becoming comfortable with one chambered

[DaveTN]

I carried with one in the chamber on the way home a few mins ago, but kept it in a compartment.

Its called caution, you never get over it. Those that do are the ones that shoot themselves or someone else. The gun forums are full of their stories.

Can a weapon fire without you intentionally pulling the trigger? Sure it can, only someone not in touch would reality would believe otherwise. For example if you are carrying with a round in the chamber the weapon should be secured to you, in a holster, with the trigger covered; not in a “compartmentâ€.

Take a bunch of ammo to the range and go through the mechanics of loading and unloading your weapon and firing it. (Not just basting off a bunch of magazines). Get to know it. Become intimate with just how much force it takes for it to fire.

I’ve been carrying guns for over 30 years and never had a ND. But I don’t mess with or handle loaded guns except to bring them in and out of service. I won’t drop the slide on any gun to chamber a round unless it is pointed somewhere it wouldn’t do any damage if it discharged.

I have been involved with Glocks since they first came on the scene it the 80’s. Do I think they have discharged without pulling the trigger? Yes. Can I prove it or seen it happen myself? No.

[gearyr]

I have a Ruger P90 and a P89. Both of them have one in the chamber. That's the way I carry my P89. That is what I like about both of them, the safety. All I have to do is flip up the safety and I am ready to shoot. Either squeeeze the trigger or pull back the hammer. Ready to rock and roll. gearyr

[Guest bkelm18]

If you don't feel comfortable carrying one in the chamber, then you shouldn't be carrying it.

Yeah, that's definitely the wrong solution. If one is not comfortable carrying with a round in the chamber, they should not do so until they are comfortable, which only takes a little time. I would not recommend carrying a firearm in a fashion that you are not comfortable with. If that means an empty pipe for a little while, then so be it as long as they understand the inherent risks involved in not having a round chambered.

[Caster]

You know, a lot of highly trained special force groups in other parts of the world carry on an empty chamber. I do believe Israelis do this. Just because it's different from what the people around you do, does not make it wrong. It's what you train and have become proficient with that matters.

[Oh Shoot]

You know, a lot of highly trained special force groups in other parts of the world carry on an empty chamber. I do believe Israelis do this. ...

Actually, Israeli is the only one I've ever heard of who do this.

- OS

[Jonnin]

haha I was going to suggest 5 min for the answer, about how long I would get tired of beating the gun (unloaded and pointed in a safe direction) on a mattress or something to see if it fired. I see thats been covered enough already.

Seriously, do it. I did the mattress test with my 238, my first cocked & locked carry gun. Determined that it does not go off until trigger is pressed.

Modern guns are safe until you pull the trigger, if they are not defective. If you combine the rules of safe gun handling with the knowledge that a defective gun is extremely unlikely and even if you have one it won't be a problem because its being handled safely, then you can overcome the mindset, safe in your knowledge that the only thing left to happen would be a very freak accident or carelessness. Don't fear your gun, but always, always respect it.

[Guest 270win]

Did your handgun carry permit class go over with a video and or the instructor how to safely holster, unholster, draw, and fire? Maybe not qualify during the live fire by drawing but at least show the students in your class how to safely holster and draw a handgun from concealment?

I would not carry that handgun in public until I became competent in carrying a loaded handgun. You are more of a hazard to yourself by carrying a basically unloaded handgun. An unchambered handgun is not ready for self defense. If you are nervous with an auto pistol, look at a revolver.

I have handled firearms since I was a child. When I became aquainted with auto handguns, I carried them loaded just like revolvers so that when I would draw I could fire without any slide manipulation. I used to practice drawing and firing outdoors (after practicing unloaded quite a while to get the feel) while target shooting in a rural area for fun. If you have some land to shoot on, go practice drawing and firing after safe instruction with a good holster. I carried holstered handguns before getting a concealed handgun license and didn't give it much thought.

[Caster]

Actually, Israeli is the only one I've ever heard of who do this.

- OS

Watched one of them shooting shows on the Outdoor channel the other day and he was saying how Israel did that, I thought I understood him to say there were others. Maybe I should have paid more attention.

[93civEJ1]

no the classes didnt go over holstering, drawing, etc...mainly basic firearm safety, etc, legal things, and qualifying on the range. I think that is really all that is required in the hcp classes.

[Wheelgunner]

It took me a good 3 or 4 months to get used to having one in the chamber. My advice is to handle the weapon a lot, mainly to get you familiar with it and with handgun safety. You've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread, but I think, in regard to your particular concern, muzzle awareness may be the key. Even if you had an ND, if you were practicing proper muzzle awareness the worst that would happen is you'd feel really, really stupid.

Aside from all of that, remember that you're carrying b/c you want to, not b/c someone is making you. Accordingly, carrying your weapon shouldn't be an anxiety-ridden daily experience. If you have the same concerns a few months from now, maybe you should consider swapping carry weapons. There is nothing wrong with carrying a revolver instead.

[93civEJ1]

oh...I practice muzzle awareness all the time and never point it at anything I dont intend to harm.

[Guest Overtaker]

How long did it take you guys to start trusting the guns and yourselves before you started carrying with one chambered and ready? I just cant get my confidence up yet to trust the gun from firing the striker pin, or myself accidentally somehow firing the weapon on accident. I want to get to the point where I am confident to carry chambered / cocked and ready.....how do you guys help overcome this mindset?

I never had that problem and carried with one in the chamber since Day 1.

You just have to understand safeties and also realize that the only likely way the gun is going to go bang is if your finger gets inside the trigger guard and pulls the trigger. Yes there are freak accidents where a jacket zipper or something else somehow gets into the trigger guard, but that's like getting struck by lightning.

For instance, the Glock has 3 safeties:

1. Trigger safety: the trigger cannot be pulled unless a spring loaded safety is depressed. The safety must be physically touched to disengage, therefore g-forces from dropping the pistol cannot disengage it.
   
2. Firing pin safety: between the firing pin and the loaded round, there is a hardened steel pin. It move up and out of the way only when the trigger is pressed.
   
3. Drop safety: when the trigger is not pulled, the trigger bar blocks the striker from releasing. When you pull the trigger, the striker remains blocked up until the last moment when it drops down, allowing the striker to move.
   

Edited July 21, 2011 by Overtaker

[JAB]

As someone else already said, when I first started carrying if I was carrying a revolver I didn't even think about it. I was plenty comfortable with firearms but didn't have a lot of experience with semiauto handguns so I wasn't entirely comfortable, at first, carrying my P3AT with one in the chamber. This was partly because of it being a semiauto and partly because it was [is] pocket carried a lot (in a pocket holster.) It took me a few times carrying it without one in the chamber and realizing that it hadn't 'fired' on an empty chamber - and realizing that, for all practical purposes, the DAO trigger/hammer fired setup on the P3AT was very much like that of a revolver - before I was comfortable carrying with one in the chamber.

All that said, I prefer DAO or DA/SA, hammer fired pistols. I guess it is because I am still largely a revolver guy at heart and am more comfortable with a DA trigger, at least for the first pull. I don't own any striker fired guns and still don't think I'd buy a striker fired gun for carry. That isn't because I believe they are inherently 'unsafe' but simply because I am not that experienced or comfortable with them and there are too many other options without having to go striker fired. Pretty much the same thing goes for carrying SA semiautos and carrying 'cocked and locked'. It has worked perfectly well for plenty of people for a long time - I'm just not interested in carrying one. That isn't even to say I wouldn't own a striker fired or SAO semiauto, just that I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying either (and, again, that has everything to do with my preferences/comfort level and nothing to do with the guns, themselves.)

The point of all that is to say that it may take some time to get comfortable carrying with one in the chamber. However, if you don't ever get comfortable doing so with your current carry gun, you might want to consider a different platform with which you'd be more comfortable.

Edited July 22, 2011 by JAB

[Fallguy]

I never had that problem and carried with one in the chamber since Day 1.

What he said

You just have to understand safeties and also realize that the only likely way the gun is going to go bang is if your finger gets inside the trigger guard and pulls the trigger. Yes there are freak accidents where a jacket zipper or something else somehow gets into the trigger guard, but that's like getting struck by lightning.

For instance, the Glock has 3 safeties:

1. Trigger safety: the trigger cannot be pulled unless a spring loaded safety is depressed. The safety must be physically touched to disengage, therefore g-forces from dropping the pistol cannot disengage it.
   
2. Firing pin safety: between the firing pin and the loaded round, there is a hardened steel pin. It move up and out of the way only when the trigger is pressed.
   
3. Drop safety: when the trigger is not pulled, the trigger bar blocks the striker from releasing. When you pull the trigger, the striker remains blocked up until the last moment when it drops down, allowing the striker to move.
   

[93civEJ1]

After reading more things about the XD and safety, I am feeling more confident in it. I just have to always keep my mind on my booger flinger!

[Guest The Highlander]

Took me about 2 minutes, but I'd been handling them and shooting competitively for years prior to TN issuing HCP's.

Take your time, become thoroughly familiar and comfortable and get into some classes. The NRA Handgun Safety certification is cheap and good info particularly if the instructor is good. Check out a course through them, or failing that, look at some of the literature available from NRA on their website.

Buy a Glock, and come out to the GSSF shoots in Knoxville every year!

[DWARREN123]

I have always carried with one in the chamber. In fact I have never felt comfortable carrying a firearm without one chambered. I guess it comes from the military.

[Mike]

You know, a lot of highly trained special force groups in other parts of the world carry on an empty chamber. I do believe Israelis do this. Just because it's different from what the people around you do, does not make it wrong. It's what you train and have become proficient with that matters.

This was done to simplify the manual of arms when they were starting out as a country. There was no standard sidearm, it was a hodgepodge of whatever they already had, could buy, and what got donated to them. With so many different pistols it was easier to train everyone to rack the slide to make ready instead of going one by one on whatever that particular soldier had on that day.

Mike

Edited July 24, 2011 by Mike

[Guest 270win]

I am surprised the handgun carry permit class did not go over how to safely holster, unholster, and draw with a video or the instructor, since people are carrying handguns. My instructor in Arkansas (I believe they can teach what they want) went over this with our class because he did not want folks holstering firearms with fingers on their triggers. We watched a great video of a guy in California showing different holsters and drawing techniques. Our instructor passed different handguns around the class.

[Defender]

I have always carried my 1911s cocked and locked. When I was in the USAF we carried S&W .38 revolvers for years until we finally changed to the Beretta 9mm. I remember when we first got the clearing procedures, I was right away uncomfortable with the troops carrying one in the chamber until one of my NCOs pointed out to me that we already did carry one in the chamber in our .38s, lol.

[Guest The Highlander]

I generally carry either a Glock or a SIG DAO. One guy said I should carry a revolver like him because it was safer than my Glock, because all you have to do to make a Glock go bang is to pull the trigger. Well, uh, um, ok.

[Guest TackleberryTom]

One guy said I should carry a revolver like him because it was safer than my Glock, because all you have to do to make a Glock go bang is to pull the trigger. Well, uh, um, ok.

Gotta love idiots.

I have carried cond 1 with a 1911 from day one. I did have some apprehension at first. Familiarization with my gun cured that.

Buy a Highpoint and put a case with primer only into it and beat the hell out of it until it fires the primer. I would be willing to bet that never happens unless you manage to crush the gun and the case with the primer.

[peejman]

I wouldn't consider carrying without a round in the chamber. A gun without a round in the chamber is just an expensive hammer. That said, I do recall being somewhat paranoid about making sure the manual safety was on, but I got over that pretty quickly. Most any "modern" gun from a reputable manufacturer simply WILL NOT fire unless the trigger is pulled. The vast majority of the ND's you hear about either involve a DAU and/or a botched trigger job.

[tnhawk]

I've always carried cocked and locked. The 1911 was designed to be carried this way.

[chemprof]

Gotta love idiots.

I have carried cond 1 with a 1911 from day one. I did have some apprehension at first. Familiarization with my gun cured that.

Buy a Highpoint and put a case with primer only into it and beat the hell out of it until it fires the primer. I would be willing to bet that never happens unless you manage to crush the gun and the case with the primer.

The more I think about this, I'm wondering if the "idiot" was just not fully understanding or has/had misconceptions about striker-fired guns? I have loved the many graphics and applets that folks have shared on here to actually see the internal workings, or to just field strip one's weapon and see closely just how things work, right? I think everyone's point is well put: get to know your weapon.....