Start with an empty gun - nothing in the chamber and no magazine inserted. Rack the slide to cock it and put any manual safety to the safe position. Carry it that way whenever you feel comfortable to be basically unarmed. When you feel the need to “arm” it with a loaded magazine, verify it did not fire on an empty chamber. If it has an exposed hammer, then it can be a simple visual check. If it is a striker, then you need someone other than me to advise how to check it (I don’t know how to verify an uncocked striker other than pointing in a safe direction and pulling the trigger).
After a few days, weeks, whatever it takes, you can demonstrate to yourself it is not going to fire on its own as long as you make sure the trigger does not get pulled.
All good answers. For me it was getting confident that I could pull from a holster and put the gun away without it going off. That took practice at home with an unloaded but cocked firearm and a few months of weekly drill sessions under supervision at my range. Even with that practice, my EDC does not have any safety except the trigger and keeping your finger off it, so I still will not carry appendix! Good luck and best wishes.
Might I recommend NOT pulling the trigger to test if a round is chambered?!?! LOL
Depending on the type of firearm you have, many of the more recent models have an indicator on the top of the slide. If it’s up, a round is chambered. If you don’t trust it or don’t have it, gripping the back portion of the grip and slide and forcing the slide back an 1/16" should be enough to verify a round is chambered and brass is there. This maneuver is probably not something you’d care to do till you’re more comfortable with the weapon …but it is an option.
Awesome! Ok…perfect point of discussion and in all seriousness…NEVER screw around with duds or squib rounds. If you pulled the trigger and it doesn’t go bang, or didn’t bang like normal. STOP and hold the gun pointing down range. After a short time, pull the slide back and carefully eject the cartridge then inspect it closely. If the actual projectile is missing, place the casing on the side and drop your magazine. DO NOT FIRE ANOTHER ROUND or drop the slide. Check the barrel and make sure the projectile is not stuck in the barrel. if it’s not, go ahead and run through a quick function check and if everything seems ok. load another round and fire a single shot. If everything seems fine after that, you probably had a bad load where the powder was enough to push the round out of the casing, but not like it should be.
Reasons to take extra caution is because a squib load/round is one that gets stuck in the barrel or doesn’t make it out of the barrel which by itself isn’t a big deal…but when you fire another shot…you now have a deadly barrel explosion in your hands. If it’s a dud it could be a bad primer, missing the gun powder load, or a few other potential things. Either way, clearing the weapon and checking the barrel helps to ensure your next rounds don’t create an explosive experience. Oh, and to explain why you want to keep the weapon pointed down range…maybe the power was contaminated and doesn’t burn right and you start inspecting the weapon to see why it didn’t fire normally and the powder finally burns and the weapon fires the projectile. I’ve seen a person accidentally fire a round right by someone’s head once because of this very thing.
All you have to remember and train yourself well is, your finger should never rest on the trigger unless you have to. Discipline!
It’s easy trust yourself.
I am not saying that carrying is more important than not carrying. Irrelevant to the point I make.
Carrying with one in the chamber ensures faster shots on target, which could save your life. That’s my point, period.
Thanks Erik. I could always use this advice and such reminders. I’ve been more keen on it, when I started sometimes using .22LR (a rim fire), and on occasion, the shell rim is hit by the pin, but does not fire. So far, I find CCI ammunition brands more reliable, but always looking for in case there’s an even more reliable brand ammunition.
Watch the video of a man and his 11 yr old son get shot to death while he is chambering a round. This happened a few years back in Chicago. A robber came into a grocery store, with weapon drawn, and said that this is a robbery… The CCW drew his weapon and had to chamber a round. During that time, the perp shot the man and his 11 year old son to death.
Knowing how the safety mechanisms work and being able to check them will help you.
What holster are you using? Holster that completely covers trigger guard with good retention = safe.
When I first started I was extremely anxious. I would sit on Church and wonder if the gun was going to blow a hole in the bench, now the gun aims at my junk all the time and I’m not worried .
Carry in the position you are comfortable with. I am kind of obsessive about function testing my gun when I feel anxious about it.
I carried a 1911 cocked and locked a week ago. It was great. But then the store manager made me give it back to the salesman and told me to leave the store and never return. Good thing I was wearing my mask and a hoody. Maybe he won’t recognize me I think me future.
One word answer - training. Anyone can get used to just about anything that doesn’t cause pain if patient enough. The question should not be as you stated but rather, “How do I keep myself and others safe if I carry with one in the chamber?” I recommend that you DO NOT carry with one in the chamber until you commit to muscle memory one of the 3 most important rules of gun safety, “Keep your finger off the trigger until your target is in sight.” Until you commit to this rule you will be in danger of pulling your firearm from your holster and inadvertently pulling the trigger.
Picking up a firearm with finger on the trigger unfortunately is a mistake people unfamiliar with firearms make all to often. I cannot stress this enough, get training! Go to the NRA website and learn the safety rules of gun handling. It may save you or others from injury or death.
Oh, I understand completely. I’ve given similar advice. But in the context of this question, where a new gun owner feels uncomfortable carrying with one in the chamber, I wouldn’t say such things. People need to carry in a way that they’re comfortable with. If a bad situation develops, it’s good to have a firearm nearby, even if it’s unloaded or unchambered. To mirror what you said, a new owner could get faster shots on target by unholstering and chambering a round than by running back to the parking garage to retrieve the pistol they were uncomfortable carrying because we told them they couldn’t carry it differently than we do. If a new owner gets comfortable carrying on a regular basis, they’ll eventually learn to carry with one in the chamber.
That’s probably all I’m allowed to say on the topic. My personal opinions are verboten here.
EDIT: @Aaron25 I kept thinking about this and I’m actually on the fence. Yes, talking to a new gun owner, I want them to carry safely, in whatever way they feel comfortable doing until they get used to that firearm attached to their body. If that means they carry unchambered for awhile, I’m still ok with that. But to your point, yes, they need to understand what that means. They can still rack the slide faster than Barney Fife can load his pocket round, but they’re not ready to fire. So in short, as long as everyone understands the difference, I’m fine with adults making their own decisions.
@Milton4Never, never draw on someone confronting you with a firearm in hand at shouting distance. You will almost certainly lose. In such a situation, you must break for cover, use concealment/distraction, or (best) a combination. The example you gave…I am familiar with it…was not predicated on the readiness condition of the suicidal permit holder’s pistol. He failed because he made horrible tactical choices.
Generally, I am not a fan of critiquing people’s shortcomings in a critical incident video in a public forum full of strangers. It’s really disrespectful of the victims and their loved ones who are still alive and may see it. But when someone spreads such preposterous notions in a discussion I am already participating in (it’s ok to draw on someone pointing a loaded gun at you IF you have 1 in the chamber, for example), I will reluctantly make an exception.
