Is it more unsafe to carry a Glock with a round chambered than any other pistol?

Smoke

Smoke

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I may not have titled this correctly but my question is it somehow more unsafe to carry a Glock with a round in the chamber than say a third gen Smith?

I am carrying a 4006 right now with a round in the camber and the decocker in the fire position. All I have to do to fire the gun is pull the trigger. I don’t see that this is any different than carrying a Glock with a round in the chamber except one may have require more force to pull the trigger than the other.

Either gun is a trigger pull away from firing and equally if you keep your booger hook off the bang switch neither gun will go off.

So am I missing something is there something about the Glock design that makes it inherently more unsafe than other similar pistols?
 
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Good question. At least you have a double action pull to go through, and not a light SA pull.

I carry a 1911 Condition 1, or FNX decocked with safety on (a double-action Condition 1 if you will).

Glocks, or others like it are Condition 0. Which for me, is too risky. I won't carry Condition 0. The disadvantage of the Glock is that the user only has two choices of carry; Condition 0 (round in chamber, cocked, safety off), or Condition 3 (empty chamber, rounds in magazine). Condition 3 is not very wise IMHO for ccw, so the user is stuck with Condition 0.

I practice draw from CCW with my 1911 and FNX in Condition 1. That is, I practice the draw, the safety off, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, and follow through. It is second nature. When I use pistols with no external safety (like my beloved HK with LEM trigger group) I find I sweep my thumb snicking off an imaginary safety. No matter, it wastes no time, and does not create a safety hazard.

I write this with YMMV, and each to their own.

As a reminder of what the conditions mean:

Condition 0 - Ready to fire: The pistol has cartridges in the magazine, a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.

Condition 1 - The pistol has cartridges in the magazine, a cartridge is chambered, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is in the up (safe) position. Also known as the "cocked and locked" carry condition.

Condition 2 - A cartridge is in the chamber, the hammer is down, and the pistol has cartridges in the magazine.

Condition 3 - The chamber is empty and hammer is down, but the pistol has a full magazine. This condition is also known as "Israeli Carry."

Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, hammer is down and no magazine is in the pistol.
 
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It is dangerous to carry ANY firearm, LOADED in ANY way if you:
  1. do not understand how to safely operate it.
  2. do not obey the general rules of firearm safety.
If you're dumb enough and oblivious enough, you can accidentally kill yourself or somebody else with an "unloaded" Trapdoor Springfield.

I liken Glocks to the C programming language. Either will do anything of which they are capable which you TELL them to, be it reading or writing past the end of an array or shooting you in the foot. If you don't want them to crash your program (or the computer) or blow your big toe off, don't TELL them to.
 
Gunslinger808 said:
I always carry my Glocks with One in the chamber.
Holster selection/carry methods and adherence to the basic rules of firearms safety will determine whether you're safe or not.
But that applies to any firearm.
Click to expand...

Absolutely!! A firearm is only as safe at it's operator.

If one carries a Glock or other Condition 0 pistol, know what that means, use an appropriate holster if you CCW, and pay PARTICULAR attention to pistol retention and keep it locked up when not in use.

While all pistols should be locked up when not in use, lets face it, they not always are.

A condition 0 user must be a bit more vigilant as Condition 0 is unforgiving. Where a manual external safety can be the one little thing that makes a difference between a bad scare (ops left my pistol in the bedroom drawer with kids in the house) or a tragedy.
 
In theory, follow the basic rules of firearms safety and no, the Glock is no more dangerous to carry chambered than any other firearm.

In the pragmatic world of varying degrees of risk and risk mitigation, yes, the Glock, minus meaningful safeties, has a greater chance for negligent discharge than many of its semi-auto or revolver counterparts.

I don't know the 4006 design. If it's single action, I'd argue that it's less safe in the fashion you carry because of the lightness of the single action trigger. If it's double action, I'd say the Glock is less safe because stock the Glock striker fired mechanism is lighter than most double action semi-autos, though still heavier than most single action ones.
 
I've been carrying a Glock Model 22 since 1995 as a duty pistol with a round in the chamber. No issues. Gunslinger808's statement sums it up pretty good.
 
It's something of a misnomer to call Glocks "Condition 0"; the striker fired mechanism isn't at full cock, it's at half cock and only trigger pull takes it to full then strike. This is, in theory, safer than a true safety-less Condition 0.
 
Smoke said:
So am I missing something is there something about the Glock design that makes it inherently more unsafe than other similar pistols?
Click to expand...

Glocks have slightly lighter trigger pulls than some other DAO pistols, which can sometimes be a problem when certain people handle them. Glock provides two alternate trigger pulls to change this - see

http://www.glock.com/english/options_triggerspring.htm
 
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I own but two Glocks - a model 21 and a Model 30 (both in .45 ACP). The only time I feel REALLY comfortable with them chamber loaded is when I have them in my hand under my full control.

I do NOT feel comfortable carrying them chamber loaded in a holster that does not have a retention device. (If someone manages to snatch one from a conventional holster, all they have to do is pull the trigger).

I do NOT feel comfortable carrying them "Mexican carry," i.e., stuffed in the waistband. Too much danger of that trigger being pushed, not under your complete control.

If carrying one in a standard holster, two conditions must be observed (in my opinion):

1. The trigger must be completely covered in the holster with stiff leather or Kydex.

2. The chamber must be empty. If the gun is snatched, it allows you to react after the snatcher's momentary confusion as to how to fire it. This requires you to jack a round into the chamber first, losing a bit of time on the draw. So be it. The sound of you doing this is an unmistakable auditory clue to an assailant that you mean business - akin to shucking an 870.

There is a little known alternative - a "safety insert" behind the trigger that can be popped out with the trigger finger on the draw. It's not obvious that it's there. These are commercially made for all Glock configurations. It's the next best alternative to a conventional thumb safety. With practice, the insert will pop out into your support hand as you bring the gun into play. It will also be confusing to the user if the gun is snatched.

John
 
Hapworth said:
I don't know the 4006 design. If it's single action, I'd argue that it's less safe in the fashion you carry because of the lightness of the single action trigger. If it's double action, I'd say the Glock is less safe because stock the Glock striker fired mechanism is lighter than most double action semi-autos, though still heavier than most single action ones.
Click to expand...

4006 is DA/SA
 
Just to be clear, I'm not a Glock basher. I own them, I shoot them and enjoy them a great deal.

Also, what John (PALADIN) said. I didn't know about those Glock trigger blocks, I'm going to look it up, thanks.
 
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PALADIN85020 said:
I do NOT feel comfortable carrying them chamber loaded in a holster that does not have a retention device. (If someone manages to snatch one from a conventional holster, all they have to do is pull the trigger).
Click to expand...

How is that any different from someone snatching my 4006 or a revolver?

I do agree with using a retention holster but once the gun is in the bad guy's hand he can shoot a glock just as easy as he can shoot a 4006
 
A double action trigger pull takes more skill to pull off.

A badguy not used to DA pulls has a better chance to miss than with a much lighter SA pull or Glock "partial cock" pull, especially with a DA revolver.
 
dcxplant said:
Just to be clear, I'm not a Glock basher. I own them, I shoot them and enjoy them a great deal.
Click to expand...
I'll second this: I love Glocks -- own them, shoot them and (sometimes) carry them. All designs have strengths and weaknesses and it's important to recognize both; critical assessment shouldn't be taken for negative assessment.
 
Hapworth said:
It's something of a misnomer to call Glocks "Condition 0"; the striker fired mechanism isn't at full cock, it's at half cock and only trigger pull takes it to full then strike. This is, in theory, safer than a true safety-less Condition 0.
Click to expand...

You are right, of course. Lets say Glocks are Condition .5 or 1/2 ;)
 
PALADIN85020 said:
I own but two Glocks - a model 21 and a Model 30 (both in .45 ACP). The only time I feel REALLY comfortable with them chamber loaded is when I have them in my hand under my full control.

I do NOT feel comfortable carrying them chamber loaded in a holster that does not have a retention device. (If someone manages to snatch one from a conventional holster, all they have to do is pull the trigger).

I do NOT feel comfortable carrying them "Mexican carry," i.e., stuffed in the waistband. Too much danger of that trigger being pushed, not under your complete control.

If carrying one in a standard holster, two conditions must be observed (in my opinion):

1. The trigger must be completely covered in the holster with stiff leather or Kydex.

2. The chamber must be empty. If the gun is snatched, it allows you to react after the snatcher's momentary confusion as to how to fire it. This requires you to jack a round into the chamber first, losing a bit of time on the draw. So be it. The sound of you doing this is an unmistakable auditory clue to an assailant that you mean business - akin to shucking an 870.

There is a little known alternative - a "safety insert" behind the trigger that can be popped out with the trigger finger on the draw. It's not obvious that it's there. These are commercially made for all Glock configurations. It's the next best alternative to a conventional thumb safety. With practice, the insert will pop out into your support hand as you bring the gun into play. It will also be confusing to the user if the gun is snatched.

John
Click to expand...
  1. I NEVER carry ANY handgun except in a holster which fully covers the trigger.
  2. I NEVER carry ANY handgun "Mexican carry". That includes with add on clips.
  3. I NEVER carry ANY handgun with an empty chamber. I might as well just carry a hammer. An assailant can't shoot me with the hammer after a trivial bit of manipulation.
  4. If you think working a slide makes an impressive sound, imagine the attention you'll get from an assailant when your firearm goes off in his face or abdomen.
  5. I would NEVER use any device that required me to fiddle with the trigger BEFORE shooting. The ONLY time I want to touch the trigger is when I'm squeezing it to shoot my assailant until he's no longer a threat.
 
Glocks Pistols have no active safety. BUT they DO have three passive safety system.
.Firing pin safety
.Drop safety
.trigger safety

If you are going to carry a fire arm you should train yourself to carry it safely with a round in the chamber. That nano second it takes to rack one in could just cost you your life.

The thing to remember about hand gun safety is this: The most important and best safety feature is your BRAIN. If you are used to a 1911 type pistol with an active safety and carry that you still have to take the time to take the safety off in a SHTF situation...if you don't forget to. There again that time lost could be disastrous.

If you carry a Glock (like I do) and have one in the chamber you will be safe. Just train yourself to KEEP YOUR FINGER OUT OF THE TRIGGER GUARD until you have the pistol out and pointed at the target. If the trigger is not pulled the Glock will not fire.

Again the whole key to safely carrying a pistol with a round in the chamber gets back to your brain. Before you carry any fire arm you need to be intimately familiar with it. Drawing and firing should be like your next breath. The sound, the recoil, the feel of the slide locking back on an empty chamber etc should all be second nature.

The only way to get there is to PRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICE! As you do this you also gain a very important ability. Muscle memory. It plays a huge part in your abillity to react when you have to do it without thinking. If you have to stop and try to remember what to do you will lose.

If you depend 100% on the features of the pistol you use to keep you safe you are flirting with a bad situation. It's serious business, y'all and it requires careful thought, planning and preparation.
 
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tops said:
When I read of ADs and NDs it is usually a striker fired gun so are those guns less safe or are the people that carry them less safe? Larry
Click to expand...
That's debatable -- see previous comments in this thread. What they definitely are is less forgiving of people who don't follow safety rules.
 
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