Always carry with one in the pipe.

[mikegideon]

Very well said!

[broox]

I carry empty chamber, home defense gun same.
I have all kinds of reasons that I have thought about alot.
I am probably not going to change anybody's mind.
That's ok

Still the same

[crashgordan]

I started gun proofing my kids very early. both girls.

I purposely took the scary out of it and made it a very practical part of their instruction growing up.  (see also Massad Ayoob's book on gunproofing your kids)

 

A responsible gun owner is just that...  

 

When my children were young, my sidearm was secured when not on my person.  (locked up but accessible)

I would allow them to see it on my person and ask questions about it.

I cleaned it and disassembled it with them.

I trained them regularly on "what do you do if you see a gun"... 

this was important to me as i am not always going to be with them and when visiting a friends house or in an unfamiliar home, i want them to know how to respond...

 

1.  don't touch it.

2.  leave the room and find an adult and calmly let them know.

 

As they grew up i began to train them harder.  I would unload my sidearm and holster it and test them.

at the age of 5, i instructed one of my daughters to goto the kitchen table and fetch her favorite movie, little mermaid... (this all was taking place within eyesight of me)

i had placed my holstered and empty sidearm on top of it.

 

she returned and simply stated that there was a firearm on her movie and I would need to take care of it.

 

This training could have saved their life, i will never know but i do know that once my daughter was at the home of another friend for a birthday party.  

the boy pulled a pistol from under his toy chest in a room full of kids.  My 8 year old daughter very calmly left the room and quietly notified the boys mother that he had a pistol and she might want to check it out.

This was a toy pistol but the point was made.  

 

As they grew I would include them in my range time and increased their understanding and comfort with safe handling of a firearm, muzzle and trigger discipline.  

 

Now, both are nearly grown and while they don't have a passion for the shooting sports as I wish they did, I am very comfortable that they are safe and responsible adults.

 

Each one of us has to consider the risk benefit of carrying at all, and i've probably talked more people out of owning or carrying a firearm then into it...

the reason is simple:  they have not considered all the implications and have not committed to what it actually means to own and or carry.

If you have not committed to the very real possibility that you may take someones life while protecting the life of someone you are responsible for and that in the event of a legally justified shooting, you may lose everything (including your job, your life savings and your marriage) in the civil suit, you should not be carrying a firearm.  

 

Every person should read "in the gravest extreme" as part of their training.  (somewhat dated data, but timeless concepts)

 

Carrying empty is a personal choice, but like Cruel Hand says, is an emotional decision, not logical.

 

with safety training and discipline applied, carrying empty is no different then driving around without your seatbelt, thinking you will have plenty of time to put it on when you need it.

 

 

A very close friend carried empty, and we debated this regularly. he too has children.

We finally, through friendly discussion, uncovered exactly what Cruel Hand pointed out. 

it was fear of the gun.  (he had to come to this conclusion on his own, as it would never do for me to point it out)

 

I explained that this was a training and discipline issue.

that with proper training and gun discipline, both of himself and his boys, all the things he feared would be mitigated.

he now gunproofs his boys regularly, trains (trigger discipline while unholstering was his biggest personal concern)  and secures his weapon when not on his person.

 

and he carries one in the pipe, comfortably.  

 

Carry on...

Edited February 10, 2015 by crashgordan

[Guest Daryl Coda]

One in the pipe of course.  I am just certain to rotate my carry ammo because if you repeatedly chamber the same round or two in your carry gun, as when you unload it to clean it, some real issues can be created.  Bullet setback can cause a kaboom, and also, primer compound separation can cause a failure to fire.  The second happened to a Georgia police officer at a critical moment.  It's in the video:

http://youtu.be/5VSfSPuEC6M

 

[john455]

One in the pipe of course.  I am just certain to rotate my carry ammo because if you repeatedly chamber the same round or two in your carry gun, as when you unload it to clean it, some real issues can be created.  Bullet setback can cause a kaboom, and also, primer compound separation can cause a failure to fire.  The second happened to a Georgia police officer at a critical moment.  It's in the video:

http://youtu.be/5VSfSPuEC6M

 Good information I never thought of that Thanks!!

[Guest damyankee]

I always carry with one in the pipe, it just makes sense to me. I don't want to have to say, "please mister robber, give me a second or two to chamber a round."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left."

NASB

Edited February 21, 2015 by damyankee

[Guest damyankee]

I always carry with one in the pipe, it just makes sense to me. I don't want to have to say, "please mister robber, give me a second or two to chamber a round."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left."

NASB

[Fourtyfive]

One in the pipe of course. I am just certain to rotate my carry ammo because if you repeatedly chamber the same round or two in your carry gun, as when you unload it to clean it, some real issues can be created. Bullet setback can cause a kaboom, and also, primer compound separation can cause a failure to fire. The second happened to a Georgia police officer at a critical moment. It's in the video:
http://youtu.be/5VSfSPuEC6M

Talked about before but very important info for those that have not seen it .... :) Kudos ! Edited February 21, 2015 by Fourtyfive

[Bad Habit]

Ya just gotta love these topics...

 

I think what some folks fail to realize is when the guns come out somebody is usually gonna get killed. The fastest one on target with bullets downrange has the best chance of walking away. One up the pipe ready to roll and the mindset that you may just have to use it is what is necessary.

[FortKnox]

I never carry with one in the pipe but, I carry a revolver so that might have something to do with it. :p Edited February 28, 2015 by FortKnox

[Clod Stomper]

I never carry with one in the pipe but, I carry a revolver so that might have something to do with it. :p

Au contraire, you don't just have one chambered. You have SIX! (Or maybe 5).

[FortKnox]

Au contraire, you don't just have one chambered. You have SIX! (Or maybe 5).

Yep 5 it's an LCR.

[Guest Dusty83]

many moons ago in high school, these 2 dudes got in a fight. 1 of them lost a shoe and started yelling timeout. everyone LOLed and said there is no time out in fighting. pretty funny because both were nerdy dudes and wasnt really hurting each other but was trying like hell.

[rmiddle]

I keep an empty chamber mainly because I am still relatively new to firearms and despite practicing hard I can still find my figure on the trigger.  When I find it I stop and force myself to fix the issue but it takes time to train muscle memory like that.  I am getting better and am making mistakes less frequently but until my mistakes are pretty much zero I am not ready to carry one in the camber.

 

Thanks

Robert

[daddyo]

I keep an empty chamber mainly because I am still relatively new to firearms and despite practicing hard I can still find my figure on the trigger.  When I find it I stop and force myself to fix the issue but it takes time to train muscle memory like that.  I am getting better and am making mistakes less frequently but until my mistakes are pretty much zero I am not ready to carry one in the camber.

 

Thanks

Robert

 

It's a process. You'll get there, just keep at it.

 

First time I carried in the chamber, I was scared to death. I had to convince myself that it was perfectly safe by carrying around the house for a couple of days. Now I don't even think about it.

[JAB]

It's a process. You'll get there, just keep at it.

 

First time I carried in the chamber, I was scared to death. I had to convince myself that it was perfectly safe by carrying around the house for a couple of days. Now I don't even think about it.

 

I think daddyo is right on - it is a process and everyone has to reach their own level of comfort with it.  I often carry revolvers but when I first started carrying semiautos on occasion (the first was my P3AT) I carried with an empty chamber and actually did a little 'experiment'.  I would make sure that the gun was cocked, even though the chamber was empty. before putting the pistol (in a pocket holster) in my pocket.  At the end of the day, I would check to see if the trigger had somehow gotten pulled while in my pocket (if the trigger was slack and didn't actuate the hammer, I would know it had been pulled.)  Never, not once, did i find that the trigger had been pulled.  After about a week or a little less of conducting that experiment, I decided that it was safe to carry with one in the chamber.  Of course, the DAO trigger on the P3AT is long and heavy enough to be about like the trigger on a revolver so that helped my confidence level regarding carrying with one in the chamber.

Edited March 20, 2015 by JAB

[Camaro_nut2001]

This thread has been around a couple months now and I still have a hot tube in all my guns scattered through out my house out of sight and they will remain hot just like the one I carry every day............... :up: :up:

X2. Every gun I own is hot and ready to fire. I don't even engage safety's on the one's that have them. The way I see it is an attacker's adrenaline is gonna be flowing so much faster than mine that, if caught off guard, I'm gonna be lucky to beat him to the punch without having to rack the slide or disengage the safety. Now keep in mind, I try to keep aware of what's going on around me at all times but I can be caught off guard. On a side note, I do keep all my firearms away from where a child/young adult can even get close to them unless they're sitting on my lap as I carry hot and ready every waking minute of the day. All I can say is good luck to every single good person in this world regardless whether they are carrying hot or not and to the bad, evil folks, well, I sure don't wish you the best. JM2C

Edited November 19, 2015 by Camaro_nut2001

[none]

[quote name="rmiddle" post="1252800" timestamp="1426829689"]I keep an empty chamber mainly because I am still relatively new to firearms and despite practicing hard I can still find my figure on the trigger.  When I find it I stop and force myself to fix the issue but it takes time to train muscle memory like that.  I am getting better and am making mistakes less frequently but until my mistakes are pretty much zero I am not ready to carry one in the camber.
 
Thanks
Robert

What do you carry and how? I am guessing its not a wheel gun. There is a lot more to it then just the side arm. Holster location of carry can be a big part of it. Also snap caps can be your friend to help with training.

Not to sound like a jerk... but you owe it to yourself and family to get the training to carry comfortably at the ready.

[jughead]

try the 21 foot rule and i think the empty chamber will disappear  with most of you.

[rmiddle]

What do you carry and how? I am guessing its not a wheel gun. There is a lot more to it then just the side arm. Holster location of carry can be a big part of it. Also snap caps can be your friend to help with training.

Not to sound like a jerk... but you owe it to yourself and family to get the training to carry comfortably at the ready.

 

I carry a Glock 19.  I have practiced pulling and racking at the same time.  I figure it is better to have then not have even if I don't keep 1 in the chamber.  I have practiced with snap cap's and am searching for a decent holster but at this point until I get my muscle memory to a point were my finger doesn't automatically hit the trigger I am not going to put one in the chamber.

 

Thanks

Robert

[none]

try the 21 foot rule and i think the empty chamber will disappear  with most of you.

Better yet watch the episode of mythbusters!

[Steelharp]

try the 21 foot rule and i think the empty chamber will disappear  with most of you.

Better yet watch the episode of mythbusters!

Got a link for that episode?

[chances R]

Those who know their limitations are to be commended.  Some folks shouldn't carry, period.  But as the majority have pointed out, guns should normally be carried to be utilized immediately.  55% of firearm usage is from 0 to 5 feet.  Too close to utilize both hands for your gun, and your support hand is probably going to be carrying something or warding off a blow, etc.  That is why your gun should be fully loaded with one in the chamber and another reason to practice shooting from position 3.  Also if your gun is equipped with a safety, use it.  If you don't like a safety, purchase a gun that doesn't have one.  Failure to use a safety MAY result in a ND and possibly open the door for possible legal consequences.

[Omega]

Got a link for that episode?

Try this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckz7EmDxhtU

[chances R]

Assuming the bad guy is going to say 'ready, set , GO'. Appreciate one is going to be caught off-guard, must recognize the threat, present the gun from concealment (pocket, purse, IWB, etc.) and then fire accurately......... a lot to process in 1 1/2 sec.