When I do UOC, I carry loaded mags openly and I carry my gun with slide back, no mag so it makes seeing that the gun is empty a no brainer.
The fact that I can draw and load in about 1.5 to 2 seconds since I don't have to rack the slide, drop out the magazine had nothing to do with my choice of carry. I mean, what's an extra 1.5 to 2 seconds, right.
Carrying bullets in your pocket, my only comment is why bother.
Nicki
I am not going to dismiss your style of carry as inadequate, but I feel the need to ask some questions.
Why would you carry the weapon in such a way that makes it apparent to an unknown threat that the weapon is unloaded? Your draw and load time (called a reload drill), as small as it is, will be affected when faced with a threat...even if you're Larry Hamby.
My understanding of OC is to not necessarily strike fear in the hearts of the public, but to deter any criminal activity that may come your way. Will snapping the slide shut and having an empty magazine in the well keep you out of trouble? No, but it will help you need to clean the weapon a whole lot less. Also, it would seem to me that you'd get more questions for carrying a weapon in that manner than if someone thought it were loaded.
On to the bullets in the pocket. I don't think anyone here is saying that they do this exclusively. The bullets that are in the pocket belong in the empty magazine and can come in handy should you be pinned down. I understand if you (Nicki) have both magazines full and nothing in your well...then you're doing fine. I, on the other hand, load and top off right before I get out of the vehicle depending on where I am, and I'm loading the other magazine on the way in. That's just me. But in answer to your question, that's my "why bother."