I carry one in the chamber all the time. First gun was a Sigma so its oprah heavy trigger made me comfortable doing so.. I just got my new mp9 with thumb safety but reguardless if it was there or not id still carry one chambered.. like the other people said just practice good gun handling and common sense

one in the Chamber and Practice - Practice - Practice

Great thread... I need to practice more with my firearms to feel at ease... got a long way to go...

Thank you all for your comments...

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Stay safe, stay alert
Wachuko

[QUOTE=smokey04;136314276]All of the info posted above is A++ WISDOM. However, if you are unable to achieve a training level that is comfortable for you,then I would suggest carrying a DA revolver.I don't mean that to sound snotty, I do know some folks that are just not comfortable carrying "cocked and locked" over a chambered round. The solution,as I suggested,is a good double action revolver. In any reasonable caliber .357 Mag or better you will not be undergunned.Nic


Very well said i agree

While I notice you are new to these forums you are possibly also new to the world of carrying a weapon on your person either concealed (which I do) or openly as a Law officer of some kind depending on your circumstances when carrying does you circumstances require you to be Barney Fife and carry a revolver with no loaded chambers and a bullet in your buttoned shirt pocket!

Suppose you are carrying a revolver usually a double action if LEO of some sort would you be Barney Fife with a bullet in your buttoned shirt pocket? No you would carry all five or six chambers with a bullet in them at all times...what is the difference with a semi auto? The semi auto has but one chamber and a magazine feeds that chamber a hammer must strike a firing pin (or a striker if a Glock or M&P which have no hammer). The 1911 was required to have a thumb safety even though there were objections to this from Colt but to get a government contract they complied and most people used to 1911 love the thumb safety but with a striker fire like the Glock or the M&P this is not necessary a thumb safety only keeps the hammer from striking the firing pin in a striker fired weapon there is no need for this kind of safety other than to make 1911 guys feel more accustomed to the weapon!

I have a thumb safety on my model 59 and it is always off and useless to me I do not need something else to fool with when firing my weapon. In a striker fired weapon the only way it will fire is to actually pull the trigger and usually this is the intent of a shooter.

I have 8 hand guns all fully loaded with one in the chamber
and never has one of them gone off unless I pulled them out of their holster or even off the nightstand and pulled the trigger with my finger!

I have been doing so with semi autos since 1982 so after 30 years I think I know what I am talking about, but I will remind you that I practice safety with any of my weapons and treat them all as loaded because I know that they are. I have yet to shoot anyone or anything accidentally so this is all I can contribute, you experience might be different!

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59,M&P9,40,40C,357,(2)45,G26

I am new to guns, had mine for only two years... joined NRA and a local gun range. Got a IWB holster for my Beretta, but just to big and heavy for comfortable carry...

I am also still not comfortable with a fully loaded gun... reason I joined the local gun range and plan to take a few classes to start working the brain on how to respond under pressure with a gun...

I have been reading a lot of threads in this forum. Valuable information for a newbie like me and my wife. Our plan is to get comfortable with guns, teach our children (and have them attend courses) so they too feel at ease with them. Better that they learn at home that get wrong information from friends.

Thanks again for all the valuable information.

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Stay safe, stay alert
Wachuko

I don't know if anyone has said it in this thread yet, but I carry with one in the chamber.

In all seriousness though, it did take me awhile to work up to that. I carried my pistol in a good quality holster, condition 3. It took me a bit to trust that my gun simply could not just 'go off' by itself setting in my holster. Something had to happen to the gun, some manipulation of the trigger and not just everyday activity. It felt very weird, like I was planning on picking a fight with a total stranger, when I racked that round in there and holstered it for my day out. But, no cops were called, no trumpets sounded and no alarms went off and everybody lived another day. It is a mechanical device and understanding how it works is an important part of having the proper understanding or mindset about carrying hot.

I do carry everywhere I am able because I do believe that danger doesn't exactly give a big fog horn sounding call to announce it's arrival. There were several situations that made me think of 'what if...' and it got me more and more geared up to carry Condition 1, but it was a simple walk in the neighborhood that finally did it. I was walking my usual route, carrying my G26 I think, enjoying the weather when out of nowhere I was charged by a dog. Not a knife-wielding maniac or members of some terrorist cell but a 70 or 80 pound dog. He was on my left side (weak/support side) and would have probably taken my left arm or what I would have used to fend it off while trying to draw my gun. I never would have been able to rack that slide in a simple situation like that, with a dog slobbering, biting and jerking on my arm... it does sound simple and thank God for electric fences but it was a real world situation, an honest to goodness thing that happened NOT even closely related to a SHTF scenario that gave me enough pause, even justification, to actually start carrying that way. That was many years, many matches and many many thousands and thousands of rounds ago .

And just so I can add some statistics to my post, I do carry everywhere I am able, even at home because 100% of home invasions occur in the home.

one thing a 1911 (or manual thumb safety gun) never has a problem with.


I liked your hammer anaology. LOL

"Hey buddy....what kind of stuff do you build?"

"I'm not a contractor, I just don't like carrying one in the chamber."

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God Bless Our Troops.

Definitely one in the chamber, your a sitting duck if not. Like others have said get some training, practice, and get more comfortable around guns. It will I ly help you in the end. I was timid at first myself but now it's second nature like brushing your teeth in morning.

My self and my wife taught all our girls about weapons at an early age and let them shoot also at an early age, plus we trained them to consider any weapon in the home to be fully loaded and that the pull of a trigger could kill or harm someone you did not wish to shoot.

All my girls have carry permits and the oldest is an expert shot with her revolver. None of them nor my self or my wife who died two years ago ever had to pull a weapon on another person and hope this trend continues, as we treat most people we meet with the respect they deserve, we are all also quite religious and have a firm faith in God!

It reminds me of the song by Crosby Still and Nash "Teach" and that is exactly what me and my wife did and it seems to have paid, good luck with your family and learn to be safe but possibly deadly accurate in an instant if necessary!

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59,M&P9,40,40C,357,(2)45,G26

This question is irrelevant, if your point is to insinuate that failure to carry a gun implies that such a slacker forfeits the right to question the usefulness of a gun without a round in its chamber. The question of how often to carry is a useful and valid question. The question of whether to carry a gun with a round in the chamber is equally useful and valid, but it is a different question.

I haven't posted yet on this thread yet, but I always carry my BG380 with a round in the chamber. Sometimes I have my gun in my pocket when I take my trash to the curb, and sometimes I don't. But it always has a round in the chamber, whether it's in my pocket or it's in the lockbox in which it resides when not in my pocket. I don't think that carrying with a round in the chamber decreases my safety, and I do think that carrying the gun without a round in the chamber reduces its usefulness.

If you have made the decision to carry concealed; and you're not familar with your everyday carry, your asking for problems to happen; I have fired over 1500 rounds thru my M&P40c and I continue to refresh the muscle reflex that I have practiced over and over with as much as possible; My point is - don't do yourself a dis-service by not becoming familiar wtih your weapon; Carry one in the chamber becasue you don't make appointments for when trouble happens, you have to be ready at all times; if your not comfortable with that then Practice Drawing and reholstering and then practice some more; Who knows it might be my life you save someday and I want you to be ready!!!

My son served ten years in the US AIR FORCE security forces. They were under orders to carry with an empty tube. He could never understand but orders are orders.

The Air Force as well as the Army is more afraid of negligent discharges than putting the weapon in operation.

The selection of the M9 pistol with the decocker/safety in the slide is further evidence of this mindset. The original version had a frame safety. This model is still made by Taurus who bought the Beretta factory in Brazil. Try cycling the M9/M92FS slide without accidentally safing and decocking this otherwise fine pistol. (I have a M92G that has only the decock function. Looks just like the issue pistol.)

-- Chuck

dahur, if it makes you feel more comfortable check into the new Apex trigger with with trigger safety.
I scanned the post but did not see what model you were carrying. If you are worried about the one in the chamber because your weapon does not have a safety the new trigger would help a little mentally.
Good luck with your decision.