What's your condition of readiness?

[PaulBk]

My CCW is never unloaded, but I still check everytime before holstering.

Measure twice, cut once...

-PB

 

[Geronimo45]

When I pick it up in the morning, I check the chamber. Do the same when I get home, and before I go to bed. Pretty unnecessary, I guess, since there's nobody around to loot my ammo. Can't hurt to check, though.

 

[992]

I had a glock 35 mag base plate come off out in the woods once.I never heard or felt a thing when it did.I was carrying in a Fobis owb holster at the time.All 15 rounds of .40 cal. ammo,mag spring,and follower were gone,but I still had one in the chamber.
Some times it pays to check.

992

 

[Joe Gunns]

How often do I check for loads? Every time.

 

[ZeSpectre]

If it's been off my body and out of my sight I re-check.

 

[BenjaminR]

Always Check The Gun

I have one handgun at the moment, a 1911A1. I don't have my CCW yet (I just mailed off my $$$, application and fingerprint card to DPS today) so I'll cover what I do now, and what I will do when I get my CCW.

Right now I check my gun, every time I pick it up and put it away, to make sure there is NO round in the chamber. I leave it in this condition for several reasons. In the house I don't feel it's necessary to keep the gun hot, tho I do keep it with a fully loaded magazine.

When I CCW I will keep it loaded with a round in the chamber--cocked & locked. Everytime I pick up the gun, I will make sure a round is chambered...don't want any surprises in an emergency!

 

[g5reality]

I check my gun every day. I usually change magazines, every other day not to wear out the spring. Before I go to bed each night it's loaded and ready in my nightstand next to me.

 

[K5mitch]

Every time I pick up my gun I verify if it's loaded. Pretty simple to do with a revolver. I carry with the hammer down on an empty chamber; not necessary for transfer-bar safeties, but gives me extra piece of mind, and I still have 6 cartridges in the cylinder. If I'm handling the gun to load/unload, practice drawing or dry-fire, I double and triple check and verbalize. I want to be sure all levels of my consciousness knows the gun is loaded or unloaded.

 

[Big Calhoun]

Awareness is about being aware. Since I'm the only user of my firearms in my household currently, I only check them before putting them away after I've used and cleaned them. I put them all away loaded and chambered. When I carry, I may pop the mag out as a redundancy check, but I'm always aware of the condition of each firearm I own. For me, anything less would be irresponsible.

 

[Owen]

I agree that checking everytime the gun is holstered is good practice, but reholstering several times a day seems excessive. When I carry, I holster in the morning. I take the gun out of the holster if I have use the men's room for #2, and when I get home.

I guess if you are going in and out of places where you can't carry you have a good reason, but everytime you remove your gun you are risking exposure of your CCW status.

 

[Rem700SD]

Every time I pick up ANY gun, I check the chamber. The heft of the gun tells me if there's a loaded mag. Even if it's the same gun I left in my bedstand, I still check it.

Dan

 

[tinygnat219]

I check my carry piece everytime I put it on, take it off, or hand it to someone to hold for me.

 

[Todesengel]

all my guns are loaded at all times (except when i clean 'em). That beeing said i usually check my HD gun when i get up in the a.m and when i come home in the p.m (mag and chamber).

 

[HiWayMan]

I carry strictly wheel guns now. I check them by looking down the barrel and at the front of the cylinder. If I see shiny Gold Dots, then I know everyhing is ready to go.






Actually I can verify by looking for the rims from the backside of the closed gun. And my guns are always loaded, except for cleaning and dry fire, and not "loaded" four rules loaded, but loaded as in ready to rock loaded.

 

[Trope]

I check mine every time I handle them, but I don't check during the day. I keep the 4 rules in mind even when I do it, so I don't think it's an added risk.

Funny thing, I was watching Lethal Weapon 2 the other day, and I kept noticing that Riggs would press check his Baretta just before going into an action scene. It seems like in most movies, they would chamber a round instead. I thought it was interesting, because part of his character is that he's an expert marksman.

 

[duke40]

I check mine every time I pick it up. No surprises for me on that one.

 

[Black Majik]

I check mine every time it's holstered because I pick the gun up. I'm used to checking the condition of a gun everytime I pick it up. Whether it's a range gun or carry gun I check the condition of the firearm that I pick up.

 

[vynx]

I see that dumb trick on TV and movies all the time - tell me this -

Does you handgun feel the same when its unloaded? Mine feel heavier and balance differently when loaded.

Now maybe Jack Bauer could drop the mag and eject a round from the chamber then put the mag back so I didn't notice the weight difference but I doubt it.

Plus if I hand my gun to someone else then I check it when I get it back because other peoples actions can screw me up more than my own. Its a good life lesson to learn and remember.

 

[Sniper X]

comstant Orange...until i have to go red.