Hi gang, New here. I just purchased a M&P shield in 9mm. I had a Walther PPS in 40 cal. before this and carried with a round in the pipe.
My question is, is it safe to carry a round in the chamber when I carry. I know one guy with a glock who does not carry with a round in the pipe.
Just a question to Shield users.

Thanks

I carry mine fully loaded with the safety engaged. I like the manual safety. No problems so far.

__________________
S&W Accumulator

It is UNSAFE to carry a pistol without a round chambered*. All of the evidence shows that the time and effort needed to chamber a round when the excrement hits the rotator will be inconsistent with the reality of defensive use of a firearm. Your friend with the Glock is simply not well educated and trained, and if he is that much of a Barney, should not be carrying a firearm.

* Exception, a cheap piece of garbage that one should not use for any serious purpose anyway.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

This subject was tossed around recently and a search should give you plenty of reading... but the end point is there is no logical reason to NOT carry your gun loaded.

Keep it properly secured in a quality holster that covers the trigger, and keep your finger off the trigger until your ready to fire.

That "teacher" was also a reserve city police officer . . .

__________________
Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Strongly suggest a quality course from a qualified instructor, with lots of hands-on supervised practice.
A handgun is only as safe as the trained person holding it. And in an emergency you fall to the level of your training, not rise to your expectations.

__________________
Science plus Art

My EDC is a Shield 9 without thumb safety and it just seems to me counterintuitive to carry it without a loaded chamber. I've never had to use it in self defense but if I ever have to I certainly wouldn't what to be fumbling around trying to chamber a round.

Agree with the previous posters. Duh, under severe stress, it's a good idea to have to unholster the gun, rack the slide when it might be wise to be moving away from the threat? Good odds of failing to fully rack the slide and getting a jam.

I think an unloaded gun is a rather worthless item, simply eye candy to admire or handle. I was stopped by a NM cop after passing through a construction zone en route a brief vacation in CO. I told him I had a gun in the car, this being before NM allowed concealed carry. Cops said "Why do you have a gun? My thought was "You need to find another line of work guy". Don

A loaded chamber Shield will not fire unless the trigger is pulled.

Observe the four safety rules, especially to keep your finger OFF the trigger until ready to fire, and self defense carry will be both safe and as the gun was designed to be used.

A gun that is unloaded for “safety” is not a gun ready to be used for safety.

Safety is attitude, training, experience, familiarity with your gun and an unwavering commitment to follow the four safety rules. Anything less is a potentially fatal compromise in a life-and-death situation.

I have 3 M&Ps all with a round in chamber, no safety. I want the gun ready to go if needed.

The only gun I have with round in chamber that I keep my safety on is my 1911 that is always cocked.

I think if someone is not comfortable carrying with a round in the chamber, the they shouldn’t do it. This does sort of defeat the purpose of carrying though; so the goal then should be to quickly become comfortable and familiar with carrying your pistol, to the point where you are ok carrying with one in the pipe. Self defense shootings usually happen within a few feet and a few seconds. You should have one in the chamber to be effective


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I carry my 9c w/ a loaded chamber but I also installed an Apex Duty/Carry kit so the initial trigger pull is heavier than stock.

No. It's a gun. Guns must be handled with extreme care.

__________________
I've still got it made.

If you will read the manual that S&W issues with every Shield sold you will see that instructions are given as to how to safely load a round in to the magazine, recharge the mag to full capacity, and carry the pistol so loaded. Were that not proper procedure, they would tell you so.

That being said, a gun is a dangerous item. If a person is not willing to familiarize himself with and dedicate himself to its safe operation, he should not carry a gun, chamber loaded or not.

__________________
Pisgah

I don't carry a round in the pipe. Heck, I don't even smoke a pipe!

However, any gun I carry will have a round chambered.

Only if you want to live.

Actually, a "gun" is not a "dangerous item". Careless or negligent handling of a firearm is what can cause serious consequences such as loss of life, property damage, etc., but the inanimate firearm itself is no more dangerous than a kitchen knife.

Welcome to the forum. I would encourage you to go on over to the “New Member” thread and tell us a little about yourself. Then we might be able to answer your questions better.

^ this when I first got my LTC I was very nervous carrying. I took 4 4 hour long conceal carry courses at a firearm school here in mass that has SWAT guys teaching the classes.
After the 2nd class I had become very comfortable drawing and re holstering ...shooting while moving etc. From that point on I always carry my shield (no safety) with a round in the chamber.
If you're uncomfortable take a class or 2 or 3 , whatever it takes to get some hours in to 'get you there' .
in regards to the cop in the classroom. One of my best friends from college worked for the sheriffs department as a firearms instructor for years. He told me 90% of the cops he had contact with never drew their guns until a week or so before they had to qualify annually. He said some of the range footage was horrific, a lot of these guys are are a hazard to themselves and anyone around them, so hearing stories like this one in the class room no longer surprises me.
it's funny the cops I personally know that shoot competitions, are freaking snipers, but they shoot over 1000 rounds a month.

Pretty weak metaphor. How about a gun is no more dangerous than a hand grenade?

__________________
I've still got it made.

I always carry with one in the chamber and no thumb safety, personal preference. In my opinion, two less obstacles to deal with if it does hit the fan and the mind and body have difficulty communicating.

The guy was robbed, the perps were starting to leave when the guy jerks out a gun and racks the slide. About that time he got shot a couple of times and died.

RARELY will you get a chance to rack the slide before things get really serious.

Carrying a loaded gun is a heavy responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. You know there is a round in the chamber and when the safety goes off it's very likely to 'expend rounds'.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the OP hasn’t commented on or liked anything in this thread since he started it at 8:18 this morning? Joined today, first (and only) post, then no interest. Hope we didn’t scare him off.

I follow the final corollary to Murphy's Law: Murphy was an optimist. The more I reduce things that can go wrong, the happier I am.

Israeli philosophy (rack as you draw) notwithstanding, simple is good. I want a gun ready to fire immediately in the unlikely event I'm forced to use it.

I've owned only revolvers for most of the last twenty years, with a DAO as my carry gun, so it's not a decision I have to make; but when I carried an automatic you can rest assured there was always a round in the chamber.

__________________
Oh well, what the hell.

Yes, it is safe to carry a Shield with a round in the chamber, even if it does not have a manual safety; and if it does, even with the manual safety disengaged.

Some people carry to defend against two-legged threats. Maybe the sight and/or sound of the slide being racked is sufficient to dissuade such a threat.
I carry on the residential street for protection against four legged threats that occur at ambush range, unprovoked, unpredictably, at semi-regular intervals at an average of once per five months. These threats can close in on the last few feet faster than I can move a few inches, and easily as fast as I can unholster my self defense firearm.
The sight and sound of the slide being racked is of no value in dissuading such an attacker. Therefore, I carry my 40 Shield no thumb safety and/or my G29 or G27 fully loaded. Twelve hours ago was the fourth time I had to unholster my firearm in 22 months in the single family residential neighborhood that I regularly power walk. The threat stopped its advance within inches of my fire zone. At that instant, I and the firearm were at the maximum state of readiness to fire.
Local law enforcement does not care that I walk 1,000 miles every five and a half months. They do seem very concerned that I have mine out more frequently than most people have theirs out.

For your for legged threats would it be better to keep a cannister of pepper spray in hand? 4 leggers seem to react pretty strongly to that sort of thing.

If you are afraid of carrying with one in the chamber, get a handgun that has an external manual safety. If you have a handgun with an external manual safety and are still too afraid to carry with one in the chamber, check to make sure you still have a pair of testicles.

Ok, you got me.

What is going on in this residential neighborhood to cause you to draw 4 times in less than 2 years?

If you carry your gun in a proper holster that covers the trigger guard and follow the basic rules when handling a firearm, particularly the one that states to keep your finger off of the trigger until you’re ready to destroy whatever the gun is pointed toward - you’ll be fine.

Quote:

I carry on the residential street for protection against four legged threats that occur at ambush range, unprovoked, unpredictably, at semi-regular intervals

Pepper spray is no reliable when the four legged creature is fully adrenalin charged.

This is Why You Carry With A Round in the Chamber! | Active Self Protection - YouTube

Aside from the time penalty (which could be death) of having to rack the slide, people under duress have a tendency to short stroke and fail to chamber a round. Or forget to chamber one at all.

I carry a revolver, so I've got six chambers loaded (unlike Barney.)

He should be pointing to his head. Safety is between the ears.

I carry with a round chambered. But to be blunt, I don't care how anybody else carries. It is your life, your rights, your responsibility.

Truth is if you are in a face to face attack you have already screwed the pooch. You will need both hands to fend off the attack, it is too late to go for the gun.

Its called Israeli carry and I dont see a problem with it, as long as you train to rack the slide before you present the weapon. When I first started carrying (3 years ago), I carried this way cus I wasnt comfortable with the idea of carrying a loaded weapon. But after lots of practice, I became comfortable and started carrying with one in the pipe. I really think it all depends on your comfort lever. Some people say, the extra second it takes to rack the slide and cost you your life. On the other hand, that extra second might prevent you from accidentally shooting someone who you think is a threat but they are not. One last note...... Its called the Israeli Carry because that is how the Israeli military and special forces are trained. That has to count for something.

OP is probably a one post wonder.

Nevertheless, the above is the right answer. Look online for surveillance video of how attacks happen. It just comes out of the blue, in a split second. When a person steps around a corner, into or out of a building or shadow. Often when the victim is distracted with some other thing, kids, groceries, whatever.

Far be it from me to criticize another persons style of carry. However to me, an unloaded chamber is an invitation to disaster.

__________________
Just Say No - To Social Media

We are all responsible for our own salvation.

__________________
I've still got it made.

I can draw from concealment with one hand. I cannot rack a slide (quickly) with one hand. Having two hands REQUIRED to get my gun into action in a life and death situation is not a compromise I am willing to make.

As to the reasons Israelis used to (maybe still do) carry unloaded, I understood that they issued a variety of pistols to a variety of individuals. Rather than teach a variety of manual of arms (DA/SA; safety/non safety; SA or striker fired) it was easier to use this one method for everyone, including less well trained individuals.

When I visited a friend in Israel he had both an issued pistol and rifle unsecured in his home. Both had empty chambers but were otherwise loaded. There was some degree of storage safety here and a fairly quick option to get them into action. However, he said the well trained and currently active folks carried chamber loaded when in hot zones.

As has been said, empty chamber carry is a lower state of readiness based on a lower level of training, lower familiarity with the gun and carry system. Commitment seems to be the difference. Commit to getting trained, practice, have good equipment and the fear of carrying ready to go becomes an additional comfort level.

Interestingly, carrying chamber empty is basically fear inspired, yet it makes one even less safe in many of the encounters for which one carries a gun in the first place. That adds to fear.

Carrying fully loaded adds to safety and should inspire more confidence. Training. That’s it.

Usually in a hot zone I would think most soldiers would have multiple rounds going in, and out of the chamber. Hopefully I will never be in a hot zone in the future.

Carry as you did before, nothing wrong or unsafe about it. Now let me quatify this with a response I've given a number of times, here and elsewhere. The purpose of carrying is to protect yourself and others. Remember, the only person that knows you are a target is the bad guy. He doesn't plan on advising you of this. In the past, it was understood a bad guy with a knife could cover 21' in 2 seconds, or about a car length. Today, studies are showing they've been exercising and can cover closer to 56' in that same 2 seconds. To first recognize the threat, draw, load, aim, and fire that first critical shot, you're already about a full second behind the curve. Anything you can do, including having a round in the chamber, increases your chances of surviving that attack.

__________________
SFC, US Army, Retired

I carry a 357 mag revolver. Always one in the barrel. On occasion I do carry a 45 acp 1911, cocked and locked. I really don't think I'm fast enough to rack one in an emergency situation.

That's all I carry is a revolver. No need to worry about trying different ammo to see what works best, no need to run X amount of rounds to check for reliability, no magazines to lose or moan about when the rebate takes too long. etc. lol.

Unloaded gun=club

There’s a reason that our LEOs carry w/a round chambered. I’ve survived three deadly force confrontations in my career and can assure you carrying w/o a round chambered is likely to get you killed. If this makes you uncomfortable think about carrying a revolver.

__________________
Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I also carry a revolver, but I have no rounds in the barrel. As far as the cylinder I do not have one round in there, unless I have fired the others.

1 major advantage that revolvers have over autoloaders is in the event that you have a dud or misfire, most people will have that knee jerk reaction of pulling the trigger again. Nothing happens. You have to rack the slide and chamber a fresh round. I've seen experienced shooters do that at the range not even under any stress.


Do that on a revolver, even under stress and the cylinder rotates to the next chamber and the gun will fire.

The Walther PPS is a striker-fired semi-auto with several internal safety systems to prevent the gun from firing without an intentional trigger pull. The Shield is a striker-fired semi-auto with several internal safety features to prevent the gun from firing without an intentional trigger pull.

Good luck in your decision to carry your Shield with a chambered round and be safe out there.

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

What would you have the OP say?

He's a little overwhelmed, and asked for help. Instead, he came under attack.

The topic of keeping a round in the chamber has been beaten so badly for a number of years on this and other online gun forums that quite frankly I'm surprised people still ask the question.