[Pain]

I just acquired My CHL in the mail yesterday. I have a PT-145 for carry. My Question is this: I trust the safety, and this thing has the longest pull on a trigger I have ever seen it is also DA. Would You guys carry this thing with one in the Chamber, safety on and feel comfortable. Or would it be better to carry it with an empty chamber, to avoid any accidental misfires that might get me in trouble. It only takes a second to Rack the slide back if I had to.

[cslinger]

Good Holster and a round chambered no matter the gun.

It isn't always about the speed at which you can rack a slide but sometimes the fact that you only have one hand available to you at the time.

Chris

Just my humble opinion as I am not a cop, SEAL, black ops, uber tactical, spleen taking, mask wearing, ninja, killer. I am just a regular schmoe.

[pax]

First, congrats on your CHL. :) May you never need to pull a gun -- and may you always have one on you just in case.

Second, I'd recommend getting some training. The question you asked is the sort of question that is asked and discussed at length in any good class geared toward concealed carry. It isn't the only question you are going to have in the next few weeks and months.

Third, I'd say not to carry in any manner that makes you uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if other people tell you all is well; if you are not comfortable with what you are doing, you will either fidget and fiddle with your gun (which is likely to expose your gun in public); OR you will simply decide to leave the gun at home entirely. Neither of these is a good thing.

Keeping the above in mind, I can still tell you that there are many good reasons to become comfortable with carrying a round in the chamber. Yes, chambering only takes a split second or two -- on the range, at the 'start' signal. In real life, if you need your gun, you are going to need it in a big hurry and that split second or two might make all the difference in the world. Further, on the range, your start signal is a timer's beep or just your own decision to draw and shoot. In real life, your start signal might be a knife or a bullet crashing into your left arm -- and then what? Chamber one-handed, of course ... but that is slow, dangerous if not done right, and has to be practiced and practiced and practiced. On the range, the gun is all that is in your hands. In real life, you may be holding a small child or a large fortune in your left hand when you draw with your right. You can set the child down and throw the fortune away but both acts take time, time that you may not have to spare.

Bottom line is, take a class and get really comfortable and familiar with the operation of your gun. Make up your own mind -- but get some training first.

pax

[Logistar]

Excellent advice in the preceeding posts (as always).

- thought you might want to hear from someone with a situation similar to yours...

I started carrying with a PT1XX when I got my license. At first I carried without a round in the chamber (I was uncomfortable with it chambered - I thought it might GO OFF). It wasn't long before I realized I might not have time to rack the slide - especially since I used to cause jams by riding the slide :rolleyes: .

I then went to round chambered and safety ON. I carried that way until I realized that: 1. In stress-induced practice I occasionally missed the safety and pulled the trigger with the safety on. 2. I realized that an action like the one on the Taurus PT models is NOT going to fire without the trigger being pulled - and pulled a long way... if the holster covers the triggerguard... there is no way it will fire while in the holster.

- and when I take it out of the holster I WANT it to fire!

Take your time and (as posted above) NEVER do anything you are not comfortable with. Eventually I suspect you will carry chambered and maybe even with the safety off. Not all guns are safe if carried this way but if you examine your Taurus you will see that it really won't go bang unless you "make it".

Congrats on the license and good luck!

Logistar

[Nick96]

Probably not what you want to hear - but your concealed carry concerns and subsequent posts bring up good arguments for carrying a DA revolver. Simple to use, always ready fully loaded, typically more reliable and safer to load & unload than any auto. The disadvantages are limited number of rounds (but statistically you won't need more than 3) and an auto in SA mode is easier for some to shoot (but again, statistically you won't need to shoot beyond 20 feet). I'm not slamming autos - I just think they require a bit more "care & feeding" than revolvers.

I did my CHL qualification with a DA/SA Auto (to get that SA stamp on the CHL). And on the very rare occasion I would feel the need to carry it around - it would be round in chamber and safety off. But I've come to the personal conclusion that a small frame DA revolver really best fits my needs.

Just something to consider.

[Shake]

Would You guys carry this thing with one in the Chamber, safety on and feel comfortable.

Would the above be with the hammer down, or cocked? Also, by "safety on" do you mean safety in the "Safe" position?

Shake

[themic]

my gun is DA with safety and decocker, so it essentially has a cocked and locked option

i carry round in the chamber, hammer down (decocked), no safety applied.

i'm comfortable with this arrangement as the holster guards the trigger, and it'd take a heck of a trigger pull to pull that hammer back and set it off.

most guns also have an internal firing pin block that won't allow the pin to strike the bullet, if say dropped or something, if the trigger wasn't pulled.

with an internal firing pin block and carrying decocked, you have all the advantages and reasons that many law enforcement and regular people like glocks and XD's and other DAOs: it cannot no matter what go off unless you deliberately pull the trigger a long long way.

oh and i carry this way because i never really got comfortable with 1911 cocked and locked. i knew i should be comfortable with it, but i just wasn't. so i carry DA.