One in the chamber

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Dang it! Kinda like my aim sometimes: all around the target, but never right on! Well, I guess two of us is a start for an OC outing. Hopefully with more people in the area seeing:what:citizens carrying, there will be some more members on here from the area that would be interested. I guess all good things take time.

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Ya I've tried to be patient, but thats hard to do.:banghead:



Well my roomate will be picking up a gun in the next week or two, so there is a third. I think that constitutes a party.:monkey

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BIG SHAFE wrote:

.40 Cal wrote:

If you are in a situation where you only have use of one hand, you can charge your semi auto by snagging the rear sighting fixture on your belt, or pocket, or even by pinning it tightly to your leg or body.  Remember kids: finger off the trigger.  in a stituation where you are being wrestled to the ground and have limited use of an additional hand, you can also charge the action by pinching it between your calf and thigh.  just don't shoot your balls off! :what: 

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Good suggestions! Those will be added for some practice.

Thanks!!:celebrate

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PLEASE only practice this with snapcaps or other dummy rounds...

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Excellent point! Don't want any OC members to neuter themselves! :shock:

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Ha, I will probably practice empty just to see how I can pull the slide back.

I hope to be above Darwinism.:lol:

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To dngreer:

Why exactly are you uncomfortable carrying with a round chambered? What do you think could happen if you left a round chambered all the time?

I'm just curious as to why you feel the way you do about carrying without a round chambered.

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No good reason really. I just prefer it that waysometimes. I am careful with firearms, but you can not be too careful. Just an added safety precaution that gives me added peace of mind. Like I said before, it is not all of the time. Sometimes a round is chambered, sometimes it is not.

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Wanna play some roulette???:uhoh: You go first, here's my 1911... :banghead:

edit: this is just my sick, twisted humor coming out as it is the end of the day. The dark side is in all of us. We can either fear it, or embrace it.:shock:

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dngreer wrote:

I understand your point. Who knows if I am right or wrong in my thinking,I guess a gun without a chambered bullet is better than no gun at all, right? Sometimes if I feel I am in a dangerous situation, I will carry with a round in the chamber. But that's just me.

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You're assuredly right in your thinking--if it is your carefully thought out self-defense regimen.

You're so far ahead of the curve by carrying in the first place...

Many people carry a handgun without one in the tube. A hell of a lot of proficient and smart people do it.

It's obviously a tradeoff--benefits of having the chamber empty vs. the detriments of having the chamber empty. It's a function. With variables that have different values based on perceptions, knowledge, training, and experience.

One thing for sure. Probability of ND is reduced carrying in the manner you do.

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khmer_gentleman wrote:

i was just wondering if everyone here carrys with one in the chamber.

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If I have my gun on me (or close by), it's at "condition 1" (one in the chamber). What's the point of having a self-defense weapon handy if it's not ready to defend you in a split-second?

I have an XD, so I'm not worried about the gun going off without me gripping it properly and depressing the trigger.

Why carry your gun "condition 1"??

- You may not have time to rack the slide
- You may not have the ability to rack the slide (two hands, or a solid surface/edge to help)
- You may not want the noise of racking the slide to give away your position

Just my thoughts on the matter.

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dngreer wrote:

I understand your point. Who knows if I am right or wrong in my thinking,I guess a gun without a chambered bullet is better than no gun at all, right? Sometimes if I feel I am in a dangerous situation, I will carry with a round in the chamber. But that's just me.

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I used to not carry one chambered, however, I have been compelled to try it, and have recently, I now keep one in the chamber (due to recent events), whenever I am outside of my home and with no children.

When I am inside the house, or out with my girlfriends kid, there is only a full magazine, no chambered round...

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dngreer and openryan,

I'd strongly advocate choosing one way or the other and then doing it that way all the time: when you practice, when you carry, and when you (hopefully never happens) have to defend yourself. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble when the emergency happens and you either (a) waste time ejecting a perfectly good round, or (b) pull the trigger and nothing happens.

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empty

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kparker wrote:

dngreer and openryan,

I'd strongly advocate choosing one way or the other and then doing it that way all the time: when you practice, when you carry, and when you (hopefully never happens) have to defend yourself. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble when the emergency happens and you either (a) waste time ejecting a perfectly good round, or (b) pull the trigger and nothing happens.

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How would you eject a perfectly good round --- I can only assume that you are incinuating that I don't know when I have a round chambered or not, NOT THE CASE -- I am well aware of my surroundings, and also aware of the benefits of carrying loaded (chambered), however I feel that when I am at home, with any kids around, that it is better to not have a chambered round -- now to this you could probably tell me to get a serpa and I wouldn't have to worry much anymore

However, I am deeply in love with my current holster and won't be chaning anytime soon...

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[censored for failure to be an imperialist murderer]

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When I first started to carry an auto-loadinghandgun I didn't feel "safe" having a round in the chamber.

I carried it this way for a time and then I graduated to having a round in the chamber, but the hammer down. It was not a DA so I would have to cock the hammer to fire.

In 2004 when I got a 1911 A1 for Christmas, I was not comfortable carrying it "cocked and locked" so for a time I carried it with one in the chamber but the hammer down.

One day I noticed a small dimple in the primer of the chambered round, when I was cleaning my gun. This scared the pajezies out of me.

I then started to carry my 1911 with a full magazine, but no round in the chamber.

Finally I made the decision to chamber a round and carry it cocked and locked.

It took many years to get to that point, but for me I needed to feel comfortable with my decision.

We need to carry, as an un-carried gun is of no use to anyone. I carry cocked and locked. I am comfortable with than and I practice accordingly.

I would encourage all to do likewise, but only when they are ready.

The holsters I use cover my trigger and or have a retention strap to block my hammer. They are safe and usable.

Tarzan

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The first time that I carried at all (I was carrying CC then)I carried with an empty chamber. I have a glock 23, and I read where someone said if you are afraid of accidental discharge to carry a few times with an empty chamber and at the end of the day check to see if the trigger had somehow miraculously gotten depressed. Needless to say I did just about all the hard "hitting the dirt", running, and jumping that I could do and still no accidental discharge would have occured. SO! ever since then I have carried on in the chanber plus a full mag. BUT! Like a few of the guys said, YOU are the ONLY ONE that can decide your comfort level. It's personal preference and the first person that TELLS you what to do, is the first person who would complain if someone told them what to do so just ignore them and do what YOU feel comfortable with.

~SFC

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Whenever I have my gun on me, it is loaded and one is in the chamber. Even if I'm at home.

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I always carry one in the chamber. My primary is my SA-XD 45 Service on my hip. I now have a bug, a bersa 380 thunder in my pocket, one in the chamber decocker up. The trigger pull is standard DA so it's not going off with any ease, if I feel I may be bumping around or anything, i'll drop the decocker. Either way it stays hammer down in DA.

Now as to all of my guns in my house. They are always loaded, one in the chamber, saftey on (if available). Everyone that is in my house knows this. This keeps it simple, I do not say "Treat all guns as if they were loaded." All guns are loaded at all times.

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I carry an unloaded Glock, not by choice, but due to the silly laws here in CA. Every time I leave the house while OCing, I take 5 minutes to practice:
- Draw
- Drop the empty mag
- Load a full mag
- Rack the slide
- Acquire target

It takes me a solid 2 seconds to get from holster to leveled. At this speed, about 10% of the time, I don't fully pull the slide before releasing, resulting in cocking without actually chambering a round. Another ~2% of the time, I don't get the magazine seated properly on the first try (it doesn't fall out, but a round won't chamber).

I assume in a stress situation, these percentages will probably at least double. That means that about 25% of the time I will be facing a threat with a plastic-handled club. Even if I do it perfectly, 2 seconds is a VERY long time when the other guy is shooting or stabbing you.

If you don't feel comfortable carrying a loaded gun, then practice more. Get a gun & holster that you feel safe with, and carry loaded as soon as you can. Hopefully you won't need it, but if you do, it might just save your life.