Green/Red chamber

[montgomery]

Not only do you lose an extra second or two to chamber a round in a stressful situation (which you may not have to spare) It requires you to have both hands available to do so.

If one hand is either disabled, or possibly engaged, in fighting off, an attacker with one hand, your gun is no more than a paperweight. JMHO

Agree with losing time to chamber round.

Agree with one hand being occupied in the fight but unavailable for handgun operation.

Disagree with paperweight statement. The purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter a means to rack the slide while holding the grip one handed.

[MechAg94]

I don't have reservations about carrying with a round chambered. Come up with a safe procedure for drawing and reholstering without anything getting in the way (shirt tail) that could depress the trigger.

[MechAg94]

Not only do you lose an extra second or two to chamber a round in a stressful situation (which you may not have to spare) It requires you to have both hands available to do so.

If one hand is either disabled, or possibly engaged, in fighting off, an attacker with one hand, your gun is no more than a paperweight. JMHO

Agree with losing time to chamber round.

Agree with one hand being occupied in the fight but unavailable for handgun operation.

Disagree with paperweight statement. The purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter a means to rack the slide while holding the grip one handed.

That is something to consider with any gun. Even if you carry with a round chambered, you could end up having to reload or rack the slide and only have one hand available.

[oljames3]

When I first got my CHL in 2013, I carried my Tanfoglio BTA90 with an empty chamber simply because that is the way I carried my M1911A1 in the First Cavalry Division. I soon came to realize that I could not guarantee that I will have the use of both hands when the evil threat presents and have carried with a round in the chamber, safety off, ever since. I now carry my S&W M&P 9mm 5inch chambered, safety off.

I have trained in one-handed manipulation of my pistol; reloading at slide lock, and clearing a malfunction. Neither is quick or easy. While I could manipulate the slide of my M&P using my belt or shoe, it was clumsy and took concentration. I replaced the factory sights with Dawson Precision charger sights; fiber optic front and black rear. The front face of the rear sight angles forward. Now it is very easy to quickly manipulate the slide one handed. Still carry chambered.
https://dawsonprecision.com/dawson-prec ... tic-front/

Paul Gomez on one handed gun use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3_noh0 ... BA&index=3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCIKHOc ... A&index=29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJQY8v9 ... A&index=32

As with most things in life, it comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and which benefits matter most. We each have to do our own risk analysis and make our own decision.

[montgomery]

I don't have reservations about carrying with a round chambered. Come up with a safe procedure for drawing and reholstering without anything getting in the way (shirt tail) that could depress the trigger.

May I add this: have a process that works for you. I have carried every day for 31 years and zero negligent discharges. I attribute my safe administrative handling to a consistent process. I avoid unholstering, but when i have to, it is always in the same location inside the home where there is zero risk of damaging anything other than the mattress. If I need to clear the handgun, I do it with muzzle pointing into the unoccupied mattress.

The process includes not being distracted by people or pets in the area. While unholstering and clearing becomes second nature at some point, I still do not want to be distracted as to disrupt my process. If it ain't the same, it's different.

How do I avoid unholstering? My carry guns are primary for outside the home and secondary inside the home. My inside the home primary are staged and ready to go.

Hope this helps brother.

[BLG]

I carry a revolver with hammer down on an empty chamber and the next chamber empty as well. So my first trigger pull readies the gun and the second, fires a shot. Sometimes the click on an empty chamber is all it takes to scare away the perp. Kind of like racking the slide on an auto.

Sometimes I worry about you!

[The Annoyed Man]

Disagree with paperweight statement. The purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter a means to rack the slide while holding the grip one handed.

That statement is only valid if the rear sight is shaped a certain way. LOTS of rear sights on carry guns are sloped on the front to make the gun more snag-free, and you can’t use the sight to rack the slide. Examples?

Springfield 1911 TRP

Springfield XD(M) Series

S&W M&P Shield 9mm

Ruger SR9

Ruger American Pistol

That is by no means ALL of them, it’s just a random sampling.

The REAL purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter the means to aim the gun more accurately. It’s just a handy trick that some guns have a rear sight that is usable to rack the slide. The fact is, if your rear sight is sloped and won’t let you rack the slide, often the front sight will do it, or the muzzle end of the slide, as long as the object you are pressing against will clear the barrel.

[montgomery]

Disagree with paperweight statement. The purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter a means to rack the slide while holding the grip one handed.

That statement is only valid if the rear sight is shaped a certain way. LOTS of rear sights on carry guns are sloped on the front to make the gun more snag-free, and you can’t use the sight to rack the slide. Examples?

Springfield 1911 TRP

Springfield XD(M) Series

S&W M&P Shield 9mm

Ruger SR9

Ruger American Pistol

That is by no means ALL of them, it’s just a random sampling.

The REAL purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter the means to aim the gun more accurately. It’s just a handy trick that some guns have a rear sight that is usable to rack the slide. The fact is, if your rear sight is sloped and won’t let you rack the slide, often the front sight will do it, or the muzzle end of the slide, as long as the object you are pressing against will clear the barrel.

With all due respect, every single one of those adjustable rear sights can and are used for tactical slide rack and release. Having been in my fair share of gunfights and then some, I can tell you that the rear sight is not used for aiming.

History is also on my side of the argument going back to the 1800s. You will not find rear sights on revolvers of that era ...

[rotor]

A year ago I ventured that everyone replying to this post would say they carry with a round chambered (except Scott and his satirical revolver). The real question, and I am sure it has been asked here a thousand times, is what percentage of people really carry with a round in the chamber? My feeling is that those that don't wont admit it and those that do may be fibbing.

[The Annoyed Man]

A year ago I ventured that everyone replying to this post would say they carry with a round chambered (except Scott and his satirical revolver). The real question, and I am sure it has been asked here a thousand times, is what percentage of people really carry with a round in the chamber? My feeling is that those that don't wont admit it and those that do may be fibbing.

Well I’m not fibbing, and I always carry with a round chambered. I’ve done that from day 1.

[anygunanywhere]

A year ago I ventured that everyone replying to this post would say they carry with a round chambered (except Scott and his satirical revolver). The real question, and I am sure it has been asked here a thousand times, is what percentage of people really carry with a round in the chamber? My feeling is that those that don't wont admit it and those that do may be fibbing.

The only pistol I have that is not carried with one in the chamber is my old Ruger .22 LR two screw without the hammer block. It is carried with the hammer on an empty chamber.

[Liberty]

I always carry with 1 in the chamber and mag filled to capacity. Safety on. My hand guns are always in this condition in a trigger covering holster even when stored. I have no children. When I have visitors doors are locked.

Personally I wouldn't carry a Glock or Glock type handgun in this manor, but I don't own any like that.

My rifles aren't usually loaded, but for no particular reason.

[Flightmare]

I keep my EDC in condition 1.

[The Annoyed Man]

Disagree with paperweight statement. The purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter a means to rack the slide while holding the grip one handed.

That statement is only valid if the rear sight is shaped a certain way. LOTS of rear sights on carry guns are sloped on the front to make the gun more snag-free, and you can’t use the sight to rack the slide. Examples?

Springfield 1911 TRP

Springfield XD(M) Series

S&W M&P Shield 9mm

Ruger SR9

Ruger American Pistol

That is by no means ALL of them, it’s just a random sampling.

The REAL purpose of the rear sight is to provide the gunfighter the means to aim the gun more accurately. It’s just a handy trick that some guns have a rear sight that is usable to rack the slide. The fact is, if your rear sight is sloped and won’t let you rack the slide, often the front sight will do it, or the muzzle end of the slide, as long as the object you are pressing against will clear the barrel.

With all due respect, every single one of those adjustable rear sights can and are used for tactical slide rack and release. Having been in my fair share of gunfights and then some, I can tell you that the rear sight is not used for aiming.

History is also on my side of the argument going back to the 1800s. You will not find rear sights on revolvers of that era ...

I guess I stand corrected, although I don’t see how I would be able to use the rear sight for that purpose on either my Springfield 1911 Loaded or M&P45, because I don’t see how you could find a purchase to hook that rear sight against something. No, I’ve never been in a gunfight.....and I hope never to be in one. But I know enough to know when a sight has been deliberately designed with a step in it for that purpose, and also when it is obvious that a snag-free sight was the goal.

I also know “front sight front sight front sight” as much as anyone else.....but a rear sight actually is a sighting device, and using it will improve the accuracy of one’s aim. All of the revolvers I’ve ever seen that lacked an accessory rear sight, antique revolvers included, all had a rear sight groove machined into the top strap for the purpose of aligning with the front sight to increase accuracy. Maybe there are some that did not have that groove, but I’ve never seen one. I guess if you’re point shooting and not really using the sights in a deliberate manner, or you’re shooting at close enough ranges that the sights don’t really matter, then you don’t really need a rear sight. But I have deliberately upgraded front and rear sights on several of my pistols, in part to change the rear sight to a configuration that makes a tactical slide rack easier - exactly because the OEM rear sight was not conducive to being used that way.

[ScottDLS]

I carry a revolver with hammer down on an empty chamber and the next chamber empty as well. So my first trigger pull readies the gun and the second, fires a shot. Sometimes the click on an empty chamber is all it takes to scare away the perp. Kind of like racking the slide on an auto.

Sometimes I worry about you!

I always carry my Glocks and other striker fired pistols with the hammer back on a loaded chamber. When the perp sees the hammer back he usually gives up without a fight. And I’ve been in tons of gunfights and survived them all.