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@Andy54Hawken I plan on carrying an old flintlock for self defense. Would you recommend it having some lead in the pipe?
The second oldest pistol I own is a flintlock pocket pistol made by Joseph Barbar....circa 1760 or so...
I have no doubt that back in the day , it carried loaded and primed.
( I wouldn't do so today )
Andy
 
We live in the PNW… how in the big man's name do you keep the pan from getting wet and ruining the powder in a shootout?
For rifles and other long guns....carry it with your hand covering the pan.

Honestly...If :
Your lock is timed and tuned correctly
You have a sharp flint
And clean vent....
Your flintlock ain't that bad in the rain...

And yes I said if.
The Germans have a cool old saying :
All skill is in vain when an angel pees in the touch hole of your musket.

leave it to the Germans to have a saying with "angel" , "pee" and "touch hole". all in it together...:D
Andy
 
For rifles and other long guns....carry it with your hand covering the pan.

Honestly...If :
Your lock is timed and tuned correctly
You have a sharp flint
And clean vent....
Your flintlock ain't that bad in the rain...

And yes I said if.
The Germans have a cool old saying :
All skill is in vain when an angel pees in the touch hole of your musket.

leave it to the Germans to have a saying with "angel" , "pee" and "touch hole". all in it together...:D
Andy
"Andy, why is your hand down your pants?"

"I'm keeping my pistol dry."

"Andy, is that a dragoon down your pants or are you just happy to be here?"
 
Food for thought. I walked into a convenience store that had just been strong armed. Like an employee was chasing some dude I did not see and I had no idea what was going on.

The remaining cashier, after asking about her coworker and me telling her she is walking down the street on the phone, invited us in to do business.

I should have gotten back in my car but it seemed to me a small street urchin grabbed cash and product off the counter and ran and the employee gave chase. A non event, so to speak.

However, once I assessed that I just walked into a glass box with one way out I kept my back to the wall and did my business with one eye on the door and my coat unbuttoned, the whole time cursing myself for being in a stupid place. My heart rate and breathing were elevated from resting but not nearly as much as traffic can cause.

It is vivid in my mind tonight as it happened hours ago.

Theoretically, if I was going to rack a round, doing it before a perp comes through the door seems like a good idea, except for it being illegal brandishing and all. So that leaves me with having to draw while having a gun pointed at me or getting lucky and the perp looking away for long enough for me to draw and rack. I am also in my mid fifties and arthritis is becoming a thing.

I carry chambered, which works for me and my level of training and comfort.

But I totally flunked up even entering the building, so there's that.

Tear me apart. Maybe someone can learn from my foolishness.
 
1) "so I went full commando with it…"
What? You stopped wearing underwear?

2) The person who's not highly trained should
a) Carry a revolver
b) Get more training
c) Stay home
d) Call the police
e) All of the above

3) Is an empty chamber really a "tiny little tradeoff?"
In a DGU milliseconds can make the difference between life and death.

4) "I am also in my mid fifties and arthritis is becoming a thing."
Wait until you're in your 70s.
 
I'm still not seeing a solid argument for chamber empty carry.
"Do what is best for you." is not a solid argument.

Yes, the Israelis do it but they train in their sleep.
And how many empty chamber carriers train like Israelis ?
Not many.
 
In my humble opinion only it's for those people that do not expect to have an armed confrontation anytime soon. That's all I can think of.
Don't most all of us carry JUST IN CASE???

Being surprised something dangerous happens is all the more reason to be ready to go if/when it does happen. Avoid any possibility of fumbling or short racking, FTF, or even worse, actually forgetting to rack the stupid slide when under pressure... I see vids of this happening all the time.

Therefore, why bother to even carry a firearm if it's not ready to go? "Uh, excuse me but can you wait while I attempt to load a shell into the chamber?"

And for those whose job is likely to put them into an armed confrontation, it's really really really dumb!!!
 
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1) "so I went full commando with it…"
What? You stopped wearing underwear?


2) The person who's not highly trained should
a) Carry a revolver
b) Get more training
c) Stay home
d) Call the police
e) All of the above

3) Is an empty chamber really a "tiny little tradeoff?"
In a DGU milliseconds can make the difference between life and death.

4) "I am also in my mid fifties and arthritis is becoming a thing."
Wait until you're in your 70s.
Is that what that means? Dang, I've been living in a cave too long. :oops:
 
Concealed carry without a round in the chamber is simply dumb. Although I have met many people who I would much rather see carry and unloaded weapon. Better yet no magazine, even better no gun at all.
Perhaps, but I always remember that the wording of the 2A has no requirements to exercise the right. There is no price of admission. (Not in my state anyway)


I have watched hundreds of self defense shootings on Youtube, I have seen exactly ZERO rack a slide.
You need to watch better channels. Try "Advanced Self Protection" ... I personally have seen at least a dozen vids there where trying to rack a slide in a gunfight cost the life of the defender.
 
Last Edited:
As for 1911 carry....

I shot USPSA with a 2011, at first there were times when I squeezed the trigger at the target with the safety on. It took years and many rounds and draws to ingrain that habit/movement.

I carried a 1911, but I DID always worry about that safety.

When I was forced by arthritis to quit using a 1911, I found the Glock to be much simpler.
 
I would never tell people how THEY should carry... unless it was my DAUGHTER... I'd make sure she had her gat always ready to perform it's intended function w/o fussing around with it.

(Worried about small kids/grandkids? Keep your firearms safely away from them... use a retention holster if you think you need to, and don't be the one to leave your handgun in your purse in the shopping cart or on the floor behind your car seat!!!)
 
I agree with Andy whatever you train your muscle memory to do, do that. If u were in Israeli military and u could rack as you draw in one smooth motion cuz u trained that way, then great.

For me personally I carry one in the chamber, cocked and locked, cuz that is how I've trained myself. Someone else may be totally different in their preferences or training.

For me I save the racking for loading/unloading or to clear a malfunction.

 

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