Why you should carry with a round in the chamber

I always carry a round in my G-22 in a Fobus security holster because I never now whats going to happen and if I need to draw and shoot right away. Due to the fact that if I didn't and had to encounter BG-I don't have time to rack my slide and chamber a round. Doing that could easy get you kill and all it takes is a split second. Plus your safety is your trigger finger on any gun.

I carry a round in the chamber because a square won't fit.

All of my semi automatics (mostly Glocks) are DAO. I carry in a single retention holster that is entirely leather except the metal snap. Glocks are extremely safe weapons, as are M&P's, Sigmas, and other guns from reputable manufacturers.

As with any weapon, read the manual about its safeties and other features. Train with your weapon. Practice drawing the weapon (unloaded) from the holster you use. Practice indexing your finger along the frame just above the trigger.

Meatbag79 said:

I have to disagree for one reason. My carry gun is a Glock 23, and as such, has no safety. I love my gun; it's excellent... but if I had one chambered, there is a strong possibility of a mishap

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As long as you carry in a proper holster and keep your finger off the trigger, you CAN'T have a "mishap".

Carry how you want, but the above is no justification for carrying with an empty chamber.

SouthernBoy said:

The Glock design is a DAO.

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No, it's not.

A Beretta 92D is a DAO design. Pulling the trigger cocks and releases the hammer. The hammer is NOT cocked in any way until the trigger is pulled, and after the round is fired, the hammer remains in the lowered position. DAO pistols like the 92D have a second strike capability. If the chambered round fails to fire, the trigger can be pulled again without any other manipulation of the action.

The Glock is NOT a DAO, or even a DA. It is, as previously described, a "safe action" type pistol. When the slide is retracted, the striker mechanism is partially retracted. When the trigger is pulled, the striker is retracted the rest of the way and released. If the firearm fails to fire, the slide MUST be retracted before it can be fired. There is NO second strike capability.

Aaron1124 said:

I am sure this has been previously posted, but I haven't seen it around. I am sure a lot of you are familiar with the "Tueller Drill", also known as the "21 Foot Rule", meaning that the MINIMUM distance an attacker with a blade has to inflict a mortal blow before you can register the threat, react, draw your firearm, and fire. No way you'd be able to do this if you do not already have a round chambered.

A man with a knife at a distance is a legitimate threat, not to be taken lightly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0kI9-bD5Bo&feature=player_embedded

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the video is a bit unrealistic, he says lets see which is faster to the draw, the gun or the knife. The knife was never drawn it was held in the open to begin with, how is that a faster draw when it was in his hand to begin with ? Rule #1 always know your surrounding, I will take my chances with a gun anytime and yes it should always be chamberd.

I carry a Dan Wesson 1911 cocked and locked and have since I bought it. I was nervous at first, but now that I understand the gun better, I am totally comfortable carrying that way. I would not want to have to rack the slide while someone is trying to stab me or shoot me. If I were to ever need it, I would need it NOW, not 2 or 3 more seconds later.

I am disabled so I am at home most of the time. It is not legal to carry a firearm off of our property in Illinois but I do carry every day in my home. I keep a Kel-tec PF-9 in my pocket from the time I get out of bed in the morning till I go to bed again that night. ( or early AM as the case may be )

The PF-9 has no safety of any kind. Just a long pull with a medium pull weight of about 6.5 LBS. I keep a round in the chamber at all times and have since I brought the pistol home. If a gun is designed with safeties they should be used. But a gun without them can be just as safe.

If a person is afraid to keep a round in the chamber of their carry gun , they should trade it in on a handgun they do feel safe keeping fully loaded. I don't care how fast you think you are about jacking the slide to chamber a round if you needed to , you are adding precious time , you might not have to spare , to put your self defense tool into action.

Buy a set of snap caps for your pistol and practice and practice and practice some more . See what it takes to make your pistol fire.

A Glock in a holster which covers the trigger is perfectly safe with a loaded chamber.

For those afraid to carry with a round in the chamber please answer me this. What would you do if your week hand/arm were to become disabled at the get go? ????

Fear of a hot chamber is usually from unfamiliarity due to lack of training.

Deanimator said:

No, it's not.

A Beretta 92D is a DAO design. Pulling the trigger cocks and releases the hammer. The hammer is NOT cocked in any way until the trigger is pulled, and after the round is fired, the hammer remains in the lowered position. DAO pistols like the 92D have a second strike capability. If the chambered round fails to fire, the trigger can be pulled again without any other manipulation of the action.

The Glock is NOT a DAO, or even a DA. It is, as previously described, a "safe action" type pistol. When the slide is retracted, the striker mechanism is partially retracted. When the trigger is pulled, the striker is retracted the rest of the way and released. If the firearm fails to fire, the slide MUST be retracted before it can be fired. There is NO second strike capability.

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The Glock design is a DAO. You believe it is not. We can therefore agree to disagree.

One poster is using a highly technical definition of DAO. Another is using a more fundamental one.

The point is being lost in the mix. Whatever terminology is used, two actions are performed when the trigger is pulled, a hammerless cocking of the firing pin, and the release of that pin. This creates as safer situation (in terms of preventing ADs and NDs) in two ways. One, the trigger has a longer, harder pull to fire the round (like DAO). And, two, the need for a thumb safety is reduced because the firearm is not being carried in a cocked state (or equivalent, regardless of terminology).

A little further explanation of the action design of the Glock pistol, if you gentlemen don't mind.

The Glock DAO is a hybrid of a sort because it does not allow for second strike capability as Dreamer pointed out. However, this has nothing to do with two distinct tasks of the trigger. As mentioned by eye95, the trigger performs two distinct tasks (actually three if we were to include the fact that it relieves the striker safety block, but that is normally not a consideration when describing trigger action). The trigger completes the cocking of the striker (action #1), then releases the striker via the cruciform to fire a cartridge (action #2).

As for second strike capability, the Glock does not have this feature unless the slide is operated manually to reset the trigger. However, neither does a double action only revolver (hammerles) have a second striker capability. What such a revolver does have is a NEW strike capability because if you pull the trigger again to fire the gun, the cylinder revolves so you will not be attempting to fire a round which failed to fire on the first try - at least until the cylinder has completed a full revolution.

Finally, I called Glock in Georgia about ten minutes ago and spoke to a tech. I asked him what term Glock uses to describe the action of their pistols. He told me that both Glock and the ATF class the Glock trigger as a Double Action Only (DAO) design.

So there you have it, gentlemen. Hope this helps and clears things up a might.

Here is what Chuck Hawks has to say about it:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/trigger_options.htm

"I would classify the Glock "Safe Action," in terms of the shooter interface, as a single-action, even though its concealed striker is cocked by the short trigger stroke of 5.5 pounds and is, by definition, a trigger-cocking design. (The BATF classifies the Glock design as "double action only.") It does not offer second-strike capability, however, and so the manual of arms in case of a cartridge malfunction is exactly the same as a single-action pistol (tap, rack, bang). In reality, the Glock design is neither SA nor DA, but something new."

my PF9 is my daily concealed carry

Double Action Only

I carry loaded. No safety on that PF9. Just a long trigger pull.

You can watch the internal (but viewable)hammer cock and release so you always know if your trigger is even slightly depressed.

PrayingForWar said:

I like my Springfield TRP 1911. I have no problem carrying it cocked and locked. That said I have on more than one occasion found the safety switched off after having to leave it under the seat since I have to go into places with CHL restrictions.

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It's precisely because the safety can be flipped off, even while holstered, that I never carry cocked and locked, even though I can.

I take that back, as there's one location where I do carry cocked and locked, and that's when I'm doing multiple draws at the firing range, simulating and encounter with a primary and a secondary threat. After stopping the first threat, I hit the safety (now it's cocked and locked) and re-holster. I'd keep it that way until well after all clear, at which point I'd return it to condition two (round chambered, safety off, hammer down).

Kirbinator said:

I carry a round in the chamber because a square won't fit.

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Nice.

Always a round in the chamber. A modern sidearm will not just magically go off. The only time I would be remotely worried would be while carrying a 1911 with a disabled grip safety in a thumb-break holster, as many of the 1911 thumb-break holsters I've had would sometimes disengage the thumb safety.

The only firearm that I've had personal experience with that just magically went off was a "sporterized" WWII-era 8mm Mauser owned by a friend. Over its life it had been chewed on by several gunsmiths of varying ability. One day at the range we found out that a firm bump on the butt of the stock would cause the gun to fire, regardless of the safety position. Nobody was hurt, thank God.

since9 said:

...I'd keep it that way until well after all clear, at which point I'd return it to condition two (round chambered, safety off, hammer down)...

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I hope you're not doing that with a 1911. I can tell you from personal experience that there is no safe way to put a 1911 into condition 2.

eye95 said:

I hope you're not doing that with a 1911.

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No. That's your parlance. I've a CZ as you should know by now.

Enjoy your world. I'll enjoy mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgycukafqQ

since9 said:

No. That's your parlance[??]. I've a CZ as you should very well damn know by now.

Enjoy your world. I'll enjoy mine.

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Actually, I don't know. I have not yet made my list of what everyone carries by now. Maybe I should get right on that.

When I first started carrying I went with an empty chamber. I realized this was more of an issue with myself than my gun. Now I always carry my XD45 or M&P with one in the chamber. Hell, my M&P has a 3lb trigger pull with the same safety as the Glock. The only reason any firearm could have a ND is if the safety between your ears is off.