difficulty with press check

Trunk Monkey said:

Thanks for validating my opinion of you.

I have never attended a class in which the instructor even mentioned press checks. Let alone suggested that we do them.

Again, I see it as nothing more than needless administrative handling, similar to those stupid scenes in movies when the cop drops his magazine to make sure that there are rounds in it. Has your gun not been with you all day?

I don't know any cops who do it. I don't know any SF guys that do it. I've never seen a thug do it but I bet it looks wicked cool in the movies.

I've never seen a gun magically unload itself but hey, you do you

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Fairly certain the poster you are responding to is an LEO, so there's one. All the police and ex mil I know verify a guns status when they pick one up, every time.

There does seem to be some differing between verifying a gun that's just entered your possession and press checking immediately after loading. I don't tend to John Wick press check after each reload, but I sure do each time I pick up a gun that's been out of my possession.

And you know what? I've found guns that should be unloaded to have a round chambered, and guns that should be loaded with nothing in the pipe in the past on a few occasions, and not just with my guns. Stuff happens, folks forget steps, so it's always a good idea to make sure for yourself in that moment.

At least that's my philosophy, and how I was taught.

Kevin Rohrer said:

Unlike the less educated here, press checks are an excellent idea when picking up any firearm. Always check to see if it has a round chambered. Looking to see if there is a mag inserted merely tells you that there is a mag inserted.

As for how to it, that depends on the type of pistol and whether it has a full-length guide rod or not. Press checks are easily done w/ a 1911, BHP, and Glockenspiel. Can't speak for the others as I never touch them.

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It falls back to basics. Check every gun you touch to verify unloaded. Best way to do that on any of them is to work the action. Long rant deleted. Press checks are dumb, and if you don’t know if your gun has a round in the chamber then you need to work the action to find out what is up anyways. Work the action fully on all guns and you have a consistent and safe check for everything.

mcb said:

I got to agree with @5-SHOTS. Press checks are just a bad plan in general and lead to more malfunctions than they prevent. If you really want to check things and your magazine have witness holes look before loading and then drop your mag and look that a round was stripped. This works very well for AR, as the top round has switched sides. If your gun has a loaded chamber indicator I would use that over a press check.

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I disagree. For me, a press check is about ensuring the gun is in the state I think it is. I keep my 1911 loaded at all times, when I put it in the holster I press check to make sure it's loaded. What if I forgot that I had unloaded it to do something with it? I have never had or seen a malfunction with a press check. I have seen some overzealous press checks that ejected rounds, but that's different.

I think these threads sometimes assume that you just loaded the handgun and everything is perfect. In competition, I have seen shooters insert a magazine, rack the slide, holster and when the buzzer goes off and they draw the gun, the mag falls out, no round in the chamber. A press check would have told them there was no round in the chamber and the mag wasn't seated. Also, not keeping a finger under the mag would have told them the same thing.

WestKentucky said:

It falls back to basics. Check every gun you touch to verify unloaded. Best way to do that on any of them is to work the action. Long rant deleted. Press checks are dumb, and if you don’t know if your gun has a round in the chamber then you need to work the action to find out what is up anyways. Work the action fully on all guns and you have a consistent and safe check for everything.

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I want to say this the right way. If I'm unsure of the condition of the weapon I clear it but if I cleared my carry gun, which is supposed to be loaded, every time I pick it up I'm going to be jacking rounds out of the chamber every time I touch it.

That's hard on the ammunition AND it's unnecessary administrative handling of a loaded gun.

jbmillard said:

I disagree. For me, a press check is about ensuring the gun is in the state I think it is. I keep my 1911 loaded at all times, when I put it in the holster I press check to make sure it's loaded. What if I forgot that I had unloaded it to do something with it? I have never had or seen a malfunction with a press check. I have seen some overzealous press checks that ejected rounds, but that's different.

I think these threads sometimes assume that you just loaded the handgun and everything is perfect. In competition, I have seen shooters insert a magazine, rack the slide, holster and when the buzzer goes off and they draw the gun, the mag falls out, no round in the chamber. A press check would have told them there was no round in the chamber and the mag wasn't seated. Also, not keeping a finger under the mag would have told them the same thing.

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Seen on multiple occasions hunters go to unload their rifle at the end of he day realize they never actually chambered a round that morning.

I wouldn’t worry about it OP.

I am in the group that thinks it is another chance for ND or out of battery malfunction.

I’ve never had one of my guns unload itself.

Anyway, arguments aside, i have learned over the years to double-check myself on anything i did more than one task ago...whether that's making sure i tightened my drain plug when i change my oil, locked the door before i left the house, or chambered a round when i put a magazine in my gun. So, yeah, i do believe in press-checking a gun that has been idle and/or unattended for any length of time.
Also, my wife has access to my firearms, and vice versa. I went to get her gun for something the other day, cleared it, did what i needed her gun for, then went to reload it. It had a full mag, but an empty chamber when i grabbed it. When i reloaded it, i asked her, "do you usually leave the chamber empty?" Her answer, "Sometimes." I ain't gonna lecture her, she's a grown woman, and my couch isn't that comfortable.

So yeah, i press check pretty regularly.

jbmillard said:

In competition, I have seen shooters insert a magazine, rack the slide, holster and when the buzzer goes off and they draw the gun, the mag falls out, no round in the chamber. A press check would have told them there was no round in the chamber and the mag wasn't seated. Also, not keeping a finger under the mag would have told them the same thing.

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These are user errors. Such careless users are better off not doing the press check because it could cause something worse than an empty pistol and a magazine dropped on the ground.

Trunk Monkey said:

I apologize if I gave you the impression I was taking out my frustration on you. That was not my intent

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No problem, it's all good.

5-SHOTS said:

These are user errors. Such careless users are better off not doing the press check because it could cause something worse than an empty pistol and a magazine dropped on the ground.

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You're right, it's much better to do the stage unloaded. One thing press checks are for is user errors.

Every time I pick up a gun, I check the chamber. Even if I just set it down 3 seconds before.

Every time I drop a slide to load a weapon, I check the round chambered correctly.

"Productive Habits" is something I learned as a young LEO. Putting my foot out against the car door when I opened it to prevent it swinging (or getting pushed) back on me, checking over my shoulder before looking down at my ticket book...things that you make habitual to take a load off your cognitive mind to free it for other things. Same with the chamber check. I always do it, so I know I did it.

Larry

WestKentucky said:

It falls back to basics. Check every gun you touch to verify unloaded. Best way to do that on any of them is to work the action.

Press checks are dumb, and if you don’t know if your gun has a round in the chamber then you need to work the action to find out what is up anyways. Work the action fully on all guns and you have a consistent and safe check for everything.

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Please tell that to the guy who I saw killed when someone did just that and then shot him w/ that "unloaded" rifle.

I'll stick w/ my statement about some here being under-educated and don't know as much as they think they do.

Press checks are not dumb or stupid. They only take a second and are far smarter than those who say otherwise.

Kevin Rohrer said:

Please tell that to the guy who I saw killed when someone did just that and then shot him w/ that "unloaded" rifle.

I'll stick w/ my statement about some here being under-educated and don't know as much as they think they do.

Press checks are not dumb or stupid. They only take a second and are far smarter than those who say otherwise.

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The example you gave is misleading. The person responsible for the negligent discarge did not check that the firearm was unloaded with the complete safety procedure to unload it, which we all know, and which is not the press check. And even worse, he pulled the trigger with no reason pointing the gun in an unsafe direction which again has nothing to do with press check.
Very under-educated example.

How about load 1 round in your mag, chamber it, if it disappears, no need for a press check. Load up the mag, carry on!

5-SHOTS said:

The example you gave is misleading. The person responsible for the negligent discarge did not check that the firearm was unloaded with the complete safety procedure to unload it, which we all know, and which is not the press check. And even worse, he pulled the trigger with no reason pointing the gun in an unsafe direction which again has nothing to do with press check.
Very under-educated example.

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Someone died because of a procedure advocated as being safe by someone else.

I am not the under-educated one and especially not under-experienced. Unlike some here, I know and follow the Four Rules of Gun Safety, which is why press checks are a part of my safety protocol.

As several people mentioned (or referred by way of Ernest Langon et al), there's a large array of methods to limit the slide travel. I prefer reaching from underneath with my support hand. This way I don't have to break my grip.