A warning to carry condition...

[bgcole]

OK, so its been about 2 weeks now that i have been carrying... ive been adjusting to two different holsters (smartcarry and supertuck), and to the idea of having a gun with me and to the weight and all sorts of things.

I have really good training in firearms safety, one of the few things my Dad did right. I carry a glock 19 (which if you dont know only has passive safeties)...by that i mean there is no switch or button that when pressed in to the point that you cannot see red, the gun cannot fire.

This took some getting used to because certain aspects of my range and hunting training conflicted with this new CC methodology for me (always having the bolt open on the range, never off safe until ready to fire). so i kind of flipflopped for a while between condition 1 and 3 based on situation, location and holster and blah blah blah.... BAD IDEA

Now I am 100% condition 1 all the time...

however the reason for my concern is there were 2 or 3 times that i heard myself ask (yes, i do talk to myself) whether or not there was one in the chamber right now (to which i answered myself there is always one in the chamber even if you just checked) BUT accidents happen when you AREN'T expecting them. If you always carry in C1 there will never be a question of whether or not the gun can go off... If you pull the trigger it will

The point of my post is just to warn other new CC not to flip flop. If you decided to carry in C3 - fine, do so all of the time i don't care what part of your city your going to. If you carry it like a weapon, in C1 - Do so all the time.

No matter what you choose make sure you tell everyone that might find it it is ALWAYS loaded and will fire if messed with... Respect and healthy fear is a good thing

Just my two cents based on some of my experience so far

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[NC Bullseye]

Don't over think it though, if you choose to carry chamber empty and practice that way where your first action after the draw is to rack the slide, then the worst case scenario is that you rack the slide and have a round skitter away. You'll still be shooting with the first trigger pull. (Yes, barring a jam)

Then after you get used to one in the chamber and practice that way for a while, you'll be fine that way too.

[BikerRN]

The point of my post is just to warn other new CC not to flip flop. If you decided to carry in C3 - fine, do so all of the time i don't care what part of your city your going to. If you carry it like a weapon, in C1 - Do so all the time.

Very good point.

I would like to add though that I don't believe anyone should carry condition three unless they like to carry a paperweight. I have had to draw my weapon while deflecting a blade. I did not have two hands available to rack the slide and make the gun usable.

Just something to think about.

Biker

[86thecat]

I hope this makes sense. I also carry a Glock in condition 1. Since there is no mechanical safety on the pistol, I consider the holster to be the "safety" in combination with the safe trigger mechanism. If the trigger is covered it can't go off. Therefore I only use holsters that completely cover the trigger area and only use holsters which have positive retention (thumb snap) so it can't ride up and expose the trigger. The pistol never comes out of the holster when out and about, ie public rest room. I've also trained myself not to try and catch it if dropped but to break the fall by putting my foot under it (stand on bed drop empty pistol, bounce into pillows with foot). By following this I'm confident my Glock is as safe as any other firearm. YMMV.

[athos76]

I carried in C3 when I first started carrying my G23 because I wasn't use to the lack of a safety button. I practiced and practiced drawing and racking the slide and realized that it won't work in most situations where I need the upper hand. The slight delay and added noise from racking a round could be fatal.

Now I carry C1 at all times. I've practiced drawing from my Crossbreed qwikclip and learned the nuances of a clean draw. It might take me longer in the morning to get ready and get my Glock dressed but it's a hell of alot safer.

The biggest hurdle was conditioning my wife to the fact there is a round chambered because she was very uneasy of the fact

[Gunsmoke16]

It is the recommended carry, but I would suggest a holster that completely covers the trigger guard as objects have been known to jam into it and cause the trigger to be squeezed (usually while reholstering-like your shirt tail, flashlight, etc). Also a covered trigger guard will remind you to orient your trigger finger alongside, rather than putting it into the trigger guard causing a squeeze from excitement/adrenalin. I always carried mine with full mag/empty chamber as had no problem racking the slide in a 1/2 second or so. If you only have one hand, snag the sights on your pants pocket or belt-jamming it down hard and snapping it off (same as racking). Practice this a few times (with an empty gun) before your normal range practice...using both strong/weak and reloading weak hand also. Never know-strong hand could get hurt and this is something you really don't want to learn in a firefight. Also, practice doing it in the dark (if you rack the slide properly with an empty mag, it will lock open...it makes a distinct sound when loaded and you will know if you
get it right. Most Glocks you should be able to field strip in under 3 seconds and back together in about same time...little slower in dark, but something you might need to know. Also practice the Rack, Tap (back of slide) fire technique for clearing jams. Have seen some factory ammo (good quality name brands) not get crimped correctly and cause a jam because it needed an extra umph to get chambered. Any self defense mags should be stipped down, cleaned & inspected, the ammo inspected for bulges or improper crimp and wiped down regularly. This prevents spring-set of the mags & keeps dust bunnies out too. If metal mags...light oil or wax them...if you use too much oil, it can get into the primer and render it useless. They
make a product called primer seal you can paint them with if you are constantly in high-humidity environments (near water!). Metal in wet environments=rust...if you get a dot of rust, use a lead pencil...just erase it with the eraser and lead it good with the pencil end, then re-blue, oil or wax them. Found that simple old car carnauba was works well on old 1911 mags and they are little faster at reloading/dropping clear. Check your mag lips for cracks too. Happy shooting.

[Xader]

Thats my only issue with most SA/DA. C1 is essentially C0.

Granted, i have little experience with these guns. I've always carried a 1911, so that's what Im used to.

Im sure a little experience with them would turn me around. I guess someone will just have to give me one.... :D

[Stealie]

Rule number 1: Every firearm is always loaded. If you remeber that one you should have no problems.

[Majorlk]

It is the recommended carry, but I would suggest a holster that completely covers the trigger guard as objects have been known to jam into it and cause the trigger to be squeezed (usually while reholstering-like your shirt tail, flashlight, etc).

Virtually all of these incidents are caused by inattention to what the person was doing. They are not 'accidents', they are unintentional discharges caused by shooter's minds running on autopilot.

Also a covered trigger guard will remind you to orient your trigger finger alongside, rather than putting it into the trigger guard causing a squeeze from excitement/adrenalin.

Excellent advice

If metal mags...light oil or wax them...if you use too much oil, it can get into the primer and render it useless. They make a product called primer seal you can paint them with if you are constantly in high-humidity environments (near water!).

This is an urban myth. You can spray WD-40 directly on the case head or case mouth of a round and nothing will happen. The folks at Box O' Truth put this one to rest some time ago. Look at

The Box O' Truth #39 - Oil Vs. Primers - Page 1

Same deal with water, except that water will have zero effect upon powder or primer. This myth is a holdover from the black powder days. Both modern propellents and primer compound is not hygroscopic - it will not absorb water and does not react with water.

[kingdaddyoh]

I like em loaded. All of them. The one by the bed, the one I carry, the other one I carry, the one in the truck, you get the picture. Keep your bugger hook off the bang switch until you're ready to fire and everything will be OK.

[H8SPVMT]

Carrying a loaded firearm most always give the new folks a different feeling about safety, myself included. What you have to do is become confident in your abilities to handle that hot firearm.

Most new folks really need lots of work in holstering that hot weapon. Training here will reward you with (big dividends) you not shooting yourself while making a somewhat dumb move.

Next you need to learn and practice drawing a weapon from your holster.

Why would you need to learn the holstering tech. first you ask? Well as pointed out earlier, you could seriously injure yourself or someone near by.

Shirts, concealed clothing, and holster retention devices can and will get caught inside the holster during the phase of putting that hot baby back where it belongs. Practice your problems with an unloaded gun. Try sticking your shirt out and or other items that could ,can get caught.

NEVER pull the clothing from a holster with a loaded gun in it. The material can catch the trigger. Same for the retention device like straps. Always remove the firearm first and then clear the holster.

Another problem we see on the range is folks covering (pointing a loaded gun at) their weak hand say while they are trying to hold the straps out of the way. IF your holster has straps practice placing the firearm into the holster using the muzzle to clear them.

Pointing a loaded firearm toward your abdomen is a no-no too.

That, an plenty more thing to think about just holstering....
The draw and holstering takes plenty of slow time training so don't rush, it is the most important I think.

Have fun and shoot safe!

[64zebra]

very good point, especially to new CCW'ers

with everything related to carrying....practice, practice, practice
I've carried a Glock 30 for 4 years now and it has yet to fire off on its own, no matter which holster I've used (carried HK previous to that but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the manual safety that kept it from firing on its own also)
also, I carry a Glock 17 on duty and in fights/banging around on the ground it hasn't fired off on its own either
I say carry chambered all the time that way you know when the SHTF you can draw with one hand if need be and begin taking care of business