Chambered or Not Chambered.

[player_twister]

I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

[Commander]

Those seconds may cost you your life. What do you carry? Almost all of today's firearms incorporate various safety mechanisms that make chambered carrying safe. When I first obtained my CHL I felt the same as you do now. As I grew comfortable with my skills, my firearm knowledge and my firearm itself, I began carrying chambered.

I think that most on this forum carry chambered.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

Carry a modern double action revolver. Any Smith or Ruger will do. Problem solved. If you ever need it, all you have to do is draw, point, and shoot.

[NcongruNt]

I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

Modern firearms do not go off by themselves. You have to do something very specific for a gun to fire - pull the trigger. Guns don't just go off and they don't pull their own triggers. If you have a good holster (which should cover the trigger and guard), your trigger isn't going to get pulled unless you do it yourself. If it's a pistol, you may have a manual safety as well. I carry a Hi-Power, cocked and locked. The Hi-Power is a single-action pistol, similar in function to the 1911. "Cocked and locked" means there's a round in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is on. This is really the only way to carry this kind of pistol and be able to use it at a moment's notice in a self-defense situation. I was apprehensive about carrying my pistol this way, until I took it to the range and realized how utterly impossible it is to fire the gun when the safety is engaged. The safety isn't going to move itself, either. They're designed that way.

The bottom line is this: carried properly, your gun is not going to just go off. Not having a round in the chamber can mean the difference between living and dying in a pool of your blood, should the need for self-defense arise. A criminal isn't going to wait for you to rack the slide on your pistol.

[player_twister]

I carry a S&W 9mm most the time. The safety is in the trigger, and does not have any safety lever on or near the handle. My .308 has a Decocking mechanism.

[NcongruNt]

I carry a S&W 9mm most the time. The safety is in the trigger, and does not have any safety lever on or near the handle. My .308 has a Decocking mechanism.

Which model?

[player_twister]

Which model?

Model SW9VE

[NcongruNt]

Which model?

Model SW9VE

Yeah, a double-action pistol like that isn't going to go off unless you're specifically applying force to the trigger with your finger. As a double action, that force needs to be considerable. From what I've read, that Sigma takes around 9 pounds of pull to fire. Internally, there is a firing pin block which is disengaged by the trigger safety. Your pistol is also on the list of California approved handguns, which means it has been drop tested extensively and found that it will not go off when dropped. The safety features internal to your gun ensure this.

[player_twister]

thanks for the insight. Yes, the trigger is very hard to pull, it took me some time to get used to it on the range. The pull is starting to feel lighter after a few 1000 rounds.

I just have this feeling in an Emergency situation, I would grab the damn thing, and it will go off while drawing. I have practiced this alot, but in a real situation, I just don't feel confident. But just reading the few comments so far is helping me alot. Thanks

[Skiprr]

How and what you practice determines the most effective way you can hope to perform under stress.

I'm no Clint Smith, but I strongly advise every CHL holder to take continuing education in the form of combat/tactical handgun classes and force-management instruction. And I almost as strongly recommend they regularly participate in IDPA.

If you find yourself in an emergency life-or-death situation, you won't have time to go pocket-diving or belt-fishing for your gun; you won't have time to worry about getting a proper grip; you won't have time to get a precise sight-picture; you won't have time to think about the trigger pull...you won't have time to chamber a round.

You will be under right-this-moment S T R E S S.

Remember, statistically, most life-or-death defensive encounters will be at night, in dim lighting, and at close quarters. You might smell the half-dozen beers on your attacker's breath and have a handful of his unwashed shirt before you even cognitively realize the battle is on.

Your ability to react will depend upon your preparation, training, and practice.

A handgun isn't a shield. In some instances, it may not even be a deterrent.

It's a small tool...and a tool that can be taken away and used against you if you aren't careful.

To make the tool valuable, you need to train and practice and make yourself ready for the fight. In that process you'll come to know what gun is best for you and how you should carry it.



(ETA: "There is no Zen in the art of gunfighting": Charles Cotton.

I didn't intend to Zen-ize any of my above comments. ) But that and this do have me a thinkin'...

[NcongruNt]

Yes, the trigger is very hard to pull, it took me some time to get used to it on the range. The pull is starting to feel lighter after a few 1000 rounds.

Or maybe your trigger finger is getting stronger, after a few thousand 9 lb. reps.

[gregthehand]

Trying to chamber a round upon drawing is dangerous. For one it adds a lot of time to your draw. Two you may not be able to do it the same as you practiced under stress, or in a tussle. Three have you ever heard of a slam fire?

[txinvestigator]

I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

So you carry a small chunk of metal for striking a person?

[Eddie A.]

IMHO, if you don't have a round chambered then you're simply not prepard to defend yourself against a BG's attempted use of deadly force against you. In the time it takes you to draw, chamber a round, acquire the target, and fire, you'll probably already be on the ground wondering to yourself, "What just happened?"

[NcongruNt]

I've had my CHL for over a year now, and have always wondered about this. Personally, I do not pack with a chambered round, I just don't feel safe. I know it takes seconds away from any situation, but that's a chance I feel I must take.

Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks.

So you carry a small chunk of metal for striking a person?

I carry 26 small chunks of metal for striking a person. They are composed of a combination of lead and copper and are designed to strike said person at approximately 1200fps.