To chamber or not to chamber

[keithte]

Greetings all, noob here but not new to posting forums.

I am voraciously reading and talking to everyone I know about CC and all the details from when, where, how, training etc. I just received mine today and there is one topic am really undecided on. There seems to be two sides to this issue and am trying to figure out what is the best for me. The questions is:

Should you chamber a round with safety on while carrying or rack a round if in a situation?

Curious to what thoughts and opinions are and know everyone has those

Thanks in advance

I did a quick search but didn't find anything, I'm like most people, want it now...lol!

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[BDA.45]

Chamber....

 

[Modeler]

Chamber without safety on, none of my carry guns have manual safeties. My Kahr only has a 7 round magazine, I gotta take extra round I can get.

 

[PuddleMonkey]

or rack a round if in a situation?

If you're in a situation where you need your gun, you will not have time to rack a round.

 

[Morpheus]

I always find people should take this advice:

Carry Condition Tactical Butterscotch - YouTube



But seriously, if you are uncomfortable with carrying with a round in the chamber then don't. Train more. The more you train, the more you will be prepared for the situation.

 

[simon99]

My EDC is a Glock 26 or 19, neither of which have a manual safety which would be defined as carry condition 0, meaning round chambered, full magazine loaded, safety ( n/a on a Glock) off.....condition 3, what you are describing, empty chamber, hammer uncocked, loaded magazine in weapon.
With that said, I have been carrying a sidearm for many years, both in military service as well as a civilian.

If you are new to the CCW scene, don't rush to carry in a certain condition because someone says so. Learn to be proficient, safe and comfortable with your weapon. Take some training courses and learn to safely draw and holster your weapon from a good fitting, professional grade holster that will be comfortable to wear day in and day out. After a while you will know when the time is right to move into a different carry condition and will not feel the least bit uncomfortable wearing your sidearm....in fact, you'll feel naked without it.

 

[Oklahomie]

Round chambered. I was kinda of, I don't want to say scared, when i first entered the firearm world but as long as you have a quality holster and don't skimp on this, you'll be golden brown.

 

[deen_ad]

Kimber 1911, round chambered, cocked and locked. Crossbreed holster covering the trigger.

Deen

 

[Certaindeaf]

If you're all hinky about it, carry a revolver.. a loaded one.

 

[Member 34319]

If you are new to the CCW scene, don't rush to carry in a certain condition because someone says so. Learn to be proficient, safe and comfortable with your weapon. Take some training courses and learn to safely draw and holster your weapon from a good fitting, professional grade holster that will be comfortable to wear day in and day out. After a while you will know when the time is right to move into a different carry condition and will not feel the least bit uncomfortable wearing your sidearm....in fact, you'll feel naked without it.

Good advice right here.

Don't do what you feel is not comfortable.

Get a good holster and wear it around the house with your unloaded pistol. Get to know the feeling. You want to find a range that has CCW training. Or just practice on your own with snap caps. Practice drawing your pistol from your holster. Don't just do it standing either. Get down and dirty! Practice drawing from a kneeling position, lying on the ground, etc. Life isn't perfect enough for you to get the perfect opportunity to draw while comfortably standing.

I took a really good CCW class back in Reno. Guy taught you to draw under pressure. While running, crawling, under fire, etc. it was really good training. However I would recommend doing a little practice on your own before jumping into a live firing training CCW class. I carried for a quite a while and thought I was sufficient, but the class taught me a bunch of useful tactics to engage someone if attacked or witnessing an attack.

Either way once your comfortable with your set up... I do feel it is right to carry with a round in the chamber. As I said before, life is not perfect enough, so don't give yourself the opportunity to fall victim. Unless your really good at unholstering your pistol and racking the slide, I see it as a waste of time. Time you may need.

I sort of feel the same way about safeties on single actions, but that's another rant.

 

[EUGENE the REALTOR]

I carried un-chambered for a couple of months when I first got my CCL. Great advice from simon99 above...

 

[bnsaibum]

Reno and simon covered it pretty well. I would add that you should unload and keep the ammo in a room separate from the one you practice in at home.

FYI-There are some fancy foreign holsters that allow for a round to be chambered by drawing, but the better ones are made only for the Makarov (I think) and they are OWB only. I'll see if I can find the videos.

Found 'em. This one seems the best if you are going to carry this firearm OWB without a round chambered.
Russian Makarov Pistol Holster - EFA-2 - YouTube
Self-loading holster for Makarov - YouTube

Russian push/pull types
EFA-2K Spetsnaz Holster for Makarov Pistol (Russian Language) - YouTube

Spanish push/pull that is... interesting
LiveLeak.com - Not the Best Way To Demonstrate a Holster- Spanish Police

 

[david58]

You will likely soon be comfortable carrying with one in the pipe. You are asking the same question I did as a Noob. Took me a while to get comfortable with a cocked and locked 1911, but I did as I got more comfortable with the gun.

 

[Hawaiian]

As stated earlier, you will not have time to rack the slide in a real life situation. I carry cocked and locked, however the safety on my HK is swiped off by my thumb when drawing from the holster. Muscle memory from training. If you are going to CC, get more training and keep practicing. You can never have enough of either.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Keep it chambered.
Ive had my SW9VE (truck/ carry gun) chambered every day for months on end unless otherwise shooting it. So the irrational fear if it magically going off by some is moot. While first introduced to firearms and carrying as a kid I had that same skepticism.. Which quickly dissipated after years of shooting. Your booger hook and its placement is the most dangerous part of the firearm.

+1 to everyone that said, when the time counts.. You wont have time to rack a round and get in a perfect isosceles stance.. Because ultimately you wont. Rack it and leave her be.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

chambered.
Assuming you have both hands free to rack the slide for a very quick violent attack is a bad plan. If it unnerves you to do that, carry with the chamber empty but action charged for a month or so and see how many times the hammer has dropped during the day (or striker if it's a glock or XD) every night. If you carry in a proper holster the result will be 0, and you'll feel better about it.

 

[keithte]

Thanks for the input guys, very good stuff with seasoned CC peeps. I have been leaning towards chambering after watching some training video's showing how fast a perp could close on you. Have been focusing on 20' - 50' as the zone for my training. I agree with all of you about training and don't take that lightly by any means. I am on a mission to become as informed as possible.

My current carry is a Ruger SR9c and also have the SR9 and at this point am satisfied with both of them. I most likely add the CT laser to my carry (getting older and target acquisition should be easier) but their prices just went up so am holding off for now.

Thanks again for the awesome suggestions, you guys rock!

 

[Rotty]

Chambered. When I first started to Conceal Carry I was uneasy about having a round chambered. That Uneasy feeling quickly goes away as you get to know your weapon.

Lots of good advice mentioned above.

 

[stryker9]

Good advice in this thread. I'd say don't chamber until you are ready, but work towards that. For me, taking a defensive pistol course over a weekend and going through about 700 rounds in various drills gave me a huge confidence boost in my weapon and my familiarity with it.

 

[Jammer Six]

Take a class.