One in chamber? Yes / No
- Thread starter Genesis1
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Safety considerations:
1. Can you guarantee that during an attack you will always have a free hand available to rack the slide?
2. Can you guarantee that during an attack, the criminal will give you enough time to rack the slide?
3. Where would you rather load your gun...in the relative safety behind locked doors where you can carefully and deliberately insert a magazine, ensure that it is seated fully and securely, pull the slide fully to the rear and ensure the slide is all the way to the rear, observe the chamber when you release the slide for indications of a malfunction, verify by whatever means you choose that the round is fully chambered, and then top off the magazine with one additional round if you choose to.... or would you rather be loading your gun with the criminal pressing you with their own weapon and hope that it loads properly the first time, because you probably won't get a second chance at it?
4. If the gun suffers a malfunction during loading, where would you rather have that malfunction occur... behind locked doors where you can investigate the cause of the malfunction, properly clear it, correct the deficiency, and reload the gun verifying that it loaded properly the second time... or have the malfunction occur when the criminal is pressing you with their own weapon?
5. If you carry your gun with a round chambered, during routine gun handling there is less likely chance of you being complacent and assuming the gun is unloaded causing a negligent discharge.
6. Don't pull the trigger - the gun will not go bang by itself unless it is really broken.
I have always carried with a round chambered. When I became confident, I started carrying with the manual safety off. When I practice, I still make the motion of sweeping the safety off in case it accidentally gets activated - but, in the heat of the moment, if I forget to sweep the safety off it should not be on anyway and the gun should go bang when I pull the trigger.
1. Can you guarantee that during an attack you will always have a free hand available to rack the slide?
2. Can you guarantee that during an attack, the criminal will give you enough time to rack the slide?
3. Where would you rather load your gun...in the relative safety behind locked doors where you can carefully and deliberately insert a magazine, ensure that it is seated fully and securely, pull the slide fully to the rear and ensure the slide is all the way to the rear, observe the chamber when you release the slide for indications of a malfunction, verify by whatever means you choose that the round is fully chambered, and then top off the magazine with one additional round if you choose to.... or would you rather be loading your gun with the criminal pressing you with their own weapon and hope that it loads properly the first time, because you probably won't get a second chance at it?
4. If the gun suffers a malfunction during loading, where would you rather have that malfunction occur... behind locked doors where you can investigate the cause of the malfunction, properly clear it, correct the deficiency, and reload the gun verifying that it loaded properly the second time... or have the malfunction occur when the criminal is pressing you with their own weapon?
5. If you carry your gun with a round chambered, during routine gun handling there is less likely chance of you being complacent and assuming the gun is unloaded causing a negligent discharge.
6. Don't pull the trigger - the gun will not go bang by itself unless it is really broken.
I have always carried with a round chambered. When I became confident, I started carrying with the manual safety off. When I practice, I still make the motion of sweeping the safety off in case it accidentally gets activated - but, in the heat of the moment, if I forget to sweep the safety off it should not be on anyway and the gun should go bang when I pull the trigger.
JCliff
New member
Both the guns you have are perfectly safe to carry with a round in the chamber. If you're really uncomfortable with that, I would suggest more training. Or switch to a modern revolver. If you carry a revolver over an empty chamber at least the pistol will fire when you draw and pull the trigger which rotates the cylinder and a round comes under the hammer. You're giving yourself one less round to work with, unnecessarily imo, but at least the gun is immediately ready for use.
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There are some older single action revolvers (and maybe some old double action revolvers), that were carried over an empty chamber because the hammer and/or firing pin could make direct contact with the round without the trigger being pulled. An unintended discharge could occur with these pistols if dropped or banged, which is why they were always carried over an empty chamber. An old instructor would have known that, which is why he probably taught that. A fair number of PDs used to have duty carry over an empty chamber as their SOP back in the day for that reason also. No longer necessary unless you're carrying one of those old revolvers.
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There are some older single action revolvers (and maybe some old double action revolvers), that were carried over an empty chamber because the hammer and/or firing pin could make direct contact with the round without the trigger being pulled. An unintended discharge could occur with these pistols if dropped or banged, which is why they were always carried over an empty chamber. An old instructor would have known that, which is why he probably taught that. A fair number of PDs used to have duty carry over an empty chamber as their SOP back in the day for that reason also. No longer necessary unless you're carrying one of those old revolvers.
Andrew49417
New member
I prefer a DAO pistol or revolver with a longer trigger pull than single action with the safety on. It just makes one more thing to fumble with. Single action (probably irrationally) makes me a little more nervous due to the lighter trigger and the firing pin being under forward pressure already.
Andrew49417
New member
Sorry. I meant the striker in the above post. Although the firing pin applies in the cheap guns like Raven and Cobra.
maine04619
New member
Do you also drive you're car with no brake fluid in it and wait to put it in when you need to stop? To carry a firearm for protection unloaded is almost the same as NOT having one.
Here is a very simple test I used to do at the range all the time.
Stand 10 feet from the target facing AWAY from it. Have a friend stand with his back to you facing AWAY from he target. Have a third person yell go. When they do the person in front of you runs as fast as they can YOU turn and fire at you're best speed when the runner hears the bang he/ she stops.
Now turn around and look how far he got. That is how far a person FROM can be on you in the time it takes you to draw and fire!
This is a GREAT teaching tool and will very quickly show all those folks who think they are super fast on the draw how much practice they truly need.
Now you Mr I carry my gun without on in the chanber!!! You do the same thing but now you have to add the TIME to rack you're slide and chamber the round ( hoping Murphy does not sneak up bite you in the ass hard and cause a FTF ) see how far the runner gets.
If after you try this both way and see the difference in DISTANCE let me know if you want to carry correctly IE one in the chamber or not.
Gotta say, regrettably, he probably won't be around to regret it. Semi-prepared is semi-alive after the SHTF. OBTW, I carry a .357 Magnum revolver, and all seven chambers are loaded at all times.
No I don't carry one in the chamber. My preference please!!! Of course some will tell me about all those horror stories about the ones that didn't keep one in the chamber and were killed by accident or otherwise...oops...the reverse is true. I can draw my weapon and chamber a round in about 2.5 seconds. If I don't have that much time then I am probably already dead. If you don't scold me for not keeping a round in the chamber I promise not to tell you how reckless keeping a round chambered can be. I have evidence to support my statement as the reverse is not true. Never heard of anyone loosing a gun fight because he did not have a round chambered! Situational awareness is my best defense.
Does that mean that if I find you are being attacked and I left my pistol at home because I didn't want to carry a pistol with a round chambered you will live...err die...with that line of reasoning.
TroutStalker
New member
Why would you carry with one less round than the pistol will hold? It would suck to need that extra round and not have it because you decided to go without the +1.
apvbguy
New member
I am some what trained in the use of my gun in SD situations, I can draw and get 2 rounds off in just a bit over a second (1.04 is my best) and there are many who are faster than I am, nonetheless in many cases that would not be fast enough to defeat an adversary who has a jump on me.
IMHO your 2.5 seconds is a death sentence, you are free to do as you please but be aware that you are lugging around a paper weight, carrying your gun unloaded is making the tool useless.
2Adefender
New member
I always have one chambered, no safety. Perfectly comfortable doing so. A proper holster is critical.
Patriot58
New member
I carry a DA/SA (P226, so there is no safety), so the initial pull requires more pressure. I have absolutely no concern of it going off unless I intentionally tell it to. One in the chamber means one less thing for me to fumble with under the heat of the moment. I've practiced solo, as well as having taken a number of pistol self-defense courses. The better ones elevate the pressure to somewhat simulate what I'll experience if faced with a self-defense situation. You're only as good as your training.
If you don't feel competent and confidant enough to carry with one in the chamber, you need more training. If you need more training for that, you probably shouldn't be carrying yet.
I understand others may disagree with my position. They may do as they wish. I stand by my position.
If you don't feel competent and confidant enough to carry with one in the chamber, you need more training. If you need more training for that, you probably shouldn't be carrying yet.
I understand others may disagree with my position. They may do as they wish. I stand by my position.
I carry a Springfield EMP and a Sig P238, but with the +1. My reasoning is that I want as much time to gain awareness of the situation, move, block possible threats, pull the gun and put the barrel on the BG. Racking the slide doesn't fit into my 2.5 second survival plan.
Having said that, I wouldn't criticize someone for making a different choice.
Having said that, I wouldn't criticize someone for making a different choice.
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