Carry handgun w/round in chamber. good or not?

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Revolvers don't have external safeties.

Why do you never hear this question about them?


Keeping your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire is a good rule to follow.


It doesn't matter how many safeties are on (or in) the gun, if the safety between the ears is faulty.
 
I have always carried with one in the chamber, but I am having second thoughts when it comes to my Norinco L213.... the safety is sorta hinky and half cocked is a good way to enter an argument but I have never really considered it the best way to carry.
 
I fully intend to carry with one in the pipe, but can't right now due to this safety issue, and due to circumstances beyond my control, I can't send my gun for service/repair just yet.

Here's my personal take on this, so feel free to throw my two cents in the garbage:

- carrying with a round in the chamber makes the most sense from a SD perspective, for all the reasons already described;

- if you're not comfortable carrying with one in the pipe, then don't -- but you have to acknowledge that you're taking a certain risk, and you have to accept that risk vs. any benefit you may perceive;

- carrying with an empty chamber is probably still better than not carrying at all.

Take it FWIW, YMMV, etc.
 
If you don't feel comfortable with a round in the chamber it might as well stay at home. External safety or not the main safety of any gun is the user. If you carry with safety in mind and keep clothing free of the trigger while holstering and unholstering you will be fine.
Keeping your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire is a good rule to follow.


It doesn't matter how many safeties are on (or in) the gun, if the safety between the ears is faulty.
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exactly
 
She just said that a gun should never be carried with a round in the chamber.
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I'm curious what firearms instruction your wife has had that would compell her to make such an ignorant pronouncement.

I do carry with a loaded magazine, but at the time no round in the chamber.
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Find out what firearm instruction your wife has had, then go somewhere else! Preferably, a place that understands what guns carried for self defense are really for and how they operate.

If carrying chamber loaded makes you "uncomforatable," then either start carrying a revolver or leave your semi-auto at home and carry a can of OC spray.
 
Again, I will say that I am not uncomfortable with carrying a round in the chamber. I do on occasion. I will be from this point on. It will give me the the extra couple seconds in the event that I have to use it. It will also give me the advantage of another round.
 
One of the more peripatetic threads I have seen lately. Since it's more of a hardware specific question related to semiautos, and not specifically one having to do with the strategies or tactics, I'm moving it (again) to Handguns - Autoloaders.

lpl
 
It's still a great idea to seek out and receive competent handgun training.
 
Personally, A round in chamber Is the best choice. Without a round in a chamber, You have to waste precious seconds chambering the round for a self defensive situation, and in reality, what's the point of carrying without a round in the chamber? A S/A handgun should always be chambered when being carried for defensive purposes.
 
First, I'm going to be stating an opinion, so let me tell you all my qualifications for my opinion. I've had classes in the defensive use of handguns from Bennie Cooley (http://www.benniecooley.com/), Gunsite (http://www.gunsite.com/ ), the Walt Marshall people ( http://www.awt-co.com/), Louis Awerbuck (http://www.yfainc.com/ ), and Massad Ayoob (http://www.ayoob.com/ ). All of these trainers/schools teach one to carry his sidearm with a round in the chamber. I've also competed in USPSA. And I'm an NRA Certified Instructor in Basic Handgun, Personal Protection Inside the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home, Home Firearm Safety and Shotgun.

Okay, here's the bottom line. If you carry without a round in the chamber, you will either need two hands to make the gun ready for use or need to figure out how to chamber a round with only one hand. The latter can be done, but it is difficult and slow.

It is, in fact, extremely unlikely that you will ever need to use your gun in self defense. Most people will live their entire lives without ever having a violent encounter. But, based on my training, it's my belief that if you do need your gun, there is a strong possibility that you will need it quickly. Criminals like the element of surprise.

In any case, you can not predict how your particular emergency, if you ever have one, will arise. Maybe you'll have some time to make your pistol ready, and maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have both hands available, and maybe you won't. In addition, if you need your gun and need it quickly, the consequences to you of not being able to make it ready quickly could be horrible. In other words, there may be a small chance of an emergency, but if you can not respond appropriately and timely, your outcome will almost certainly be very, very bad for you.

Of course, if you are going to carry a gun at all, it's important to get good training and practice well. Training shows you what to practice. Learn to handle your gun properly and safety. Keep your finger off the trigger, and indexes on the frame, until you're going to shoot. Use a good holster that covers the trigger guard. Get good training.

And did I mention that you should get good training.

A violent encounter is a very high stress situation. Good training and diligent practice will help prepare you to respond effectively in a high stress situation. In a high stress situation, one defaults to his level of training.

As for me, I will not count on having both hands available in an emergency, so I carry my gun with a round in the chamber.
 
The idea that you will be so close as to "need both hands" is an objection with little merit. At arm's length distances you are in need of the martial arts, not the shooting arts.

Drawing your guns at a "one hand distance" borders on dangerous and foolish, for good reason. At arm's length distances your goal should be disarming, evasion and gaining enough distance to draw (and use both hands, btw). Not fiddling around (pun intended).

Hand-to-hand combat and drawing of guns therein is best left to highly trained professionals (LE, SWAT, commandos) who are paid to take extreme risk and who are fully prepared (retention, BUG, combat knives, vest, mace, club) and trained to retain, disarm and fight back.

The rest of us need are better served by situational awareness and evasion.
 
Evela said:
The idea that you will be so close as to "need both hands" is an objection with little merit. At arm's length distances you are in need of the martial arts, not the shooting arts...
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And just where did you come up with this notion? Why do you suppose that the only reason you might not have two hands available is because you're arm's length distance from your assailant?

Not having both hands available has nothing to do with distance. There are many possible reasons why one of your hands may otherwise be engaged -- moving or avoiding an obstacle or moving someone out of danger, to just name two.

You can not predict how an emergency will occur, and you can't count on having both hands available when it does. Carrying you sidearm without a round in the chamber changes a handgun into a hands gun.

Evela said:
Drawing your guns at a "one hand distance" borders on dangerous and foolish, for good reason. At arm's length distances your goal should be disarming, evasion and gaining enough distance to draw (and use both hands, btw)....
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Where did you come up with this notion? What, exactly, is "one hand distance"? Gaining distance is of course desirable. Whether or not you can do so without first having to employ your gun depends on (1) your training; and (2) the circumstances. But since you can't predict how an emergency will occur, you will always be best served by getting as much training and practice as you can manage, having as many skills in your "bag of tricks" as possible and having as many options as you can handle.

Evela said:
...The rest of us need are better served by situational awareness and evasion....
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Obviously. But the gun is there for when those things don't work. And of course, you can't know how your emergency will occur or what skills and techniques will, at the time, be needed to prevail.
 
Kleanbore said the most important word. Practice. Try it both ways. When you are done, you will be safer because you DID practice, and you will always carry it with one down the tube. An idea would to have your wife go with you and 'attack' you from twenty feet or more away, seeing how it goes. She will agree that you need to carry fully loaded and not as she is feeling now. Important: remember, do not load your clip for this practice.
 
If you need a defensive handgun, you need it bad and fast. You may not have time or both hands available to take the additional steps needed to chamber the round. An unloaded gun, as I am fond of saying, makes a poor club.
 
Mall Ninja Evela back from GlockTalk to carry out another Three Man Tactical Thread Assassination Mission. :eek:

+1 fiddletown for common sense. Gotta love Evela's narrow minded insights into how future events will play out.
 
I carry revolvers or DA or DAO autos with long DA triggers for the first shot. Yes, it will go bang soon as I pull that trigger. I wouldn't carry any other way. I don't pocket carry a Glock. If I had a Glock, I'd get a GOOD, stiff holster for it that covers the trigger. I'd really prefer an XD if I wanted that sort of preloaded striker gun, though, just feel safer with the grip safety. But, I stick with DA/DAO because it is easier to transition from carrying the revolver. I like revolvers a lot. No one I know loads a modern DA revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer, but even if ya did, it'd still go bang by just pulling the trigger.

I carry mostly in a pocket. I'd carry a 1911 IWB condition one, only condition one. When I had a 1911, I didn't carry it, was before CCW was legal in Texas, but afield, I toted it with a thumb break holster that snapped closed in front of the hammer and draw was still fast. If I carried one CCW, I think I'd do away with the thumb break, probably get a sparks summer special for it. My P90 rides pretty comfy in a summer special.

I bought a Tokarev once just because it was cheap. There was no safe way to carry that thing except condition 3. The safety was tiny and worked backwards. Half cock is NOT safe. I sold it. It was a bit of a POS anyway, LOL, Norinco commercial Tok in 9x19.
 
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I doubt less than 5% of the readers here would agree with a round not chambered in a concealed handgun.I carry anytime i leave my house,and its cocked and locked at all times.Now in saying that i only buy guns with external safety,as i to don't feel comfy with no external safety.In addition to that i make sure i have a holster that completely covers the trigger.

This is all new to me also,i was raised differently.All guns in my house as a kid were kept loaded but nothing chambered,same way my dad carried his 1911 back in the 80's for his business.
When i started carrying myself i was scared actually every time i bent over with my gun in my waistband thinking it would go off by accident.It didn't and it wont either ive found.

Everything takes time to get used too,and do what you feel is right for you.Obviously carrying an unchambered gun is still better than no gun.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evela
The idea that you will be so close as to "need both hands" is an objection with little merit. At arm's length distances you are in need of the martial arts, not the shooting arts...



And just where did you come up with this notion? Why do you suppose that the only reason you might not have two hands available is because you're arm's length distance from your assailant?
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I love these threads. ROFL! Yeah, any potential attackers out there, come at me with your ninja moves and see what happens. :D Whether I have a hand tied up squeezing your crotch or not, I'm shootin'. LOL! Hard to do all those back kicks with 5 158 JHP .38s in your chest and face. Firearms trump fists AND knives IMHO, no matter the range.

Oh, btw, you can chamber a round one handed using your belt and the rear sight. You should be familiar with this if you're serious about handguns and CCW.
 
MCgunner said:
...you can chamber a round one handed using your belt and the rear sight. You should be familiar with this if you're serious about handguns and CCW.
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Not to worry, I am familiar with the technique. But it's not the sort of thing I'd want to rely on if I were carrying with an empty chamber, needed my gun in a hurry and didn't have the use of my weak hand for some reason. IMO it's a specialized technique not well suited for normal presentation from the holster.
 
I am new to concealed carry, My first 4 or 5 trips I went with an empty chamber until I finally felt comfortable with one in the pipe. Now I always carry chambered.
 
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