Hi-Power: what condition?

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bg226

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I believe the BHP manual says that the recommended carry is with the hammer down.:confused: Decocking the Hi-Power with a round chambered is scary.:D

What condition are soldiers trained to keep them in (ex. the UK)?
 
Keep in mind that gun manuals are written by lawyers for lawyers. They also tend to advise never moving with a loaded gun, for instance :confused:

A BHP can be carried cocked and locked. Back when I carried one as a CCW a lot I carried with the hammer down, but I know people who carried them for years with the hammer back and safety on. I never had an AD lowering the hammer, they never had an AD with the hammer back and safety on in a holster.
 
Decocking the Hi-Power with a round chambered is scary.
I think you may be confusing conditions 2 and 3. Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber is condition 2, and is generally accepted to be an unsafe practice with a SA pistol. What the manual likely refers to is condition 3, which is hammer down on an empty chamber. There are kits available for the BHP (and probably others) that will allow a safe condition 2 carry by adding a decocking function. They're a neat idea, but I don't think they have been well received.

FWIW, every manual I have seen in recent years for a SA pistol (1911s and BHPs, mostly) has recommended condition 3 carry. As HorseSoldier mentioned, other manufacturers do the same. You'll find manuals for SA/DA pistols with decockers that recommend condition 3 carry. It's a liability cover for the manufacturer and is not sound advice for carry.

A soldier is likely to be trained to carry in condition 1 with a SA pistol and condition 2 with a DA pistol. Exactly which one would depend on what pistol his army issued to him. I can imagine a situation where orders might force him to carry in condition 3, but that would not be the preferred method.

Edited to add:

Shear_stress, we posted at the same time, so I didn't see your post until just now.

You are correct. I don't recall if it was the IDF or the civilian police or somebody else, but *somebody* in Israel was trained to carry in condition 3. If you'll search the S&T forum for "Israeli draw" you'll find something, and the video might still be there. The "Israeli draw" involved drawing a condition 3 weapon and racking the slide to chamber a round in a very quick motion. Around here, it is generally regarded as a neat trick, but one with limited practical use.
 
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