Poll for those who carry semi-autos

[NavyLCDR]

Just curious because my wife and I have differing opinions

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?
2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?
3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?
Reasons?

My response:

1. Yes, always. I might have to draw and shoot with only one arm/hand available. I might not have time to draw and chamber a round. I might not want the noise of the slide racking if in a very sticky situation.

2. Both my carry guns have manual safeties, but that fact did not affect my purchases. I would certainly carry one without a manual safety.

3. Depends. Ruger P345, hammer down, double action, safety off. Taurus Millenium Pro, single action only, safety on, I can operate the safety and shoot one handed. My feeling is, the most effective safety is the connection between the brain and trigger finger.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Harley Quinn]

When I was a working LEO my firearms were always at the ready. Revolvers.

Now that most of the firearms I carry are Glocks and I am retired. All the weapons are full mag and empty chamber. I sometimes carry mexican style, I also carry in a holster...The trigger is always to the rear...I know that by touching the trigger or looking at it, the pistol is not at the ready...

Me, that is how I do it now, best for the way I feel at this juncture in my life.

 

[springmom]

I do carry with a round chambered, regardless of which gun I am carrying. Of the four that I might choose from to carry, one has a decocker (the Bersa .380), one has a manual safety (the Kimber Ultra Carry II) and I do use it; one is a revolver, and one is an XD. There is a grip safety built in, plus a trigger safety, which means that unless you have hold of the gun in such a way as to be meaning to fire it, you can't. Nothing can, for example, snag the trigger and cause an AD. I feel perfectly safe with any of the four situations as regards trigger safety.

Hope that helps.

Springmom

 

[cslinger]

In the tube, hate external safeties, always use a holster. Typically if its an auto it is a Glock 26. Usually carry a Smith 638 Revo (No safety, chambered and in a holster)

Chris

 

[3fgburner]

FEG PA63, usually. Round chambered, hammer decocked, safety off.

 

[crebralfix]

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?
2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?
3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?
Reasons?

1) Yes, always. Goblins sometimes will get in too close and the gun needs to be loaded and ready to go immediately. I may have to fire at a target only one or two feet away.
2) Yes and no. Only a few of my guns have manual safeties.
3) On if it's included

 

[Biker]

1 - Yes.
2- No
3- NA

Biker

 

[armedandsafe]

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?

Round chambered, safety (decocker) off. Ruger P85.

2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?

Yes, safety is also decocker (which I do not trust for the purpose of decocking.)

3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?

Safety off. I sometimes carry the Dan Wesson .357 revolver. I have worked the trigger on both guns so they pull the same. First round on semi-auto is the same as first round in my revolver. I've reworked the grips so either gun pulls and shoots to same POI at 10 yards. That keeps things simple as the same muscle memory works for either gun.

Reasons?

Because it works for me.

Pops

 

[misANTHrope]

Yes/No/NA

XD40

If I were to carry a manual safety weapon, I'd carry with one in the pipe and the safety on.

 

[Rexster]

1. Yes, always, with autoloading pistols.

2. Rarely these days, but did so routinely in the past; 1911 pistols.

3. Safety on, with the 1911, for obvious reasons.

I can see not using a safety with a DA autoloader, but believe in training to off-safe the pistol when ready to fire, just to make sure the safety was not brushed or knocked on-safe. Train for the worst-case scenario, because in real life you just might have to move through a brushy area or line of shrubs in the dark. It would be all too easy for something to on-safe your S&W, Beretta, or Ruger's ambi levers without your knowledge. I did briefly carry a 3913, for duty and CCW, and trained myself to make sure the safety was in the "off" position; I did not simply set it and ignore it. I consider my current duty/carry P229 to be a better solution.

 

[Headless]

The trigger is always to the rear...I know that by touching the trigger or looking at it, the pistol is not at the ready...

I've just gotta say that I don't think that touching the trigger of your glock is a very good way to be sure it's not cocked.

Yes/Yes/Yes because that's how it's designed to be carried

 

[esol]

Yes/No/NA

XD40

If I were to carry a manual safety weapon, I'd carry with one in the pipe and the safety on.

i concur

 

[LegalAlien]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Yes, I always carry chambered, except for some bizarre reason I have to carry sans-holster. And if I have a manual safety, I always use it. My MilPro, like the OP's, is single action, so the safety is on. My P99 is DA/SA, no safety.

 

[Water-Man]

Yes...No...N/A

 

[BlackJack]

yes - yes - on

 

[redneckrepairs]

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?
2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?
3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?
Reasons?

1. Yes i do because pistols make really poorly designed rocks to throw .
2. I do carry a pistol with a manual safety some ( a 1911 , a High Power Browning, and depending on how you look at the design and the grip cock being a safety a p7 hk ) are to be mentioned .

3. Manual safety is ON on all i have mentioned ( the p7 is auto if the grip cock is a safety ) . Back when i carried some smith autos , or when i resort to say a walther ppk/s then i carry decked and safety off . I dont currently nor do i forsee carrying a glock /xd style pistol with the safety tab on the trigger . My objections are the size/width tho , not the " safety on a short trigger " issues . IMHO the guns are safe , some operators of them may not be lol .

 

[STxRynn]

I only carry with a 1911 or clone thereof so:

1 yes
2 yes
3 on

Been carrying for about 12 years, no unintentional discharges to date. Sometimes Mexican carry, most always in a holster of some type.

The real safety is the user, not the tool. Thanks for the quote, dad!

de...STx

 

[nalioth]

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?

I do. A defensive pistol with an empty chamber is an expensive paperweight.

2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?

Sometimes. That would be the 1911A1.

3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?

The 1911A1 safety is always on. The newfangled double-single-safe-CrazyOtherMethod action pistols I carry a) don't have manual safeties at all or b) are carried with the safety off.

 

[BlindJustice]

1. yes
2. & 3
1911 cocked & locked
CZ 75B - when the hammer is lowered to
DA first shot the thumb safety cannot be engaged.

R-

 

[Sheldon J]

The HK is always condition 1, one in the pipe, hammer down, safety off, the gun is SA/DA with a disconnecter.

 

[weisse52]

1911A1. Cocked and locked. Always!
Fanny pack or holster and once in a blue moon Mexican.

 

[CajunBass]

Colt Commander.

Cocked and locked.

 

[Spenser]

I carry with a round chambered. Whatever I carry, I'll use whatever safeties are on the gun. If it's a da/sa with a safety, I'll engage the safety (Walther PPK, USP, etc.). If it's a 1911, same thing.

I seem to carry Glocks and Sigs more these days, so it's not so much of an issue anymore. The Glocks are carried with a round chambered, and the Sigs are as well, with the hammer decocked.

I notice several of our detectives carry 3rd Gen. Smiths. They carry with the safeties off.

 

[mhillsing23]

1. Do you carry with a round chambered?

- Yes, it is the only way I would carry.

2. Do you carry a gun with a manual safety?

- No.

3. Do you carry with the manual safety on or off?

- N/A