Posted on 02/11/2017 6:38:15 PM PST by MtnClimber
When a second counts you don’t want to take many seconds and make noise racking the slide.
George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin are all the example you need to know you should never carry with an empty chamber.
It is so hard to chamber all the time. It just depends on the circumstance. I use a Glock 9mm . Once you chamber—You have no safety. ( just don’t pull the trigger)I agonize at the proper decision because in that situation I want to kill that bastard.I guess I will chamber from now on.
Fifty years ago, in the military, I read of a sergeant who was FAST with an issue handgun. He used a 1911, no bullet in the chamber, in an enclosed military holster.
He would start his draw with his hand hitting the flap and opening it on the upswing then grasp the pistol and pull it out. His Left hand would be moving across to grasp the slide, then he would fire. Very quick.
No matter how how he did it, he still needed two hands to get his firearm in action.
On a trip to Mexico, I noticed the Mexican border guards all had 1911 pistols (Probably .38 Super), in open holsters, cocked and locked. They looked like THEY meant business. That was fifty years ago.
That’s why I do.
I was a semi-auto guy and never thought I would have a revolver until I met the guy I shoot with on Sundays now.
Former Marine Corps Colonel taught me the advantages of revolvers, no out of battery if in contact with perp, no need to rack slide, always ready, never fails.
I guess it boils down to degree of safety you want to exercise. There are reasons for just about all carry options.
For the fastest operation, it would be either a Glock style trigger or a single action auto cocked and chambered with all safeties off. Cocked and locked would be nearly as fast and safer.
Chamber empty but magazine loaded is sometimes called for too. For example if I were to be visited by family members with young children who were not trained in gun safety I would keep a gun still handy but with an empty chamber.
I do remember reading many years ago of a Texas Ranger who carried his 1911 cocked, safety off and grip safety taped down.
I know that John Browning considered his hammerless (or internal hammer) autos to be safe to carry with a chambered round and the safety on.
I wonder how a head shot would have looked inside that helmet.
Exactly,
Empty chamber goes back 140 years to single action revolvers that could fire if dropped. The empty chamber prevented that.
The concept is 140 years our of date.
Exactly. Empty chamber makes a one hand job into a two hand job.
Never a good idea.
It’s also a silly thing to do with most revolvers. I have 3 S & W revolvers. Every time I release the trigger on each, the hammer backs off, making an accidental discharge caused by dropping an uncocked weapon nearly impossible. Indeed, I also have a functional replica 1858 .44 Remington Army Model that has safety notches on the cylinder where I can rest the hammer, allowing me to carry a fully loaded and primed weapon without an accidental discharge caused by dropping it on the hammer.
A single action revolver could have the same risks as carrying a semi-auto without a round chambered except the revolver would have less noise, less time delay, but probably less rounds. I have been in an incident when a carload of five youts pulled up behind me at an ATM machine in the handicapped spot right behind me. I had a Colt Pony Lite 380 in my pocket, but a Glock 30 45 ACP in my car. I tell you that I felt only slight comfort from the 380 and grabbed my card and cash before sprinting to my car while they were arguing about who was going to get me. It is locked and loaded for me.
Just make sure you have a proper holster. If you can’t be comfortable with it, get a revolver or maybe a Springfield XD.
Draw it rack it on the way up, I carry state 2
1911 was designed to be cocked and locked
Sorry, but for every out of battery problem (there is never a need to rack slide to chamber a round if carried right), I think problems if a jammed cylinder failing to rotate perfectly, one of 50 parts failing, especially the little ones like the pawl, a semi-automatic is more reliable than a revolver every time.
Sorry, but the misnomer that a revolver never fails killed a number of FBI agents in the Miami shootout.
I like nice SA, DA on revolvers sucks
It is a personal decision. I carry with a round in the chamber and good safety and good holster.
Youts! Happened last week.
Pinheads had no idea who they were pissing off
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