One handed manipulations are not a skill for the BEST conditions, rather they are a skill one may need in the WORST conditions...
First, let me reiterate points already made: we both think empty-chamber carry isn't good, and we both agree that knowing how to chamber a weapon with one hand is something worth learning. Where we disagree, I think, is whether one-handed chambering is an IMPORTANT "basic handgun 101" skill. The use of "skill" in this context was my choice of words -- you used "stuff" -- and "Skill" implies more than just knowing how to do it. Maybe you don't consider it a required SKILL.
With regard to your comment, above... You quoted my words as written, but subtly changed the context so that the words seemed to mean something quite different. When I wrote in an earlier response, "were I to try it..." I wasn't suggesting that I hadn't tried it -- but simply that I would NOT do the drills
with live ammo. I let it slide until your reply, above.
Using one hand to chamber a gun will be required in the worst of conditions and, I argue, will be successful when the conditions are just right
and you've got the TIME to do the drill!
That is, in effect, the BEST situation possible for a one-handed chambering action. In the worst situation, you won't have the time or the conditions needed for it to happen. And, more generally, the situation described is in the worst of conditions: having to use lethal force already implies the worst of conditions! But thing can and do go downhill in even the worst of conditions. If we're not talking about a real-life lethal force situation, this is a meaningless discussion.
As you say, one-handed chambering (or clearance drills) are not something you want to do in a time-critical situation. I agree. But that is typically the most common self-defense situation: a surprise confrontation. When you're attacked or threatened, you need to act quickly or to move rapidly. As I said, knowing how to chamber your weapon with one hand is a good thing, but making it something you practice a lot makes less sense to me. Perhaps you're not advocating a lot of practice or higher proficiency. Never having an empty chamber seems like a far more sensible gun defense practice.
A question for you: do you practice one-handed chamber loading with your weak hand? Do you practice reaching your holster with your off hand before starting that drill? When you combine a strong-side carry with an empty chamber and you're using only your weak hand, you've really got your hand(s) full, but not quickly. Would you also consider that expanded exercise "basic handgun 101 stuff," too?
An analogy: knowing how to start a fire with twigs, string and a small stick, indian-style, may be a good thing to know if you're lost in the wilderness, but going into the wild carrying waterproof fire-starting equipment (striker and plate, matches, lighter) makes a lot more sense than becoming highly proficient in indian-style fire starting. That doesn't mean you don't want to know how to do it. But being able to do it quickly?
I guess we'll just have to disagree on how critical one-handed chamber loading proficiency is for most shooters and whether it is - as you previously claimed - "basic handgun 101 stuff." Basic handgun 101 stuff SEEMS to suggest more than just trying it and knowing you can do it. (There's also the question of weak hand skills, not just shooting with the weak hand, but also filling an empty chamber and doing clearance drills. Just shooting with the offhand seems like a much more critical one-handed skill, and it's almost never discussed.)