Do You Carry With a Round In the Chamber While You CC or OC?

My preferred mode of carry would be for the bullet to already be lodged in my assailant. Since they haven't invented a way to make that happen yet then one in the chamber is the next closest thing.

My Kahr isn't going off accidentally, nor is my hammer less J frame. Keeping them fully loaded doesn't present a safety hazard to anyone except an attacker.

If George Zimmerman hadn't carried one in the chamber, we never would have heard of Travon Martin.

I carry one in the chamber when CC, full magazine and empty chamber when on the nightstand.

Sometimes, I carry with a round in all five chambers.

Red Wind said:

Virtually every LEO in America carries with one in the pipe. But what about the members of this forum?

I've often wondered about this. However, even with all the polls I used to do, I can't recall running one on this important decision. We'll keep it succinct.

All comments and votes are appreciated.

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Some of the guns designed to be carried with empty chamber are: Colt 1911 & clones, FN High Power, Tokarev and Colt Single Action Army and clones. Given choices out there I do not understand why some still pick from among those for CC or OC. I don't get it.:banghead:

PabloJ said:

Some of the guns designed to be carried with empty chamber are: Colt 1911 & clones, FN High Power, Tokarev and Colt Single Action Army and clones. Given choices out there I do not understand why some still pick from among those for CC or OC. I don't get it.:banghead:

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Modern 1911s are designed to be carried cocked & locked. Hence the grip safety (in addition to the manual safety & firing pin block)

Deaf Smith said:

Try to chamber a round one handed....

a) while being assaulted.
b) while your hand is wet with sweat.
c) while you are running for your life.
d) while the bad guys a present and looking toward you.

Also, can you guarantee you won't short stroke the action and jam it?

If you are so worried about that chamber being loaded.. get a revolver.

But, sure if you wanna carry chamber empty, fine with me.

And when the gong sounds and you need that weapon fast, lots of luck!

Deaf

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Then why did you vote No, never?

I don't answer public polls so no vote, but...

I was utterly amazed by the guy behind the counter at a local gun store recently. I had never noticed the store so decided to stop and check it out. Tiny little shop literally inside another business. As I was looking at a pistol I made some off hand comment about "the chamber and top up the magazine dance", meaning the process you go through to have the full capacity of a semi-auto. He immediately launched into how he never chambers a round in his carry gun. I just kinda stared at him and mumbled something about unloaded guns being of dubious usefulness, but he went on with how he could rack the slide sooooo fast...

It was odd. I didn't expect a gun store employee to take that position, and certainly didn't expect one to blurt out that they weren't really armed (not his exact words, but how I translated them) to some random guy that just walked into their store for the first time.

Without reading ALL of the responses, it seems that there are not a lot of fans of the "Israeli Method"!

I usually don't carry with one in the chamber. I usually don't carry open. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to lose a quick draw contest. I'm happy carrying this way because I feel that there is less chance of an AD. Especially if somebody is fighting me for my gun.

I have never been in the service, but I recall a friend of mine who said that when the army soldiers went into the mess hall, each one was supposed to put his barrel in a bullet stopping contraption and pull the trigger. He said there was hell to pay if your gun went off. Is this story true? Do soldiers carry with one in the chamber?

Dr. Sandman said:

... soldiers went into the mess hall, each one was supposed to put his barrel in a bullet stopping contraption and pull the trigger. He said there was hell to pay if your gun went off. Is this story true?

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I don't know if that specifically is true, but I have heard from several people that in some locations (e.g. wherever pay is/was distributed?) soldiers unload their weapons and then prove it by pointing the gun at a sand bucket or whatever and pulling the trigger. This is similar to the competitive shooting practice where after a round you dry fire the gun to prove it is really empty, and if it goes off you are DQed.

For over 40 years always carried w.one in the pipe, now I carry a 38 special 5 shot and a backup 9mm. w. 3 extra mags. on my back pack.

Ed Ames said:

I don't answer public polls so no vote, but...

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Why not?

Bobson said:

Why not?

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If it is going to have my name next to it it's going to be my answer, not the closest answer as written by whoever wrote the poll.

Plus as an American I have a vested interest in the Australian Ballot system. So it is a political boycott too.

F-111 John said:

If George Zimmerman hadn't carried one in the chamber, we never would have heard of Travon Martin.

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Good point.

Unless Z tried to draw and chamber but in the process Martin took the gun from him and killed him with his own gun.

The proponents of unchambered carry should consider the prospect of lying on their back with an attacker on top of them while their pistol is not ready to use

Since I carry a revolver, the answer is YES.

To quote the Duke in True Grit "a gun that's unloaded and cocked ain't good for nothin"

Absolutely. Loaded or its a paper weight. If my pistol was a double barrel I would carry it with both barrels loaded...

larryh1108 said:

Then why did you vote No, never?

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Clicked the wrong button. I thought it meant, do you carry with no round in chamber.

Deaf

Ed Ames said:

If it is going to have my name next to it it's going to be my answer, not the closest answer as written by whoever wrote the poll.

Plus as an American I have a vested interest in the Australian Ballot system. So it is a political boycott too.

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Fair enough.

Generally the chamber is loaded in any semi-auto I am carrying for defensive purposes. However, if I am carrying a less refined older platform like a Tokarev, or forced to carry an unsafe "modern" platform like Glock, then Condition 3 all the way.

However, if I am ... forced to carry an unsafe "modern" platform like Glock, then Condition 3 all the way.

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Lol.

I've had my carry permit for around 20 years. Most of which I carried a Smith snub. Times changed and so did I, next carry weapon was a Smith 39. Then the 9MM failure in Miami went down and so did my carrying a 9! Next up, a Kimber pro-carry in 45. (to me) a very well done 1911! Got really tired of dressing around it and a few years ago went back to the snub. I trusted the autos and carried them hot. Then came along the glock. At that point I trusted that thing about as much as I would trust a $10 hooker! NONE Great range gun, tons of fun, but a carry weapon-pass. Bought a KKM 40 caliber conversion barrel for it and really liked the idea of the increased round count with a 180 grain payload. Carried it full time cocked on an empty chamber for over a month! So now it's part of my daily carry with one in the tube, that's a true statement for about 70-75% of the time, that 25% is covered by my first and trusted love- a Smith snub!

It depends.

If carrying at home, no. The potential for something accidental to happen outweighs the risk of someone busting in and making me use my firearm. Not that it doesn't happen, but it would be a very, very rare thing indeed around here.

If carrying outside of home, yes - P238 loaded with hammer cocked and safety on. It's why I got a 1911 style pistol for CC. Pretty darn safe even when loaded. I'm comfortable with it, and I practice the motion of flicking my thumb safety off - even when I shoot pistols that don't have one

Warp said:

Good point.

Unless Z tried to draw and chamber but in the process Martin took the gun from him and killed him with his own gun.

The proponents of unchambered carry should consider the prospect of lying on their back with an attacker on top of them while their pistol is not ready to use

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They should also consider the probability of such a thing occurring at all.

First, the rarity of needing to draw your pistol at all.

Then, doing so in a close quarters situation.

Then, in the midst of grappling with your opponent.

Seems pretty slim of a chance overall to just definitively say always carry a round in the chamber to me, but just my opinion.

I feel that if someone is not comfortable with doing something with a firearm, don't do it. Carry with one in the pipe or don't, but whatever you do, practice enough to maintain competencies and confidence in your method and equipment.

Beyond silly....what I have learned from this is if I don't carry with a round in the chamber:

1) it might as well be a paper weight or a bad club
2) might as well not carry because I haven't earned it because my training is insufficient because I don't do it YOUR way!
3) I will likely be killed with my own gun as it is taken from me (the taker of my gun will somehow be faster at cambering a round in the unfamiliar gun than I would be?)
4) I will never be fast enough to defend myself from the eminent surprise attack lurking around every corner. This happens how often?
5) There was a guy at a gas station that would have possibly been killed if he didn't have a round in the chamber...once, somewhere...because someone said so.
6) Once on my back I am dead so just give up.

OR

Maybe the likelihood I have to rapid deploy my gun is lower in probability than my being injured in a car accident that renders me unconscious and someone else takes my gun off me. Or similar circumstance.

For me, the safest gun is an unloaded gun. An unloaded gun isn't at all helpful, but a quick rack of a slide to employ a magazine full (ok, less one) is very helpful. It is likely that if I am the victim of a quick, well planned, and violent attack, I'll probably come out on the short end of the encounter irregardless. What I can be ready for is the need for a gun in a few seconds from now, probably the best I can hope for in reaction anyway.

No, no round in the chamber, thank you very much.

Next poll...how many of you 200+ 'round-in-the-chamberers' have ever had a ND?

I used to own a Baby Browning. Never carried that with a round in the chamber. Everything thing else yes.