Thanks guys, but remember not to take too much of what I say all THAT seriously, as I'm nobody's "expert" ...
Series 70 makes some very relevent points, and in a straight-forward, concise manner ... as opposed to my "wordiness", being charitably inclined toward describing myself.
I'd like to offer a couple of other thoughts based upon observations from instances where handguns had to be drawn, unexpectedly and under a bit of "duress", if you will ...
Even otherwise range-competent folks can improperly manipulate a semiauto pistol to chamber a round. The best and most sure way to chamber a semiauto pistol is to start from a locked-open slide ... the particular preferred method of RELEASING the slide is often the subject of debate, but that's another subject. Let's just say that "riding" the slide forward while chambering a round is a fairly (and unfortunately) common "practice" among some folks, and yes, this CAN ... and DOES ... introduce the potential for shooter-induced feeding malfunctions that shouldn't ordinarily occur. But they DO, and under the minimal stress of range conditions.
Amplify that, and the potential loss of fine motor skills, under actual stress induced by a deadly force encounter ... and then ask yourself if your level of training and skills TRULY serves you in the manner you'd desire in this respect, utilizing the method of loading the first round from the magazine using a 2-handed manipulation. I certainly can't answer that for you ...
CAN someone easily "clear" (resolve) this sort of shooter-induced feeding malfunction? Sure ...
But, can it be done within a reasonably useful time "limit" when the puckering "6 foot-3 second-3 shot" life & death deadly force situation unexpectedly occurs? Hmmm ... Risk assessment issues are involved here ... Choose wisely. You may only get ONE shot at it ... no pun intended.
Personally, the loss of ONE round isn't a critical issue in my preparation. Not when some of the various guns I carry have ammunition loads ranging from 6+1 to 15+1 ... and not when I can quickly and accurately get the first 4-6 rounds onto my designated "threat target" ... all things working properly, anyway. But it IS a point to consider in everyone else's personal preparations ...
One-handed issues? Oh yeah ...
Fending off an "immediate & imminent" threat in VERY close proximity ... 6 feet or MUCH less ... clearing yourself from a sudden obstruction being "placed" in your way (closing structure or vehicle door, "trapping you"), using a flashlight, a cellphone, shoving a loved one to cover, catching yourself while falling (more common than some folks tend to realize, it seems), and many other occurrences which just aren't often discussed in some common "training venues" ... can certainly cause anything from unexpectedly "distracting" you from your ability to quickly bring your support hand into play, or even prevent your reaching with both hands, and/or injure your support hand.
Ever try the often discussed & illustrated (in some gun magazine articles) method of chambering a round in your semiauto pistol by using the heel of your shoe ... your thick and conveniently free-of-clothing-and-other-obstructions belt ... a handy corner ... or whatever ... to "snag" the rear sights and exert proper force to retract & then release of your pistol's slide to chamber the round? While someone is otherwise quite busily trying to "tag" you with their own choice of deadly force?
Not fun, and not quite as easy as it would often appear ... or the magazine authors would have us believe ... especially if you're "distracted" by a deadly force attack ... CLOSE UP and HAPPENING RIGHT NOW ... not to mention injured.
Just something to think about ... although the techniques can certainly be performed when done so SAFELY on a controlled range environment, using a weapon EMPTY of live ammunition. (Do yourself a favor and make sure your wntire person is clear of any live ammunition, and don't wear spare magazines not specifically dedicated to also containing ONLY dummy rounds, snap caps, or whatever your preferred SAFE & INERT training replacement for ammunition may be ... People have died by "forgetting" they also had live ammunition on or about their person while engaging in some types of firearms training where live ammunition wasn't intended to be used ... but somehow ended up in someone's weapon, with tragic results. Use caution ... and then be VERY careful anyway.
As humans we're often creatures of instinct, habit, patterned repsonse, etc., etc ...
If a loud noise unexpectedly occurs RIGHT NEXT TO US ... like say, within 0-6 feet, maybe? ... AND something triggers an emotional response from us, like say during an instinctual "fight or flight" response ... AND we perceive some immediate physical threat (movement) to ourselves ...
Well, anybody here NOT perform some variation of an instinctual duck and/or cover-with-your arm & hand(s), ward-the-hell-off reflexive movement? That takes critical time, you know? As does the Observation, Orient (to the exact circumstance & threat), Decide (if you're able to get past the implicit "denial" issue ... "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME" ... at least in enough time to reach the next step, which is ... Act. (OODA, even if you're not engaging in aerial combat.
)
Overcoming our basic primal emotional, psychological and physical responses DOES take some rather specific ... not to mention properly executed ... training. And this training is often considered to be of a perishable nature, so it may NEED to be properly maintained ...
What's in YOUR wallet? Sorry, couldn't resist.
I should say that since I've carried a DA/SA service weapon(s) for the last 13+ years, and revolvers prior to that ... many years ago I decided to retire my 1911's to the safe, for the most part, when it came to off duty weapons. I've spent uncounted hours and rounds performing a draw, presentation & fire with a DA first shot. This created the situation where I ooccasionally failed to remember to disengage the thumb safety of my cherished 1911 ... with which I was still VERY accurate with, though ... but since I wasn't using the same cocked & locked weapon ALL the time, I was beginning to "lose" my edge in automatically removing the thumb safety.
Hey, I'm what's fashionably called a "utilitarian shooter", I guess, nowadays ... meaning I only carry and use a weapon for "work", which includes protection of myself and others. I don't compete. I reached the point where I had to admit that I might NOT be able to get my first round off when carrying a cocked & locked weapon on my own time, not after spending so much training time & effort to make a Fast & Accurate first DA shot, and subsequent SA shots, with my service weapons ... and my other DA/SA off duty weapons.
Now, if we get approval to carry optionally purchased weapons on duty again ... and I decide to carry a 1911-type weapon again ... I'll probably "retire" my other on & off duty weapons and focus exclusively and my 1911-related skills, again ... with the sole exception of my favored 642-1, of which the specific grip shape, trigger location & "feel" and DAO-only operation doesn't seem to interfere with MY 1911 skills. No reason I can explain. Maybe "sufficient" years and a deeply ingrained and pattered physical response. Who knows? Go figure ...
Like I have any of the answers ... yeah, right ... dream on ...
Interesting thread, though ...