Green/Red chamber

[Alaska2texas]

Ive been CC for a few weeks now and am comfortable now. I hardly adjust my shirt or what have you. I figure hey, its concealed, if anyone sees the firearn and has an issue i am perfectly legal to have it and am no harm.

I have been carrying green, or with an empty chamber for the non military folks. Is this smart/safe?

Should i carry red, locked and loaded?

Glock 23, CC holster that covers the trigger.

Also, if 30.06/30.07 signs are posted, the firearm stays in the vehcile. Is it smart to leave it locked and loaded while in the vehicle?

[Pawpaw]

If you ever need your pistol in a hurry, you'll have the rest of your life to chamber a round.

[Keith B]

If you need to use your firearm in a defensive situation, you will more than likely not be able to draw, rack the slide and defend yourself before your attacker is on you. Carrying with one in the chamber, as long as the trigger is covered, is perfectly fine and safe. The striker-fired Glock will sit in your holster forever and not discharge.

As for leaving it in a vehicle, I would make sure it's in a lock box or car safe so it can't be stolen. Other than that , since it has to be concealed, it would not be in direct sunlight, so shouldn't hurt the pistol even if the vehicle is hot. As for it 'going off' because it's hot, it won't. Also, when removing it or re-arming when you come back to the car, make sure the trigger is covered with the holster. A paddle-type holster is easily removed and re-installed while leaving the gun in it.

[Mxrdad]

If you ever need your pistol in a hurry, you'll have the rest of your life to chamber a round.

This is good advice. I had the same question a couple of months ago and I used to carry un-chambered all the time. These guys here and some other searching on my part made me change my ways, to the good. I now carry locked and cocked, but, I carry a Ruger or Colt 1911 that I am comfortable with. The best advice I received was to carry it unloaded, with empty magazine and un-chambered around the house a while and see if that builds your confidence. It did mine.

I'm pretty sure the majority of responses you get will be carry chambered. It makes sense if you really think about it. I also urge you to watch some videos and see if those victims had time to rack the slide. You will quickly realize you have very little time to even get your gun out, let alone rack it. Those darn bad guys, can't they just give us a little warning first?

[jb2012]

You might as well leave your gun at home if you're leaving an empty chamber imo. As humans we need as few steps as possible when drawing a weapon for defensive use. Under stress, dexterity and fine motor skills are drastically reduced. I say this even though it goes against my affection for 1911's and their thumb safeties.

[treadlightly]

All good advice. I'd add that you should have muscle memory and procedures down cold before carrying a gun in any condition.

Of course, an empty chamber is not a free ride anyway. An un-chambered gun is handled in precisely the same way it is when loaded and ready to go.

[TexasJohnBoy]

Chambered round, safety on, every day here.

[The Annoyed Man]

Your glock is perfectly safe with a round chambered.

[Texas_Blaze]

I've carried a G17 chambered for a couple of years now. Besides shooting it at the range, I don't unholster the firearm. Stays in my car at work. Comes inside the house when I get home. I was uneasy at first because I liked having a thumb safety like on my SR9C. I have a good holster that covers the trigger well and is quite stiff leather.

[twomillenium]

The choice is yours, there are some who instead of giving their reasons for their chosen type of carry will call names and insult those who differ in their choice. These people should be ignored and are usually not relevant to meaningful conversation.
Whatever way you choose, red or green be consistent, do not go back and forth. Either way will have pros and cons and are viable conditions of carry. Just do not put yourself in the situation of trying to remember which way you are carrying at the time, be consistent. It is your choice not someone else's. You choose and don't let someone else shame or bully you into that choice. (those folks should be avoided and felt sorry for)

[Jusme]

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

[oljames3]

I suggest that the best way to carry is the manner in which you feel comfortable and in which you will practice. The most important point is that you do carry. For myself, I am a bad guesser. That is one of the main reasons that I do carry. I can't guess when the violent threat will present, so I carry all of the time. Likewise, I cannot guess that, when the violent threat presents, I will have the use of both hands. I may not be physically able to charge my pistol. I want my pistol to ready to engage the threat the instant I deploy it.

Thus, I carry my DA/SA pistol with a round in the chamber and the safety off. My pistol lives in its holster, only coming out for use or cleaning.

FedEx says they will deliver my new everyday carry pistol today. S&W M&P M2.0, 9mm, 5 inch, in flat dark earth. I will carry it with a round in the chamber and the safety off. I am a bad guesser.

As with most things in life, how and what we carry comes down to which risks we are willing to manage and which benefits matter most.

[RPBrown]

I follow the 21' rule:
By the time you recognize a threat, draw your weapon, aim, and fire 2 rounds, an assailant can cover 21'. throw in a couple of seconds to rack the slide and you are probably already being attacked.

Therefore I carry cocked and locked no matter which gun I have.

[NotRPB]

My house is painted bright high gloss "pure white" inside, it's so bright the whole house can be lit with 7 watts, and light bulbs are almost too bright. I've had people come in from outside and complain it's to bright inside.
I show just about everyone entering my house how a light switch works and advise if they don't want the light to come on to keep fingers and objects away from the switch.

As long as your Gun is holstered trigger covered AND even WHEN NOT HOLSTERED, if you keep fingers and other objects away from the switch, no light should come out of the end of it. Holster carefully (pay attention to what you're doing) being sure no shirt tail , holster strap etc gets near the switch, don't put the finger (boogar hook off the bang switch) anywhere inside the trigger guard until "ON target-aimed at what you want to hit" and should be fine.

When cleaning the Glock, remember remove magazine, then unchamber round (removing mag doesn't unload a semiauto) triple check that chamber is unloaded before pulling trigger to remove slide. (Don't remove chambered round then magazine, because you'll have chambered a new round when removing the chambered round if mag is left in at that time... always remove mag then unchamber then triple check.

I've had Glocks since about 1990, none have "gone off by themselves" yet. I carry ready to fire, always in a holster, with finger discipline..

[Middle Age Russ]

Mode of carry is up to the individual carrying. The decision involves aspects of everyday safety as well as utility in need.

Regarding everyday safety, carrying fully loaded (with one in the chamber) is no issue as long as you follow some basic safety protocols. ALWAYS keep your finger (or anything else that might actuate the trigger) off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. To help ensure this happens, holsters typically fully cover the trigger guard and trigger. ALWAYS keep firearms pointed in a safe direction (at things that you don't terribly mind damaging). Many folks remove their gun from their holster only occasionally -- often removing or rearming with holster and gun together -- and then only where they can do so while keeping it pointed in a safe direction. As NotRPB points out above, proper unloading procedure (remove ammunition feeding source first, THEN remove round from chamber) should always be followed prior to cleaning / inspecting any firearm.

From the utility standpoint, note that it takes time (that you may or may not have) and additional manipulation of the gun to load the chamber. To accomplish this under duress without fail takes training and practice. To do so under attack the training and practice requirements increase dramatically. Some questions that come to mind: How much time will I have to draw the gun (how much time does it take me to)? In an attack, will I have the use of both arms to manipulate the gun, or might I need one to fend off the attacker with one arm? Might one arm be injured to the point that I cannot use it before or while I am drawing the gun?

My answers to each of these questions is "I don't know", so my mode of carry is fully loaded, and I do everything I can to ensure that safety is on my mind any time the firearm is touched, and that I train and practice to deal with as many different variables as I can think of. YMMV, of course.