explain Condition 1, 2 ...

[twofifty]

Condition 1, 2, (are there others?) have me scratching my head.

Though not new to firearms, I need educating wrt what Condition 1, 2, etc. means. Of course, I realize it describes whether a gun has a loaded mag, or a chambered round, or cocked with safety on, or cocked with safety off. What about a gun without any ammo in it whatsoever, is there a Condition # for those?

- Are condition #s different for a rifle, shotgun or handguns?
- Did these expressions originate in the military, then drift into civilian use?
- Are there distinctions due to action or magazine type?

Thx.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Most of these refer to the 1911 style of single action pistol. They can be modified for other weapon types but that's where they started.

0- Cocked, loaded, safety off, ready to fire

1 - Cocked and Locked. Chamber loaded hammer back safety on.

2 - Chamber loaded, hammer down - dangerous in some designs of handgun.

3 - No round in chamber, mag full and inserted - surprisingly common, also sometimes called "Israeli"

4 - No round in chamber, no mag in weapon - Uhhh, I hope not unless it's in the safe


And of course, God and John Moses Browning want us to carry in Condition 1 (that's humor, every person needs to decide for himself)

 

[harmonic]

4 - No round in chamber, no mag in weapon

Otherwise known as a "club."

 

[Crazy Fingers]

What a silly and pointless way to sound elitist. But, as another said, it has to do with 1911s...

 

[jkittle99]

Ok this is a little off topic, but related, so I'll throw it out there.

My daily carry is a PPK. I insert the mag, rack the slide to chamber a round, decock using the decocker, release the safety (bring trigger forward) and re-safety. Is this unsafe?.Like - what if I drop it?

To fire, I remove from holster, switch the safety, and squeeze.

Looking for info. I want to carry with one in the pipe, but want some form of user intervention required (aside from trigger pull).

 

[harmonic]

My daily carry is a PPK. I insert the mag, rack the slide to chamber a round, decock using the decocker, release the safety (bring trigger forward) and re-safety. Is this unsafe?.Like - what if I drop it?

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-189765.html

RJay2005-12-01, 05:19 PM
The walther PP and PPK are safe to carry with a round in the chamber and the hammer down, safety off. I have a great deal many of my references packed away but I do remember that. They also passed the ATfs" drop test". I own several of these fine pistols and when ever I do carry one ( rare anymore, P-32 now ) I carry it with a roudd in the chamber, safety off, ready for double action mode.

 

[jkittle99]

Thanks

Appreciate the link, and my apologies for drifting off topic. Thx again.

 

[twofifty]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[hksw]

Hmm. Would Condition 5 be no gun?

 

[TexasRifleman]

Hmm. Would Condition 5 be no gun?

I've always that's the condition you are in when you are out of ammo and running away as fast as you can, or as I call it : Condition Brown

 

[Jim Watson]

Jan Stevenson, when at Guns Magazine, listed off many conditions of readiness. He kind of fudged the list with some oddballs and silly gimmicks to come out with the actual carry mode of the German police at the time (1960s).

Walther PP .32 with magazine loaded, but chamber empty, hammer down, safety on.
In a flap holster with the flap closed, the flap strap buckled and the end of the strap snapped down.
Condition 13

 

[MAKster]

Pistols that have a decocker are intended to be carried decocked and are safe. The issue with carrying a 1911 decocked is that the traditional design doesn't have a firing pin block. If you dropped the gun theoretically the hammer could be forced against the firing pin.