, & become more comfortable with my weapons' operation. Sometime during the fall I purchased an affordable Bianchi IWB clip-on (Professional 100) & soon after made the decision to carry in & around the home full-time, because you never truly know if you'll have time to get to a weapon when you need it - but I still didn't feel completely safe keeping a round chambered.

After a year of much thought & contemplation, I recently took the required training & applied for my permit to carry. During that year I've spent many (many) hours at the range, I've transferred my weapons from the storage safe to my at-ready safe & holster multiple times a day - clearing the weapons each time I did so, kept them clean & in working order, & throughout have not made the mistake of putting finger on trigger when it wasn't called for.

We do not have children of our own & my weapon is concealed (holstered) on me or secured. I have now come to the conclusion that the extra second needed to chamber a round is no longer reasonable. When my permit hits my mailbox & I start carrying full-time, I will trust myself to do what I feel is right for me & my state of preparedness. My weapons will be at the ready...with a round chambered.
 
#12 ·
Ark, your self-analysis of the topic is very thorough and introspective. I applaud your attention to safety and scenario when it comes to 'having one in the pipe'. Very good idea to practice carrying around your property or anywhere else you can do so legally. I have and will always carried with one chambered, but respect those who do not.

For me, if a SD scenario unfolds it will do so VERY fast and I will not have time to chamber a round. One less thing to worry about......

I mostly carry a Springfield XD sc9 in a Minotaur MTAC and sometimes a S&W 642 in a DeSantis Softuck or Don Hume 715 open top. Best of luck with permit once it arrives!


Scott
 
#687 ·
My apologies, but I cannot respect the idea of carrying a gun w/o a chambered round. It's unwise, unsafe, and altogether stupid. It reflects to me that the owner is afraid of either the gun or his/her ability to handle a gun safely. That's what training is for and I wholeheartedly recommend it. I firmly believe you put yourself at more risk carrying unchambered because in the heat of a confrontation it is easy to forget to rack the slide.
A few years back an elderly vet was murdered in his home when he surprised a few burglars. He was found dead by the Sheriffs deputies with his trusted 1911, safety off, no round in the chamber.
 
#13 ·
I agree that chances of ever needing a firearm for self defense is slim.... so why even carry if the chances are that slim? If you're going to carry, and that slim chance ever happens that you do need it, you're not going to want to fumble around. Hell, I don't even like carrying firearms with external safeties. If you're carrying a weapon in a proper holster and you leave it put and don't play with it, you won't have any problem's. Almost all ND's are caused by people fumbling around with their firearm when they shouldn't be, cleaning an "unloaded" firearm, carrying without a holster or even unholstering it to show a friend and not clearing it. I'm not against showing a friend my Glock if they wish to see it and are curious as long as it's not in public. But ALWAYS clear the weapon. Treat a loaded firearm like a rattlesnake. You shouldn't be afraid of a loaded gun, but you MUST have respect for a loaded gun.
 
#14 ·
A simple search would reveal:

http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/home-away-home-defense-discussion/120360-not-locked-loaded.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...ions/119462-carrying-da-only-one-chamber.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/115181-one-chamber.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/115332-one-pipe.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum.../110470-new-ccw-question-carrying-loaded.html
Here is a poll: http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/defensive-carry-guns/72666-do-you-carry-chambered-not.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...you-carry-your-non-1911-da-semi-auto-gun.html
Another poll: http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/57669-chambered-round.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...85-chamber-not-chamber-1-question-merged.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...discussions/38194-chambered-not-part-2-a.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/35901-chambered-not.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...ion-re-condition-1-carry-da-only-pistols.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...ussions/11191-always-carry-empty-chamber.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum...6434-when-you-carry-you-chambered-safety.html

That said, modern defensive handguns are designed to be carried loaded. I carry my P229 loaded...and by design, no safety (except keeping fingers off the bang switch)

When deployed on convoy duty, I carried my M9 loaded, safety off
 
#15 ·
xd40sc chambered but not toped. 12 in the gun and 1 spair mag. all the time
 
#1,059 ·
When hunting round in the chamber. If not when hunting why bother to hunt. ? When walking point around Hue S Vietnam chambered. If not why not use a round on myself. The country hasent gone down that bad yet so normally NO round in the chamber except when passing through Chicago, St Louis, LA, et etc.
 
#16 ·
The only firearm I have carried that didn't have a round in the chamber was an M-249 SAW, as per my unit's SOP for open bolt weapons.

My 1911 is carried condition 1, or my j-frame is carried condition one.

It really has to deal with familiarity with one's weapon system, and is a training issue. As you gain confidence in your weapon and your abilities with it, you will feel more comfortable carrying it in a loaded state (although you must avoid becoming complacent with it, for complacency leads to disastrous consequences).
 
#167 ·
My 1911 is carried condition 1, or my j-frame is carried condition one.
Wouldn't the j-frame either be in condition 2 (hammer down on a full cylinder) or condition 0 (cocked and unlocked)? My understanding is that condition 1 requires an external safety and I am not aware of any j-frames that have an external safety (save those older types with a grip safety).

FWIW, I carry with a round chambered and a full mag or cylinder. If I have an external safety, I am cocked and locked.
 
#17 ·
Technically, I carry my P30 in Condition 2 since I have the LEM V2 (DAO) trigger. For those who don't know, Condition 2 is defined as, "A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down." I always carry +1, as well, loaded with 147gr Federal Tactical HST and one or two extra mags. I almost always carry in an IWB Crossbreed SuperTuck holster, and rarely in a Blackhawk! Serpa CQC holster.

From day one, I've carried with a round in the chamber. That's not to say it didn't take a little getting used to, as it did. The former Army special forces and current Phoenix SWAT / peace officer who taught my CCW class made it clear that carrying any other way was pointless, and if we planned on carrying in anything less than Condition 2, he said we should get pepper spray and a knife instead and forget about the class. He is also a big fan of the adage, "One is none, two is one," and so he carries two guns at all times. He also made it clear that on more than one occasion had he not been carrying his duty Glock 22 with a round chambered, he'd likely be dead... Twice! ...That's all the evidence I need.

To me carrying without a round in the chamber makes as much sense as leaving your alarm system off, then hoping you have time to set it off if someone breaks in. I mean if you get jumped and you're fiddling with your gun trying to rack it while getting stabbed or beaten to death.... Or if someone shoots you in the arm.... Or if you get tackled.... Or times infinite scenarios where not carrying with a round chambered in an object designed to carry, chamber and discharge said rounds.... There are just way too many variables and scenarios where carrying unchambered will undoubtedly get you killed. Not to mention that getting all dead or seriously wounded, the BG will steal your firearm and then (do whatever he wants with it)...

Honestly, if you're worried you can't keep your finger off the trigger while your firearm is holstered in a proper holster, (oxymoron), you probably shouldn't be carrying at all. The chances of a modern firearm going off without pulling the trigger are equivalent to getting struck by lightning twice, at the same time.

Rant over.
 
#19 ·
I'm carrying this over from an old poll on the same topic. This response wasn't written by me, but rather by "larefugee."


* How do you know you will have enough time to chamber a round in an emergency, under stress?
* You may be compromising the critical element of surprise.
* Who says you get to have both hands available when you need to draw?
* You may be setting yourself up for a careless moment someday when you incorrectly assume that no round is chambered.

Basically you're saying that you do not trust yourself to handle a gun safely. Once you train enough then that fear will go away and hopefully leave a sense of responsibility and vigilance.
 
#22 ·
It is safer to have no bullet in the chamber and the magazine separate as well. That eliminates the possibility of an ND or AD due to there not having a round even in the gun! And most bad guys are pretty courteous and will let you load up so the fight is fair!! Therefore you should carry totally unloaded at all times!!!

Now that I got the twisted humor out of the way, I always carry condition one. Operating a gun is like operating a car. You have to do it consistently to keep your skills up. You will never eliminate the chance of an accident happening but you sure can reduce the possibility by practice and using your best safety, your brain. All of my guns are very safe if I operate them correctly. Part of my challenge is to not grow complacent and to always be safe with my handling of the weapon. When I change weapons, I must be sure that I adjust to a different manual of arms as no two guns (different makes) are exactly alike. Again, that means that I have to be engaged in the thinking game. Don't leave your chances to having to take the time to chamber a round. It could mean your life.
 
#23 ·
The whole point of carrying is to be as ready as possible to defend your life from an immediate threat. To assume you will have time and composure to chamber a round is markedly naïve. This also impedes safety whereby you will invariably forget whether the gun is in the ready position or not.
 
#24 ·
Always chambered.

IMO, I feel if I was under extreme stress, I would find myself just pulling the trigger and completely forgetting to chamber the round. Something tells me my air bullet won't do the job! As stated modern guns are made safe and to be loaded. How many LEO's would walk around with an unchambered gun? My guess is not many if at all.
 
#25 ·
I have and will always carried with one chambered, but respect those who do not.
Same here. It isn't a point of religion with me. What's most important is that you are happy and comfortable with the condition of your firearms.

For those who wish to run unchambered, go to YouTube and search for "Israeli carry." Here's an example.

If, for whatever reason, you want to carry unchambered, then it's probably a good idea to train for that. The Israeli idea is that you might be attacked and disarmed, and the person who now has your weapon can turn it on you. They pull the trigger and nothing happens. You have two opportunities to survive while your attacker is now fumbling with the gun: run or attack.

In the videos showing Israelis training, here's another one, you can see that there's no time penalty for this style of carry. None. If you want to make an argument, make it on capacity and firepower.
 
#305 ·
I didn't watch the video (wish I could but I'm currently at work and YOUTUBE is blocked) :smile: Working a night shift, so at least they allow us to be online. Ok, here is my question: What is the "Israeli answer" to having an injured support arm/hand? Or for that matter, what is your answer? Yes, I know that some firearms may be racked against an object such as your belt, holster, the back of your boot, etc. But that depends on the design of the slide and/or the design of the rear sight. So even if that works, how fast will it be? I doubt racking the slide against an object can be 100% reliable and even if it is, can anyone think it would be just as fast as having a round in the chamber?
 
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