Has your Handgun Ever Left Your Holster Unintentionally?

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CorpITGuy said:
Yes. Tucking in a shirttail.
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This was my only close call. My shirt went in the OWB alongside the gun. If the shirt had pulled out, so would have the gun. I noticed it luckily.
 
Unfortunately, yes. I had a pistol slip out of a "generic" horizontal shoulder holster. I thought the thumb strap would hold the pistol in even though the holster was designed for larger pistols. (learned a good lesson there) Somehow, after I had completed about a mile of my daily walk I felt the pistol slide down inside my jacket. Before I could catch it it had hit the ground and skidded a few feet ahead of me on the asphalt hiking path. There were joggers coming in the opposite direction so I quickly picked up the pistol and walked off to the side so I could safely reholster. I don't know if they knew what had skidded along the path, but I was totally embarrassed anyway. Figured out my exertions had caused the thumbsnap to slip over the beavertail and allow the pistol to fall out. Got a small abrasion on the front corner of the slide...damn!

Had another pistol almost slip out of a nylon OWB holster. I sat down on a chair with a pillow at the back. When I stood up I felt the shifting pistol and quickly held it against my butt. (Luckily I was wearing a jacket) I calmly walked to the bathroom and reholstered. Hopefully they just thought I had a butt-pain. Never used that holster again.

NOW I use holsters that fit pistols snuggly. Haven't had a issue for years now and I carry much more now, and much more securely.

edison
 
I had it, holster and all bounce across the floor at work when I went to potty. It stayed tightly in the cheapo nylon holster so no scratches. I was only one in the restroom but it wouldn't be end of the world if I hadn't been alone since I work at a gun club.
 
In my early days as a LEO we carried department issue S&W Model 10's in an open holster with a thumb break strap over the hammer. One evening while investigating a burglary at a school we found a broken window. While climbing through the window I heard a metallic THUNK below me inside the building. I looked down and saw my model 10 lying on the floor. Apparantly the thumb break had popped open as I crawled through the window and the angle of my holster allowed it to just drop out. I have to say that was a bad feeling. On the bright side we did catch two burglars inside the school (after I retreived my gun). The next day I purchased my own break front holster and never lost my gun again.
 
I managed to pop one out of my one & only cheap cloth IWB holster when I bumped into the snowblower in the garage. Talk about embarassing, dented the (plastic, sorry, polymer) grip too. It's been OWB or shoulder with a thumb break ever since.
 
Yes. My h&R 32 slipped out and fell on some rocks--cracking off one of the handgands. Still need to replace it. I will never use cheap, universal holsters again.
 
Yep. The ol' cheap Bianchi spring clip IWB holster with a Browning HP: Public restroom. Went down my pants leg and landed on the floor. One time with a bellyband and my Sig P6, but I caught it in my shirt as I was exiting the truck. Seems like it needs a retention strap for that one. One more: Safariland paddle holster with a full size 1911. Couldn't trust that one either. Best rig yet is my DeSantis Speed Scabbard. I have used this type holster for a S&W 640 hammerless .38 and now have one for my Sig P6. Very secure, and no thumbsnap to mess with. Oh, and yes, I too hate the generic "fit-all" nylon belt holsters and shoulder holsters.
 
That sure is a lot guns unholstered that potentially could have been having a round in the chamber so far. These are just people who have read this and aren't embarrassed to tell and this is not including all the others who haven't read this and/or replied yet.
Take into account that not everybody who had this happen will even visit this site and that is why I have a hard time convincing myself that carrying with one in the chamber is that safe. Even if it is properly holstered, you are playing with fire on a chambered gun.
No offense to those who do carry chambered. I just am not brave enough to live that dangerously yet. I've tried jumping, running and everything I can think of to get mine to come loose and it stays. Apparently sometimes it takes only sitting as we've learned here.
 
Safe and safety is all relevant. Carrying chamber empty is SAFER (but slower), carrying in a SECURE holster is safer than in the waistband, but then, so is carrying NO GUN at all, UNLESS you get caught without a gun when you are attacked. Then so-called safety is at the hands of someone else. We all choose to be "safe" within our own parameters and limitations. There are time I go unarmed, by choice and by necessity. I don't like having my safety insured by others, but our society sometimes demands it. All the other times, I balance just how safe, or how deadly, I want to be. I carry in many different modes, and each of them has advantages and disadvantages. I accept the responsibilty for my choices, and balance safety, security, concealment, and threat dominance (a shotgun is sometimes the best weapon, if available, but not always that concealable).:D
 
Once when I was crossing a barb wire fence the grip of my j-frame hung on the fence as I ducked through, the next thing I know my snubbie is spinning through the air on it's was to the ground. Apparently the top rivet on my fobus holster gave way and allowed the gun to pop out. Only time that's ever happen to me, and I've carried that combo all through the woods, slid down creek banks, even had a dirt bike wreck once wearing it. Now the holster has a zip tie in place of the missing rivet and it's holding up well.
 
I was carrying in a well known brand IWB clip on holster when the clip worked off my belt, and when I stood up in a crowded Cafeteria, the holster went bouncing across the floor with the gun in it. That was the last time I've use a clip on holster.
 
No, not out of the quality holsters I have been using in the past decade. Before that, with cheap holsters........or with no holster......well.......yes.
 
That sure is a lot guns unholstered that potentially could have been having a round in the chamber so far.
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Beware of the slam fire stories. Carrying a good quality modern firearm with a round chambered is not really a cause for concern.

Most modern pistols typically have transfer bars, firing pin or hammer blocks that prevent the dreaded 'slam fire.' Their only purpose is to keep the firing pin from hitting the primer unless the trigger is pulled and held to the rear. (When properly cleaned, etc. Abuse them at your own risk.) Firearm makers don't want to be in the time zone as the kind of liability that comes with being known for unintended discharges.

Guns that don't have a firing pin block, hammer block or transfer bar (old Rugers, vintage SAAs) I would not carry with one in the pipe but new ones like that are really hard to find. Even the original design 1911 had to be dropped on the muzzle from a ridiculous hight on either steel or concrete to induce one in the Army trials. Modern ones have the pin block added to all the other safties so the pin isn't free to move even if dropped exactly right.

Reported slam fires can be a story told to avoid admitting that 'the booger hook was on the bang switch' when it should not have been. Particularly the ones that can't be duplicated.
 
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I lost one ridding a motorcycle about 70 MPH on a open country road with no curb. I felt it move but it was to late to grab it before I heard it hit the road. It was chambered & struck the road but no discharge. I spun around & with a flash light I started looking beside the road. This has been a great sidearm.
 
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