Depends on if you are planning to drop your pistol, yes?
It depends what you are doing. If you are expecting trouble, chamber a round and let the hammer ease home, but be careful.
I ride all day horseback and almost never find trouble. Given the potential of having a fall or snagging on a tree or fence, it is better to have an empty chamber. Riding in a car or truck (on private property) sure, maybe one in the chamber. Riding an ATV or something less secure, no.
He is right though, it is how you train that matters. As a former Marine, I have spent a lot of time with weapons. Again, the situation dictates round chambered or not.
Is it a Glock? Don’t carry one in a chamber.
Is it a 1911? Probably ok to have one chambered.
Yes. Always.
If George Zimmerman carried with an empty chamber, we would have never been subjected to all that trial business. Zimmerman would have had his head bashed in and that would be that.
Even modern revolvers are safe to carry fully loaded. It’s your life. Choose wisely.
Lots of people prefer a dogmatic answer and everyone that does it differently is doing it wrong. I see a LOT of that.
/johnny
No need to carry a firearm.
I typically carry a single action with a round in the chamber and the hammer down. If I believe I am in a dangerous situation it goes to cocked and locked.
I think being wary and always suspicious of your surroundings is more important than carry mode.
I personally like having a hammer on pistols but John Browning preferred hammerless or internal hammer pistols. He put hammers on two of his most famous designs because that is what was asked for.
He also thought keeping a hammerless with a round in the chamber, cocked and with the little safety on was the proper way to carry say, his little .32 autos. I think he also thought the grip safeties unnecessary and only added them again because they were requested. I am not certain on this one tho.
The cop who taught my intermediate weapons class said carry chambered. And keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
The wife’s P238 is carried chambered, cocked with the safety on.
My semis are striker fired and carried chambered
My Airweight, well if it’s loaded, it ready.
Now I’m talking everyday carry. There are other situations where I might not. As it is now, if I leave the house carrying, as I nearly always do, I’m chambered. Consistency is of absolute importance.
Normally, I’d say chambered. If your gun isn’t safe to have a round chambered 24/7, your gun isn’t safe period. (And that’s overlooking the obvious point as The Guru recounted: “eez gun! eez not safe!”) Keep a round chambered because if you need it you’ll want minimal time & hassle getting it to that state. A proper holster will solve the problem of the trigger being pulled by accident. Pull trigger, go bang; don’t pull trigger, no bang. Takes long enough to draw/aim/fire without the even longer draw/grab/rack/aim/fire.
My exception is when children are involved/nearby. Take great pains to keep it from them and teach them “hands off” and The Four Rules, but on some fluke whereby they find a loaded gun (mistakes happen, malicious curiosity is human) ensure they need that extra step of chambering, requiring the focus and strength and deliberation to cause that to occur ... as opposed to just applying 5 pounds pressure on the trigger. In this scenario you’re facing competing harms: better to risk the slight delay in defensive use than to risk increased ease of harm involving children.
I like empty chamber. It’s really all just personal choice. There’s good and bad either way. Yeah you’ve got one less bullet, one more action with an automatic. But you’re also less accident prone, that lady a few months ago that got killed by her 4 year-old probably wished she was empty chamber. Know yourself, know your situation, make decisions accordingly.
If it’s coming out, there is no doubt.
My nine has a striker (no hammer), so round in the chamber.
My .357 has a hammer blocker, so six rounds in the chamber.
Neither weapon has a manual safety, so that’s one less concern if needed.
Kahr CM9. 7 round clip and one in the chamber all the time. Trigger pull is WAY long...
If you are willing to try to hit the other guy in the head with a dead piece of metal, no round. If you want a defensive weapon at your disposal, always chamber a round.
If you don’t feel comfortable with one in the chamber you may not need to be carrying. Or need more training. When it goes down you won’t have the time or muscle memory to chamber a round if needed.
This question really depends on what kind of weapon one is using.
I would carry with one in the chamber for some weapons, but with others, I would not.
SAO w grip safety.
Carry w 1 in the chamber, safety off.
For Home security, accessible by me only, no round in the chamber.