One in the chamber...

[mjfletcher]

Originally Posted by Robert Kayland

Yes, I've heard those arguments before. And I say again (sigh), if he's upon you already in such circumstances, and any kind of competent miscreant, your gun is not going to help you until he's finished doing whatever he planned on doing and starts walking away again.

/got a good leg or two to fend with too, though.

I believe the point that others have tried to make is that if he manages to get in close through some subterfuge, or just by walking the opposite way down the street apparantly minding his own business, before he strikes if you have a round in the chamber you can use one hand to fend him off while drawing with the other, while without a round in the chamber you have just removed your firearm from the equation because even if you fend him off with one hand while the other draws you would need to be a 3 armed circus freak to be able to rack the slide.

[Robert Kayland]

while without a round in the chamber you have just removed your firearm from the equation because even if you fend him off with one hand while the other draws you would need to be a 3 armed circus freak to be able to rack the slide.

Or just have a good leg... you'd be surprised what a stomp on an instep, kick to the knee, or knee to the groin can gain you in so far as a 1/2 second or more respite.

(Sheesh! Learn to think in 3 dimensions, guys!)

I imagine with one in the chamber or without one in the chamber, if you've got a guy already grabbing you and tussling, maybe even with a weapon of his own already in hand, pulling a gun might not be the best thing to do. You're just as likely to shoot yourself or an innocent bystander.

So stop the repetition, guys. I get it, I really do... I just don't agree with it.

Life's short enough... if you want to live it worried about Jason or Freddy coming out of the shadows before you'd have time to react, then that's your business...

But don't act like others are sheep going to the slaughter.

[PennsyPlinker]

To answer the OP - I used to carry with the chamber empty because that had been drilled into my head since I was a little boy. We were taught you never put a round into the chamber until ready to fire. But for the past few years, I have had the gun "hot", i.e. ready to go.

I have owned a P3AT as you do, and I have knocked it around. Most of my other guns do not have safeties either. A couple have been dropped with no adverse effect - not on purpose of course! But each person is different. I am comfortable with one in the chamber. I have been in a few incidents in my life to know how quickly a situation can develop, so I am more comfortable with one in the chamber, and that takes into account the one time where racking the slide was the trick that sent the bad guy on his way at high speed!

As Robert has mentioned, there are times where something can poke your pocket, and the possibility exists that you may be rendered unconscious or incapacitated. That is what a good holster is for. I have a very physical job working around machinery, and I have been bumped, jostled, smacked, and generally handled roughly by the stuff I work with, and my gun has never come close to being in danger of discharging, much less actually so. But if it is a concern of yours, I am not sure how you would get past that other than to try the things already suggested. Or, plan on using your fists first. That is always an option if you have the ability.

If I am unconscious, well I will just have to trust that anyone attending me will know enough to keep their finger off the trigger. And if they don't, well I am already out, so it shouldn't hurt for long.

[gunga]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions... I'm going to look into the tactical training and also pick up some dummy rounds to perhaps help me overcome the 'fear' of putting a live one in the chamber.

[rwilson452]

A little history. I carried for uncle it was mandated that the chamber be empty, I retired and still carried a 1911. I did go with one in the chamber. Two years ago I went to packing an XD. The XD doesn't have a manual safety, similar to a Glock. I have never had a incident with packing in condition one. My premise is, if you need it, you need it instantly. If I knew in advance I would have been elsewhere. So the occasion to need it would come as a surprise and I would need to be quick as I can. That is why I carry with one in the tube. As always, YMMV.

[Mootness]

Originally Posted by gunga

For the past couple of years I've been primarily carrying a Kel-Tec P3AT .380 - small, light, and easy to conceal with an in-pocket uncle mikes. Sometimes I carry a glock 17 with a paddle holster if I'm going somewhere that I think might put me in a situation to really need it. (read: germantown at 3am)

same pistol. same fear. carried it for a few years now, never with one in the chamber. no plans of changing.

[Robert Kayland]

Originally Posted by rwilson452

A little history. I carried for uncle it was mandated that the chamber be empty...

This brings to mind a question... what do LEOs and or MPs do?

Although I imagine most of them that carry semi-auto pistols probably have models that include a manual safety switch, I'm wondering what they do, especially if their sidearm has no manual safety.

Any LEOs or Armed Forces MPs out there want to chime in?

[rwilson452]

I'm not an LEO but I have been closely assoc. with them on both coasts, all the LEOs I know carry with one in the tube.

Originally Posted by Robert Kayland

This brings to mind a question... what do LEOs and or MPs do?

Although I imagine most of them that carry semi-auto pistols probably have models that include a manual safety switch, I'm wondering what they do, especially if their sidearm has no manual safety.

Any LEOs or Armed Forces MPs out there want to chime in?

[Robert Kayland]

Originally Posted by rwilson452

I'm not an LEO but I have been closely assoc. with them on both coasts, all the LEOs I know carry with one in the tube.

How about one in the pocket?

[normanvin]

Originally Posted by knight0334

I got a test for you.

Load or buy some blanks.
Load, chamber and cock the gun with a blank.
Turn off any safeties there may be.

Now, throw that gun as hard as you can at a brick wall. If it goes off, dont carry it with one in the pipe.

Gladly with your gun. LOL just busting knight0334.

Carrying on an empty chamber in a revolver is one thing. The cylinder will still rotate when the trigger is pulled. But a semi auto more or less needs to have both hands free to rack the slide.

That being said. there are going to be times that you can not have both hands available when you need your gun. Let alone time to rack the slide.