empty carry gun each night?

[vujade]

I have a DA/SA with a safety/decocker.

I'm carrying with a round in the chamber and safety on. (is this the best way?)

At the end of the day, should I leave the bullet in there or should I clear it, reinsert gun into mag, etc... I normally like to at least wipe down the gun after each day. Keeps the lint from accumulating.

Also. Do you leave the gun in the holster overnight? I hear that it sucks the oil from the gun.

[poak]

I have a DA/SA with a safety/decocker.

I'm carrying with a round in the chamber and safety on. (is this the best way?)

At the end of the day, should I leave the bullet in there or should I clear it, reinsert gun into mag, etc... I normally like to at least wipe down the gun after each day. Keeps the lint from accumulating.

Also. Do you leave the gun in the holster overnight? I hear that it sucks the oil from the gun.

Are you carrying it hammer down and safety on? I personally wouldn't carry like that.

I have a USPc V1, and I carry cocked and locked. If I were to carry it in DA mode, the safety would not be engaged, but I'm liking C&L carry.

I've had a round chambered for about 3 weeks now... I haven't lost any sleep over it.

[Guest bkelm18]

At night my carry gun goes from its holster to my night stand. No unloading.

[Wrangler]

I have a round chambered in my glock and kel tec all the time. I change out the mags every month and give it a break. I also change my carry ammo every 6 months just because. If you dont carry one chambered that can be around 5 seconds from drawing you weapon to racking the slide that the other person has a chance to attack you. I guess you could always through the gun at them first....

[Fallguy]

At night my carry gun goes from its holster to my night stand. No unloading.

+1

[Fadex]

Yep. An unloaded gun is a paperweight.

[Guest Matchguy]

As a policeman in a large department I carried a M4006 Smith and Wesson. We were required to have a live round chambered and a full mag in the gun at all times, and nobody emptied their weapon at the end of the shift. We were never allowed to carry it with the "decocker down" in the safe position and I still won't do it.

It's a simple fact that the more you load and unload your pistol, the more chances you have for an unintended discharge. Load it and leave it alone would be my recommendation, unless of course you have children in the house, then it may well make sense to unload it before you put it away. But only you know your kids and I'll leave that decision up to you. Trying to balance the need for a loaded firearm with the safety of kids in the house can be a very tricky balancing act best left up to the parents.

Along these lines, the Los Angeles Police Department used to require its officers to check out an empty shotgun from the armory at the beginning of each shift and load it. Then they had to unload it and turn it back in at the end of the shift. So they had several thousand pump shotguns being manipulated twice a day.....After they blew enough light bars off of their cars, they adopted our system and left them loaded in the cars in a secure parking lot.

Leaving a gun in a leather holster is a bad idea only when you leave it there long enough for the chemicals in the leather to corrode the gun. If you're taking it out daily and wiping it off, that's fine. Actually, I'm opposed to a lot of gun handling, as you've prolly noted, and I would only do it every few days unless the humidity was high. But that's just me.

As always BIG IMHO's

MG

Edited April 14, 2009 by Matchguy

[Guest SUNTZU]

I have a DA/SA with a safety/decocker.

I'm carrying with a round in the chamber and safety on. (is this the best way?)

At the end of the day, should I leave the bullet in there or should I clear it, reinsert gun into mag, etc... I normally like to at least wipe down the gun after each day. Keeps the lint from accumulating.

Also. Do you leave the gun in the holster overnight? I hear that it sucks the oil from the gun.

As you can see from the responses, you came to the right place for the answers to your questions. I would make the suggestion that you drop some dough on a defensive firearms class. From the reviews I have read on this board, there are some outstanding instructors out there. I think there are discounts for members of TGO, but you would have to check with the vendors. I think the biggest cost would be ammo, but I think of it more as paying for an education. I plan on attending a couple of classes myself in the near future.

As for me, I don't unload nightly. I do rotate magazines every two or three months.

[Tacblack]

I leave guns chamber loaded. Not in holster.

Do not like to load same rounds over and over, if you do watch for bullet set back. Bullet getting pushed back into case is going to increase charge.

I noticed this on the factory 357sig rounds the most and couple 380acp rounds. My 9mm,40 and supers seem better.

[dralarms]

The only way I'm emptying my carry gun, unless I'm cleaning it, is 1 round at a time into what ever is threatening me or my family. I don't even unholster it unless I have to, IE going in to a free victim zone, or cleaning it, or to change holsters.

[Guest bhoneycutt]

My XD goes from my hip to the nightstand most of the time with the holster. One chambered at all times on days that I dont work. On days I work it stays in the safe with one chambered than when I get home I usually get it out and at least put it on my nightstand if not holster and carry it till bed when it goes back on the nightstand .

[enfield]

Nothing left for me to say!

[Trekbike]

It's a simple fact that the more you load and unload your pistol, the more chances you have for an unintended discharge. Load it and leave it alone would be my recommendation,

+1 on keeping it loaded.

As others have said, rotate the ammo as needed.

[Bloodbought1]

At night my carry gun goes from its holster to my night stand. No unloading.

+1

[Guest nraforlife]

At night my carry gun goes from its holster to my night stand. No unloading.

+1 - Right with you

[S&WForty]

As a policeman in a large department I carried a M4006 Smith and Wesson. We were required to have a live round chambered and a full mag in the gun at all times, and nobody emptied their weapon at the end of the shift. We were never allowed to carry it with the "decocker down" in the safe position and I still won't do it.

It's a simple fact that the more you load and unload your pistol, the more chances you have for an unintended discharge. Load it and leave it alone would be my recommendation, unless...

That sure seems like the best advice to follow. My standard size pistol just had a light added to it for home defense (SW99QA). I know there's a particular brand/model holster for it that accommodates the tactical light. I won't leave it cocked, locked, and loaded without it being in a holster to guard the trigger. That particular gun has a take-down/decocker button, so it comes in handy as a psuedo "safety" with minimal handling.

My other pistol purchased for carrying is a sub-compact SW990L (has no decocker button). When I start carrying it regularly, it'll go straight from the carry position to nightstand/table and left in its holster. I'm not touching it otherwise.

[TN9mm]

Are you carrying it hammer down and safety on? I personally wouldn't carry like that.

Not necessarly a problem.... If your set up is like either of my carry guns the safety is a decocker and there is no way to carry cocked and locked like a 1911 (safety on = hammer down). So it is perfectly acceptalbe, and very safe to carry with the hammer down and safety on, (I do it every day and have tested the effectiveness of the system beyond any doubt) that is the way that pistol is designed. With the safety on, the fireing pin is blocked and the trigger is disenguaged. Safer than any striker fire pistol with no safety, that = a gun that is cocked and unlocked. Just MHO.

You have an extra step: sweep the safety, this enguages the trigger and unblocks the fireing pin, then bang. So just be aware of your guns specific safety features and be sure this is how your gun works, I'd bet it does.

As for the nightly unload...no. Like others have said extra unnecessary handling of the weapon is just not needed. If you are doing that for safety reasons I suggest a gun safe, you should have one anyway. Again all JMHO.

[TN9mm]

If I were to carry it in DA mode, the safety would not be engaged, but I'm liking C&L carry.

Apologize poak, I see your point here now...I guess that one is a matter of preference. I just like having the safety on on all my weapons....how I learned how I train, also why both of my carry guns are the identical set up just different size and cal. It is what I know. No different than carrying cocked and locked really... you still have to sweep the safety, the only difference is in a 1911 format all shots are SA not DA/SA. But the fact that you have to sweep the safety still exists.

You just gotta go with what you are comfortable with. As always just my humble

Be safe!

[Guest pws_smokeyjones]

At night my carry gun goes from its holster to my night stand. No unloading.

Same here. The only reason to unload in the evening is if you have no secure place to keep your weapon at home AND you have small children or others in your house that need to be kept away from loaded firearms.

Remember, bad guys don't just work 9-5.

[wjh2657]

I carry J Frame Smith so no issues about "chambered" or "Unchambered". My snubbie leaves holster to go straight to bed. Fully loaded and on duty. BTW My kids are in their forties, I keep door closed at night when grandkids are around. EDC gets a daily inspection and "clean patch" through the bore and cylinders every day and that is only time it is unloaded.

Edited April 16, 2009 by wjh2657

[dunndw]

The only unloaded guns in my house are in the safe. Heck, most of them are loaded as well come to think of it, so no...my primary, secondary and so on are loaded at all times.

[cadillacdude1975]

i had a glock 33 that was bad about the seating problem that Tacblack spoke about. mine stays holstered 24/7 with one in the pipe. if 16 rounds of .40 hollow points dont get the message across, then i am in the wrong place.

[Guest db99wj]

I pull the gun/holster out of my waistband and onto or into the knight stand.

[tbuford]

Chamber stays loaded...only change on the Glock 27 from the carry set-up is the standard mag with the pearce+1 comes out and the G23 mag with the A&G extension goes in....14 rds and the platform changes...best addition yet...along with the decal grips in rubber....

[vujade]

thanks so much for the info. I'm keeping a round in the chamber but leaving the safety on. (someone mentioned that they their police department wouldn't let them carry this way? - why not?)

It still feels a little 'odd' (i guess I just need practice) but now that I think of it, it's much too much time to have to rack the slide when you are surrounded by baddies who want your wallet especially when your heard is pumping 200 beats a second.