Carry with a round in the chamber?

[Dymsail]

If you are not sure about the gun, you are asking about carrying a round in the chamber then you really have no business carrying a gun. If I were you I would take an NRA gun safety class. Rule of thumb never put your finger in the trigger guard unless you want to destroy something...when holstering, drawing and point...Once you pull the trigger, the gun goes bang you can never get that bullet back. It is one hell of a responsibility carrying a gun

 

[bluecollar]

If you do not feel comfortable or are in any ways unsure of your ability to safely carry and manipulate a firearm with a certain manual of arms do not let someone goad you into a mode of carry that you feel is unsafe for YOU. There is no shame in this. As goes a famous line from a movie, "every man has to know his limitations". We all have to choose a method of carry that we can feel comfortable with and that dwells within each of our comfort zones. I have carried striker fired handguns, chambered round, sans manual safety for decades but that's me. I'll be the first to advise someone who is skittish about such a practice to not succumb to the crowd if you can't square with it on an emotional level.

 

[Tu_S]

One of the reasons I have a Shield Plus w/safety ordered is after years of carrying an Officers ACP I finally made the switch to a Hellcat last year, but the thing does not have a safety. That being said, honestly believe this is just personal preference, where if they Hellcat were available with a safety when I got mine I would have got that version since I'm just used to having a safety and using it.

 

[nicky4968]

I carry my 2 1/2" 19 with 5 rounds and hammer down on empty chamber. The 3953 has 8 in the mag and hammer down on an empty chamber.
The reason? I was told to.
Where I grew up, you did as you were told or people died

 

[smithman 10]

What John Browning and the U.S. Army intended

Sometimes I have a hard time understanding why this one keeps coming up. All self defense guns should be carried fully loaded. those that carry without a round in the chamber simply lack proper training! Striker fired guns carried in a proper holster do not need a safety. I have one on my Gen 1 Shield, not by choice and have never used it or needed it. Single Action Semi's such as 1911's and BHP's were designed to be carried in condition 1 which is cocked and locked. Most DA/SA semi autos have a heavy enough trigger that they don't require the use of a safety either. I even run into those that refuse to carry a round under the hammer of a DA revolver. the only handguns that should be carried that way are single action revolvers such as Colts and Rugers without the transfer bar alteration. Why limit the number of rounds available to you in an emergency or the speed in which you are able to deploy the weapon by not carrying the gun fully loaded. The simple answer is to receive proper training. End OF RANT !

Here's an article that talks about how the 1911 was originally intended to be used. Kinda long but seems pretty clear that Condition 1 was NOT the way the pistol was (at that time) meant to be carried, but rather with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Col. Cooper changed all that it would seem through his tremendous influence on the pistol using public.

As for me, if the pistol has a safety I use it.

How did John Browning intend the 1911 to be carried? -

 

[sousana]

IF the weapon has a safety, it WILL be engaged.

 

[mscampbell2734]

I carry my 2 1/2" 19 with 5 rounds and hammer down on empty chamber. The 3953 has 8 in the mag and hammer down on an empty chamber.
The reason? I was told to.
Where I grew up, you did as you were told or people died

I'll say just doing something because you were TOLD to do it is how most useless myths and misconceptions come about, and both of these fall into that category.

A long long long time ago when the people who taught you how to shoot were young both of these ideas made sense.

BUT continuing to follow these directions with modern designs is to be blunt a waste of time and energy. Your Model 19 is not a cowboy single action and your 3953 is not a Luger or Mauser. Understanding WHY we do something is almost more important then actually doing it.

 

[Univibe]

The Jackboys carry with a round in the chamber.

Shouldn't you?

 

[waffles]

I carry my 2 1/2" 19 with 5 rounds and hammer down on empty chamber. The 3953 has 8 in the mag and hammer down on an empty chamber.
The reason? I was told to.
Where I grew up, you did as you were told or people died

Knowing why you're doing something is important. I kinda get the carrying an auto with an empty chamber, even if it's not my preferred jam, at least there is some level of ND protection, despite it perhaps being outweighed by needing to rack the slide to chamber a round if needed.

5 in a 19, carried on the empty chamber? There's absolutely zero benefit there. The gun will not fire from an impact upon the hammer even if you had a round under the hammer, but will absolutely fire if you pull the trigger, just one less time if you need it. Absolutely zero reason to carry it that way.

 

[Muss Muggins]

The Jackboys carry with a round in the chamber.

Shouldn't you?

I wish I knew who these "Jackboys" were, and also how you are so intimately familiar with their carry practices. Do you go to the meetings, or are the minutes available online somewhere . . . ?

 

[nicky4968]

This ought to be put to bed. But before I am done I would ask if anyone has heard of a negligent discharge of a pistol carried hammer down on an empty chamber. I will of course look at any further comments, but I have nothing more to say.

 

[waffles]

This ought to be put to bed. But before I am done I would ask if anyone has heard of a negligent discharge of a pistol carried hammer down on an empty chamber. I will of course look at any further comments, but I have nothing more to say.

Do a little research into how your revolver works and you'll find that NDs with a hammer down on a loaded chamber and NDs with the hammer down on an empty chamber are about the same. If you don't pull the trigger, it's not going off. Throw it, drop it right on the hammer, smack it with a rock, it's ok.

 

[AJ]

Y'all have a good time with this.....I am done watching this thread.

 

[Mister X]

I wish I knew who these "Jackboys" were, and also how you are so intimately familiar with their carry practices. Do you go to the meetings, or are the minutes available online somewhere . . . ?

I was curious as well, this is the only thing Google turned up.

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgg7BgaFG1s[/ame]

 

[Univibe]

I wish I knew who these "Jackboys" were, and also how you are so intimately familiar with their carry practices. Do you go to the meetings, or are the minutes available online somewhere . . . ?

Ah. That's it. You live in the boot heel of Missouri?

Your state has about the same population as the county I live in. So it behooves me to know what's happening. Wisdom through fear, no? Now you see why I want lots of ammo.

 

[1778]

Safety on when loading or unloading,holstering or unholstering. In the holster one in the chamber safety off.

 

[Doug44]

Carry whichever way you want. Remember your responsibilities.

 

[GerSan69]

This ought to be put to bed. But before I am done I would ask if anyone has heard of a negligent discharge of a pistol carried hammer down on an empty chamber. I will of course look at any further comments, but I have nothing more to say.

I think the proper response when someone doubles down on a provably wrong concept is: "You do you, man."
Yep. You do you, and thanks for weighing in.

 

[Frank46]

First auto pistol I trained on was a Gold Cup with saftey on,second was a 43 Ithaca with the safety on. My new 45 auto again safety on. Just about all of my pistols all have safety on them and I use them all the time. Frank

 

[Muss Muggins]

Ah. That's it. You live in the boot heel of Missouri?

Your state has about the same population as the county I live in. So it behooves me to know what's happening. Wisdom through fear, no? Now you see why I want lots of ammo.

I really don't see that. Missouri is fourth in murder rate amongst the 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico at 11.8 murders per 100,000 annually. Texas is 25th at 6.6 murders per 100,000. Y'all are amateurs . . .

Edit: I live 130 miles from both St. Louis (the city with the highest murder rate in the country this year. Sometimes we drop to number two or three, but not for long) and Memphis (9th on the list). I'm spending a couple days in St. Louis this weekend. Kansas City checks in at 8th. Texas doesn't show up until 38th, when Beaumont joins in. Then you get Dallas at 42 and nothing else from Texas . . .

Highest murder rates in the U.S. - The most deadly cities - CBS News