Carry with one in chamber?

I keep one in the chamber. As soon as I holster my shield the safety comes off, so if it is drawn it is ready to fire. If I remove it from the holster for any other reason, end of the day or going somewhere I cant carry, I flip the safety first. I found this easier to remember to do than shut it off when I draw the gun. It is not hard to do, but I found the first few draws during practice showed it wasn't as reliable as leaving it unlocked.
 
I was trained on revolvers back in the 70's. I am comfortable with a D/A revolver in any holster. For that reason I carry my 6906 with a round in the chamber, safety off. First shot is just like I remember, the rest are S/A. Works for me. Joe
 
As has been stated if you're not comfortable w/one in the chamber carry a revolver. Modern handguns do not go off when dropped or by themselves, someone has to pull the trigger.
 
I don't carry, but I do have an opinion. If I did, there would most certainly be one in the chamber.

I do keep one "cocked and locked" in my car.
 
wdk535 said:
Saw a news story about a guy who walked into a store, pulled a gun & robbed the place. Think I read he even shot somebody.
Anyway, on the way out, he shoved the gun into his belt. It went off, & now he's singing in the boy's choir. There is a God in Heaven!
But the question arises, to carry with one in the chamber or not? I personally don't, for this very reason.
Click to expand...

WDK

I agree with others it is a matter of comfort level.

When I secured my conceal permit June 2011 I was not new to handguns but I had never carried a loaded handgun.

I remember the day I carried my first ccw to work. I was nervoius as h--- packing hot.

To buildup my confidence I pocket carried my Kahr CM9 without one in the chamber but the stricker was cocked.

It took we a week pocket packing cocked but empty to realize modern weapons will only fire if the trigger is pulled. Dropping the weapon or bumping the weapon up agaist a hard object will not cause the handgun to discharge.

Fast forward nearly 3 years and my Shield is always chambered and holstered in a high quality holster (Desanti Nemesis) that covers the trigger and is stiff enough to prevent a person from engaging the trigger holsteted.

Don't cut corners on a holster because it can act as a safety if it is properly fitted to the handgun and made of stifff material.

Enjoy and never leave home without it.

Russ

P.S. I watched a very disturbing video of a store owner draw his concealed weapon while being heldup and tried to rack but because he was so nervoius from the surveillance video he was not able to rack and he died.

I think about that video often and wonder if I should pack without the safety engaged but that is a different topic that had been discussed several times on this forum..
 
Let us suppose that you had a revolver that held six rounds would you only have five in the chamber? With that in mind the same is true of a semi auto time is the factor in self defense and the ability to chamber a round is most important, if it is not already chambered you are at a bad disadvantage, good luck in a bad situation

I always have one ready to go for MY SAFETY not the bad guy who I hope will be on the losing end and not me trying to chamber a round as he calmly kills ME!
 
Always carry a round in the chamber. There are ALOT of reasons why from the psychology of a gunfight and the rules of threat escalation to name a few.
Been to Gunsite 2 times as well as other training and no other school that I know of including GS trains without a round in the chamber. I can guarentee that you are in more danger not having a round in the chamber if you need to use your sidearm. Education and training will solve any fear of you shooting your junk. It was once recommended by a well known instructor that if you are not comfortable and trust a particular gun with carrying it loaded, then get find another sidearm that you are.
 
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If you're going to Mexican carry an auto like the dumb criminals that tend to be the ones who practice this particular style of carry, you might make headlines one day yourself. It's the one carry style that gives some merit to not having one in the pipe, if you choose to carry that way.

If you consider the hundreds of thousands of responsible adults who do carry all the time, with one in the pipe, 99% do it without incident. Go and watch DGU video's watch how fast they happen.

Consider the ones you don't even see the draw before the shot is fired, It's over as fast as it is started. Ask yourself if you can really afford to handicap yourself with a gun that is not ready for the fight that is so quickly upon you.

Personally, I like to have a really good holster that is comfortable, stable, covers the trigger and conceals well. Once you train yourself with your gun and have a proper draw and holstering technique, you will come to like the fact that you have one in the pipe ready to go.

Like others have said, start with a J frame or an auto with a safety while you gain concealed or open carry proficiency.
 
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I think you should carry 1 (one) round in your top shirt pocket and an empty mag in the pistol, that way it's a lot harder to shoot yourself in the leg.
 
Why would you carry a round in the chamber of a weapon that you need for immediate self defense?
It will look much more dramatic trying to "rack one in" after your fine motor skills are gone and your hands are sweating, wet or bloody, and your dodging for cover or rolling around on the ground.
 
moosedog said:
Why would you carry a round in the chamber of a weapon that you need for immediate self defense?
It will look much more dramatic trying to "rack one in" after your fine motor skills are gone and your hands are sweating, wet or bloody, and your dodging for cover or rolling around on the ground.
Click to expand...

I saw that in an episode of Strike Back. Looks very tacticool.
 
I didn't when I first started carrying, to give myself time to figure out the right position, comfort level, etc.

Now, I have total confidence in my position, IWB holster (which covers trigger guard and manual safety). I carry with one in the chamber and with the manual safety on.

There is no wrong answer here. It's what works best for YOU, and what is comfortable for YOU. Just be sure that you practice dry/snap cap-loaded drawing and arming your weapon, so that your muscle memory is there for if/when you find yourself in a hairy situation.
 
Carrying an unloaded gun defeats the point of carrying a gun.

Get a decent holster and some training. Then some more training.

You really need some training.
 
I agree with the carry one in the chamber group. Another reason I think of is animal attacks, mostly dog. If someones pitbull gets loose and is charging or has already latched on to you, better have one in the chamber because racking the slide at that point isn't going to happen. The main reason to carry concealed is for people who would do you harm, but dog attacks are all to frequent in the news if you need another reason to carry one in the chamber.
 
Jaysq said:
The Sarge hit it on the nail! Always carry in a quality holster that covers the trigger. :cool: I have a Shield and I carry with a round chambered and use the safety to holster and then slide the safety off.

The chances of being able to chamber a round under stress are not good at all.
Click to expand...
"Hit the nail on the head."
 
My semi-auto carry is a 1911 in .45ACP, 1 in the chamber, cocked & locked. If I'm not comfortable with a loaded chamber in a particular handgun, then I won't carry it.
 
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