I don't get loaded chamber indicators

[Old Guy]

Reference the safety will get you killed?

The 1911, with the best trigger (except on a target .22) of any pistol I have ever owned, was on a 1913 manufactured Colt 45. This one had two big events happen in it's life, that I am aware of.

1/ It was acurized by Al Dinan, a supreme gunsmith. The trigger release was fantastic. The first 5 rounds were one hole, at 20 yards. The Safety catch was the one with the little nubbin furthest away from your thumb. The best one, the old one.

2/ Till you miss it in a big IPSC match! Twenty points down! Glock17 after that.

If that would had been a real emergency, at O-dark thirty? By-By carry Colt LW, hullo Glock 19 with night sights..

 

[Pipe Smoker]

I hate the shark fin LCI on CA SIGs. OTOH, the LCI of my Interarms PPK/S is excellent – a small pin that protrudes out the back of the slide, just above the hammer. Its state can be determined by sight or touch. And the BG can't see it.

On the third hand, my CA SIG P238 is a far better pistol than my PPK/S, despite its shark fin LCI.

 

[herrwalther]

I don't like "dedicated" loaded chamber indicators. These are LCIs that serve no other purpose other than being there to say the firearm is loaded. The Ruger SR series immediately springs to mind. However, an LCI that is there from where the extractor sits on a loaded cartridge such as on some Walther and Beretta pistols is a nice addition that is very unobtrusive.

 

[JohnBiltz]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think I owned a Glock 15 years before I even knew it had a chamber indicator. So not exactly bothersome. I still never use it, because I never trained to do so. The ones on some Rugers are just ugly though. I actually like the ones with a hole. That is just elegant.

I can see the usefulness of an indicator for the military. A squad leader is often checking the status of a chamber on his squad. Its usually more about making sure its unloaded rather than loaded.

 

[GBExpat]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. ...

Fuss? What fuss?

 

[Archie]

I suspect they were initially a marketing ploy (before the term was in common use.)

I see no need for them. They remind me of the ballpoint pens who used to be advertised to write through butter or the wristwatch which would survive being underwater to a ridiculous depth. Nifty, but who cares? The guns I use are always loaded.

On the other hand, as long as they don't get in the way, I don't care if they're present or not. If given the option to have one at a modest increase in price, I'd decline. But I don't object to them like 'locks' on handguns.

 

[herrwalther]

I can see the usefulness of an indicator for the military. A squad leader is often checking the status of a chamber on his squad. Its usually more about making sure its unloaded rather than loaded.

The vast majority of military personnel do not carry handguns. Those in leadership positions are the ones who usually get handguns. I was fortunate enough to be issued a sidearm because my mission required it and we had the spares. My chain of command never checked my weapon because I was a well known "gun guy" in my unit. Rifles are also rarely checked for a loaded status before patrols. However they are rigorously checked to be unloaded at some bases.

 

[TheProf]

Treat all guns as if they were loaded. (And they should be loaded anyways. An unloaded gun is not very helpful when you need it.)

If the LCI indicates that it is unloaded, that tells me that there's a possibility that the gun is unloaded...even if I am sure that I loaded it.

(And if I am carrying that gun...the LCI is used to tell me to double check the status of the gun. And in that sense, having an LCI is a good thing.)

But I never use the LCI to definitively tell me that it is unloaded.