What's the law on "One in the Chamber"?

[jdlv4_0]

Must be a Marine thing. In the Army, we call it "locked and loaded", or "ready state" when the safety is off.

If someone has a revolver, with 6 in the cylinder, wouldn't they be carrying locked and loaded? How is that different than carrying a semi with one chambered? Doesn't make since.

Uhmmm..the one time my dad took me out shooting, using holsters, he tried to teach me to draw and place in ready state in one motion. He is a believer in if you draw it, you had better be ready to shoot.

Well condition 1 is usually: Magazine inserted, round in chamber weapon on safe.
(if on an M16A2 Ejection port cover closed)
So technically any weapon that is loaded with the safety on(regardless of what the safety is) is in condition 1.

Condition 2 applies to pistols hanving a round in the chamer and the hammer down, hence not being immediately ready to fire, so for a revolver to be in condition 1 it would have to have to hammer back, and carrying a revolver like that is a huge no-no.

[SGTUSArmy]

Like I said, must be a Marine thing. Is there a condition 5? I have always wondered something..........(omitted for safety of the poster)

We have it simple in the Army, so that when Marines join us, they can understand.

[jdlv4_0]

Like I said, must be a Marine thing. Is there a condition 5? I have always wondered something..........(omitted for safety of the poster)

We have it simple in the Army, so that when Marines join us, they can understand.

Easy soldier, we can bash each others respective branch over beers on day, but not here, it may start to resemble a fracas...besides I always thought if the Army wasn't simple....YOU'D BE MARINES

[SGTUSArmy]

I would still think twice about carrying with a fully loaded revolver. It makes me think of the old cap guns, with the plastic ring caps, not the paper ones. Those little toy pistols, if you had one live cap under the pin, just brushing against it would cause it to pop.

Marines, just a part of the Navy. The women's department. I'll meet ya for a beer sometime...Sounds like fun. Just no firearms....

[MiniDevil]

I wouldn't be comfortable with the camber being loaded on a 1911 either. But I'm not the one carrying it. Again, I live in the DPRM.

I always carry cocked and locked with my 1911. It's the way the weapon was DESIGNED. I guarantee you that if I put my thumb safety on, it will stay on even during strenuous physical activity, sleeping, etc.. for 15 hours a day or more. I've never had my thumb safety inadvertently come off.

And let's take this even a step further and put out a "what-if" situation. Okay. I have a round in the chamber and its cocked. Let's say what if it DOES somehow come off. My gun turns into nothing more or less than a Glock. Because I can also guarantee you that you can throw that pistol onto the ground, or take a hammer and try to beat the hammer up onto the firing pin. It's been proven and seen that the 1911 internals (The Sear) will break before it accidentally discharges. The only way it'll go off is if the user forgets trigger control and grabs the trigger while drawing it.. the same thing will happen with a Glock.

Therefore I consider my 1911 much safer than a Glock. A guy at the gun range, who was very proficient with pistols had an ND once with his Glock when he attested an object got lodged in his holster, and when he went to remove the Glock from the holster it automatically fired.

When it comes to carrying a pistol without a round in the chamber for self defense in a holster, I feel that you are only putting yourself at even more of a risk. Your gun becomes only a tool of fear.. or a 2 lb rock. If you are being rushed at, it has been shown that some people are able to cover 20 yards in a sprint quicker than most can draw. Now imagine having to draw, rack the slide, acquire, and fire. I don't think so. If you have a fear of carrying a firearm the way it was designed, it is probably safer for you to go get a revolver or something you aren't afraid of. The main reason I say this isn't to seem rude, but in all honesty, what good is your tool of self defense if you can't ready it exactly when it's needed, without any other preparations?

In closing, the most important thing when it comes to carrying a firearm is safety. Keep your finger off the trigger until you have acquired your target and are going to fire. This rule should apply to all firearms in general, whether it's got one in the tube or not.

Edited to Add:

Also, for clarification, Col. Jeff Cooper (may he rest in peace, god bless such a great Patriot) came up with the 1911 Conditions of Carry. They are as follows:

Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
Condition 1 - Also known as "cocked and locked" means a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety on the side of the frame is applied.
Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber and the hammer is down.
Condition 3 - The chamber is empty and hammer is down with a charged magazine in the gun.
Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, hammer is down and no magazine is in the gun.

http://www.sightm1911.com/Care/1911_conditions.htm
http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/cockedandlocked.htm <---- "Is Cocked and Locked Dangerous?"

[SGTUSArmy]

Devil, I never disagreed with you. I just don't trust a 1911. I read the TM and was trained on the M1911 about 6 yrs ago. I also know that they had more than one AD at the ranges (anecdotal).

I was just saying I would trust a polymer framed version more so. I don't trust many people with guns around me. I am always apprehensible, until I get to know them. I have a story for a different thread that goes into more detail.

If I am not mistaken, some of the newer glocks have safeties, otherwise they could not be sold in the DPRM.

Edited for conclusion:

See, didn't think Marines could count to five.

[JLStorm]

Not to flame anyone, but honestly, if you cant trust yourself to carry the gun with a round in the chamber then you should not be carrying at all. This is not to say that you will never be ready to carry, but it means you need to train more with your weapon or choose a weapon you are more confident in. I believe there is a great chance that your weapon will be stripped from you while you are attempting to chamber a round and end up being used against you. As far as Mossad's chamber while drawing techniques, I dont trust it. I have read accounts of well trained men losing a gun fight because under stress they have been unable to switch off the safety, I find it hard to believe that under the stress of a situation requiring one to fire, that more than 50% of training will be recalled. Of course this is just my opinion.

[MiniDevil]

Devil, I never disagreed with you. I just don't trust a 1911. I read the TM and was trained on the M1911 about 6 yrs ago. I also know that they had more than one AD at the ranges (anecdotal).

I was just saying I would trust a polymer framed version more so. I don't trust many people with guns around me. I am always apprehensible, until I get to know them. I have a story for a different thread that goes into more detail.

If I am not mistaken, some of the newer glocks have safeties, otherwise they could not be sold in the DPRM.

Edited for conclusion:

See, didn't think Marines could count to five.

Those ADs at the ranges are attributed to USER failure rather than equipment failure though, correct? And even a polymer framed Glock with a safety still isnt any safer than a 1911 cocked and locked.

[SGTUSArmy]

I have only had one 1911 framed pistol, my Colt. I never had instance to try and test the mechanical safety features.

[MiniDevil]

I have only had one 1911 framed pistol, my Colt. I never had instance to try and test the mechanical safety features.

So your not liking the 1911 / not trusting the safety features is just a personal thing? Understandable if that's the case