One chambered w/CCW? POLL

One in the pipe (chambered)?.....Or chamber clear?

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The bad guy wouldn't be carrying with his chamber empty. It will be already most likely pointing in your direction.

How long do you think it would take him to just pull the trigger on that weapon?

I think of it this way, if I enter into a situation where I will likely get shot, or stabbed, when I draw my weapon will solidify the bad guy's resolve to try to kill me. Therefor my weapon had best be ready to kill, fast and ultra-effectively.
 
I only carry semi-autos that are DA/SA AND have a manual safety/decocker. If I feel the slightest bit uneasy my hand goes to the grip and flicks off the safety, I'm still protected by the DA first pull and by basic firearm safety rules.
 
If I ever need to draw my side arm, I may have time to chamber a round first before firing it. I may have both hands free to do so -- or I may have success employing one of the one-hand slide racking techniques.

But I can't count on that, can I?

If you aren't comfortable carrying with one in the chamber, practice until you are. It is part of competent gun handling.
 
shockwave said:
So if you want to carry with an empty chamber, there's nothing particularly wrong about it as long as you train for speed.
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shockwave:

Try that with one hand tied off or otherwise unavailable....

Regards,
 
Your response to this question might well depend on which type of firearm you are carrying. My carry pieces have been Walther PPKs and, currently, the P99C. In both cases, carrying with the chamber empty would be, in my view, a mistake that could cost me my life. But then, I think that the safety mechanisms of the two firearms in question are more than sufficient to allow me to do this comfortably.
 
shockwave said:
I'm interested in some techniques the Israelis use, like Israeli Combat Shooting, and you can see in the videos over and over that they train to produce the firearm and rack the slide as they extend the pistol forward for point shooting...
So if you want to carry with an empty chamber, there's nothing particularly wrong about it as long as you train for speed.
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Granted that the skilled ICS handgunner can draw, rack and put three in the head in 1.1 seconds. But most of us are not that skilled. Even if we were that skilled, I don't see why one would not prechamber a round to be even quicker.
 
I don't see why one would not prechamber a round to be even quicker.
Click to expand...

The explanation you'll see given at the link above is that in the event a BG gets a hold of your weapon, he may not know how to make it ready to fire or be able to do so quickly, giving you a few moments to regain control of the weapon.

Note well, please, that I do not own an automatic, and if I did I'd probably keep one in the chamber. There are people here and elsewhere who prefer to have an empty chamber (condition 3) and sometimes I see them get criticized along the lines of, "Dude - if you can't carry with one ready to go, you shouldn't even own a gun!" and so forth. You've seen this kind of thing yourself, I'm sure.

The point here is that if one opts to carry in condition 3, then the price of that decision is additional training. Same as the way my choice of revolvers requires me to train harder to fire in DA and reload quickly. I enjoy training very much and consider it recreation so it isn't a burden.
 
As always, one in the pipe on a Ruger P97DC.
Guns dont "go off" by themselves, it is either operator error or a mechanically defective design.
It boils down to a simple truth, and that is KNOW YOUR WEAPON!
Take care of it and it will take care of you, do otherwise and you may pay dearly.
 
No question...absolutely !!! I carry a Glock 36 in a high noon inside the waist holster at my r/h 2 0'clock position here in Texas...Six rounds of 230 gr. hydra-shoks and one in the pipe .ALWAYS!
 
shockwave said:
The explanation you'll see given at the link above is that in the event a BG gets a hold of your weapon, he may not know how to make it ready to fire or be able to do so quickly, giving you a few moments to regain control of the weapon.
Click to expand...
shockwave:

IF you're trained to use it, the safety lever on an S&W wondernine (like the M39 and it's descendants where it's not just a decocker) would work just about as well and still not slow you down too much, or need a second hand.

Note well, please, that I do not own an automatic, and if I did I'd probably keep one in the chamber. There are people here and elsewhere who prefer to have an empty chamber (condition 3) and sometimes I see them get criticized along the lines of, "Dude - if you can't carry with one ready to go, you shouldn't even own a gun!" and so forth. You've seen this kind of thing yourself, I'm sure.
Click to expand...
AARGH....

Try carrying your trusty revolver with the hammer down on an empty cylinder AND the "next" cylinder empty, too.... That'll give you some idea of why most of us who carry semi's (you probably don't want to say "automatic" anymore - the sheeple don't understand.... :() prefer a loaded chamber. Note, though, that the aforementioned M39 style actions are probably safer than a revolver when carried with a loaded chamber. It's not until you get into the 1911 or the essentially safety-less Tupperguns where you need some serious training just to carry the things. (The 1911's are a "what not to do" and "what to do" thing; the Tupperguns are mostly "what not to do".... This isn't any sort of "more of a man if I carry...." thing.)

The point here is that if one opts to carry in condition 3, then the price of that decision is additional training. Same as the way my choice of revolvers requires me to train harder to fire in DA and reload quickly. I enjoy training very much and consider it recreation so it isn't a burden.
Click to expand...
IMHO, if it was just additional training, this wouldn't be an issue. Anybody can do that on the range. It's a lot tougher in the jackpot....

Purely anecdotal - the one time I really needed to draw & fire I chose not to. Turned out to be a very good decision. However, a buddy of mine has another story. He was sent to an incident in a bar, and as he walked in, the troublemaker was pointing a revolver at him, hammer coming back. He was able to bring his revolver to bear and fire. (Dumb luck - the BG's wrist took the worst of it, and while a good bunch of bone was embedded in his chest, he survived. The resulting lawsuits took about ten years....) Do you think you could have chambered a round under those circumstances?

Regards,
 
Actually ,the Glock has three safeties.Firing pin block,trigger,and connector/hammer block...Those of you that have Glock's and feel it's unsafe to have a loaded round in the chamber are either lacking training,unaware of Glock safety features,and should be carrying something else if you are not 110% confident in the firearm.I've been carrying a Glock 26,19,and now a 36 for over fifteen years with a round in the chamber. Proper training,confidence and a good (not a cheap belt and holster), carry rig are all essential in safe handling.
 
Sorry, I first voted and only then saw that you were asking Californians only. One in the chamber, of course.
 
Yea - don't live in CA but I keep the chamber clear. Have little kids and don't want to take the chance. Used to keep one in the pipe but not now. I guess I hope to have the time to bluff and rack one if necessary.
 
Not in CA, but the Boy Scouts taught me well. If there's not one in the chamber, you're not prepared!
 
Having a CCW that's not ready to go is pretty much useless.

Especially once your adrenaline's going and motor control goes right out the window.

Or if you've trained to draw like me--right hand drawing, left extended to ward off the attacker until it can grip the exposed weapon.

The worst I could carry would be just like my friend who's not yet used to his 1911: safety off, hammer down, loaded chamber. At least he can do that all one-handed.

If you're not comfortable carrying a gun loaded, don't carry that gun.
 
I voted before I realized this was a California poll. I keep one in the chamber-it just doesn't make sense to me not to.
 
"You should never point a loaded gun at anyone. This is not a hard and fast rule, however. A hard and fast rule is that you should never, ever, point an unloaded gun at anyone." P.J. O'Rourke
 
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