Do you keep a round in the chamber at all times?

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FWIW, all of my matches start with LOADED pistols (one in chamber with full magazine) drawn from holster - my trigger finger is my safety.

15+ years of match shooting and no bullet holes in my leg/foot. :rolleyes:
 
If I'm carrying it or it's in my home loaded, it's got 1 in the chamber. No time to rack the slide if you need it.
 
Lately, I have been thinking that, while this is the best strategy for being prepared, this may not be the safest method.
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See, now here's what I don't understand. Just what do you think will happen if a round is chambered, that would make it unsafe? The gun will not "just go off" by itself. It will not happen any more than putting bread in a toaster will cause it to spontaniously make toast. You have to push the lever down to activate the toaster. With a gun you have to pull the trigger.

Chamber loaded.
 
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what use is an unloaded gun? if it's on me, on my nightstand, or in my glovebox, there is one in the chamber.
 
When you really need your weapon, and it is in condition 2/3 you will die. End of discussion.
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Where have we heard that before? Each individual knows his strengths & limitations on handling a weapon. It reminds me of the jeweler who pulls his weapon on an assailant who is about to rob him: forgets the safety lever and is being shot multiple times while he is pulling on a lame trigger....:eek:
In this case, he would have been better off knowing he didn't have a rd in the chamber and had plenty of time for a slide rack....
 
OP, if you aren't comfortable with having your tools at the ready, then how comfortable will you be if you are ever called to disfigure or kill another human being with them to preserve life?

545 days, I can assure you that FAR MORE people do not make it out as well as those in the anecdotal stories you read in "The Armed Citizen." But as you say, your life, your risk.
 
moga said:
OP, if you aren't comfortable with having your tools at the ready, then how comfortable will you be if you are ever called to disfigure or kill another human being with them to preserve life?

545 days, I can assure you that FAR MORE people do not make it out as well as those in the anecdotal stories you read in "The Armed Citizen." But as you say, your life, your risk.
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It's not a matter of me being uncomfortable with the chamber loaded. I carry mine IWB frequently like that. It was really just a matter of it falling into the wrong hands. After reading everyones' replies, it is really a matter of ensuring my guns are secured when not in my possession whether the chamber is loaded or not. Thanks for allowing me to flesh this matter out with everyone.

I'm thinking of getting a couple of these safes. http://www.center-of-mass.com/Store_InCarGunSafe.htm They seem to be the best deal out there. Any thoughts?
 
"Do you keep a round in the chamber at all times?"

Yes, of course. When bad things happen they happen very fast and very scary and when you least want them to. Chances are you won't have the luxury of time and freedom to mess about cocking a gun.
 
Sleepyone,
Good selection, now that I think about I probably need one too and that one looks nice! Also, fwiw when I carry, it has one in the barrel, when not on me it is unloaded and lock. I have a revolver in my home that stays loaded no matter what.
I am always thinking safety as well as balancing security at the same time. I live by the concept of I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
No, I don't at all times.

If both hands are free, condition 3 isn't a whole lot slower than condition 1, but of course, therein lies the main problem with condition 3. ;)
 
i'm always surprised by how often this question is posed here.

when any of my handguns are loaded at all, then the chamber is loaded.
 
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"i'm always surprised by how often this question is posed here."

...
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Probably by people who are new to guns, and with that in mind the question is perfectly understandable.
 
I've got 5 guns scattered throughout the house. Each is in condition 1. I pick it up flip the safety, aim and fire. No fuss, no muss. I don't have to think, "What condition is THIS gun in?"

Some folks don't really seem to think this question all the way through.

I was talking with a guy at a hunting lease last weekend and CC came up and he told me that he had bought a Walther something or other for his wife. He said he didn't allow her to carry with one in the spout. He was just worried. Then he said something that floored me. "She has a little trouble working the slide but it's double action." I said, "Dude, she's still got to get a round in the chamber no matter what kind of trigger it has!" "Well, yeah, I guess your right about that."

I hope that she's one of the situations where the mere presence of a gun defuses a situation.
 
One in the chamber, all of the time. The ONLY way that you know you can use it. Think of it this way: 1. you may not have time to casually rack the slide. 2: that is exactly what the safety is for. (if it has one) 3: What if your attacker takes out one of your arms, hands, fingers, etc. What then?

When it comes to a gun safe for the car, Winchester makes a steel box with a lock, it will hold 2-4 guns, pre-drilled to mount in the trunk of yor car. They even supply fasteners. Cheap insurance, more than one gun capacity (in case you have any friends with you) and bolted securely to the floor makes it very hard to remove by a thief.
 
Yes one in the pipe.

When we’re not in this condition our instructors would ask "What are you planning to do with that hammer!!" I always thought that was a good point.

Hey those car safes are the way to go for you if you really want to leave your gun in the car. I've seen them in a gun shop. They aren't super heavy duty or anything BUT it will keep teens from messing with your gun.

The idea that gun safety is common sense really bugs me. I've seen many intelligent grown adults do (or try to do) dangerous things with guns. It’s NOT that they are dumb, it’s because they have no instruction.

Hand a pistol to someone who has never held one and watch their finger wrap around that trigger. It’s a natural grip, one that has to be un-learned.


It’s our job to keep our guns out of the hands of those who haven't been instructed on gun safety.

Good on you for taking those steps.
 
t's not a matter of me being uncomfortable with the chamber loaded. I carry mine IWB frequently like that. It was really just a matter of it falling into the wrong hands. After reading everyones' replies, it is really a matter of ensuring my guns are secured when not in my possession whether the chamber is loaded or not. Thanks for allowing me to flesh this matter out with everyone.
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OK -- I see where your coming from now.

In the case where the discussion is not your carry gun, the best thing would be to lock them up, or, if that's not possible, separate the gun from the ammo altogether if there's even the remote possibility that visitors to the house or in your car may become unauthorized operators of your firearms. It's not enough to simply choose to keep the chamber empty IMO. Either its on you and directly under your control or its under lock and key.
 
A weapon with a round in the chamber will fire during a house fire. Have you warned the local fire department to back away and let your home burn?

Re: The unprepared people we read about each month in The Armed Citizen, I am merely making the point that most defensive shootings are not quick draw contests involving trained shooters. The more training and preparation the better, but to suggest that a weapon without a round in the chamber is useless is somewhat silly.

I repeat: I carry chamber loaded. I believe that is the best for me. I don't believe that it is always best for everyone. There is no one size fits all solution.
 
A weapon with a round in the chamber will fire during a house fire. Have you warned the local fire department to back away and let your home burn?
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Is this really what you people worry about? smiley_freak.gif
 
Don't like the idea of a car having its own gun. Take it with you. A gun with an empty chamber is better than not even having the choice to retrieve and chamber a round, but, if you are in effect "carrying" it, yeah, you aughta have it ready to go off almost simply by pulling the trigger. Unlike at home, where I DO keep a round in the chamber of a HD pistol but not a HD shotgun, in the car, as on your person, time could be of the essence.
 
Here are some points to ponder - If you are hidden from your attacker, racking the slide will make some noise and may give your position away.

Anyone seen the movie Desperado?

Antonio had to chamber a round in his Ruger 45 semi-auto behind the store counter without letting the bad guy know he was there (bad guy was standing in front of the counter). He was sweating bullets trying to quietly chamber a round - if he was discovered by making some noise - shoot out.

Why do we carry a loaded pistol(s)? We do it because carrying a loaded pistol is better then carrying a knife or your bare fists. Heck, some of us would carry a loaded carbine/rifle/shotgun if we could.:eek: If you have the need to carry a pistol, you must think like a fighter who fights to WIN. I want as many variables of my combat situation (potential or actual) to my advantage. Having to rack my slide removes one advantage.

If you are in danger, you want ALL of your senses available to you so you can concentrate and quietly listen, look and plan your moves. What if your left hand has a flash light or some other object - you must make additional "movements" to rack your slide, losing valuable and critical time and focus.

I believe in training and practice. Try this out. Have your friend/wife/hubby rush you from the front door to the living room couch where you are sitting with your empty gun holstered. See if you can draw and rack the slide then aim before your friend/wife/hubby stabs you in the chest with an imaginary knife. Better yet, shoot your head off with an imaginary shotgun from the door - See if you can roll on the floor trying to take cover while racking the slide. Anyone see the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Even they had hard time racking the slides of their weapons and had to take cover to do so (love the movie BTW, it's a great training movie for my house) :D

Time is everything in a fight - I am not young and quick and full of you know what anymore. But I can still press a trigger

I love this quote: "God created men and Smith & Wesson made them equal" :D
 
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