Carrying in Chamber--M&P 45

[Wyatt Earp]

Originally posted by David Hineline:
Definatly carry chambered, the most likely time for a feed malfunction is on a stress induced fumbled slide rack.

M+Ps can be had with an external safety for those so inclined. Just buy that gun if it makes you more comfortable.

It is one step more ready to shoot than a Glock on a Glock the striker is not cocked when loaded, the M+P is fully cocked.

Both brands' strikers are partially cocked. The difference is a matter of degree.

 

[Wyatt Earp]

I will offer a different position.

I will not carry any handgun that requires any manipulation other than a pull of the trigger to fire. That means no 1911s and no High Powers. My DA/SA pistols are carried loaded, decocked, and off safe.

I ALWAYS carry my handguns loaded to full capacity, plus one in the chamber for semi autos.

 

[jdh]

Originally posted by gmchenry:
Sure there is, death and taxes.

The first depends on your belief in what comes after this life and the second on the permanence of government. Since the permanence of government cannot be guaranteed, the existence of continued taxation cannot be. The discussion of an after life/the rapture we will leave for another day.

 

[berkbw]

The issue of accidental trigger pulls in an M&P is greatly reduced due to the need for the trigger to be pulled both at its top and bottom.

The external safety, at least on my .45 is a joke. It is SO easy to flick "off" by accident, that it is a false representation.

b-

 

[shawn mccarver]

Originally posted by Wyatt Earp:
I will offer a different position.

I will not carry any handgun that requires any manipulation other than a pull of the trigger to fire. That means no 1911s and no High Powers. My DA/SA pistols are carried loaded, decocked, and off safe.

I ALWAYS carry my handguns loaded to full capacity, plus one in the chamber for semi autos.

Your rule does not mean you cannot carry a 1911 or High Power.

Under your theory, you could just carry cocked and UNlocked. The 1911 has the grip safety if Condition Zero bothers you.

The Australian SAS guys had the High Powers with the little safety lever and found it too hard to operate at speed, so they just carried cocked and UNlocked. No negligent discharges.

Mind you, I would not do this, but on the other hand, I have not hampered myself with the same rule!

 

[gmchenry]

Flicking the thumb safety off on a 1911 is no trouble at all. Just takes a little training. My 1911 grip has my strong thumb on top of the safety and you don't even think about it. For a pistol with multiple safeties, simply presenting the 1911 pistol puts it in a ready condition. I can understand how some folks just aren't comfortable with it, but that's their choice. Thankfully there are plenty of options.

 

[OKFC05]

Back to the original post...

Best suggestion is to get some serious defensive training, and then practice in something like IDPA.

There is no substitute for getting good at gun handling, and practicing regularly to improve and maintain skill.

Then you will be the one telling the new gun owner who is afraid to load his gun "take a class."

 

[PX15]

Originally posted by Golddog:
So everyone here will guarantee that the gun won't fire without a finger on the trigger? That errant clothing or a thumb snap can't grab it?

Golddog:
Respectfully no one here is going to guarantee you such a thing..

I will suggest you quit screwing around with a pistol whose trigger/striker you have no confidence in and buy something more suitable to your way of thinking.

I just sold a Walther PPS for basically the very same reason. I had owned Walthers in the past but they were all traditional DA/SA types, (the P99's were "AS") and I loved them all. I wanted to give the PPS a try even knowing it's trigger setup was "glocklike"..

Bad decision. It was a very good pistol, but I never felt comfortable with the trigger so I sold the sucker.. Did I lose a little money on the deal, yep.. But not enough to worry about.

I sold the PPS for $500.00 and lucked up on a NIB S&W 3913LS for $499.00. The LS, FOR ME, is a perfect solution. It's a light, thin, single-stack, and it conceals perfectly. It's traditonal DA/SA with an external safety on the left side. (good for righty's) I'm a lefty, but with a traditional DA/SA I depend on the heavier first round DA trigger pull as MY safety. I don't leave the external safety on anyway, but you might, and it gives you the option.

If you have an ad/nd with a 3rd generation Smith you are too dumb to be allowed out in public with a loaded firearm.

Just my opinion but I think you simply have the wrong platform, you are unsure of it's safety, and you need to shop around for something better suited to your requirements.

Additionally, and this is for anyone, if a person has no confidence carrying a round in the chamber of his/her cc firearm they need a revolver.

Not trying to be a smart butt, or start a war, just personal opinion..

Best Wishes,

Jesse

P.S. If the "LadySmith" script turns you off buy the standard 3913 version.

P.P.S. Another option is the 6906 which is the very same pistol as the standard 3913 but in double stack, offering you 12+1 rds.. (vs 8+1).

(The standard 3913 & 6906 have dual external safeties, whereas the 3913LS is left side only.)

 

[Outrider]

Originally posted by cxm:
Unfortunately the time needed to rack a slide is enough time for someone to kill you... the difference between winning a gun fight and losing it...

If you have to rack the slide in a hurry... like when someone wants to kill you) and you mess up you will create a jam... and the start (and also probably the end for the guy with the jam)of a gun fight is a really bad time to have a jam. IMHO it is really foolish to add the risk of a jam to a slow deployment of a gun.

The guy who can fire the first shot in a gun fight has an excellent chance of winning...

A loaded chamber is not only safe on any quality gun, it is also smart...

FWIW

Chuck

Originally posted by JD328i:
Thanks gmchenry and Matt Murphy. I think once I follow gjchenry's advice and see how my gun operates I'll probably feel more comfortable. So many people on defensivecarry.com seem to think racking the slide takes way too much time in a self defense scenario.

I have to agree with Chuck in totality...

The only people I'd ever trust to carry in Condition 3 -- and survive -- are the Israelis -- and I think they were saying they carried that way to yank some Syrian general's chain....

I doubt they really do...

Condition 3 will get you killed -- in some circumstances -- as fast as Condition 0...

Practice with your pistol and use a good retention holster...

 

[Outrider]

As for me, I agree with Wyatt.

I have and love 1006s, but I don't like the decocker/ safety lever...

On a previous 1006, I was drawing from a shoulder rig -- and somehow the safety was activated...I'm not sure how it happened, but it did. Obviously, the process of drawing the gun pushed the safety down...

It was a sobering moment...If this had occurred in a hot situation, I might have been dead.

I almost certainly would have missed getting off my first shot -- and been in "DUH!!!!!!" mode until I recovered and figured out the situation.

And for lovers of the 1911 platform, I had something similar happen.

I went to "snick" the safety off -- and it wouldn't "snick".

I don't own any 1911 platform for that very reason...

 

[Farmer17]

I was never totally interested in a Glock because of lack of manual safety. I know there are a lot of pros out there that don't want a manual safety, but I do. I have tranined my whole life to disengage the safety before firing and it works fine for me that way. It does not slow you down if performed correctly, and it may be better for the average cop who is not gun savy, to have a thumb safety. Look on Youtube and in Google you will see a lot of accidental discharges, mainly on holstering/reholstering. If you make thousands of gun presentations and you are tired, stressed, or under duress things can happen. I would not like to be chasing a perp through the brush with a rookie cop behind me with his gun out and limbs and branches brushing by his trigger. I know the "real safety is between the ears" and Glock is the favored gun for most American LE guys so it must be working pretty well. But I still wonder if a Glock or M&P with thumb safety wouldn't be better for the average rookie cop.