How do you carry a handgun that has a decocker?

[el Godfather]

Dear THR,
How do you carry a semi auto like sig, hk, etc that have a decocker? Do you carry it with live chamber? If so, do carry it sa hammer back or decocked?
Thanks

 

[Justin]

Handguns with decockers are meant to be carried with the hammer down on a loaded chamber.

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[rellascout]

Decocked hammer down in DA mode with one in the chamber....

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Hammer down on a loaded chamber, lowered by the decocker, not by thumbing down the hammer, for a double-action first shot. Using the decocker typically puts the hammer in an "intercept notch" (SIG) or in a partially cocked position (non-manual-safety CZ75s). Unless something is very wrong with the gun, the hammer cannot strike the firing pin this way. On my guns that have a safety that acts as a decocker (metal-frame S&Ws), I use them only as such and push them back up into "fire" before shooting again.

 

[Walking Dead]

Loaded chamber, hammer down.

 

[KAS1981]

Loaded chamber, hammer down, safety off on my Beretta 92FS.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Hammer down on a loaded chamber with safety off.

 

[labhound]

Loaded chamber, hammer down, safety ON. (Beretta 92FS, PX4, Stoegers 8000F and 8045).

 

[hAkron]

Hammer down, round in the chamber is the way I go. In a high stress situation I personally like the idea of a longer DA trigger pull for my first shot, and no safety to fumble with.

 

[2wheels]

If you have something like a traditional Sig or Beretta, you've really got no choice. Carrying those in SA without a manual safety is dangerous because they were never meant to be carried that way.

But there are DA guns that allow "cocked and locked" carry, HKs come to mind. Certain variants have a thumb safety that can be switched on when the gun is in SA mode and it can be safely carried that way just like you'd carry a 1911.

 

[joecil]

Well I have a couple of guns with decockers as well as 1911 and stricker fire guns. I carry every one with one in the chamber regardless. As others have said a decocker turns it from a SA to DA setup.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Sig P220, round in the chamber, and hammer down.

 

[BemidjiDweller]

Ruger P95, loaded chamber with the safety on (Safety is also a decocker).

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I would argue that for the vast majority of the people carrying weapons, the only reason not to have a round in the chamber is to avoid an accidental (or negligent) discharge.

Almost all newer guns, and certainly all newer guns with decockers, have firing pin blocks. If equipped with a firing pin block, the gun can't fire if dropped or if the hammer is forcefully struck; it can only fire when the trigger is pulled (generally, all the way to the rear.) Most striker-fired guns have similar safety mechanisms.

Carrying any gun equipped with a firing pin block with the chamber empty assumes that the person carrying, if he needs to use the weapon, will 1) have the time needed to chamber a round, and 2) will have both hands free to do it. I don't think that is a safe assumption.

 

[Jason_G]

Handguns with decockers are meant to be carried with the hammer down on a loaded chamber.

I'd say that's true with a few exceptions. There are at least some DA/SA that also have an external safety and can be carried condition 1.

But mostly what you said. Hammer down on a loaded chamber.

Jason

 

[Plan2Live]

S&W 459 - Full mag, one in the pipe, hammer down using the decocker then flipped back into the FIRE mode. I wish S&W still made the CS9, 3913 and 5906/6906 today.

 

[MCgunner]

Hammer down, off safe, round in the chamber. All I need do is pull the trigger DA. I'd prefer a decock only like my KP90DC Ruger, but that's the only such gun I own. I carry, mostly, a DAO.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

M-9 & Sig 230SL... Empty chamber, just me, that's it and that's that.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

A DA/SA pistol equipped with a decocker should be carried decocked. If I carried one, I would carry it with a round in the chamber and the hammer down. I might - I have not decided - also carry it with the safety engaged, if so equipped. This is not an option with most decocker-equipped pistols, but it is with my Beretta M9. At present I do not carry this pistol.

No pistol which is not equipped with a manual safety should be carried cocked with a round in the chamber. That is a dangerous practice, as it leaves nothing but a light single-action pull between you and a negligent discharge.

 

[FMF Doc]

Hammer down on a loaded chamber...anything else is either INSANELY UNSAFE, or unnecessarily slow to put in to action.

 

[joecil]

Actually not FMF as there is a hammer block or what ever they call those things. They also have a manual safety in most cases and I might add a bit harder to pull the trigger in DA mode than SA mode which it is. Now if you don't want to use the manual safety it is still as safe as a revolver or a glock for examples.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Holstered, loaded chamber, hammer down, decocker/safety off

 

[rellascout]

Actually not FMF as there is a hammer block or what ever they call those things. They also have a manual safety in most cases and I might add a bit harder to pull the trigger in DA mode than SA mode which it is. Now if you don't want to use the manual safety it is still as safe as a revolver or a glock for examples.

Where is my manual safety....

 

[hAkron]

Where is my manual safety....

It's just below the takedown lever on your Sigs and below the slide release on your CZ. Don't pull it and the gun won't shoot. That's all the manual safety any of us needs

 

[joecil]

Or in the case of say a PT92 like shown below to decock turn the safety lever all the way down then all the way to the top notch for safety. Middle you can shoot all you want. Gun shown in picture is ready to fire just squeeze the trigger.