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Old 02-14-2017, 02:12 PM
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BB57 BB57 is offline
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That's correct - it is not a legal requirement, but rather an offshoot of military training. Given two years of mandatory active military service and continuing reserve service requirements, military training has a big impact on how things are done in Israel.

In a larger context, carrying a pistol hammer down on an empty chamber was the norm for militaries to train their troops to carry a single action semi-auto like the 1911 or the Browning Hi Power with the hammer down on an empty chamber (Condition 3). Most militaries and police departments in Europe also carried DA pistols like the Walther PP in the same fashion.

The rationale was that the shooter would draw the weapon and then rack the slide to chamber a round, making the weapon loaded, cocked and ready to fire (Condition 0).

The safety (or decocking lever) came into play once the shooting was done, rendering the weapon safe with, for a single action, hammer cocked, safety on and chamber loaded (Condition 1), or for a DA pistol, hammer down on a loaded chamber, until the circumstances allowed a return to the normal carry condition.

It's important to remember that militaries issue pistols primarily to support troops who carry them, but who have only very infrequent need to use them. In that regard carrying on a empty chamber and racking the slide to cock and load makes a great deal of sense.

Some folks advocate for carrying a Hi Power or 1911 with the hammer down on a loaded chamber (Condition 2). However there is significant disadvantage to this in that it requires fine motor skills to cock the hammer and under extreme stress those fine motor skills will be seriously degraded. It's just as fast to rack the slide to cock the pistol and chamber a round, and it's done with gross motor movements that are more reliable under extreme stress.

Condition 3 carry is still common in Europe and in many militaries and police departments outside the US. It makes a great deal of sense for a Glock as well, all things considered.

For civilians here in the US, carrying a single action pistol in Condition 1 more common, and was preferred by most LEOs when single action semi-autos were common duty weapons.

Last edited by BB57; 02-14-2017 at 02:16 PM.
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