Do you carry with a round in the chamber?(Ladies)

womanwiseguns.com ^ | 11/18/2016 | Deborah

[rktman]

If there’s one topic that can cause a lot of heat in shooting circles, it’s whether or not you choose to carry with a round in the chamber.

When you research this topic or bring it up, particularly around experienced shooters, you’ll find a lot of strong opinions like, “only an idiot would carry without a round in the chamber,” or my all-time-favorite, “you might as well carry a brick for as much good as an unloaded gun will do you.” And these experienced shooters have these strong opinions because there is ample evidence, and many examples, where not having a round in the chamber has cost a good person their life.

That being said, the decision to carry with a round in the chamber, or not, is a personal choice once you understand all the facts and have good information. So let’s look at the reasons why you would want to consider carrying a round in the chamber, and some tips and techniques to help combat the fears and concerns that may prevent you from doin

[JAKraig]

I carry a Kel-Tec and I carry with a round in the chamber. It is the same weapon model that killed Trayvon Martin with one shot. My weapon is double action only, in other words pulling the trigger “cocks” the gun or sets the hammer and then releases the hammer. The trigger requires substantial force to pull, 8 pounds. I will never have to worry about accidentally pulling the trigger but if I need it it is ready.

My wife carries a Ruger revolver, it is always ready, just pull the trigger. Hers is only 6 pound pull but still pretty safe, we have never come close to accidental firing.

It takes time to get a gun out, you don't have time to pull a concealed weapon and then rack it before being charged by a bad guy, once the gun is exposed start shooting.

[glock rocks]

With a hot Glock, your brain is your safety until you catch you shirt sleeve in the trigger guard while holstering. I always de-cock my Sigs before holstering. I like my toes right where they are.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Had a Walther PPK safety on w round in the chamber for years.

Went with the Bersa Thunder, carry edition (lighter) and almost identical to the PPK, and really like the lighter weight.

[so_real]

I appreciate your approach and encouragement to practice. For all those who carry but do not "practice, practice, practice" ... my personal opinion is not to keep a round in the chamber. Practice builds muscle memory and offloads that effort from the brain. The people who don't practice have no muscle memory and rely exclusively on the brain for each action. That being the case, for safety as well as accuracy, I'd sacrifice a little draw speed for a little more thinking time. It's like taking a deep breath before getting into a fight. Am I wrong about that?

[Scythian_Reborn]

I am a round in the chamber ...

[Organic Panic]

And if your other hand is incapacitated?

[ManHunter]

Now THAT’s funny right there! (Me too...)

[Iron Munro]

In my time in the Corps it was “Locked and Loaded”.

That was in the M1 Garand era.

And before anyone ever heard of Ooh-Rah we had Gung-Ho.

And Gyrene was still in common use.

[gunnyg]

Me too...1952—’72—Cocked.N. Locked was in use in the 20s w/the Marine Mail Guards... 1911s in holsters tied down to the leg and shotguns at the ready, rounds chambered!

Gung Ho was introduced by Col Evans Carlson w/his 2d Marine Raiders and a subsequent raid on Makin island in ‘42.

Carlson had done duty pre WWII w/the 8th Route Chinese Army (Communist).

Ooh Rah came from AruuGa horn on the subs used by l8r recon Marines in the late ‘40s!

Semper Fidelis
Dick G
aka: Gunny G
*****

[Georgia Girl 2]

I used to think safety off no round in the chamber was cool. Then I realized I’m not that good at Israeli draw so a round in the chamber seems a lot smarter.

[Chainmail]

We were just as proud as hell that he was our CO - and in the infantry, that's the best recognition you can get. He was solid, professional and helped us stay ahead of the enemy. Best of all, we knew he cared about us.

Still in touch with him, 50 years later.

[Iron Munro]

Thanks for the details Gunny.

Marine Corps History should be a required subject in high school and College!!!

(No Barack, you ignorant foreigner, it’s NOT pronounced CORPSE!)

[Chainmail]

"And if your other hand is incapacitated?"

Simple: Browning Hi-Power 9mm - you can chamber a round one-handed by pushing the lower half of the slide against a door jamb or a table. It's the only pistol I've ever seen that allows you to do that.

[dblshot]

Semper Fi!

[Svartalfiar]

It doesn’t take long to rack the slide. Think of it as a super-safety.

It doesn't take long, but what if you soft-pull it and the round fails to chamber? What if you don't have yuor other hand available?

[tumblindice]

Same here, a CZ 97. I used to believe it was a dangerous practice but a DA is like a revolver with a long pull.
After the last few years, switched to RIC.
Wouldn’t carry a Glock that way, but I’m not that used to it yet—a good holster without a safety feature, prolly. If I had an onion on my belt.
OK, I’m rambling now...

[tumblindice]

Some good, free articles on self defense http://self-defense-handguns.com/?page_id=221

And one in particular that convinced me on the round-in-chamber question:
http://self-defense-handguns.com/?page_id=1180%20C
“Chamber Empty = Suicide”

[Charles Martel]

My advice is to get a 38 WITH a hammer. I despise hammerless revolvers. Why give up the accuracy of a single action trigger pull (if time allows), for a theoretical snag free advantage. Any revolver can be drawn snag free by using the proper technique.

Yes, and it's a simple technique to learn. Simply place your thumb over the revolver's hammer spur as you draw from concealment, letting the thumb slide down to the grip as you clear the pocket/clothing. No snags.

[cpdiii]

You are correct, 5.5 lbs is lighter than a revolver unless it has had a trigger job done on it.

[Mr Rogers]

Don’t soft pull it. Part of practice.

What if I don’t have one hand available? What if I don’t have either hand available? What if the dude is 300 lbs and sitting on me?

One can what-if forever. I’m not telling ANYONE how to do it. I just think that different people have different threat environments, different levels of comfort, etc. I live in a very low threat environment. For my daily living, I could be pretty safe never carrying at all.

If someone wants to carry a soft-trigger striker fired gun without a safety and a round in the chamber, they can. I don’t. In fact, I plan to sell the only gun I own like that. My hammer-fired Baretta Pico has a nice, heavy trigger pull - as do my J-frames.

But I carry mainly for the weirdo shooter who just wants to kill random people. That scenario typically means you have a few seconds, and the shots may be at longer range than lots of CCW folks practice at. I’m glad to say my Pico is surprisingly accurate at 20 yards, as are my J-frames...but I also carry my 686+ a lot.

If I lived in a city, I might appraise the threats differently.