Update to the whole press check… no need at all, you can definitely see and feel the 2 I carry everyday are loaded, especially the ruger.
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I don’t do press checks, but I do perform status checks. Why don’t I do press checks? It just never seemed like a good practice. “We” are always taught to never ride the slide, to let it move forward under its own spring power to ensure a round is fully chambered and that riding a slide can lead to failures to fire and various malfunctions due to the slide not fully going into battery. So…what is a press check? It is taking the gun out of battery to visually inspect the chamber then letting the slide go or riding the slide home from perhaps an 1/8th of normal slide travel. Seems hardly enough to ensure full return to battery as if the slide was released from full rearward. So, no, I do not perform press checks to ensure proper function of my firearms at all times.
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I tend to only really do press checks when I’m about to reholster after firing some rounds, after inserting a new magazine, or when handed a firearm from someone else to see if it has a round in the chamber at the range,otherwise I always tend to clear my firearm first if I’m picking it up for the first time or just handed one and not actively firing or just finished firing at the range and I always clear my firearm before letting someone else look at it
My rule of thumb is , if it is out of the safe, it has one up the spout.
The SR9C is my EDC and I love the indicator. This is a great firearm, the indicator, ambidextrous safety and mag release, many holsters made for it with a Crimson Trace, and the rail below the barrel is great for a MantisX targeting system to attach to, all help to make it great. On one of my SR9C’s I have Viridian Light System attached to the rail.
Every time “BEFORE” I am about to holster my gun and leave the house and before I place my gun in its own place before I fall asleep
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Every time I pick up or move a gun, it’s press checked.
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With loaded chamber indicators and brass check views on the tops of slides on most pistols, I find a press check unnecessary most of the time. If i am double checking a firearm I may do a press check, but not often.
@Brad30, welcome to the Community 
My two handguns have loading view ports… but still I do press check with them. For me it’s the same as physically inspect if the firearm is loaded… visual inspection is not trusted.
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I said it it before…ONE TIME…on my way out the door in the morning.
Noooooooo. I drop a round in the chamber + hit slide release to snap it in before holsteting in morning. See zero need to press check after that.
Loaded chamber indicator FTW!
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If I have any reason to question if it is loaded or not I will check, however most often I load the gun, top off the mag, and put it in the holster. If you are about to kick in a door in Ramadi, then yeah, make sure. If not, its just another time you are unnecessarily fiddling with a loaded gun. Also as several have pointed out, loaded chamber indicators make it a moot point.
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I dont press check, Because I put one in chamber after I put my handgun on. It stays in holster unless there is a reson to take it out. For me there’s no reason to press check because I know one is in chamber. The exception would be that that I had an event at which i had fired multiple rounds and had to change mags. Would press check to make sure one is in chamber at that point
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Most of the time I press check after racking a round into the chamber to be sure that it actually did chamber and is properly seated
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Just learned. I will now. Mrs. Alcazar is awesome.
I do not. I keep all my firearms for defense loaded. I am the only one who touches them. To me, taking a weapon out of battery is a bad habit. Especially if it doesn’t go back into battery if your not paying attention. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong if you do. Everyone does things different. At least there’s a round in there, and your not carrying a dead mans gun.
Never need this on my carry gun as it always has a round chambered. The only time there could be any question is at the range. If my gun is loaded anyplace else I know about it because I just loaded it. Actually, I know about it at the range too.
Come to think of it, I will sometimes check when using snapcaps for dry fire.
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Until yesterday, I’d have said no. But yesterday I traded my Beretta APX Compact for a Canik TP9SFX, I ran a couple boxes of FMJ through it, and the gun preformed flawlessly. For reasons listed in the ‘do you carry with one in the chamber’ I keep the chamber empty in my home.
So a bit after I got home from the range, I needed to go to the store. I racked the extremely long slide on my new weapon, and unbeknownst to me, short stroked it, leaving me with a gun I thought was ready to go but was in fact not loaded. Had no troubles, thankfully, but when I went to unload the chamber at home, I was shocked to see it was empty.
From now on, I press-check. Better safe than sorry. If, perish the thought, I need that gun to go ‘BANG’ and it goes ‘Click’ instead, I’m probably going to die. So, yeah, I now press-check whenever I need to load the chamber, which is whenever I leave my home.
I’m just glad I learned this lesson the easy way.
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When I get my EDC pistol from it’s safe and before I holster, I press check. Developing good habits is important.
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