To Chamber or Not to Chamber?

[hardballer]

I can not believe this is still an issue. If you carry a gun without chambering a round, leave it at home.

Unless:

you have the willpower and motivation to train in the Israeli method more power to you. When deployed successfully it is very fast and accurate.

Too right you are.

"Safety is something that happens between your ears" not in your hands." - Jeff Cooper

Many of us here have carried fully loaded weapons for years without incident. You need to pay attention to what you're doing, and give the weapon the respect it deserves. Follow all of the safety rules. Do that and you'll have no problems.

When I first got into shooting, a friend, a retired Army Ranger had the same sage advice for me. He taught me safety, safety, safety first. Think. Proper gun handling for safety and accuracy. Repetitive training is how I learned. I've been carrying for a good many years and still 'think' before I do anything with a firearm.

It is beyond dumb to not chamber a round whether at home or out in the public.

You should always treat a weapon as if it has a round chambered. If you do this, then you should never run into accidental discharges. You always keep a firearm pointed away from people(except when you are defending against attacks from said person), you never place your finger in the trigger guard...well, you just need to look up and study firearm safety, if you do not already know this stuff.

Whether a person chambers a round or not is their choice, but I suggest that those who choose not to chamber a round not carry a firearm. In the end, it will end up being your firearm that is taken from you and either used against you and/or used against another person.

This quote cuts to the heart of the problem.

You should always treat a weapon as if it has a round chambered.

If you learn to look at all weapons with this respect, accidents may never happen to you. I once was handed a Russian, Dragunov 7.62x54R. Was assured it was empty by the owner. My habit is to verify any firearm before I do anything else. I pulled the mag which was empty. When I pulled the bolt handle back, a nice shiny brass round was ejected. It had had a round chambered. Scary.

The point is, that carrying with a round chambered is not scary if you know it is chambered and follow all safety protocols. If you are a jack azz or a little girl, maybe a gun just isn't for you. Try a wrist rocket sling shot or a rock. Those are both much safer.


The Right Site

[Cocked _and_Locked]

So much false bravado! Bravo - good for you all who are so well trained with razor sharp skills, having ultimate control over your mind, body and equipment. Marvelous!

Some of you will also be the ones who manage to shoot your own azz off when and if you finally do get around to reaching for it in the heat of the moment, momentarily confused. It happens. Reality check.

[ClearSightTactical]

So much false bravado! Bravo - good for you all who are so well trained with razor sharp skills, having ultimate control over your mind, body and equipment. Marvelous!

Some of you will also be the ones who manage to shoot your own azz off when and if you finally do get around to reaching for it in the heat of the moment, momentarily confused. It happens. Reality check.

If you're criticizing us for having razor sharp skills, and ultimate control over our minds, bodies, and equipment than what jedi skills do you have to be able to rack a round in the heat of the moment?

If you're saying we could lose control of our fine motor skills and get our clumsy hand in the trigger guard- you sir, are correct. That is why we (I) advocate for carrying chambered- because the loss of fine motor skills required to manipulate a firearm in the 'heat of the moment'. I think there is a dramatically lower chance in having an ND while drawing than fouling up the process necessary for Chambering a round.

[Cocked _and_Locked]

Fine. To each his own. But don't tell people:

If you carry a gun without chambering a round, leave it at home.

That is nonsense.

[ClearSightTactical]

Fine. To each his own. But don't tell people:

That is nonsense.

I agree. A half loaded gun is better than nothing at all. You generalized your comment, which is why I responded... Again, if you have the willpower and/or discipline to practice then more power to you.

I just think of it like:

If I practice every day or every few days and am very proficient at drawing from concealment, racking a round, and firing. I'd rather utilize that time to work on draw, trigger control, and research of the laws and further training than have to practice multiple times per week for long sessions to maintain such a perishable skill.

If you practice every single day you may be as fast as those of us who have a round chambered and practice moderately... (general statement..)

[hardballer]

So much false bravado! Bravo - good for you all who are so well trained with razor sharp skills, having ultimate control over your mind, body and equipment. Marvelous!

Some of you will also be the ones who manage to shoot your own azz off when and if you finally do get around to reaching for it in the heat of the moment, momentarily confused. It happens. Reality check.

I am fairly competent with my 1911 and a half dozen other firearms. Maybe a bit more than fairly competent.
No false bravado. I don't think spending time at the range or in real world type competitions can be held against a person. If you are not familiar with your firearm, you are foolish. If you are not familiar with the enemy you are worse than foolish.

I really did not want to argue and I meant what I said. Leave it at home. You'll hurt yourself or someone else or get yourself killed. Carry pepper spray or a baseball bat. I'd say you're the pot calling the kettle black with your comments.

I agree. A half loaded gun is better than nothing at all.

You're absolutely correct. A half loaded gun makes a great club. A baseball bat works much better.

The point is, that carrying with a round chambered is not scary if you know it is chambered and follow all safety protocols. If you are a jack azz or a little girl, maybe a gun just isn't for you. Try a wrist rocket sling shot or a rock. Those are both much safer.

Still true for all the little girls out there. Do yourself a favor. Get to know your firearm well enough to carry it with a round in the chamber. You will then have command of your firearm, not visa versa. That little girl reference in no way is meant to demean diminutive or petite women with the guts and intellect to carry properly. Read Col. Jeff Cooper, Clint Smith, Sheriff Jim Wilson, Massad Ayoob, etc. ad nauseum.

The only ones I ever hear advocating not carrying one in the chamber are those covering their exposed to litigation posteriors i.e. LEOs, Israelis or those who are not confident enough to do so. If you are not confident enough to carry with a round chambered, I recommend you rethink carrying. When adrenalin hits and panic sets in, you really and truly do have to be able to do what is necessary without contemplation. A BG can close on you from twenty feet in a few seconds.

For those of you with the bravado to open your mouth before actually knowing what your talking about, read this:

It is common knowledge that a suspect, armed with an edged weapon and within twenty-one feet of a police officer presents a deadly threat. Why? Because the “average” man can run that twenty-one feet in about one-point-five seconds; the same one-point-five seconds it will take that police officer to recognize danger, draw and point his weapon, and then pull the trigger. Even if the officer manages to get the shot off, and even if it hits the suspect; even if it instantly disables the suspect, the blade is going to be so close to the officer that the suspect’s momentum may continue forward with enough force for the edged weapon to end up injuring the officer anyway.

Read the whole article here.

[Cocked _and_Locked]

I believe you are fairly "in"competent and presumptuous to say least, claiming to know what's best for everyone else.

You're overconfidence and conceited swagger will probably get you killed someday.

Good luck with that!

[hardballer]

I believe you are fairly "in"competent and presumptuous to say least, claiming to know what's best for everyone else.

You're overconfidence and conceited swagger will probably get you killed someday.

Good luck with that!

re-read my last post smart guy.

[hardballer]

I'm Sorry, Cocked and dorked, I forgot who you were. The local cave troll. Your on the iggy list now. bye bye.

I can't hear you. . .hehehe

[marionandjohn]

You're absolutely correct. A half loaded gun makes a great club. A baseball bat works much better.

To jump in the middle of this might be dumb but I have to disagree with your thought process. The idea of a site like this one is to get MORE people COMFORTABLE with carring a gun. I gun with the mag loaded and not chambered is 10X better then the one left at home. Do you always fill your gas tank on your car to the brim? or has there been times when you just put 10 or 15 bucks in it? What works for one person dont always work for everyone. Yes I carry chambered and encourage all to do the same, however, if carring not chambered gets you to carry then by all means carry not chambered and get comfortable with your weapon but by all means dont leave it at home. When drawn, a weapon not chambered pointed at a bad guy has the same fear striking capability as a chambered one that didnt have the triggered pulled. And before anyone starts that you are able to draw your weapon and not fire it but you should be ready to fire it if drawn hince the carry chambered. Again i close with carry the weapon that makes YOU comfortable and not the one that makes someone else happy. Carring a firearm has turned into more of a privilage in this country then a right so take advantage of it and carry. As for a half loaded gun making a good baseball bat so does a fully loaded gun that misfired. you should still practice racking a round even if you carry chambered you never know what will happen but you can always count on murphy to be there.