Question on how you operate your Carry gun

[nighthawk80]

Ok, not to start an arguement, but I am curious. When your caring a Semi-auto, do you carry with one in the chamber or not. And if you carry with one in the chamber, do you remove the round when your done for the day.
I have a safe place (lock box) to store my gun when I get home. I usually carry a 5 shot revolver (38 special), but am starting to carry my PT145 more now. I have been leaving it with a round in the chamber but on saftey (leave it on saftey when I carry it to) when I put it away. That way I can just grab it and go in the morning. So, I was looking for opinions on the way others work there carry guns.

Thanks.

[just_a_car]

I carry my GLOCK 27 (no safety) with a round in the chamber and when I get home, I just take off my holster and put it next to my bed. The firearm never leaves the holster and the trigger is never exposed. Then, when I wake up, I get dressed and put on my holster.

I use a Blackhawk SERPA CQC holster, so I don't worry about it "slipping out", due to requiring the depression of the lever to remove it from the holster.

[oldjarhead]

With an auto shooter that's the best way to carry. If you have to take time to rack the slide to chamber a round, you may end up on a slab.
I carry mine with a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked with the safety on...Now this comment may cause an argument!
When I get home, I take off my holster and place it beside my bed...after I carefully let the hammer down.

[nighthawk80]

So, when do you replace the round. When you go shooting or every night, etc...?

[rondog]

Originally Posted by oldjarhead

With an auto shooter that's the best way to carry. If you have to take time to rack the slide to chamber a round, you may end up on a slab.
I carry mine with a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked with the safety on...Now this comment may cause an argument!
When I get home, I take off my holster and place it beside my bed...after I carefully let the hammer down.

Sounds like a 1911, Hoo-rah! Con1...cocked and locked baby, the only way!

Originally Posted by nighthawk80

So, when do you replace the round. When you go shooting or every night, etc...?

Replace it? No reason to replace it unless you load and unload the gun excessively, and the bullet gets set back in the case. Chamber a fresh round and leave it there, an unloaded pistol ain't nothin' but a hammer.

[daddyo]

Ruger P89. Always carry hammer down (DA first shot),safety off, 1 in the chamber. When I'm done for the day, I take off the holster and put it beside my bed.

[HAWKEYE50]

I carry a 1911. I ALWAYS have mine chambered, hammer in the half-cocked position. It too stays close at night. Since we have 3 dogs, I would have plenty of time to clear my eyes to shoot accuratly. I love my dogs.

[TheWall]

I have been using a Springfield EMP for carry. I use a Galco ankle holster. With the EMP the only way to have the safety on is with the hammer back. So I carry it with a round chambered. With the thumb release snapped, it is between the hammer and the firing pin. Also the trigger is completly covered. It is kept in nightstand when I'm not carrying it. I sometimes carry a Beretta Tomcat in a pocket holster. Fully loaded with one in the chamber. Safety on hammer down. I think how you carry depends a lot on the the type, make, and model of gun. Like Just A Car said, with a Glock you should make sure the trigger is covered.

[ezearln]

M1911A1 COCKED, LOCKED and ready to ROCK. As those of my generation might say. 8 doses of high speed lead poisioning ready for delivery SIR!

[rondog]

Originally Posted by HAWKEYE50

I carry a 1911. I ALWAYS have mine chambered, hammer in the half-cocked position. It too stays close at night. Since we have 3 dogs, I would have plenty of time to clear my eyes to shoot accuratly. I love my dogs.

Um, half-cocked isn't safe on a 1911. The hammer can slip out of that notch, and strike with enough force to fire, there's nothing blocking the hammer. The hammer should always be either fully cocked with the thumb safety engaged, or not cocked at all.

In full-cock, the thumb safety blocks the hammer, trigger, sear and slide all from moving, and the gun is the safest it can be yet ready for action. You can't fire it from half-cock either, without going to full-cock first, so why bother? Half-cock is a no-no.

The half-cock notch is really just another of J.M. Browning's safety devices, it's there to catch the hammer if it slips loose while you're cocking it. That's all it's there for.

[GlockMeister]

Nighthawk80, in the end, it's up to you and what you are trained with and most comfortable in doing. If you are not that comfortable, then I suggest until you are, to not do it. If you do it, and have a safety, keep the safety on at all tiems, until ready to shoot it, obviously.

If you want to, but are hesitant, take some safety and training courses.

All here can give you advice or say how they do it or suggest how you could, but in the end it is you doing it. Just take some safety courses and training courses and practice with some snap-caps (fake-ammo) and familiarize yourself with the gun as if it was loaded? JMHO.

[DWARREN123]

I carry a GLOCK 23 or 27, goes in holster with one in the chamber. Stays in holster until I need to remove it.

[ArkansasHunter]

If I carry I rack around into the chamber, when I get back home I remove the round from the chamber.

[alaskamonte]

Repeated rechambering sets the bullets deeper there by bumping pressures to dangerous levels

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by nighthawk80

Ok, not to start an arguement, but I am curious. When your caring a Semi-auto, do you carry with one in the chamber or not. And if you carry with one in the chamber, do you remove the round when your done for the day.
I have a safe place (lock box) to store my gun when I get home. I usually carry a 5 shot revolver (38 special), but am starting to carry my PT145 more now. I have been leaving it with a round in the chamber but on saftey (leave it on saftey when I carry it to) when I put it away. That way I can just grab it and go in the morning. So, I was looking for opinions on the way others work there carry guns.

Thanks.

It is a delicate balance between safety (always first) and comfort. I always carry with a round in the chamber. When it happens, you will not have the timing or the tactical mindset to rack the slide.

Again, safety first is paramount.

As some of you may recall... being a Wisconsin resident we are not allowed
to carry concealed ... but that's the point, who will know? I'd rather be tried than carried... period.

[Wingwiper]

Originally Posted by nighthawk80

Ok, not to start an arguement, but I am curious. When your caring a Semi-auto, do you carry with one in the chamber or not. And if you carry with one in the chamber, do you remove the round when your done for the day.
I have a safe place (lock box) to store my gun when I get home. I usually carry a 5 shot revolver (38 special), but am starting to carry my PT145 more now. I have been leaving it with a round in the chamber but on saftey (leave it on saftey when I carry it to) when I put it away. That way I can just grab it and go in the morning. So, I was looking for opinions on the way others work there carry guns.

Thanks.

A SAFETY is a mechanical device, destined to FAIL.

NEVER carry a round in the chamber. It takes but a second to chamber. If you read ALL of the gun accident reports, you will see two common causes of accidental fatallites.

1. I didn't know it was loaded

2. It went off when I was moving it

The CHAMBER at all times, until you are ready to fire it, should be EMPTY.

I know of guys who have shot their floor boards getting into their trucks or cars, I know a guy who shot his thumb off placing his chambered shotgun in the closet (lucky he didn't blow his silly head off). SAFETIES fail, Common sense will PREVAIL. You will also never, ever forgive yourself if someone handles your firearm, with the belief it is empty and kills them self or someone else by accident.

I can also tell you all too many times the FIRE BARREL outside of our HQ would at least once per week have a shot fired into it, by someone who thought they cleared it. I always carreid my M1911 with a mag inserted and not chmabered, same with the Berretta.

Learn to CLEAR IT at the end of every day and remove the mag and go through a SAFE process and the Process that is taught even in the most Basic Gun Handling Courses. BE SAFE and NOT sorry.

[mym1a]

when carrying, mine is always locked and loaded

[Wingwiper]

Originally Posted by nighthawk80

Ok, not to start an arguement, but I am curious. When your caring a Semi-auto, do you carry with one in the chamber or not. And if you carry with one in the chamber, do you remove the round when your done for the day.
I have a safe place (lock box) to store my gun when I get home. I usually carry a 5 shot revolver (38 special), but am starting to carry my PT145 more now. I have been leaving it with a round in the chamber but on saftey (leave it on saftey when I carry it to) when I put it away. That way I can just grab it and go in the morning. So, I was looking for opinions on the way others work there carry guns.

Thanks.

I address this MYM1a, When in a TACTICAL AREA, no doubt keep it chambered, when OUT of the TACTICAL AREA, EMPTY THE CHAMBER. SAFETIES are NOT to have FAITH IN.

[ezearln]

Wingwiper I have to dispute your assertions, due to in at least from my experiences (Armorer, Combat instructor, Police Patrolman,Police Combat/self defense instructor 20+ years) with your conclusions. A properly designed safety, or groupings of safety features/designs are NOT designed to fail. That is not to say that SOME don't, however my experience has been that more often than not inadvertant discharges are 99.9% operator error in one way or another.
John M. Brownings designs especially are extremely unlikely to fail simply because of the redundancy built into their function, As are Colts as well as others adoption of transfer bar safety systems. I have been carrying an M1911A1 both on and off duty since I was introduced to the sidearm in 1975, as well as having extensive training in other weapons including sidearms of allied friendly nations. I have always carried cocked and locked and in all those years of maintaining, carrying, using and training others in the sidearms use I have seen only one TRUE failure of any safety feature on an M191A1 and that wasn't the actual primary safety, A sear disconnect failed causing the weapon to function as a full auto. Now over a 20+ year professional carreer involving thousands of these pistols and several 10's of thousands of rounds of ammunition I think I can safetly state that carrying and keeping this design of pistols as well as others with properly designed safety features at condition 1 cocked and locked is both safe and proper as long as the operator is completely familiar with the weapon. Again this points once more to something everyone here has heard me state repeatedly! Get the training and practice practice practice until you KNOW what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and do it right 110% of the time.

[Shaun]

I carry everything chambered and when I get home they all remain that way in order to ensure they are ready to be used