Do you like "loaded chamber indicators" on your pistols?

[Dr.Rob]

Think the only pistol I have with a LCI is my Luger.

Can't say I see a need for them.

In fact wasn't Ruger's Mk3 LCI proved to be 'dangerous'. (Not that you'd hit the LCI with a hammer on a new rifire target pistol intentionally.)

 

[RichSenecal]

I like them, especially the tactile feel type. In a stressful situation I don't want to take my eyes off of the target so I would like to be able to confirm the weapons state of readiness with my fingers.

 

[zeb777]

IMO, You should know if your weapon is loaded, just proper situation awareness. If you would like a little red tab to pop up and show you you are loaded that fine, as long as it doesn't get in the way of proficiency.

 

[mgregg85]

I like tactile loaded chamber indicators like the ones on the XD pistols. I'm not a huge fan of witness holes though.



Its important to remember not to rely on these indicators or holes, a chamber check should be considered the only safe method for assuring the gun is unloaded and even then the rules still apply.

The reason I like the LCI is because it allows me to quickly assure that my pistol is loaded in the dark with a quick touch to the top of the chamber. Its hard to do a chamber check in the dark and probably impossible to do it quietly when your heart is beating a mile a minute.

 

[murf]

what good is a witness hole in the dark? i'm not being facetious. i really want to know if it works in the dark.

murf

 

[ForumSurfer]

I honestly would have never guessed that so many people pay attention to LCI's. It has always been a big, fat non-issue for me.

 

[bigfatdave]

what good is a witness hole in the dark?

you're running around in the dark with a gun but no flashlight?

 

[Strahley]

I like them, especially the tactile feel type. In a stressful situation I don't want to take my eyes off of the target so I would like to be able to confirm the weapons state of readiness with my fingers.

If it's a gun you're grabbing for self defense, it should already be loaded

 

[Mr.357Sig]

Like most here, my indicator is when I manually partially pull back the slide to inspect the chamber. I'm not a fan of Ruger's obnoxiously-large loaded chamber indicators, like the goofy one on the new LC9. Just something else to break off, IMHO.

 

[RichBMW]

On my Ruger MKIII, the loaded chamber indicator has proven to be useless for me. It's a target pistol and it gets loaded at the range and leaves the range empty. So I never look at the LCI on the MKIII.
But I have found the LCI on my new Ruger LC9 to be useful. It does not appear in the sight picture, does not interfere with insertion or removal from my pocket holster, and it can be felt in the dark. It is simple in operation and is easy to clean with the rest of the slide (and I clean my guns after every visit to the range.) As others have said, it's like a gas gauge in your car. There's always a chance the gauge isn't accurate every time. But don't we all find the gas gauge useful? I bet you'll use the gauge today (and not peer into the gas tank.)
And it goes without saying (although I'm saying it) that I always consider every gun loaded regardless of what a loaded chamber indicator might indicate.

 

[Walkalong]

I could take em or leave em. I like the one on my XD.

 

[Dave T]

Do you like a loaded chamber indicator on your pistol?

No! First rule of gun safety is to treat all guns as if they are loaded. Second rule is to never cover anything you are not willing to destroy. Third rule, keep your finger off the trigger...etc.

Doesn't matter if the gun is loaded or not, if you stick to the rules you won't have anything to be sorry for.

Dave

 

[Erik M]

The one on my Beretta doesn't stick out far enough that I can tell if its loaded or unloaded. Similarly the one on my Glock 19C seems hardly noticeable either way. I could take them or leave them, I manually check to see if there is a chamber in the round if I am not sure.

 

[Usmc-1]

Like someone else said "I make it a habit to check the chamber before I use a gun ,first, anyway" with that said , I can really only see one possible use for this , if you need a gun in a hurry and your the kinda guy who leaves guns around the house unloaded ,or with a mag in , but havent pulled the slide back yet !

But who would do that? The reason that gun is on the nightstand (preferably under the nightstand ) is so you can grab it and shoot right? Nope theres no use or excuse for the little notch in the slide!

Why not leave the gun on the night stand? Well if your sound sleeper and you live in the city /suburbs you might have left your door unlocked , when the perp walks in ,pets your dogs head , he walks into your room while your sleeping , walks over to your nightstand "Wow a Glock 23" , "mine" and before you wake up and startle him you'll be shot dead , or he'll leave and kill a store clerk in a robbery with your gun ! HIDE IT! Under the nightstand , I like the holster that sleeves the mattress !

 

[Capt. Ct.]

I really don't care. I have never used one. A visual check always works. I never think about the Loaded chamber indicator. Just not the way I have done it for too many years. I guess it could be useful in the dark but if it is on me it has been checked and it is ready to go. If it is beside the bed it has been checked and I know the status. Not saying it is a bad idea, just not something I use.

 

[adrianbaxter1807]

If you really need one to know if a round is chambered....You probably should be paying better attention considering what is in your hand CAN KILL SOMEONE

 

[biohazurd]

As long as they dont hinder my sight picture or cause my gun to snag on draw then i see no reason to dislike them.

 

[orionengnr]

I have no use for mechanical LCIs, magazine safeties, or lawyer-locks. I no longer own several pistols because they contain these "features".
A slot in the barrel hood...I have no problem with it, but I don't use it.

Since I load my pistols "+1", I can easily verify that the cartridge is chambered.

 

[Manco]

I honestly would have never guessed that so many people pay attention to LCI's. It has always been a big, fat non-issue for me.

As with so many other things these days, invention is the mother of necessity.

 

[Manco]

I don't consider it an option that makes you a retard who can't manage a press check like some seem to, I just see it as a nice feature if somebody breaks in at 3 in the morning and you can't see to press check.

My defensive handguns are always loaded and ready to fire, so there is no need to check them during actual emergencies. If there were any reasons for me to check whether they're loaded when they're needed, it would imply that they may not be loaded , and therefore I should eliminate those reasons, which are all bad by definition.

In addition, I never use any special or unique features--all of my defensive handguns work the same way: aim and pull the trigger. In general I prefer to worry about as many things before emergencies as possible rather than during them.

If a handgun must have an LCI (by law or because I favor it for other reasons), then my favorite type by far is the witness hole because it has no moving parts that can fail or break off, and it doesn't stick out. I'd never use it anyway, so I don't care whether it works in the dark.

 

[Resist Evil]

All firearms for our self-defense are always loaded with a live round in the chamber. I load them myself. They are never unloaded, without firing them, unless dry fire practice or cleaning is happening. There is no reason I can see for needing an LCI unless a Leprechaun sneaks in for the doing of his magical mischief.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I read many posts where everyone is positive that their gun is loaded. I shoot every weekend, although sometimes I only get to shoot every other weekend or I have to shoot on a weekday. Unload the defense rounds, load the target rounds, load the defense rounds again after shooting for the short ride (or walk for me) home, remove them again for cleaning later and load it up again...is it such a bad thing to second guess yourself with all those chances for human error? I'm careful and there's always a round in there when I'm sure that there is, but I don't think that looking is such an awful thing. I'd rather be 100% certain that my round is there than to be 100% certain that I am incapable of error. YMMV

 

[Manco]

I read many posts where everyone is positive that their gun is loaded. I shoot every weekend, although sometimes I only get to shoot every other weekend or I have to shoot on a weekday. Unload the defense rounds, load the target rounds, load the defense rounds again after shooting for the short ride (or walk for me) home, remove them again for cleaning later and load it up again...is it such a bad thing to second guess yourself with all those chances for human error?

That's why I habitually check defensive pistols to make sure that they're loaded every time I holster them or put them to bed in a quick-access pistol safe at night. In fact, I may also check whenever I get a random flare-up of OCD.

I'm careful and there's always a round in there when I'm sure that there is, but I don't think that looking is such an awful thing. I'd rather be 100% certain that my round is there than to be 100% certain that I am incapable of error. YMMV

The only thing I'd disagree with is checking when I draw to fire in a defensive situation. If it's somehow not loaded, then I'll know soon enough anyway , but I refuse to automatically, habitually waste even a split-second checking every single time because I may need to fire QUICK!

I agree that YMMV, and for me specifically, becoming accustomed to the luxury of being able to doubt and check something so basic during a real emergency could theoretically make me both less reliable in keeping the gun loaded and less confident when I need to use it. It's actually kind of moot because I can't stand the idea to begin with, I don't trust LCIs anyway, and I'm definitely not going do a slow press-check when time is of the essence and I have other things occupying my attention. This all goes back to the whole notion of doing as much as possible beforehand while simplifying matters in life-or-death situations. For backup, any failure to fire will result in an ingrained tap-rack-bang anyway, so I guess I check by aiming at a bad guy and pulling the trigger, there you go.

 

[ursus100]

I agree an LCI isn't an effective safety feature. But they can be useful, nonetheless. Instead of decreasing accidental "booms," they're more useful for preventing unexpected "clicks." I'm sure we've all had a couple of those.

That happened to me the last time out at the range. I had emptied my magazine, but unbeknownst to me, my thumb had crept onto my slide catch, so the slide closed to firing position. Pulled the trigger and "Click" Thinking that I had around in the chamber my first thought was that I had a slow burning primer. So I kept the muzzle pointed down range for half a minute, forty-five seconds, nothing happened, so maybe it was mis-fire instead. Recock, "Click". I then noticed LCI, or rather a lack of it, and felt like an idiot.