To Chamber or Not to Chamber?

[ClearSightTactical]

That is absolutely false. Carrying a 1911 or striker fired gun with a grip safety with one in the tube is INFINITELY faster than racking and firing a Glock that is not hot. There is simply no debate possible as it is physically impossible to rack a round under stress, bring the firearm back under control and to point of aim in the same time it takes to simply raise a 1911 series, flick off the thumb safety and fire. Period. End of story.

Anyone that is going to tell you otherwise, video or not, is simpy full of BS.

Why does it always come to this? You're obviously a proponent of chambered, as am I. However, I know some incredibly fast guys that could likely draw, rack, shoot and be on target before you or I could even get ours out of the holster. And what's up with the bolded section?

You're basically saying even if there is video evidence they're still BSing? C'mon man, open your mind up and realize that this isn't the WRONG way, its just not YOUR way. YOUR way is not "infinitely" better. Nor is the opposing.

 

[ClearSightTactical]

(Glock does NOT have a triple safety guys)... I'm talking (1) a thumb safety, and (2) a grip safety, and (3) a trigger guard and good holster for safety. THAT is safety.....

Why not add a combo lock for good measure? You should not rely on manual safety devices.

I am still pondering guys. Still pondering. But one thing I know for an absolute fact. An absolute truth. Your life will one day depend on having one in the chamber and the gun hot.

This is just an absolute lie. Statistically many of us will never have to use our weapons to defend our lives, or the life of another. I've been in some bad situations, one where I was attacked by a large group of people while wearing a badge and gun. I can attest that having an unchambered weapon would have been a disadvantage, but if my muscle memory were to rack I would have had sufficient time to do so. This was a 20+ vs. 2 of us stomping, I won't even call it a fight.

 

[kelcarry]

I did not look at replies so I may be repeating but when I saw the intial question of theis thread I could not help myself. Pros: You can defend yourself right away without any delay Cons: You can shoot yourself or someone else by mistake if you do not know what you are doing--also known as the Plaxico Burris course on firearm safety

 

[JimS]

Carry for the conditions you are in

I carry all of the time ( except where the law says I can't) and have it hot or an empty chamber depending on which pistol I am carrying and the conditions I am carrying it . When I am around my property and my granddaughter is over I leave the chamber empty. Since I pick her up alot I don't want to take any chances that there is a snag or other "accident". If I am out in public or someplace I feel there is a greater need for safety I carry in a ready to go state. While it takes very little time to rack a round there are some instances where you may not have the use of both hands. If you can't get your passive hand on the slide to chamber a round all you have a pretty poor club. You would have been better off carrying a pick handle. If you know the safeties your gun has, have a quality holster and practice for the day you may need to draw and defend yourself, there is no reason why you can't safely carry hot.

 

[whitetiger]

I carry a Kimber 45. I most of the time carry it with a empty chamber. I practice the Israil draw, chamber and point.
I am very fast and comfortable with this. I am a black belt and a vet Marine sgt. I carry a gun, I understand the pros and cons of each. I learned to keep my finger off the trigger till I am sure I am going to shoot. You do not have the right to tell me how to carry, I will listen to your words but make my own mind what I will do. I am very good with my gun and shooting.
to tell others what they should do and use harassment to tell them, you should not carry a gun, I would not want you for my partner, you get people killed with hot words and no tact, respect and professionalism, fair and civil. you would pull and fire if someone stepped on your toes and called you a Xsshole and was walking away. too proud to respect life your honor would demand you step up to the bag and insult him back, you can't just let it go. Your way or the high way.
You get people killed. most of time it's a innocent person cause you rush and spray. I will be fast but not rush. think and decide and when I fire I will hit what I aim at. would you not fire if your being shot at by a real bad guy if there were children behind him, would you Ok I am mattey mattel and fire away, or would you hope and run so that you don't kill a kid. I would run and IF I DIE I would know I killed no kid. so I carry a 45 with no round in the chamber, I bet I could get you with your chambered round
before I die, one 45 round makes a big hole. put two in me I still will get one in you, then I see you at the gate and let GOD decide who Xucked up.
Whitetiger

 

[titaniumman]

I ALWAYS carry loaded, due to the fact that on MANY occasions, I have gone thru the process of chambering a round and had my fingers slipright off the slide...That would easily add another 2 seconds to the presentation process. for that reason alone my choice was made for me! LOADED CHAMBER always!!!

 

[localgirl]

I started carrying empty chamber, no safety. When I became more familiar with my firearm and had a chance to shoot from different conditions at the range, I started carrying chambered, no safety, half cock. My Walther PK .380 has a very long trigger pull. Weighing potential accidental discharge with the features of the gun, and possibly not having two hands, I decided this was the safest as well as the smartest way to carry. Might be different with a different firearm.

 

[Treo]

I carry a Kimber 45. I most of the time carry it with a empty chamber. I practice the Israil draw, chamber and point.
I am very fast and comfortable with this. I am a black belt and a vet Marine sgt. I carry a gun, I understand the pros and cons of each. I learned to keep my finger off the trigger till I am sure I am going to shoot. You do not have the right to tell me how to carry, I will listen to your words but make my own mind what I will do. I am very good with my gun and shooting.
to tell others what they should do and use harassment to tell them, you should not carry a gun, I would not want you for my partner, you get people killed with hot words and no tact, respect and professionalism, fair and civil. you would pull and fire if someone stepped on your toes and called you a Xsshole and was walking away. too proud to respect life your honor would demand you step up to the bag and insult him back, you can't just let it go. Your way or the high way.
You get people killed. most of time it's a innocent person cause you rush and spray. I will be fast but not rush. think and decide and when I fire I will hit what I aim at. would you not fire if your being shot at by a real bad guy if there were children behind him, would you Ok I am mattey mattel and fire away, or would you hope and run so that you don't kill a kid. I would run and IF I DIE I would know I killed no kid. so I carry a 45 with no round in the chamber, I bet I could get you with your chambered round
before I die, one 45 round makes a big hole. put two in me I still will get one in you, then I see you at the gate and let GOD decide who Xucked up.
Whitetiger

Why are we digging up a 3 year old thread?

 

[whitetiger]

LOL Sorry LOL ok I am sorry I got hot. Carry the way you want, decide for yourself Thanks for the ice water, LOL Good job!

 

[Sig1911]

I carry in condition one all the time now. What made the difference was taking a handgun martial arts course where we practice accessing our guns and getting them on the threat as quickly as possible. The few seconds that it would take to chamber a round on my 1911-style carry gun might be the difference between life and death. So there it is.

 

[torontogunguy]

I have, as of late, become a FIRM believer of one in the chamber and ready to go. I carry a Glock most of the time (G30, 26) and it has no (despite the Glock statements) 'manual' safeties. No thumb switch safety, no grip release safety, none except the safeties required to prevent a discharge without pulling the trigger. I carry it chambered, which means that it is something like 90% cocked for the first round as well. To me that is Condition -1. Any pressure on that trigger equals an ND. Period. I have and do also play with several other semi handguns including the compact Sigs and HK's and so on. Frankly, I am now finding that carrying them in Condition 1 more worrisome, believe it or not. The Glock is simple. Keep it well and truly holstered in a quality rig; pay attention when reholstering; do not touch the trigger unless on target; and you are 100% safe. To prove this to myself I carried my Glock with a dummy in the chamber and (needless to say) cocked or semi-cocked around the house unbeknownst to my family for many, many days and when going out removed the dummy and chambered a live round (when stateside and legal to do so, etc.) In almost two years I have had not a single 'incident' although I do caution newbies with the Glock to watch and use TWO hands when reholstering to ensure the clothing does not catch on the trigger and even more important to ensure that one's finger is OFF the trigger when reholstering. I have had the Glocks drop out of my Ghost holster while in competition (talk about embarassing!) without incident and have full confidence in them. I am playing with a host of other Canada legal handguns now although I carry stateside (I reside just north of the 49th. at the moment) which means they must be 4.25" barrel length and 10 rounds max. With any luck and our new Conservative majority government it won't be too long before our gun registry is a thing of the past and our Restricted Possession and Aquisition License is all we need to own a gun. Time will tell. In the meantime? My suggestion is to evaluate your situation and decide if you are comfy with one in the chamber, think about changing guns to one with more safeties, and anytime you feel that a situation may require a rapid or one handed shot.... carry your gun cocked and locked! I have had one situation before carrying that would have cost me my life if the perp were not high as a kite because I would have hesitated to carry loaded and ready to go. Yet another where I had lots of time to load a magazine and rack a round (we cannot store firearms loaded in Canada unless with a permit for protection against bears up north, etc. Really stinks). As always, if you want action to beat reaction, you need to be well trained, practiced and prepared. Condition yellow or red? ALWAYS cocked and locked. Be aware of where you are, your surroundings and where you are headed. Being carjacked? I can absolutely guarantee you that drawing and then having to cock a round into the chamber is going to cost you your life. Been there.

 

[trophyhunter]

If ever involved in a situation that required the use of your weapon It could be over in the time it would take you to Chamber a Round +1 Ready why, why take the chance.Be prepared

 

[stihl007]

If you carry properly, in a holster, I would say say chambered and ready to rock. I knew a gov employee, I won't say what branch, that tried to carry a Glock in the back of his pants, had one in the tube, and yes, a snag and he shot his butt. In the john no less at his office. Try explaining that to the boss! Use the right holster, don't play with it, don't touch the trigger till your ready to end a life. Remember, don't shoot to kill, shoot to stop.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Why are we digging up a 3 year old thread?

I don't care... she's HOT! She puts one in my chamber!

 

[jhendrix]

I carry my XD 45 and feel the same way, no outside safety makes you alittle nervous about shooting off the goodie bag.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Try this...next time you drive around...hold your seat belt in your hand...and when the time comes plug it in real fast. But you gotta be quick or else the belt with lock up.......kinda gets the point across in my mind why I carry condition 1.