How many actually "use" the +1 when carrying?

[Eightball]

Pretty simple question. A lot of posters put "such-and-such can carry X in the magazine, plus one in the chamber", so I'm curious--how many people actually put one in the chamber on top of a full mag, versus just using the first round out of the mag, while carrying? It is a feature that seems to get a lot of hype, but it's always interesting to see how many take advantage of this facet of semi-autos, be they BUGs, "Duty guns", or something in between.

[modifiedbrowning]

I take advantage of the extra round.

[10-Ring]

I use the '+1' in most of my pistols except my 1911.

[wizard of oz]

always. not for the extra round but to prove to myself that there is a round in the chamber.

[nitesite]

So far I am the one dissenting vote.

My carry gun most of the time is a 10-shot 10mm Glock 29. Getting that last round in the mag is pretty difficult but I can do it. Seating a full magazine without the slide locked back takes quite a bit of pressure. Plus, I feel that the upward pressure of the tenth round against the bottom of the slide is significant.

Does it cause malfunctions? No, not that I can tell.

Does it make a tactical reload almost impossible? Absolutely.

I've just accepted that I load nine, chamber the top round, and then add one more to the mag for 9+1.

My extra mag also has just nine rounds, even though it has a 10-rd capacity. Easy to insert and click with minimal exertion when the slide is closed.

[DakotaDude]

I use the +1 in my Kel-Tec P-3AT, and would in any other gun with a similar capacity. But I don't bother with the extra if I'm carrying a Glock 19.

[glockman19]

In my 642/442 it's always ready in the Glock 26 there's on in the chamber.

[Guzzizzit]

I dont carry, but i do use the "+1" in my home deffence weapon. I figure, what the heck, ya never know when that extra round will pay off.

[Lonestar49]

...

Indeed, with our 10 round magazine law to keep us honest, tax paying, patriots, in check, and keeping us from going out of control vs the BG's who don't pay their taxes, obey any gun laws, hell, any laws. So, yep while out and about, in the concrete jungle, one chambered, 10 in the hole.

When I get home, I take one out of the magazines, to let the springs breath just a bit.. After all, they don't need max-out stress, all the time, either.. lol


LS

[possum]

all my guns if they are hd/sd/ carry guns they are always loaded to capacity and have the +1 in the chamber.

[Gator]

Insert mag, chamber a round, remove mag and add one round, reinsert mag.

SOP

[akluvr]

+1 to the Gator

[browningguy]

Of course I do, and I feel that it is not an "extra" round, it's the designed capacity.

[Heavy Metal Hero]

I feel that it is not an "extra" round, it's the designed capacity.

+1

[armoredman]

Always.

[Still 2 Many Choices!?]

Why WOULDN'T you carry the last round in the chamber:confused: ?! When talking ammo, more is always better:cool: !

Still 2 Many Choices!?

[Damien45]

Always. When I shot the competition (for the first time) I immediately grabbed a mag (from my back pocket) and chambered one, then swapped the mag for the other (in my back pocket). Then ran the course with the mags in my holder. Only time I don't have the +1 is after a range visit....and don't have enough ammo! lol That has only happened twice.....lol

[vanilla_gorilla]

I load my weapons to their full capacity.

[BigG]

My revolver only carries five, so I can't take advantage of the plus 1. Normally on an auto, I just chamber a round and do not top up a mag. I find that smacks of range behavior on a timed course. YMMV

[Geno]

Always. Furthermore, the police here assume it. When one takes a pistol for safety inspection (registration) they enter a +1 number for the capacity.

[usp9]

I do. Increases my round count 10%.

[Zach S]

Insert mag, chamber a round, remove mag and add one round, reinsert mag.

SOPSame here.

My mags only hold seven rounds, so why wouldnt I have one in the pipe?

[gdvan01]

I load my weapons to their full capacity.Ditto.

[WeThePeople]

Always +1.

[mavracer]

I'm usually +6 or +8 depending on weather I have 442 or seecamp in front pocket

[No_Brakes23]

I do, but I have a 1911 with an external safety. I might be slightly less inclined to do so on a non-external safety DA pistol

[FLA2760]

In a stressful situation where you have to use deadly force do you really think that you need one more thing to worry about? Imagine a click when the bad guy is coming at you with his weapon. A self defense gun should always be fully loaded.

[-terry]

My mags hold 10. I chamber the first one off the mag. I do this because I think it makes it easier to count the rounds fired. (I can't count past 10, apparently).

[pharmer]

I carry a 6906. The mags hold 12. I'm not superstitious or anything but I don't do the +1. Joe

[pax]

I fill my Glock 26 entirely, as designed.

One of the factors that had me choosing a semi-auto rather than a revolver was ammunition capacity. I simply cannot imagine giving up some of that capacity unnecessarily.

pax

[Sistema1927]

Nobody ever wished that he had less ammo.

[Black Majik]

Absolutely. It goes a long way in a 1911. That +1 is a 12.5% increase in capacity :D

[Oldskoolfan]

I would probably if CCW was allowed in my state.

However I did read a post on another forum about a guy who does not so he has a place to put that extra round when he disarmed to go somewhere that CCW was not allowed. HE would strip the gun and put the slide in his pocket and let the mags sit in their pouch. The mag that was in the gun would go next to his pocket.

Its a thought. However for me it would probably be the mag and the extra round.

[1911 guy]

I "Barney up" when I load. Remember Deputy Fife with his one bullet? I load a magazine with one round and two magazines with eight rounds. I seat the mag, rack the slide and eject the mag. If it's empty, there's no need for a press check. It's also handier to simply seat another mag than eject, handle a loaded pistol and magazine while loading another round in it.

[WeThePeople]

Am I the only one who manually inserts the "extra" round directly into the chamber, closes the slide, and inserts the mag???

[Sistema1927]

Am I the only one who manually inserts the "extra" round directly into the chamber, closes the slide, and inserts the mag???

Not a very good practice. In many designs, including the 1911, you are inviting extractor failure.

[WeThePeople]

Not a very good practice. In many designs, including the 1911, you are inviting extractor failure.

I had no idea. I've been doing it for 12+ years. Thanks for the heads up!

[Hawk]

Hardly ever - I guess that would be a "no".

Currently it's an STI double stack .40 which doesn't lose much <cough> percentage wise <cough>.

That'll likely change as summer rolls in.

[Rev. DeadCorpse]

Witness 10mm. 15 round mags plus 1. Hammer down with safety on.

[James NM]

I always top off my magazine.

[morcoth]

always, It would be silly not to.

Ive Never heard of someone leaving a gunfight with too much spare ammo. But I've heard of people running out.

Morcoth

[trickyasafox]

i don't usually, but if i do use the plus one, i load the mag with 1 round, then load the chamber, then fill the empty mag completely. why put the hardest round in twice when you can get the same thing using the easiest round?

never understood why people loaded a mag all the way, inserted and racked just to add one more. do that at the beginning.

[denfoote]

Always one in the pipe!!!

[mek42]

+1 for me

Erm, I mean +1 round in the chamber, not trying to toot my own horn! :neener:

[03Shadowbob]

When you carry a P3AT, every one counts.

[p85]

Quote "Witness 10mm. 15 round mags plus 1. Hammer down with safety on."

ditto, I like have 16 rounds of 10mm ready to rock and roll.

[orionengnr]

Good thread, lots to think about.

I generally don't, just to go a little easy on mag springs. But I have enough mags, if I'd just rotate them a bit more frequently, I'd be okay.

Or to look at it another way, I now have another reason to buy more mags! :)

[usp9]

trickyasafox
i don't usually, but if i do use the plus one, i load the mag with 1 round, then load the chamber, then fill the empty mag completely. why put the hardest round in twice when you can get the same thing using the easiest round?

never understood why people loaded a mag all the way, inserted and racked just to add one more. do that at the beginning.
__________________


Ditto +1

[MachIVshooter]

I use the +1 in Sd/HD handguns, the shotgun is kept full tube, empty chamber. Rifles are kept with 15 rounds in 20 round mags or 25 rounds in 30 round mags.

[hankdatank1362]

17 golden sabres in the mag (full cap) and one in the pipe.

[kungfuhippie]

My Star B has 8 rd mags...so that extra round is appreciated. I've got an aftermarket 9rd mag that has a weak spring and won't hold the slide back...so I don't use it for open carry where legal to do so in PRK.

[SalTx]

When I carried BUG'S, I filled them up..and never unloaded them, all my guns were loaded most of the time, don't know why one would want to routinely empty it.

[Ifishsum]

The last one puts quite a bit of extra pressure on the magazine after a top-off so I usually don't. I figure if I can't get 'er done in 10, another one probably won't mean squat.

[Ala Dan]

Most definitely, add the +1~! :scrutiny: ;) :D

[DHart]

ALWAYS one in the chamber and a full mag beneath it, no matter what the gun.

[glassman]

When in that situation, the adrenaline is gonna be dumping and I don't want to be worried about fumble fingers and taking the time to rack the slide. My pocket carry has a thumb saftey. My drill includes draw, bringing the gun to bear, thumb safety and trigger pull. Do it enough times and it becomes fast and natural. +1 for the chambered round.

[glocktoberfest]

Nobody ever wished that he had less ammo.




Amen

[geekWithA.45]

I'd really, really hate for my last thought to be,
"damnit, there was space for one more round...."

[ipscshooter]

Absolutley +1.

[bigmike45]

Always +1 round
Always +1 Mag
Always +1 Speedloader

[Headless]

Nobody ever wished that he had less ammo.
Unless they were on fire or drowning ;)

[Seminole]

I fill it up. Can't imagine ever wishing I had one fewer round. :rolleyes:

[CajunBass]

Why would you not?

[shadowalker]

I always carry +1, some people don't because they believe it extends magazine spring life by lowering the tension.

[jt1]

..... I'm curious--how many people actually put one in the chamber on top of a full mag.....

If you don't what's the point? An auto pistol with an empty chamber is an unloaded gun. For a CCW if you have to draw and cycle to load a round in the chamber in order to have a servicable weapon you are too late.

[1BLINDREF]

Why would you not?

My thought exactly.

[enc0re]

"In hand to hand combat, the winner is the man with one more bullet in the magazine"
- Erwin Rommel

[Geronimo45]

I don't. Read somewhere where it said that it caused strain on the extractor - but I dunno.

[Mat, not doormat]

Ummm, yeah. Seems kinda silly to say, "I think I'm gonna pick an autoloader, that way I'm trading more complex operations for better capacity, better trigger, etc," and then give up both advantages by using a DAO trigger, and not using the full capacity. The trigger thing is off point, just a pet peeve.

Only exception is a Colt style SAA, wherin the capacity is 6 -1, for safety reasons.

~~~Mat

[Fezwig]

Absolutely!! If I'm gonna carry a gun, I want it loaded to the fullest.

When you stop to gas up the car, would you stop at 3/4 of a tank? Ok, with gas prices that may not be the best example, but you get my point.

Fezwig

[TC-TX]

All-waze

[Lonestar.45]

+1, absolutely, always when carrying. Many times at the range I don't load up and go +1 before shooting, but always when I carry. If you carry one in the pipe anyway, there is no reason not to top off your mag too and get full capacity. Especially when you rarely carry spare mags like I do. I can't imagine NOT carrying +1.

[Legionnaire]

+1

[waterhouse]

I don't. Read somewhere where it said that it caused strain on the extractor - but I dunno.

Certainly you can do as you please, but how could inserting a loaded magazine, dropping/racking the slide, taking the magazine out, topping it off, and reinserting the magazine cause strain on the extractor?

I think what you may have read was that placing a round directly into the barrel (through the ejection port) and then closing the slide might be bad for the extractor.

[Geronimo45]

I think what you may have read was that placing a round directly into the barrel (through the ejection port) and then closing the slide might be bad for the extractor.
Or I may be thinking of the AR-15... it was a thread on it, IIRC, that said that having a full magazine+1 in the chamber could bend up something or other. Think it was the extractor, but I'm not sure.
Now that I think of it, it's impossible (I think) to strain the extractor on a 1911 that way. It's way up north of the magwell.
Maybe I should do a bit of reconsiderin'.

[Myrdhyn]

Am I the only one who manually inserts the "extra" round directly into the chamber, closes the slide, and inserts the mag???

Not a very good practice. In many designs, including the 1911, you are inviting extractor failure.
__________________

I carry my ruger p85 with 15+1 and this is how I load it. This is actually the recommended loading procedure per the manual that came with it: Safety on, slide back, insert round, release slide, insert full mag, and <if you are me> safety back off.

[Vern Humphrey]

I don't know anybody who carries in Condition 3 -- but obviously there are a few.

There are many disadvantages to carrying this way -- not the least of which is the act of chambering a round may be seen in court as an aggressive action and vitiate a plea of self-defense.

[MKEITH]

My beretta always has 15 in the clip and 1 in the chamber.

[Feanaro]

I've actually been chastised by both instructors (several) AND Law Enforcement Officials for NOT keeping a round chambered.

An auto pistol with an empty chamber is an unloaded gun.

I don't know anybody who carries in Condition 3

I see that Pooblik Skhul's inability to teach reading isn't a recent development. :evil:

I don't get to add +1 to a revolver. When I shoot auto-chuckers, I have never felt the need. Probably done it twice.