Carrying a striker fired?

Carry with one in the chamber using a holster designed for the pistol that covers the trigger guard.

Yep...what Zak said.

And...be mindful of anything that might grab the trigger as you put it in the holster.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch until ready to fire, and it's perfectly safe.

Also, Zak's comments on equipment.

Carry one in the chamber, keep your booger hook off the bang switch, and use a holster worth a damn (not an Uncle Mike's POS). Don't race back to the holster for reholstering...do it deliberately and carefully, with your index finger well away from the pistol and off the trigger guard.

As long as you keep your finger alongside the frame and NOT on the trigger, it's like carrying a revolver. Put your finger on the trigger only when you are ready to fire. Pay attention to what the others above said about reholstering though. Practice makes perfect, and you should practice your draw a lot, regardless of the firearm.

Seriously?
If a gun isn't safe with one in the pipe, it isn't suitable for carry.
Get a holster that fits the gun and protects the trigger from unwanted activation, and get some snap-caps. I like the new leather-backed Kydex shell IWB holsters, myself, check out CrossBreed, Kholster, Tucker gunleather, Comp-Tac, etc and get an order in for your pistol as soon as you know for sure that you will be carrying that pistol ... avoid cheap neoprene, nylon, soft leather, or injection-molded designs.

Using those snap-caps (and ONLY the snap-caps!) take a good try at tripping the trigger while in the holster or while inserting into the holster, it shouldn't be feasible while holstered, and it shouldn't be prone to accidental trigger activation ... no holster will prevent a bang if your finger is on the trigger without a safety lever activated, of course ... this holds true for revolvers and any other model lacking an external safety.

Your Sigma is just as safe as your revolvers.

Take a look at Raven Concealment Phantom holsters. They will allow you to try different positions for carry with one holster. You just buy different attachment hardware. It is a pretty cool design.

http://www.themalabarfront.com/product_info.php?cPath=82_85_92&products_id=1567

Duble Naught Spy said:

Thanks guys.

I've no experience with semi auto carry - I've always been a revolver guy. I'm making the big move due to wanting a hi capacity carry piece.

Oh, and just wanted another gun. I'll be able to rest easy for another month or two

Mike

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Just curious, but if you know and are comfortable with DA revolvers, why not go for a traditional DA/SA auto with a decocker (ambi in your case, being a lefty)? Something like an FNP series pistol? I just think that is the easiest transition for someone going from revolver to autoloader - same safety system too, just a long heavy DA trigger pull for the first shot. It takes some practice to adjust to the change from DA-fisrt shot, SA-followup shots, but it really is not overwhelmingly difficult to get both good and comfortable with that. Or even a DAO pistol, perhaps? (although I don't like those myself, perfer DA/SA with a decocking lever).

So whats the best way to carry a striker fired pistol? Are they safe to carry with one loaded in the breach if it has the safety in the trigger?

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This is how they are designed to be carried. Trigger safeties, BTW, are primarily drop (i.e., to keep the pistol from firing if dropped, struck, thrown, etc.) safeties. You must be careful - as you would with any handgun, really - to keep entangling objects out of the trigger guard. This includes your finger, unless of course you are planning to fire the gun.

i have been shooting, carrying, and training with striker fired guns esclusivly for years, imho there is no other way to carry other than with a round in the chamber. it is totally safe.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch until ready to fire, and it's perfectly safe.

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Its not just your booger hook you have to keep off.

Seems everyone covered the necessities but i wanted to add my experiences when i started carrying my ccw.
I though Glock guys were nuts for carrying a gun with no manual safety!
Then the idea of carrying a gun with a manual safety with one in the chamber scared me to death every time i bent over as i liked to carry at 11 o'clock with it pointed at my jewels.

I slowly learned that a correctly designed quality gun will not just go off with a good holster.
A PT745 with a manual safety help me overcome my fear of 1 in the chamber.
A Walther PPS 9 in my back pocket with a leather cover over the top and back got rid of my fears of no manual safety.
Then i did the impossible to some even to this day. Im 6'4" and 270 lbs and carried a cocked and locked Sig P238 in my back pocket in a pocket holster of course.
Who here wants to sit on a tiny cocked and locked pistol all day and see if your safe or not? TBH had it been polymer i wouldn't have done it as it will flex too much and possibly let something slip. But an all metal gun i felt completely safe sitting on that gun.

Who here wants to sit on a tiny cocked and locked pistol all day and see if your safe or not? TBH had it been polymer i wouldn't have done it as it will flex too much and possibly let something slip. But an all metal gun i felt completely safe sitting on that gun.

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Applying logic to the situation usually is the right course of action.

Determine which manufacturers are known for quality.

Buy a gun from a quality manufacturer.

Used guns must be inspected by a gunsmith prior to use.

Understand the internal and external safety mechanisms of the design.

Purchase only older designs that have product history.


My rule of thumb is at least three years of "debugging" is required before I'll consider a new design. I'm just catching up to the S&W M&P...which did require some changes. Part of a design's history should include carry by several police departments since they'll find the bugs quickly and the manufacturer will be motivated to solve the problem. A bad reputation is the "kiss of death" in the American market for a design. A design change may solve the problem, but the gun rumor mill has a 100 year lifespan. As you read this, some gun sales clerk is telling a customer to "Never carry the Ruger Vaquero with a cartridge under the hammer since it will go off!" (This is a variation on the old single action revolver rule. In case you don't know, Ruger single actions have a transfer bar).

If you understand the safety mechanisms included in the design and it's a quality gun in good working condition, then it stands to reason that the gun will not discharge unintentionally. Researching the gun you are considering will generally reveal any issues with the design. The company's response should be swift with pubic recalls for defective guns (Ruger's SR9 problems come to mind as a recent example).

Apply logic and you'll be able to override your mind's fears. If you cannot do that, then why do you have a gun in the first place? If you cannot get past that with minimal research, then your mindset is insufficient for carry. Acquire some training and put some work into it!

My PT145 freaked me out at first, but now I wish I have it back.

I still have the holster for it.

I was a little weary in the beginning carrying one in the chamber in an auto pistol. I "practiced" with my old Kel Tec PF9 where I kept a snap cap in the chamber for a week or two. Once I felt comfortable with it, I started carrying one in the chamber in all my carries - for winter, it would either be my Taurus PT1911, Stroeger Cougar in .40, or CZ75B fullsize and in the warmer months, my Ruger SR9c.

Striker fired? Empty chamber, striker down, safety off, loaded magazine.

Exactly what Zak said.

Zak Smith said:

Carry with one in the chamber using a holster designed for the pistol that covers the trigger guard.

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+1

I've carried a couple striker fire pistols and they are, IMHO, no more or less dangerous than any other quality firearm. Just follow the 4 rules and what Zak said.

Striker fired? Empty chamber, striker down, safety off, loaded magazine.

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Good luck if you ever have to use it. I can't understand how people carry condition 3 by choice.

Carl N. Brown said:

Striker fired? Empty chamber, striker down, safety off, loaded magazine.

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I know I'll regret asking this because every other thread has been locked eventually when it comes up...

Why would you carry unchambered? Or why would you carry striker fired pistols unchambered over something else like a P3AT or a 1911 or a CZ?

My carry guns are either Ruger Security Six or a H&K USP, hammer down on loaded chamber, double action option.

I am paranoid about striker fired pistols (the kind that are fully cocked when a round is chambered), and would only carry empty chamber, striker down, safety off, loaded magazine in place.

Glock or similar design that requires a trigger pull to fully cock and fire is another thing entirely.

Carl N. Brown said:

My carry guns are either Ruger Security Six or a H&K USP, hammer down on loaded chamber, double action option.

I am paranoid about striker fired pistols (the kind that are fully cocked when a round is chambered), and would only carry empty chamber, striker down, safety off, loaded magazine in place.

Glock or similar design that requires a trigger pull to fully cock and fire is another thing entirely.

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Alright, I see what you're saying. So isn't so much about carrying chambered or not as it is about the type of pistol system.

That makes sense and, as you demonstrate by your carry choices, one can simply carry a pistol system they're comfortable with.

The baby browning is a striker fired pistol and after taking mine apart and getting a good look at the small lip on the firing pin that is held by the sear and the fact that the one in the used one i had just bought was worn down, i dont trust it not to go off if i drop it with one in the chamber. so i keep the chamber empty on that one. Many striker fired pistols i would trust but not the older small 25's and 22's.