People who carry: Keep a round chambered at all times or chamber empty?

[EMP9596]

IT lives !

Yeh! and I helped it..

Me Bad...

 

[Velzey]

I would rather carry a rock around in my pocket.....

Not having one in the pipe is just silly. And I would question your CCW ability if you cannot remember if your pistol is loaded.

 

[MikeSettles]

Fully loaded and ready to be used, or fully unloaded in storage: There is no good reason for a modern firearm to be in any in-between state. If you don't trust it to not function accidentally, get one that you can trust. If you won't trust any firearm to not function on its own, then you should examine your own hoplophobia.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

Problem some of us have is DA/SA with no trigger safety and no grip safety..hence not safe ! Sure, the 10 pound DA pull and the holsters protection of the trigger should be enough...maybe on the set of 24, but they use blanks. Ask the Kimber brainiac what happens when you draw a cocked 1911 with the safety off. Knee be gone. After years of working and playing in the great outdoors, experience teaches that if you carry, a stick or projection will find your sidearm and stupid crap WILL happen..trip the thumb safety, depress the trigger...it IS possible. it' S'called Monday madness. Anything that can possible go wrong goes wrong. If I'm in a raft fishing and the gun goes off by some astronomical odds, it's through my ***, through the boat, through some poor fish happens to be in the wrong place, and I'm bleeding out as fish chum even if I have a life jacket.

After spending 10 years in the Infantry, I can easily say that I've walked through some of the worst of what Mother nature has to offer. I, nor anyone I've ever served with has ever had anything poke into the trigger and pull it causing a negligent discharge. Obviously our weapons have safetys, but I carried a Sig on a deployment on a dialy basis, everywhere I went and never had that issue and it had no safety. As far as the numb-nuts who shot his knee with the Kimber then "relied on his training, and called his mom," he was an idiot, and pulled the trigger during his draw. If he didn't carry with a round in the chamber, a plastic bag would have killed him later in life by accidently getting stuck over his nose and mouth or something of the like...
Murphys law, or Monday madness as you put it, seems to be a real life phenomenon, but for me thats the reason to have the chambered round - so when something goes wrong I'm ready.
Also, if your holster allows for sticks to access the trigger guard while you're hiking or fishing, you should get a new holster.

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but which do you think is better for concealed carry, 9mm or .45 ACP?

Kidding, just kidding, no one answer, please.

1911 in condition 1 for me.

 

[accessbob]

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but which do you think is better for concealed carry, 9mm or .45 ACP?

Kidding, just kidding, no one answer, please.

1911 in condition 1 for me.

I'd go for the Uberti Buntline Target in .357 for my EDC (but the custom holster is dang expensive) :

 

[badclam]

What is your criteria for needing it or not? and why would you enter a situation where you needed your weapon? Avoidance is the first form of defense. I know even with a weapon I would never knowingly go in to a situation where there was an increased chance I had to defend myself.

That said, always one chambered with a top'd off mag.

That's a dumb question? How about you break down in a bad neighborhood?
How about you see someone suspicious hanging around your car when you come out of the mall at closing?

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I'd go for the Uberti Buntline Target in .357 for my EDC (but the custom holster is dang expensive) :

Bob, to save money on the custom holster - you should just get a tac-sling for that bad boy! I know it will leave the trigger guard open to intrusions from sticks and what not that are just aching to get a tug on your trigger, but throw that revolver on "safe" and you'll be good to go!!!

 

[EMP9596]

Bob, to save money on the custom holster - you should just get a tac-sling for that bad boy! I know it will leave the trigger guard open to intrusions from sticks and what not that are just aching to get a tug on your trigger, but throw that revolver on "safe" and you'll be good to go!!!

Naw! just stick it down yer pant leg!

Then hope like hell that if you have to draw the hammer don't get caught in yer belly button?

 

[Ron Eagle Elk]

If he shoved it down his pant leg, would he be able to bend his knee?

 

[bikejunkie]

I think you'd have to have it strapped over your back like a ninja's katana...

 

[accessbob]

I think you'd have to have it strapped over your back like a ninja's katana...

But that completely eliminates the "element of surprise" that concealed would bring.

 

[bikejunkie]

Nobody expects someone to quick draw a 3ft long revolver from over the shoulder! It'd totally surprise people!

 

[Triplebuckshot]

Problem some of us have is DA/SA with no trigger safety and no grip safety..hence not safe ! Sure, the 10 pound DA pull and the holsters protection of the trigger should be enough...maybe on the set of 24, but they use blanks. Ask the Kimber brainiac what happens when you draw a cocked 1911 with the safety off. Knee be gone. After years of working and playing in the great outdoors, experience teaches that if you carry, a stick or projection will find your sidearm and stupid crap WILL happen..trip the thumb safety, depress the trigger...it IS possible. it' S'called Monday madness. Anything that can possible go wrong goes wrong. If I'm in a raft fishing and the gun goes off by some astronomical odds, it's through my ***, through the boat, through some poor fish happens to be in the wrong place, and I'm bleeding out as fish chum even if I have a life jacket.

No.

I have crawled more miles with a loaded firearm than 99% of the people you know will walk with one. This has never happened nor have I ever heard of it happening. Ofcoarse a rifle has a safety and some pistols do as well. I happen to trust a Sig P220 and it is a DA/SA just like you describe. I actually like the stock Sig holster and I have never had anything get wedged in there and make the pistol go boom.

I have however had mud/dust/water do some serious damage or get into places that should be impossible to get into......hahaha

If you shoot yourself while you are drawing or handling a firearm, good on ya. JMHO

 

[Master17]

On my sigs and 1911s I keep one loaded in the chamber. I have no worries about safety with myself or the kids around. My xd40 I keep with a empty chamber. I just don't trust striker fired pistols. Mainly because when I don't have my pistol on me it sits on my nightstand or in my nightstand. Occasionally I will leave it on the table. I have asked the kids many times to get me something out of my nightstand. Recently my 7yo dropped my sig, picked it up, and put it back in the nightstand. Scary to think about. But even scarrier to think about if it would have been my xd. I have taught the kids to not mess around with guns but unfortunally, you just cant keep their couriousity from wandering 100% of the time. In fact, I will be selling that pistol because I just don't trust any striker fired pistol without a external safety.

So to answer the ops question, yes, loaded chamber with a external safety.

Can you explain striker fired pistol. I have never heard that term before. Can you give some examples of guns both ways? Thank you

 

[Unka-Boo]

Every time this thread gets bumped I check my chamber.....yup, still loaded.

 

[Tony617]

On my sigs and 1911s I keep one loaded in the chamber. I have no worries about safety with myself or the kids around. My xd40 I keep with a empty chamber. I just don't trust striker fired pistols. Mainly because when I don't have my pistol on me it sits on my nightstand or in my nightstand. Occasionally I will leave it on the table. I have asked the kids many times to get me something out of my nightstand. Recently my 7yo dropped my sig, picked it up, and put it back in the nightstand. Scary to think about. But even scarrier to think about if it would have been my xd. I have taught the kids to not mess around with guns but unfortunally, you just cant keep their couriousity from wandering 100% of the time. In fact, I will be selling that pistol because I just don't trust any striker fired pistol without a external safety.

So to answer the ops question, yes, loaded chamber with a external safety.

The XD 40 has grip safety which is safer than a Glock IMHO. I don't own either one but I have rented both a XD 40 and Glock 23 at the gun range several times.

 

[bikejunkie]

Can you explain striker fired pistol. I have never heard that term before. Can you give some examples of guns both ways? Thank you

A striker fired pistol does not have an external hammer (Glock, Springfield XD/XDm), a non striker fired pistol has an external hammer (1911 style pistols, Beretta 92 series, most Sig Sauer p229)

Hope that helps

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I'm a one in the tube guy. I only buy pistols designed for condition one carry. I suggest that you practice A LOT! You will soon trust your self and your weapon. Also carry constantly, don't take it off at home for instance. Remember, it's a machine, no voodoo, good or bad luck involved. Also familiarity should breed competence not contempt. I'm sure you will soon get the hang of it.

 

[Redcap]

An unloaded gun is just a poor club.