Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve seen some of the “self-defense” videos from Dale Brown of Detroit Urban Survival. He posts some questionable tactics that quickly go viral. They are usually good for a quick laugh, but honestly, a lot of it seems like it could get people hurt or killed if they used them in a real-life situation.
The video I came across today was a YouTube Short he posted back on Nov. 2, 2021, promoting carrying a gun without a round in the chamber. His opinion is that carrying without a round in the chamber increases the survivability and safety of your family. But he doesn’t stay how it does that. He mentions that the time it takes to rack the slide is negligible.
So what happens if you have to use your gun in self-defense. And during the stress of this encounter, you draw your gun and either forget to rack your slide? What if you short-stroke the slide and fail to chamber a round?
We’ve covered carrying with a round in the chamber numerous times here on USA Carry, so instead of going into it again, check out the articles below. Do you carry with a round in the chamber? Sound off in the comments below.
This is Why You Should Always Carry with a Round in the Chamber [Graphic Content]
The difference between drawing, racking the slide and pulling the trigger, and drawing and pulling the trigger is nothing to debate. The fewer steps the faster the threat is eliminated.
You are a Dead man if you don’t carry with one in the tube !
Yes. Try racking the slide when you’re tangled up in your seatbelt, or you’ve just been knocked to the ground.
Or when you’re pushing a loved one out of the line of fire, or you’re hanging onto something to keep your footing. Or when your assailant is on top of you, or you’re fighting over the gun and the gun is moving violently back and forth or side to side, which will guarantee a failure to feed. . . .
This guy in the video is an idiot.
People like Dale Brown provide an invaluable public service. They remind us that despite its best efforts, the US Congress has never been able to legislate stupidity out of existence.
Your chances of surviving any violent encounter increase dramatically if your SD/HD plan incorporates THE FACT that the bad guy probably isn’t going to let you dictate the terms of the fight. Ass-U-Me-ing that he will not interfere with your plans to leave the matter of chambering a round until your life is in danger could get you dead.
Having a carry gun without one in the chamber is like carrying a paperweight. I have shot USPSA and IDPA and in no circumstance would I want to routinely need to rack the slide before engaging. I have shot competitively both day and night matches. Night complicates the problem. Also consider this. What are you going to do if your support hand is injured during the initial stage of the encounter; how will you rack your slide? It’s something you can train to do but I sure don’t want to need to when the need presents itself.
It’s not open to debate for me. It’s called 15 ‘PLUS ONE’ for a reason, a Life Saving reason!
By definition, the bad guy has the element of surprise during an attack. This evokes a fight/flight response during which fine motor skills are impaired; things that are very easy to do when calm become very difficult if not impossible to do when under great stress. The Israeli approach assumes you are carrying openly, which gives you quicker access to the slide, but is something most of us don’t do. Even so, working the slide takes time and becomes difficult under stress using this approach; it also takes longer to sight your target. In the time it takes the instructor to draw, rack a round, and sight his target using the Israeli technique, the rest of us carrying with a round in the chamber could have drawn and sighted. And if the defender had spent their time practicing dry fire training and at the range, there is no increased danger of uncontrolled firing.
In most things I agree with the Israelis. This isn’t one of those things.
Always have one in the tube……
Carried with one the chamber, from day one!!!!
A gun without one in the chamber is also known as a rock. I’d rather carry a gun.
Carry the way your most comfortable with.
From a youngster to now, I was always taught, every gun is loaded. Handle it with that respect and you are good to go. If you treat it like it’s loaded, it might as well be loaded! No need for extra steps. More chance of errant fired rounds with someone racking a slide in a high stress situation and not having/taking the time to align the sights. Empty chambers are for old Colt SAA’s and 3-screw Ruger’s without safety parts.