CCW: One in the chamber or not?
 

Hey guys,
I just got my CHL in TX and am deciding how I will carry my G23. I have heard arguments for keeping one in the chamber and keeping all in the clip, and I'm still stuck on the decision. I want y'alls opinions. I feel uneasy carrying one in the chamber as the glock has no external safety, but I don't want to waste time and possibly alert an enemy racking the slide if it ever comes down to it. Help me Glock Talk.

If carrying one in the chamber of a Glock makes you uneasy, why did you get a Glock?

The Glock has an "external safety", it is called the trigger. Keep your finger off of that safety till you are ready to fire.

Gun hot and ready to go. Might as well carry a hammer instead if you're not gonna chamber a round. Your gun isn't gonna get mad and just decide to shoot you in the thigh.

If you are uneasy or unsure you need more time with your gun. A quality holster may also help.

Finally a new topic in GG !!

if you search this has been gone over ad nausem.

It usually comes down to if you want to carry a cold chamber, you got the wrong gun.

I CC a Govt 1911 or my HK 45 cocked and locked, maybe you would feel better going that route.

It's one of the most common question that new, and even longer term, gun owners ask. Bottom line, if your gun isn't ready to go when you need it, it could be the difference between life and death. That said, carrying one in the chamber does increase the risk of negligent/accidental discharge when handling/re-holstering your weapon (which you should be doing as little as possible).

The gun should have a round chambered, yet you clearly aren't comfortable with it, which means you need more time and training handling/re-holstering your weapon.

Or, you can switch from a Glock to a gun with a manual safety, but that still requires training and discipline to make it second nature to disengage the safety on the draw and re-engage the safety prior to holstering.

Just to get it out of the way it's a magazine not clip.

If YOU are uneasy about carrying a hot gun then by all means please do not. This isn't an insult its common sense.

Personally I feel a glock should be carried with a round in the chamber (by someone that feels comfortable doing so!). The trigger is fairly heavy plus you should never ever ever rely on external safeties. If you are pointing the weapon at something then it should be a target or something you don't care if it gets shot (ground, etc).

A proper holster is an essential piece of the safety mechanism of a Glock pistol.

If, after acquiring a proper holster you still feel uncomfortable, get a trigger block for your Glock.

If you're still uncomfortable after that, you need a Smith & Wesson revolver.

I carry one in the chamber. Period. But, if you are uneasy, a great way to start, is with a full mag/no chambered but cocked. Do this for as long as it takes to get comfortable with your gun and holster. After a while, you will find the trigger doesn't magically go off. Then, once you are comfortable, put one in the pipe.

In a real life situation where you would need to draw and fire your weapon you will not have time to rack one Into the chamber! Most SD shootings happen in a few feet and within seconds. I read that if someone is coming at you with a knife and they are within 4 feet when you start to draw (with a loaded chamber) you will lose that match. Do some research online and you will see why you should carry with one in the pipe. There is even YouTube videos of people pulling a gun with out one in the chamber and it costing them.


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire

I carry one in the chamber, may take a lifetime to rack the slide when needed.
I have arthritis and carpel tunnel and sometimes it is hard to rack a slide when I have time and am not under pressure so will not test it when I am under pressure.

If you have to ask this question, then your not ready for it!

Thanks for the quick replies guys. Im confident enough with myself handling and holstering the weapon to not be concerned with an accidental discharge. My CHL instructor mentioned the safety issue thing and said "I'd be scared to carry that thing chambered" so I thought it was a big deal with Glocks. Guess not. Glad to hear it's not and I'll carry it ready to go.

OR ............ Carry the gun without chambering a round but cocked. After you get comfortable that the weapon won't go off, maybe you'll feel better about it. It worked for me. :embarassed:

I wonder why nobody ever thought to ask this before?

I carry with a round in the chamber. If I don't want the gun to fire, I don't pulll the trigger. If you can't do that, get some OC spray and a rape whistle.

Most police officers in America carry a Glock, every one of them carry it with a round in the chamber. Many of them d0on't even shoot as a hobby - the gun is just work equipment - yet they mostly manage not to shoot themselves. Those that do shoot themselves do it by pointing the gun at themselves and pulling the trigger.

The instructor needs some instructing IMO.

Four feet, you are beyond lost, unless you can fend the person off with one hand long enough to draw. As has been widely discussed, the average person can cover 21 feet in about 2 seconds or less. The vast majority people would be hard pressed to draw and get a round on target in 2 seconds.

This brings up several factors:

First, the importance of practicing over and over your draw and target acquisition (with an unloaded or practice blue/red gun of course). This includes drawing, pointing and directional shooting from the point of your hip, while holding off a defender with your off hand.

Second, the need to have a round in the chamber, because while it's difficult to draw from concealment and get on target in two seconds, it's nearly impossible to do so while also racking the slide during that time frame.

Third, situational awareness. If an attacker is within four feet, and decides to attack with a knife, club, etc., you will be hard pressed to survive the encounter. Most of us are not aware enough of our surroundings on a constant basis, to work hard to keep the distance between us and suspicious/shady individuals, whether that means crossing to the other side of the street, taking another route, or some other action to keep the distance and buy yourself precious seconds if you are attacked.

G23 in condition 1.

One in the pipe and 13 in the magazine.

Load it!

there is ONLY ONE reason i carry 1 in the chamber, because it doesnt work reliably with 2

Duh ! SJ 40

I never had and never will have round in the chamber - instead I practice racking the slide when dryfiring. Racking slide instinctively becomes as quick/smooth as drawing from the holster. The time it takes me to take the gun out, rack the slide, and place sights on target is minimal since the gun follows the same trajectory out of the holster and on target without slowing down. Racking the slide takes place while the gun is moving to the target.

My rationale - I want to guarantee no AD due to operator error and I don't want to shoot myself in the hip when the adrenaline dump begins and your fine motor reflexes go out the window making you likely to accidentally place finger on the trigger and squeeze the trigger without realizing you are doing this. Some might argue: Practice keeping the f@$#&ng finger off the trigger. And, I do. But, I want an extra precaution for the flight/fight episodes.

If not cambering round works for Israeli military - a superb force operating in some of the most challenging/dangerous environments - it is good enough for me.

But you need to practice (and practice, and practice) racking the slide. As a very useful bonus, being able to quickly rack the slide makes you faster when clearing malfunctions.

A neighbor girl has a permit to carry (she got hers with my family a while ago) and told me she was very uncomfortable about carrying a loaded gun (she has a S&W 642 .38 Special) She said she was fearful that since she wasn't used to carrying the gun, she worried she might do something to cause it to fire unintentionally. She has served a hitch in the Air Force so she is hardly timid.

She works in health care and goes to some seedy areas of town and has many shifts during the dark hours. I worry about her unarmed. She is our "fourth daughter, but by another mother". I suggested she make a special effort to carry her pistol unloaded, all the time she is home, everyday, in a proper holster, until she feels comfortable with it, her trigger discipline and handling of it. When she is comfortable that it is becoming second nature to deal with it properly and safely, she can then do the same with it now loaded.

She also asked to come with me to the range often, to gain more confidence in her ability with it. This is a great excuse for me to go shoot also. I love to go shooting. My wife, not so much.

When she believes it is safe for her to carry a loaded pistol all the time, carry it outside every waking moment from then on. You will get so that it is a physical constant, an extension of your body, and you will feel it is no hindrance at all in daily functions, but you always know it is there when needed.

If you live with your firearm, you must respect it, and the responsibility that goes along with it. Then you will not worry about unintended consequences.

Yup!

Since the OP is new to CC, this is a must read:

This is a good tactic for someone that is uneasy with a round in the chamber( at home of course). I was a little hesitant to start carrying a 1911 due to never have been exposed to them before. A few days of this and I realized it was fine and I went hot after that. Same deal with any type of firearm you aren't used to IMHO. I did the same with my first Glock and soon realized the trigger isn't going to pull itself if you have a good holster that will prevent trigger snags.