Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Another Good Reason Never To Carry With Empty Chamber

No schit.

I have never ever ever carried a handgun without one in the pipe.

Stupid.

Good because there isn't one. Carrying with an empty chamber is the result of bad training, lack of knowledge of circumstances of real life SD events, and bad tactics that some learned in the military carrying 1911s in C3. Crazy thinking

If you need the pistol you'll need it immediately. Condition 1 while carrying, and even the idea of engaging the thumb safety on a 1911 while carrying in a proper IWB holster is of questionable value IMHO. Needs rethinking.

Why would anyone lie? I believe the majority would tell the truth, if not all. Do you carry a round in the chamber, and what is your reasoning behind your answer.

I imagine to avoid the harassment. Which means they likely know they are the minority and as such also likely know they probably shouldn't carry that way but do for whatever perceived safety benefit the feel it offers.

Just goes along the lines of other, but less questionable theories for carry. Like spare mags, some say mandatory others not. Or carrying ALL day(wake up until bed). Im somehwere in the middle. Depending on what im doing or where im going a spare mag may not be in my pocket and its rarely on my belt. I also take my gun off at home. Some days I even......off body carry *gasp*. Situation dictates carry.

My thinking, exactly.

People lie all the time so other people won't think less of them. Shoving a loaded pistol in your pants makes a lot of people uneasy.

I always carry a round in the chamber. Bad things happen really fast and I don't want to be trying to get my gun loaded when I need it.

I also carry extra mags, flashlight and sometimes a extra gun. It's just stuff I'm used to having at work.

Dink

Seems to me the main reason for developing a DA Auto handgun was to produce a firearm that could be carried reasonably safely with a round in the chamber and be able to produce a quick first shot.

People have been carrying DA revolvers with a round in the chamber for a long time.

I've never felt unsafe carrying striker fired gun with one up the spout, same with a da/sa, or SAO gun.


I prefer Da,or do GUNS because I like the second strike feature. I've also never put much stock into the " high bore axis" theory, that those guns are more difficult to shoot, or any slower in measurable practicality to fire accurately.

It is not.

I have personally trained Brazilian special operations personnel (Mil and LEOs) and while (just like here) everyone does not do things the exact same way, they do not have any legal restrictions to carrying a handgun properly loaded.

A month or so back I had a discussion with a guy on another forum when he stated he always instructed people to carry with an empty chamber - even modern double action revolvers! He stated he was an ex-military weapons expert now conducting training for civilian CCW classes. He defended his instruction of a cold chamber because that's the way he was taught in the "special operations group." Idiot...

Do you actually train that way? I immediately begin malfunction clearing on a click rather than try pulling the trigger again. Too many other things it could be besides a hard primer to potentially waste the time pulling the trigger.

no. I guess it's a subconscious warm and friendly...I still prefer Da guns though.

A friend of mine in college was a fellow gun loony. Odd thing about this guy was that he carried double action revolvers sans one round under the hammer. I always thought that bizarre. When I asked him why, he said it was for safety. This was back in the early 1980s. Made no sense to me then or now.

If a revolver doesn't have a transfer bar safety or an enclosed hammer, dropping the gun on the hammer can cause it to fire if you have a round under the hammer.

Well that makes it pretty clear.

I found a pocket holster that I bought that makes me more comfortable about carrying my LCP 2 with a loaded chamber. It is a Kydex holster that completely secures the trigger while allowing the firearm to be loaded and unloaded while in the holster. It's made by BORAII and makes carrying the single action LCP 2, with it's light trigger pull, worry free.

I carry a five inch steel frame 1911 loaded and locked all day every day. It depends where I am as to how many extra magazines but never over two. If I need more than 25 rounds I will already be dead. For the record it has a round in the chamber and I am not telling a lie.

I know, but how many modern S&W, Ruger, Colt double action revolvers fall into that category? Remember, he's training CCW classes. I don't know anybody packing a Colt SAA for their CCW gun but I suppose that's possible.

Like most, I cannot see any sense in carrying a weapon without a round in the chamber. If you are paranoid about dropping it, or shooting your toe off, buy one with a thumb safety or use a revolver. At least you are not fumbling around trying to work a slide while some nut is beating on your head. My bedstand weapon is a a S&W 16 shot SD9 VE with no thumb safety and always loaded fully. My CCW is a Either a Taurus PT-111 or a SCCY CPX-1 both with thumb safeties. With a bit of practice you can flip the safety off in a second. The SCCY CPX-1 has an ambidextrious safety for both right handers and lefties. Can't figure why an Instructor would tell some one to carry with an empty chamber.

They are out there and unfortunately reproduce.