Ok....Why Do People Carry Without One In the Chamber..?

[ReadyontheRight]

Hmmmmm..... thinking ....... thinking ....... thinking ........

I wonder what people talked about in the cowboy six shooter days .....


"Hey buddy, do you carry your peacemaker with rounds in the cylinder? I carry mine empty"

Of course not! Nobody holstered a gun that was empty. And OMG, they did not have safeties like we do now (I thought the modern safeties were created so that guns CAN be carried chambered safely). They treated guns with respect - loaded ones, even more so. Guns were the great equalizer and kept bad people from doing bad things to good people.


Nothing changes for us in the present. If you have the NEED to carry any gun, you fear that someone bad might do some bad things to you. If you carry a weapon, you need to not only keep it ready for use but be proficient with it too.


Thinking ......... thinking ........... pondering ...........

"Hey Mr. Samurai, do you carry your sword sharpened? I carry mine dull."

Hmmmm. I am sure that many "Peacemaker" carriers carried with one of the six cylinders empty. Although a slightly different argument.

 

[F1]

Why Do People Carry Without One In the Chamber..?

My guess is it's mostly people who are new to guns and a little afraid of their guns and maybe they haven't been properly trained.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Ever had the safety on your 1911 "cocked & locked" get swished off while carrying? What condition do they call that, "Cocked & Uh-oh"? Does that sometimes to a lot of Browning MKIII's with the newer ambi-safety, too.......................

 

[LiveLife]

Sorry for the off topic comparisons.

Back to the topic, I think some carry guns not chambered for several reasons that probably involve gun/shooter/situation safety concerns.

You can do something about:
gun - replace
shooter - more/better training/practice

You may not be able to do something about situation (you may live/work in questionable neighborhood/situations).

I just consulted my wife and she said, "Always chambered so she never has to guess whether it is loaded or not." She also said, "You better have your carry gun chambered also in case I have to use it to save your butt."

 

[MCgunner]

wallets,watch the whole nine yards.
by the way i'm originally from NYC. i don't know plaxico "burris" but i do know plaxico burress.

Well, i'd never heard of the idiot until he blew a hole in his leg. Plaxico Dumb*ss would probably be more appropriate.

Oh, and my carries are always loaded. They're quite safe to carry that way. They are either revolvers or true DA autos. No "safe actions" in my gun cabinet.

 

[shockwave]

I wonder what people talked about in the cowboy six shooter days .....

Most likely, in their down-time, they said stuff like, "so you have to move that little gate over, shake out a spent cartridge, insert a new one..."

 

[Slamfire]

I don’feel safe with a M1911 in condition one. Others do, I don’t. I would feel safe with one in the chamber in this P5. It has a de cocker mechanism and it takes a strong pull on the trigger to fire the round. Notice, no manual safety either.



This little bugger is not an auto pistol, but it always has a round in the chamber. And I feel very safe carrying this.

 

[F1]

Ever had the safety on your 1911 "cocked & locked" get swished off while carrying? What condition do they call that, "Cocked & Uh-oh"? Does that sometimes to a lot of Browning MKIII's with the newer ambi-safety, too.......................

And that's another reason why I don't like guns with safeties.

 

[w_houle]

I'm fairly sure the down sides have presented enough, so...

No worry about bullet setback, or clearing it when someone wants to look at it (especially OC and LEOs around here constantly wanting to run the s/n simply because they see you carrying)
It's an intermediate level of escalation of force without merely being brandishing.

 

[Patrice]

Why is it some of us carry without one in the chamber ?

Unfortunately, I've had a few scenarios over the years in which I would have never been able to rack a slide. The encounters were unannounced and too close for comfort, say under 10'.

It's comforting to know that you are ready for what ever occurs and have confidence in what your carrying to stop the threat immediately.

So let's be honest, fess up here and come to grips with it.......why are you carrying a gun......IMO..."Unloaded".

Hhmmm...well, just to answer the presenting question without delving into the sub-text...fear of accidental (aka, negligent) discharge...perhaps, the same reason the .357mag under the pillow has an empty chamber under the hammer. Old habits/traditions sometimes die hard, despite the assurance of "modern-safeties." Seems it would be more of a handicap not to carry a round in the chamber with a semi-auto, though.--Patrice

 

[Girodin]

I personally trust "I went to the range with Grandpa once" Granny with a .38 Special in her sock drawer to make better shooting decisions than Mall-Ninja who has invested in uber-firearms-training.

That is quite the false dichotomy. I would feel much better about a reasonable person with quality professional instruction, who was well versed in how their gun works, proper gun handling, and use of their weapon. Training can include choices of when to use one's weapon but it will also cover the how aspect and that is important.

There really is a difference in types and level of training and there is good training and bad training.

Ever had the safety on your 1911 "cocked & locked" get swished off while carrying?

No. If I did I would either repair it or take it to a gun smith. A proper 1911 safety doesn't just get swished off.

 

[gc70]

That is quite the false dichotomy. I would feel much better about a reasonable person...

You added a third choice between Granny and the Mall-Ninja.

 

[545days]

It is all a matter of perspective. (FWIW: I carry Condition 1)

Consider those who cannot carry to/from/during work due to their employer's policies. Compared to no weapons to/from/during work, chamber empty carry is an enormous improvement.

Furthermore, consider that most defensive uses of firearms do not involve actually shooting the bad guy. Most bad guys will turn and run at the sight of an armed victim.

Chamber empty is not the optimum way to carry a firearm, however, anyone carrying chamber empty is still far more prepared than most of their fellow humans.

EDIT: You do realize that the majority of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (those inside their perimeter) carry empty weapons with no magazine inserted. Do you really believe that their level of readiness is no higher that that of those soldiers massacred at Ft. Hood recently?

 

[harmon rabb]

perhaps, the same reason the .357mag under the pillow has an empty chamber under the hammer

is that a modern gun? i hope you know that's NOT necessary at all on any modern revolver...

 

[John Parker]

There's a reason why a gun without one in the tube is called a 'Dead Man's Gun.' When we are at the range, having a dead man's gun is considered the equivalent of a negligent discharge. Out in the real world, it can get you killed.

 

[Ruggles]

"Chamber empty is not the optimum way to carry a firearm, however, anyone carrying chamber empty is still far more prepared than most of their fellow humans."

Most logical statement in this thread IMO considering the OP subject. A firearms without one in the chamber is not merely "a small club". "Small clubs" can not be turned into a loaded firearms within a second. Does anyone truly believe that someone with an unchambered gun is as defenseless as someone without a gun at all?

 

[smallbore]

I keep my finger away from the trigger until I am ready to fire my weapon.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

having a dead man's gun is considered the equivalent of a negligent discharge.

I'm having difficulty seeing the logic of that, if there is any.

 

[Zerodefect]

Lack of proper training. Or nontrustworthy gear. or they don't trust themselfs to not keep thier finger off the trigger.

A good gun in a good holster is perfectly safe. My Glock 23 stays in its holster with one in the pipe. It comes out only to be cleared or to be shot.
As long as its in its holster its trigger can not be pulled. As long as I take my time getting it into its holster its safe.

As for 1911's even with the safety accidentally swept off. Theyre still safe. Still in a holster with the trigger covered, still have multiple other safeties protecting the user. The 1911 is one of the safest guns out there that is still quick to action. The og desighn of the 1911 had no safety, the .mil wanted it added.

It really comes down to training and disipline.

 

[Kubenzi86]

Because my carry piece has no safety. Sometimes i do have it loaded and ready though. Depends where I'm at.

 

[LiveLife]

Because my carry piece has no safety. Sometimes i do have it loaded and ready though. Depends where I'm at.

Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.

If you can avoid situations, you might think empty chamber is ok, or not.

Several banks in our town got robbed last months. So, is going to the bank an extreme circumstances? If you were in line at the bank and a bank robber intended to do harm to you, will you have time to rack the slide?

If you have the need to carry ANY gun, I believe you have the obligation to consider the circumstances you may be presented with.

 

[Justin]

No worry about bullet setback, or clearing it when someone wants to look at it (especially OC and LEOs around here constantly wanting to run the s/n simply because they see you carrying)

If you are not checking the chamber of a weapon every time, without fail, when you hand it to someone else, you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you.

 

[Kubenzi86]

Well, most of the time i keep the magazine in my back pocket. The gun I carry now is a keltec, 9mm in my right front pocket. In fact, two weeks ago i got into a fight with one of my relatives, he's an unstable guy. I through the loaded magazine into a street gutter. He never layed a hand on my gun but, things like that are very unpredictable.


I did work at a gas station just outside of town, it had a history of being robbed. My .40 stayed locked and loaded, ready to go. Holstered IWB.

 

[Cosmoline]

If you were in line at the bank and a bank robber intended to do harm to you, will you have time to rack the slide?

It's a matter of preference. I've seen some very quick Israeli style presentations before. There's something to be said for not relying on *ANY* external safety, decocker or similar mechanism. You simply ignore all of that and train to draw, chamber and fire in one smooth movement.

OTOH one could argue that more modern DAO autos have made the practice less relevant, but it's the only way I'd ever carry a single action semi. I don't trust the safety toggle, and more importantly I don't trust myself to remember to flip it. The whole setup irritates me.

Another advantage of the Israeli method is that once you've trained with it, it works for all semis. DAO Glocks, traditional 1911's, DA/SA decocker style semis, and anything else out there. All the technical handgun-specific training is no longer essential. Anything you pick up, you can roll with. For a military such as the IDF that has traditionally been equipped with a motley assortment of arms that's a useful discipline. It's also useful for Americans who may have a dozen different types of handguns in their own personal arsenal. So don't be too quick to knock the method.

 

[gc70]

If you are not checking the chamber of a weapon every time, without fail, when you hand it to someone else, you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you.

Manipulating a weapon that is being surrendered to a LEO seems like it might raise tensions a bit.