Do you do PRESS CHECKS? WHY?

Maybe there can be an intelligent discussion.

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Press Checks: Do you or don’t you?

New (to me) Press Check description

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I can’t think of any reason why I’d do a “Press Check”. My EDC has an indicator that is easily visible, I rack it and holster it and leave it.

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I do not routinely do “Press Checks” Most of my semi autos have round in chamber indicators. Even with my OCD, I know the condition of my guns and don’t feel compelled to verify “loaded”.

I hate to say never and tried to imagine a scenario where a press check would seem necessary.

If someone handed me a gun and said “it’s ready to go”, I would confirm that just as if they handed me a gun and said “it’s not loaded”.

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I guess I’m a bit anal about that kind of thing. When someone hands me a gun I drop the mag and clear it, habit I guess. Then, if the point is to shoot that piece I’ll mag/rack it. I just like to have 100% control.

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Yeager is an idiot and is the last person I’d take any kind of firearm advice from. In fact, this is one guy who should be doing them because a few years ago he actually ND’d into a students vehicle!

Personally on my carry gun I don’t need to do them because I always carry with one in the chamber. If I’m at a class, or just shooting on the range, hell yeah! As one of my instructors once said, “Press checks are free. You go to shoot that target on an empty chamber and you’re going to be running until the sun goes down!”

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I conduct a chamber check or press check every time I head out for EDC. I do not conduct a press check as part of my draw stroke. Just once before holstering up for the day or excursion.

Do it or don’t do it, I don’t really care. Neither of my EDC’s have a chamber indicator so I check.

End of story for me.

Stay safe.

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I was shooting handguns for 35 years or so before I heard of this particular ritual. As I have become acquainted with the internet gunz bois over the past few years, I have encountered no reason to incorporate it to my practice.

I will verify my condition if I have reason to think I might have gotten out of sequence somewhere — the old fashioned ways: chamber indicator or jack a fresh round. Gently taking my gun out of battery and hoping everything goes gently back into place seems to invite a malf. The reasons I would manipulate a slide by grabbing ahead of the ejection port? None. Front grooves are not a feature.

I also don’t do ritualistic kabuki scans if I am not going to actually look around and observe my environment. Nor do I verify or demonstrate a pistol clear by fast-racking the slide multiple times. YTMV.

I do OODA, if that counts. :kissing_heart:

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The only thing I press on is the magazine , and without taking my EDC out of its holster.

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Before someone hands me a firearm I tell them to “unload and show clear” then I will make sure the firearm is unloaded when I have control of it.

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I don’t generally watch tac response videos, but as to the question posed in the topic, yes, I commonly do a press check when loading a pistol for carry. I like seeing that top-down view of the extractor grabbing the case securely, and seeing that round in the chamber. I just find that…convincing. Do it safely and there is no harm. Necessary? Likely not. Choice is yours.

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Not a bad thing!

I was contemplating a situation where I was going to use it for something. :innocent: :innocent:

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Nancy and I went for a long walk in the woods today, she carried the bear spray and I carried my 1911, at no time during the 10 hours did I have the urge to do a “press check”.
Never even knew the term until this topic was started. :us:

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I do press checks. Why, because I do care about condition of my firearm.

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Combat situation, you have been being shot at and you have been sending cover fire. You are getting ready to maneuver to another position for better advantage over the enemy fire. Before I step out I am going to do a press check and put in a new mag.
At the range, I clear and make safe. I have never done a press check at the range. I have a number of shots I take at a target and I have those rounds in the mag. So, I shoot then clear and make safe.

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I do a press check every time I put a gun on to carry to be positive the cartridge in the chamber is not a dummy dry fire round. I always press the slide forward to be sure the gun is in battery before I holster it.

I drop the magazine, open the slide, and do a visual chamber check before using a gun for dry fire practice. I will either load it with dummy rounds or leave it empty depending on what dry fire drill(s) I plan to do. I never do dry fire drills based on a press check.

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Never. I am very familiar with my firearms. I know when they’re hot or not.(unlike Alec Baldwin)

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Always know the state of the firearm in your hands. If you are comfortable relying on a perfect memory and never ever make mistakes and somehow your firearm can’t malfunction, it’s probably not necessary to ever do a press check.

I’m not perfect in memory or action and while my firearms are all quality and well maintained, they are still machines, they can fail. I press check before I holster, after I rack, before I do any drill that prescribes a round in the chamber or no round in the chamber and before I stage or put any of my firearms into storage.

Press checks are free. I do them any time I am uncertain about the state of my firearm because the state of my firearm is essential knowledge.

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Yes on my 43x.
My P365 lets me see if there’s brass in the chamber from the top of the slide, so no on that one.

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All of my pistols are 1911 type so I never do a press check . They are always in one of four conditions :

  1. cocked and locked , carry mode , in holster which covers and protects trigger , mag release and safety lever (s) .
  2. hammer down on empty chamber ( I know the chamber’s empty otherwise a load noise would have alerted me when the hammer was dropped ) with a loaded mag ( inserted after hammer dropped ) , safe storage mode
  3. hammer down and no mag . Gun case carry from safe to range .
  4. slide locked back and no mag . Range time , gun on table or being carried to firing line or being shown to another .

They’ve worked for me from when a Marine Raider introduced me to the 1911 in the mid-70s till today . Only difference is all mine have the firing pin block in them ( except the browning .380 and the Ruger 10MM )
Chris.

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