highaltitude
Member
You remember correctly. Here's the article. Pretty sad...
Man killed by his own concealed weapon - Richmond Times Dispatch: Archive
Round in Chamber
- Thread starter kevinmcc2
- Start date
You remember correctly. Here's the article. Pretty sad...
Man killed by his own concealed weapon - Richmond Times Dispatch: Archive
That is sad, if only he had bothered to get a properly fitting holster that covered the trigger. That's the main reason I'm reluctant to get one of those clips that fit on the side of a gun and hook on your waistband.
Read what I wrote previously. It did cover the trigger
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I'm talking about the last post by highaltitude where a man bled to death in front of his family due to a negligent discharge, he carried a Glock 27 in his waistband with no holster.
I guess I should've quoted that one to be clear.
Wildcatmo
Member
I have Glocks, You are a fool if you don't carry them in a holster that covers the trigger. Then again, I can't think of anytime not to have a pistol or revolver in a holster.
zotzer
Member
One of the most dangerous things one can do with a pistol is hoster it. It's one reason I love the Remora holsters. I can move my carry pistol around multiple times per day without it ever leaving the holster.
Arik
Member
What he said^. Striker fired guns need proper holsters that not only COVER THE TRIGGER but also DO NOT COLLAPSE when the gun is unholstered.
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At first, when I started looking for a gun I thought that I wouldn't want one with a safety. After I held the shield and seen how easy it was to flip it with your thumb I decided it was a good idea to use it any time the gun was holstered with one in the chamber.
I know the trigger safety helps a lot but being a rookie concealed carry guy I just feel safer with the safety on.
getoff
Member
if you don't chamber a round, you might as well carry a brick... time spent chambering is time away from first shots. i always, always, carry cocked and locked. would you carry a revolver with an empty chamber as the first charging hole? not me brother...
smokey0118
Member
Training Classes - CenterMassCombatTactics Firearms Training
b&s personal safety and firearms education
I live in md too. I'm an executive member of MSI and you'll see me around mdshooters from time to time. Md's laws may suck, but we've got a fair amount of good training resources available. The above groups are near you and have a great reputation.
A gun is not magic, you need skills to operate it effectively under stress. When you put on a gun, you are opening yourself to the possibility of being in a gun fight. How comfortable would you feel just buying a sword and jumping head first into a sword fight without any training? What is going to better prepare you to use your gun, $100 worth of ammo or $100 worth of training by a professional? Get schooled.
As for carrying practices...carrying is a lifestyle and you will have to use what works for your lifestyle. The belt, holster, gun, and mag holder that works for me for a given outfit/season/activity may not be what you need. My carry gun changes from an m&p45 w/ tlr1 owb to a m&p9c iwb depending on how I'm dressed and what I'm doing/where I'll be. The main point here is that you need to experiment with gear until you find something reliable and safe that works for you as an individual.
Testing your gear in training and competitions is a good way to refine what you're using. Everyone who carries has a drawer or two full of holsters they used to use until they found (insert current carry holster here) and fell in love. Speaking of competition, swing by the thurmont IDPA shoots and see how you do. The free new shooter orientation class itself may be worth the trip for you.
TCSC - IDPA Matches
As for your original question of if it's safe to carry a m&p with a round in the chamber...yes, as long as you don't press the trigger to the rear somehow when you don't want to. The m&p has a trigger safety that blocks the trigger on the frame if pressed from the middle. It's designed so that the bottom must swing back first(this happens naturally when your finger presses it) before the main body of the trigger and move to the rear.
The m&p also has an internal striker block that prevents the striker from moving forward in the striker channel until the block is moved up and out of the way of the channel. It is pressed up and out of the way of the striker channel when a node on the trigger bar runs in to it when the trigger is pressed to the rear. Again, the gun wont fire unless the trigger is pressed fully to the rear...even if the sear or striker face break.
I personally prevent the trigger from being moved rearward when i don't want it to be by keeping all my handguns in holsters that cover the trigger guard. the m&p45 on my hip right now is in a holster that covers the trigger guard. It won't fire unless it's drawn from the holster and the trigger is pressed. At the same time, if someone breaks in my door right now, I can get shots on the threat(if it requires them) within a second or two.
As for playing with your kids...your kids should have basic firearm safety knowledge by now and know to keep their hands off your gun. Safety hardware is not nearly as effective as safety software. Personally, I'd probably just keep a drawer-safe or lock-box handy down where you often play with them and just toss the gun/holster in there (remember, the holster keeps the trigger from being pressed when you don't want it to be, think of it as a manual safety) when you want to wrestle around with them.
If you prefer to keep your gun on you, get a holster with retention like a safariland ALS or galco thumb break. When I wrestle around with my dog, or go hiking somewhere where I carry, I like my galco thumb break holsters to both be comfortable and keep my gun on my hip. You'll have to re-train yourself to unsnap before the draw, but it's worth it when extra retention is needed.
Cliffs notes version
1) get training
2) Find gear that works for you
3) Carrying a hot gun isn't a big deal if you keep the trigger guard covered with a holster
4) temporarily store your gun or get a holster with retention for horseplay with your kids
5) safety software is more important than safety hardware
b&s personal safety and firearms education
I live in md too. I'm an executive member of MSI and you'll see me around mdshooters from time to time. Md's laws may suck, but we've got a fair amount of good training resources available. The above groups are near you and have a great reputation.
A gun is not magic, you need skills to operate it effectively under stress. When you put on a gun, you are opening yourself to the possibility of being in a gun fight. How comfortable would you feel just buying a sword and jumping head first into a sword fight without any training? What is going to better prepare you to use your gun, $100 worth of ammo or $100 worth of training by a professional? Get schooled.
As for carrying practices...carrying is a lifestyle and you will have to use what works for your lifestyle. The belt, holster, gun, and mag holder that works for me for a given outfit/season/activity may not be what you need. My carry gun changes from an m&p45 w/ tlr1 owb to a m&p9c iwb depending on how I'm dressed and what I'm doing/where I'll be. The main point here is that you need to experiment with gear until you find something reliable and safe that works for you as an individual.
Testing your gear in training and competitions is a good way to refine what you're using. Everyone who carries has a drawer or two full of holsters they used to use until they found (insert current carry holster here) and fell in love. Speaking of competition, swing by the thurmont IDPA shoots and see how you do. The free new shooter orientation class itself may be worth the trip for you.
TCSC - IDPA Matches
As for your original question of if it's safe to carry a m&p with a round in the chamber...yes, as long as you don't press the trigger to the rear somehow when you don't want to. The m&p has a trigger safety that blocks the trigger on the frame if pressed from the middle. It's designed so that the bottom must swing back first(this happens naturally when your finger presses it) before the main body of the trigger and move to the rear.
The m&p also has an internal striker block that prevents the striker from moving forward in the striker channel until the block is moved up and out of the way of the channel. It is pressed up and out of the way of the striker channel when a node on the trigger bar runs in to it when the trigger is pressed to the rear. Again, the gun wont fire unless the trigger is pressed fully to the rear...even if the sear or striker face break.
I personally prevent the trigger from being moved rearward when i don't want it to be by keeping all my handguns in holsters that cover the trigger guard. the m&p45 on my hip right now is in a holster that covers the trigger guard. It won't fire unless it's drawn from the holster and the trigger is pressed. At the same time, if someone breaks in my door right now, I can get shots on the threat(if it requires them) within a second or two.
As for playing with your kids...your kids should have basic firearm safety knowledge by now and know to keep their hands off your gun. Safety hardware is not nearly as effective as safety software. Personally, I'd probably just keep a drawer-safe or lock-box handy down where you often play with them and just toss the gun/holster in there (remember, the holster keeps the trigger from being pressed when you don't want it to be, think of it as a manual safety) when you want to wrestle around with them.
If you prefer to keep your gun on you, get a holster with retention like a safariland ALS or galco thumb break. When I wrestle around with my dog, or go hiking somewhere where I carry, I like my galco thumb break holsters to both be comfortable and keep my gun on my hip. You'll have to re-train yourself to unsnap before the draw, but it's worth it when extra retention is needed.
Cliffs notes version
1) get training
2) Find gear that works for you
3) Carrying a hot gun isn't a big deal if you keep the trigger guard covered with a holster
4) temporarily store your gun or get a holster with retention for horseplay with your kids
5) safety software is more important than safety hardware
A gun with a cartridge loaded in the chamber dangerous.
It is even more dangerous if there is NO cartridge in the chamber!
Keep that gun completely loaded and treat it as such, or leave it at home is my advice.
It is even more dangerous if there is NO cartridge in the chamber!
Keep that gun completely loaded and treat it as such, or leave it at home is my advice.
Brien
Member
I typically don't like having a round in the chamber in a gun without a safety. However, my wife has a hard time racking the slide. So I have 1 in the chamber now. Since I don't carry this gun and it's mounted under my desk I don't feel it is a safety concern.
accessbob
Member
I carry with a round chambered, in my M&P40c and also my SR1911 cocked and locked. I use a Sticky Holster for my M&P and a Remora for my SR1911. I don't need to unholster to use the facilities. I just remove the whole thing. Finger can't get to the trigger that way and nothing else can either.
ShortStroke
Member
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I carry with one in the chamber. That's what works for me. I don't use external safeties either (exception being the 1911). YMMV.
I thought the SR1911 slide is based on a 70 series design. If that's true, I would not carry that with a round in the chamber. My dad had Colt NM 70 Series (it mine now 
). He dropped it one night getting out of his truck and it discharged. The firing pin is free floating.
Be careful.
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). He dropped it one night getting out of his truck and it discharged. The firing pin is free floating.Be careful.
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No guns around kids
I would like to keep loaded weapons in my house, but having kids negates that. My guns have all been locked. Now I have teenage neighborhood kids all over my house and I felt compelled to buy a safe, that's where my guns are now. While it is likely that my house will be broken in to, it's very likely that kids are going to be curious about guns and I don't want that kind of tragedy.
I would like to keep loaded weapons in my house, but having kids negates that. My guns have all been locked. Now I have teenage neighborhood kids all over my house and I felt compelled to buy a safe, that's where my guns are now. While it is likely that my house will be broken in to, it's very likely that kids are going to be curious about guns and I don't want that kind of tragedy.
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Kevin
I go one step further. I store my holstered Shield locked in my Gunvault chambered.
I have read constantly racking the same shells repeatedly is not good on the ammo and some shooters I have read believe it can cause the crimp to loosen overtime.
I also leave my defense rounds in the magazine and use spare magazines for the range. I do this because I have observed constantly removing and loading up a magazine with the same defense rounds can chew into the brass in time.
Russ
I go one step further. I store my holstered Shield locked in my Gunvault chambered.
I have read constantly racking the same shells repeatedly is not good on the ammo and some shooters I have read believe it can cause the crimp to loosen overtime.
I also leave my defense rounds in the magazine and use spare magazines for the range. I do this because I have observed constantly removing and loading up a magazine with the same defense rounds can chew into the brass in time.
Russ
Poodle Soup
Member
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- Apr 21, 2012
- Messages
- 592
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If you decide to go with a gun that has a safety, practice taking the safety off before you shoot. If murpheys law comes into effect your holstered gun that always has the safety off might have been bumped on by accident.
