chambered or unchambered?

Who carries unchambered and who carries chambered?

I like the way the israeli's do it. Draw chamber fire. I do not like a chambered weapon.


What are your pros and cons?

Chambered... You're firearm is useless without ammo in the chamber.

X2

Chambered safety on. The couple times I got nervous about a situation, I reached down and flipped the safety off.

I would never carry unchambered, and I've been thinking about carrying safety off from now on. If you need your weapon, you are going to regret having to chamber around. Especially if it's a situation where the element of surprise would be beneficial.

When I travel with my M&P in the truck, it is not chambered. If I were to carry it on my person, you can bet it will have one in the spout. When you start adding more things to do before it goes BANG, such as having to rack a round, you needlessly complicate things.

Chambered no safety

Chambered with safety on . How fast do you think you can chamber if SHTF ?? Probably very very little .

100% chambered, no question. If my firearm is unchambered, the mag is out and slide is locked to the rear.

1911 Condition 1. Always.

x3

X4

My main reason is it takes 2 hands to chamber a round... You cant count on having both hands in a pinch...

Also prefer to let my finger be the safety rather than have to manually switch a safety off.

wow nobody carries unchambered so far.

Chambered...always!

Always chambered. Good reasons mentioned already.

SHE hot son, yep hot!

Locked and loaded at all times.

Why wouldn't you carry chambered? If a person is not smart enough to keep your gun on safety, finger off the trigger, and pointed in a safe (or attacker's) direction till you need it, I'm not sure they need a gun.

I carry with a round chambered, and the safety might or might not be on, according to the circumstances. If I'm thinking I might need the gun but maybe not, I'll disable the safety but leave it in the holster. If it really looks like it's going to be needed, it will be in my hand, ready to go but with my finger extended along side the trigger guard. I do not touch the trigger until it is time to fire.

carrying an un-chambered weapon is like playing baseball with a football bat........

You may not have the use of both hands when you need to chamber a round. I carry chambered.

I do

Condition 1 - unless it's a revolver

chambered. No question.

Handguns that I keep on my person are always chambered.

Sporting firearms are always carried unchambered with rounds in the magazine for safety reasons.

Good one.

Kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Try this at home with an empty and safe gun. Find 2 marks that are 30 feet apart, you stand on one end and somebody else on the other. Give them a pretend knife, you have your gun holstered. When the other person charges at you, you have to draw rack shoot(gun is empty). I promise you won't get the gun racked and pull the trigger before the other person touches you. Heck, it's hard enough with a loaded gun in the holster, you're still going to get cut/stabbed, but you will prob get off a contact shot

still not a one?

It does make sense that I may be shot in one arm and not able to rack. That is a good point.

I think if someone was 20-30 ft and coming at me with a knife that he may get to me either with or without a racked gun. Racked or not will not make a difference in that scenario. You will have it racked by the time it is up at eye level.

why wouldnt I ? Probably because there is no time taken when racking a gun from holster to eye. It is quick and easy to practice.

Maybe I am just used to carrying my hunting weapons unloaded and that feels more natural and safer. However I do lock and load when I am in the hunting area especially my back up pistol when pig hunting.

Bigfoot, do you prefer to carry unchambered because you are worried about the firearm accidentally discharging while holstered?

chambered. 1911 is cocked and locked at all times at my 5 o'clock.

Chambered always, for all of the above reasons

If you think your that good, that you could defend yourself against a knife wielding criminal, then keep carrying unchambered. It's your gun and your life. But when that adrenaline dumps, your fine motor skills disappear, you quickly get tunnel vision, and it takes the brain longer to process a perceived threat. In that situation I wouldn't want to worry about having to flip a safety off, much less rack the slide.

Did you know that the vast majority of officer involved shooting, along with citizen self defense shootings, occur within 3 yds? That's 9 feet. 9 feet is a lot less then 30. You think the criminal is going to give you a 30 foot heads up that he is going to assault you?

We did this from 7 yards at the fire station. My "pistol" was a pair of lineman pliers in a leather holster. And the knife was a capped dry erase marker. I got stuck with the knife five times. Knife weilder finally got shot only a foot or two from me, but I was still stuck with the knife.

I do , just my preference.

Real knife attacks aren't like tv

This question makes as much sense as a football bat...Why is this even a question anymore?

Like the person who doesn't want to get by a 22

That was a disturbing video but I also see it as a wakeup call from reality. There are monsters out there and after watching that video, I think I have been swayed to be chambered.

Thanks,
CM

Always carry chambered with a full mag, I see no reason not too.

Walter

Chambered always. Doesn't matter if its on my side or in my console its ready to rock.

Chambered, if not a gun is expensive paperweight.

Unchambered. Its all personal preference, and how you train. Only takes a second to pull the slide. If im going on a road trip or something ill put one in. But for the most part unchambered works for me.

Shoot some USPSA, IDPA or 3 gun, and you'll realize exactly how long a second really is.

un-chambered is about like taking a knife to a gun fight

As has been mentioned - why carry if you don't have one in the chamber? Jason has done some drills and has seen just how little time there is to react. I can't count the number of training sessions I have conducted or the number of officers, and some civilians that I have trained. Had ONE officer tell me that he wanted to carry his weapon with (a SW 669) with his decocking lever down. I let him do it, and after the first speed drill he changed his mind. A simple 3 rounds, from the holster, in 5 seconds was enough stress on him that he forgot to flip the lever up.
You want to be a sheep, carry unchambered. You are no use to me.

The reasons the Israelis did it that way is because when the IDF was formed, they had a mixed bag of handguns... some single action, some double action, etc. By carrying magazine loaded, empty chamber, they were able to develop a manual of arms that was uniform across all the makes of pistols they had that required less training. Since the chamber is empty, they could teach soldiers to rack the slide as they draw and the pistol would be ready to fire... no need to worry about deactivating a safety... uniform manual of arms.

This is the same reason that the shotguns in my house are kept with mag tube full, empty chamber, action unlocked and safety off... I have a mix of Remington and Mossbergs, and it was much easier to teach my wife to just work the action vs. remembering where the safety is located on different shotguns.

I'm not sure how the Israelis carry today. I would imagine that they have more uniform issued sidearms, at least on a per unit basis, where they could train to that particular firearm. I always carry with one in the chamber. In my house, I have several layers of security that should provide warning and time to work the action on a shotgun... out at the mall with my family, I don't.

Wrong!!! I dont think I am that good I think I am that bad!! The guy with the knife is probably going to get me whether I am chambered or unchambered.

no a gun is not a paper weight just because it is unchambered. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

That vid shows there's no warm up time when it hits the fan. I carry cocked and locked.

Then why carry at all?

Exactly. Have you ever seen True Grit?

As mentioned before I carry chambered with no safety. I usually either do appendix carry or middle of my lower back IWB . Where do you guys prefer to carry?

Chambered when I'm out solo

Unchambered WITH an acute awareness of my surrounding when I'm with my kids and family

NEVER open carry

P.S. - guns are useless if you aren't aware of your surroundings or if you over compensate by placing yourself in a risky situation because your locked and cocked. All the call outs on people who carry unchambered are ridiculous on a surface level.

Why different methods when alone vs. with family?

Well said Pig Popper. My sentiments exactly

That's a good question. Your kids should be well aware of the risks of messing with firearms.

chambered

One in chamber G27 so no safety ready to rock and roll. I couldn't imagine being in a stressful situation and pulling my gun and hearing the firing pin fall on a empty chamber. Appendix carry is only way I carry now.

11 o'clock IWB. Big proponent of having a back up, so a Colt Mustang usually rides along in an ankle holster. One other thing that was mentioned earlier, and something to think about.

Not being able to rack the slide without the use of both hands.

Ever tried using the outer part of your thigh? Preferrably with jean's on.

Boot heel?

Soooo, sooooo much depends upon your state of mind, training, muscle memory and individual reaction to a shooting situation. (Did I mention training?)

I know people who train to draw, rack and fire in the blink of an eye under stress. It is impressive for sure, but I am not capable, nor willing to train to that level. That is a very personal decision.

If a person has not experienced a really massive adrenaline dump into your bloodstream, they will be shocked at the autonomic response. How many times have we seen videos of multiple, trained police officers dumping 15-19 rounds at close range --- and missing their target?

I'm a .357/.44 mag guy, so I suppose that "chambered" is my answer. But the 9mm and AR that live in my truck have full mags with empty chambers.

I'm 62 years old, grew up on a ranch and have lived most my adult life away from big cities. My perspective will be different than a person who lives/works/breathes in a suburb or city.

Marc

+1

If worn in a holster, on my body, chambered. If stored near me in home or vehicle, then unchambered.

Good situational awareness should keep me safe enough to have time to avoid the situation or charge the weapon, unless I am afoot and walk into it.

Remember that leaving a readily dischargeable firearm where a child or other non-adult can find it is a crime, as well as stupid.

Yes, and the law is pretty specific on what that means but losing a loved one due to negligence will probably do more to the person responsible for the gun than the law would.

My kids are well aware of gun safety and aren't afraid of putting holes in paper and tins cans.

This thread speaks to chambered or unchambered for carry in the public domain which to me represents a whole different arena when it comes to situations and shooter's discretion.

Example: let's say I'm out with the family and I'm going into a establishment that is 30.06 covered. So I leave the gun in the truck with the family and I'll only be a minute, on the way back to the truck I get into a discussion with a fella and it turns South. In theory the wife will come to my defense leaving the children in the truck but what if my child decides to assist if at this point I'm on the ground.

NOT a decision I want my child to make with a chambered gun!!!

Again in theory in this example it comes to be that the fella is kin who has a mental problem and the adults in the family are well aware of his problem but the kids aren't.

So new question(s) for readers:

1) for those who carry chambered all the time given the above example do you unchambered and stow or just stow?

2) who here trusts a 12 - 14 year old child to make a sound decision in the event a chambered gun comes into their possession in the midst of a volatile situation?

Well in Semi-auto chambered and with revolver....well of course its chambered.....5- 6 times, so to speak!

The average decent shooter whom practices drawing and shooting, from a stimulus, will get the first shot off in about 1.25 seconds, when ready for the stimulus. Some are slower. It will take the normal person about 1.5 to 1.75 seconds to see a threat and begin to take action. A person shooting a semi-auto can shoot at a rate of one round per .15 seconds. If it takes around 1.5 to just react and start to respond, then add more time to that for the actual draw, and beginning to engage (if a round is chambered). The bad guy can get 6 to 10 rounds off before even being engaged, and that is being somewhat ready. If you are not chambered, then you do the math.

Excuse me for being ridiculous but it is my job to keep people alive and to make sure that officers are ready to react so that they can go home. It is your choice to carry and I have not one problem with it. If you are able (mentally and physically) to react and engage with another whom is trying to kill you, your family, or others, I want you to survive the encounter so that you can go home.

Regarding how my weapon is at home - well, I have taken care of that.

g

This scenario seems very far fetched, especially when you make the assailant your "mentally disabled kin"...

At 12 years old, I trusted my son around firearms. But by that age, my child had been hunting and shooting for several years. My son is more familiar with firearms than my wife is. At 16, he consistently outshoots me on the skeet field and dove field, and has for a couple of years. Many stories in the news where young teens have defended themselves and their families from robberies with dad's gun. It comes down to your individual child.

Given your example above, I simply stow the gun away in the holster. The less handling of the firearm, the less chance of negligent discharge.

I've never heard of anyone carrying their handgun without ammo in the chamber. Is it a habit from carying the old revolvers?

Chambered when you are carrying. Chambered in the home. Chambered all the time, everywhere, as long as it is the gun your life depends on.

If you have children in the home, unless it is on your body it needs to be locked up. In which case ideally it is still chambered, in a biometric safe. If you don't have one, then it still needs to be locked up if you have small children. But having to open the safe at night, in the dark, without making noise is hard enough. Gun still needs to have one in the pipe ready to go.

Absolutely.

Iwb 5 o'clock. G36 always chambered. No external safety.

I mean if I had a gun, thats how I would do it.

Chambered

Cocked and Locked

Condition one!