Chambered carry or not?

[JFonzi_ThreatDynamics]

Hi NWF!
Fonzi here. Just wanted to get a feel for everyone's thoughts on whether or not you carry with a round chambered or prefer to rack the slide as part of your draw sequence. I can say personally that I have done both and see the advantages to both. Also, I'm very interested in holstering solutions and carry configurations for both options. What works for you? What doesn't? Help me to be a better trainer and server to your needs in training and service. I'm here to learn from you, the shooters in my community. And for all those that carry responsibly and legally, thank you for making the community safer for my loved ones, friends and neighbors. You are all the bulwark in the gap between the predators and the flock.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Regards,

Josh Fonzi

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[Joe13]

Chambered.

Racking the slide just adds one major possible failure to the equation when you need it.

No safeties on either, just pull the trigger to make it go bang.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

chambered glock 23 in a holster king IWB. only after i understood how glocks safety features worked is when i started to carry chambered. for a week i carried a snapcap in the chamber to be sure my gun wouldnt accedentaly fire under "normal" every day activities. now, there isnt a day that goes by where i even think about if its going to accidentally fire. another thing is to practice practice practice. practice your draw, practice mag reloads, practice opposite handed shooting and gun manipulation. if your dominate hand becomes injured in a life or death scenario your opposite hand is all you have left.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Chambered.
Sure you "could" rack the slide on the draw but thats just one more motion to complete and most guys seriously dont train enough to look like Operator "Zero" on their draw.. But they think they look like him.

What if your hand is compromised in some way or the space between you and the assailant is pretty darn close? Say in a line or small room?

Most dont carry with a round chambered because they have doubt in their firearms safety, which I associate a doubt in their skills/abilities.

I trust myself and my equipment not to fail and I constantly aim to maintain a level of situational awareness. Between that and a round in the chamber Id dare to say Id have the jump on anyone not as proficient.

 

[NONAME762]

Chambered.

Safety OFF.

Ready to go.

Today it's nice out. Blue skies broken clouds. No wind but just 51F out and about. Since I'm a semi old guy if I feel I have to draw my pistol I don't want anything between me pulling the trigger if I have to pull that trigger.

 

[x2ndxall]

Chambered, safety on. I've drawn (and continue to draw) with the safety on enough that my thumb automatically hits the safety as the gun is leaving the holster. It's part of the draw, no thought involved.
If you practice until it becomes a habit it takes no more time than safety off.

 

[JFonzi_ThreatDynamics]

I think this is really informative. One of the best things I've heard is the snap cap to test holster/activity before carrying chambered. One of the things that makes this really interesting is our range's decision to offer a holster draw certification so that clients can come in and train live on their holster drawing. It's coming VERY soon and I am really interested to hear more from you guys! Keep that input coming please!

 

[boogerhook]

I have tinkered with this for a while. I have a Dan Wesson PM9 which has an extremely soft recoil spring. Due to the shape of the rear sights it can easily be racked single-handed by running it down over your thighs, especially if you lift your strong side leg a little as part of your draw. Over time, you will ruin your pants though ;-)

So now I carry 1911s cocked and locked, any other in DA, chambered with safety off. I don't do strikers.

I should add: preferred holsters are DeSantis OWB with thumb break. I do feed the belt outside of the holster which brings the entire thing a little closer to my body. When deep concealment is needed, I will do a Kydex IWB.

 

[JFonzi_ThreatDynamics]

And just to clarify, "holster certification" isn't to tell you how to draw your gun. That's for gun clubs and similarly fascistic organizations. Our certification will be more of an extended safety brief to orient the shooter to the limits of our range and their responsibilities to other shooters down the line. I can't tell you how often clients teach us things we didn't know on the line, so I hope no experienced pistoleros out there take umbrage at the 30 minute cert we'll be requiring.

 

[blackadder]

I carry my M&P chambered in a hybrid IWB. I can do handstands (yes really) without the pistol coming out. When I carried my 1911 same thing except I had the thumb safety on. Whatever you carry as, make sure you conduct slow dry-fire drills daily for the first month you have a pistol. Weekly drills after that should keep the muscle memory intact.

 

[rick benjamin]

G27, condition 3

 

[SHPD_Retired]

For a self defense weapon it should be carried with a round in the chamber and with no safety on the gun.

 

[sig40shooter]

Sig P229, chambered, IWB strong side. That's how I feel most comfortable.

 

[Karen Payne]

Good guys/gals should have one in the chamber for personal protection, bad guys/gals should be taught to not have one chambered.

One thing comes to mind when asked this question in a class is to have them consider the distance between you and the bad person, how long does it take you to draw (most who don't train are over 4 seconds). Now reaction time comes into play also. With that there is enough going on to take advantage of anything that can clear the holster and get on target (if needed).

 

[Just Jim]

Not sure who came up with empty chamber carry but it really doesn't make sense..

 

[JFonzi_ThreatDynamics]

There are a number of holsters that use the barrel for retention, (Versacarry comes to mind) that might induce a squib in the case of a negligent discharge. Even experienced shooters steer clear of condition 1 carry with these. And yet, they're an outstanding and comfortable low profile option, but warrant caution nevertheless. I use one occasionally, but am still leery. I think it has its place, but is certainly not the only option to consider by any means. Just my two cents, but I know that not everyone is as comfortable adding the action to a draw sequence. Most of the time though, round chambered is just par for the course here at least.

 

[Monica Cowles]

I remember this as being a baby step path for me.
First to carry at all,
then to carry without a round in the chamber and with the safety on,
then carried with the safety off,
then finally safety off and with a round in the chamber.
Colin Nior was the one who finally convinced me to carry with a round in the chamber in this video;

 

[IronMonster]

When I was a youngster I carried a revolver, when I moved to a automatic I inherently felt uneasy about carrying with a round chambered (at the time a S&W sigma). I think is was simply a matter of not having enough experience and faith in the firearm. For some reason a revolver with the hammer down seemed safe, but an auto because I guess I did not fully grasp the way it functioned seemed risky. I have since outgrew this
Irrational behavior

 

[Certaindeaf]

A bit more about revolvers.. many semi-autos these days have triggers approximating a double action revolver pull. Some of those semi autos have terribly heavy and long pulls (way heavier than a tuned DA revolver) but will still have a safety - yuck.
Double action revolvers have no safeties and are generally carried loaded at all times.
I carry with a loaded chamber(s) and the thing cocked, safety on if it's a single action pistol.

 

[MarkAd]

Cocked, Locked and ready to rock