Do you carry with a round chambered?

[davidjblythe]

When I turned 21 I applied and got my carry permit. I carried Condition 3 for about a month while I got used to daily carry. Once I felt comfortable with my pistol with me while I did daily tasks, I upgraded to condition 1.

 

[ochmude]

^ Exactly my story as well. I really can't stand when people say that a condition 3 weapon is an expensive rock, useless, etc. That's beyond illogical. A condition 3 weapon isn't the best...but it IS better than nothing.

 

[MinnMooney]

I can't throw for crap. I'd have to throw that empty pistol at the bad guy, and I'd more than likely hit a car full of orphans being driven by some nuns.

Hilarious!!

Like many have already said, an empty chamber is a death warrent in a stressful situation. If the situation developes fast enough, some folks even forget to take off the safety or aim! Racking the slide is one step too many.

 

[Frank Ettin]

When I can carry, I always have a round chambered. I'm just not going to count on having two hands available if I need my gun.

 

[DirksterG30]

It's always a tradeoff. There are benefits to carrying one in the pipe. And there are detriments. Everyone has to decide how to assess and act on that tradeoff.

Here's a case posted earlier this week where the CCWer had plenty of time to draw, then rack the slide to do what he needed to do. It's a practical example of the more predictable situation in drawing a firearm: sufficient time to rack a slide on a semi-automatic.

Armed citizen foils dumb bank robber

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=380601

So carrying with a round chambered in the above situation would have been a detriment how? You mentioned "the more predictable situation in drawing a firearm" - I don't think there is such a thing.

I'm sure there could be situations where I see trouble coming, and have time to chamber a round. There could also be situations where I am behind the curve, reacting instead of acting, and not able to rack the slide. Personally, I'd rather plan for the later situation than the former.

Heck, the Israelis have been using Condition 3 carry for many years. Those guys know what they're doing.

As others have stated, this was because the Israelis being issued numerous pistols with differing manuals-of-arms, and it was easier and safer to train the soldiers to rack the slide. This is a poor model to base carrying a concealed handgun on. Why add a separate step to a stressful situation?

 

[fspitzdorf]

J Frame always have 5 in the cylinder and the M&P has 9 in the magazine and one in the pipe... God forbid I should ever even have to draw my weapon but if I do I don't want to have to worry about "loading" it first...

 

[Flopsy]

When I carried my Glock, 99% of the time NO, I had the chamber empty. I was not comfortable enough with it having no safety and a 5.5lb trigger.

I recognized that unchambered was not the ideal way to carry. I tried to train with the Glock and others, drawing and racking quickly as if in an emergency, got WAY too many FTFs and "short strokes" that way. So I now carry pistols chambered that have a decocking safety which I'm more comfortable with.

 

[onebigelf]

Heck yes. I carry a HP now, and started with 1911's. I'm really only comfortable 'cocked and locked', but will at times carry hammer down.

John

 

[Rich K]

My carry piece is a 1911. I carry cocked and locked always.

It'd be useless any other way, to my thinking.

 

[Erik]

"Do you carry with a round chambered?"

Another yes.

---

"Israeli Carry - Has absolutely nothing to do W/ the Iraelis "knowing what they're doing". It actually is the specific result of most of them NOT knowing what they were doing when the IDF was formed. They had a lot of different semiautos W/ different manuals of arms, and mostly fire arms illiterate troops. It was decided for safety to standardize condition 3 carry."

Agreed. And someone come along pointing out that they still do it. Which is because, as with most militarys of the world to include ours, pistol training and the abilty to efficiently use them takes a very distant second place to their primary weapon training and the abilty to efficiently use them. And the civilian doctrine follows along with the expectation that any moment the distinction between civilian and soldier will be impossible to distinguish, therefor stipulate the military standard.

 

[DWARREN123]

I carry Glocks, G23 or G27. It is loaded with one in the chamber. I practice and train with it. Always loaded!

 

[ochmude]

I just realized I spent so much time putting in my $.02 that I never actually answered the original question. I carry an Colt 1991 Commander, cocked and locked, wherever I legally can.

 

[sojournerhome]

In my Kahr yes I do carry a chambered round.

 

[camslam]

Does a bear crap in the woods?

Of course it is chambered, but it took a month or so before I was comfortable doing so. Haven't looked back.

 

[FCFC]

Quote:
It's always a tradeoff. There are benefits to carrying one in the pipe. And there are detriments. Everyone has to decide how to assess and act on that tradeoff.

Here's a case posted earlier this week where the CCWer had plenty of time to draw, then rack the slide to do what he needed to do. It's a practical example of the more predictable situation in drawing a firearm: sufficient time to rack a slide on a semi-automatic.

Armed citizen foils dumb bank robber

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=380601

So carrying with a round chambered in the above situation would have been a detriment how?

Am not following you here. I did not say that there was a detriment specific to the cited case.

In general, which is what I said, there are obviously benefits and detriments to carrying with one in the pipe. It's always a tradeoff, was my point there.

 

[basicblur]

I really can't stand when people say that a condition 3 weapon is an expensive rock, useless, etc.

Ya gotta understand, the folks that say that (and deal in superlatives) are the only ones in this room professionel enough to DOH!

Besides...when the zombies attack you MUST be a highly tuned, poised on the edge attack machine without a split second to lose!
What? You've never had to draw your weapon?
Nevermind...

Hmmm....let me try that game...
If you don't have a high enough panic threshold to remember to rack your slide, YOU SHOULDN'T BE CARRYING!

WOW...gotta admit...that did make me feel all warm, tingly, and superior inside!

 

[Cyclimus]

Always.

 

[Drgong]

It is all good, if I keep losing weight, I will be carrying a revolver and not a BHP.

 

[Savage Shooter]

I always carried my bearcat loaded while hunting until I got rugers new catalog and read that I was carrying a virtual bomb my dad never told me about the no round under the hammer rule. That magazine probably saved my foot some where down the line.

 

[Treo]

t a split second to lose!
What? You've never had to draw your weapon?
Nevermind...

Hmmm....let me try that game...
If you don't have a high enough panic threshold to remember to rack your slide, YOU SHOULDN'T BE CARRYING!

I admit I panicked when I had to draw but I don't think it would have mattered the guy was less than 6 feet from me when he came out from between the cars. had he not seen me drawing and bailed he'd have got to me before I got the gun chambered.

I'm kinda curious while you're dogging me for panicking have you ever been there? How'd you react?

 

[FCFC]

I really can't stand when people say that a condition 3 weapon is an expensive rock, useless, etc. That's beyond illogical.

Lately, they're saying it is "not loaded" or only "partially loaded," too.

I suppose they think that's a better argument...

 

[OrangeJoe]

"See... if you carry a wheel gun you wouldn't have to ask that question."

Stump Water:
How is that different from a double action semi-auto? Isn't the risk the same for each?
Load the DA wheelgun with the hammer resting on an emty chamber.

Load the DA semi-auto with a full mag and an empty chamber.

Pick up each one and pull the trigger. It's different.

I would think the first quote refers to a common revolver (DA) with an empty chamber next to the one below the hammer. As seen in the movie La Femme Nikita, ie. click, bang, bang, bang, bang, click.

As I've heard it described...First trigger pull is free, since the hammer falls on an empty chamber, no ND.

In a SD situation a second trigger pull could be achieved almost instantly. There lies the difference for some wheelgunners (or so I hear).

 

[MT GUNNY]

Cocked, Locked, and ready to Rock!

 

[shadowalker]

Yes always, there is not time to chamber a round in a lot of self defense situations, even if you practice one handed or do the pant leg trick. Action beats reaction and responding to a deadly threat already puts us in the reacting phase, the less we have to do to respond the better.


The sound of a gun chambering is not a good deterrent. The BG may run away or he may shoot you while you analyze the effect of the sound .
Situations also happen with very little warning even at home or in "good" parts of town.

 

[strat81]

Yes.