Condition One is the only way to carry the 1911.
I do not favor constant re-chambering of a round, so I stopped the nonsense of unloading and reloading a couple of decades ago, instead favoring storage in a secure safe or lock box so that there is no need to unload and re-chamber a round, which can cause serious pressure issues as the bullet "sets back" into the casing. If you do unload and re-chamber more than a couple of times, I suggest you keep a micrometer nearby to test that round and discard it immediately upon ANY bullet set back.
In addition to understanding that Condition One is the only way to carry, understand the following about the 1911:
1. Attempting to lower the hammer onto a loaded chamber should NEVER be done. NEVER carry in Condition Two (hammer down on a loaded chamber). If you insist, it is only a matter of time until you get a very loud surprise when the hammer slips and the gun goes bang if you have not remembered to release the trigger once the hammer is clear of the sear. Hopefully, when that inevitable loud bang happens, the only thing injured is your pride.
2. NEVER carry a 1911 at "half-cock." It is simply NOT safe as the half-cock notch is not designed to withstand much of a blow. I have seen NDs in the holster when the shooter's elbow "whacked" the hammer, which sheared the half-cock engagement, causing the hammer to fall. The 1911 WILL FIRE if the hammer is dropped from the half-cock notch. The real purpose of the half cock notch is simply to arrest the fall of the hammer in the unlikely event of primary sear/notch failure, thereby preventing a discharge.
3. NEVER carry in Condition Three (hammer down on an empty chamber). It takes two hands to put the weapon in a ready state, and this takes too long. Remember, time is of the essence, and in a close in interpersonal conflict, one hand/arm may be busy defending yourself from an attacker or grabbing a loved one.
Finally, in a properly functioning 1911, Condition One is not unsafe. The 1911 has a number of automatic safeties and features, working together making the weapon very safe indeed. Examples include the grip safety, the thumb safety, the disconnector, the firing pin safety (80 Series only), the half-cock notch, and honorable mention to the huge lug on the back of the plate of the thumb safety, which will arrest the hammer in the event of a fall when there is primary sear notch failure, and secondary half-cock notch failure.
As to what JMB intended, most original sources, including the early military manuals, it is directed that the 1911 be placed in Condition One (that terminology is not used, as the Conditions (Zero, One, Two, Three) were coined by Jeff Cooper. Condition Zero is cocked and unlocked, which is quite safe if you do not pull the trigger. Remember, the original design only had the grip safety, which engaged automatically. The extra thumb safety was a military requirement. Back to what JMB intended, keep in mind the grip safety ONLY works when the weapon is cocked, which, apart from the original manuals, pretty well establishes that it was expected that the weapon would be used in Condition One. Condition One is the only reliable way to make the 1911 ready to fire with one hand. Yes, I am aware that there were holsters designed to allow racking of the slide upon withdraw, and that the length of the dust cover allows one to cock the weapon and chamber a round against a hard surface, but you don't always have a convenient hard surface, especially on a horse, which is how the 1911 was originally utilized.
Good luck out there!
