How is your pistol prepared? I must be crazy, but I gotta do it!

Curiousity is gonna kill the cat: How do you keep your pistol prepared???

  • *Chambered, hammer cocked

    Votes: 68 37.6%

  • *Chambered, hammer down

    Votes: 67 37.0%

  • *UnChambered, but full mag

    Votes: 41 22.7%

  • *Empty pistol and magazine, separated

    Votes: 5 2.8%
  • Total voters
    181
Well, I guess I pushed "cocked and locked" into the lead a little more... I just like to have my gun come out prepared. I have a friend who's an ex-MP and he says he was trained to carry with the clip loaded but nothing in the pipe. I kinda looked at him funny. Heh. He said that he'd been trained to cock the gun with his weak hand as it comes out of the holster.

Have any of you LEOs had the same training? How does it work?

I was thinking about it and is sounded like a cool idea until I realized: what happens when you don't have the other hand? Or it's being used? Hmmm......
 
Carry my Glock with one in the chamber. Have dropped the 19 on 3 different ocassions. No discharges. Don't try to catch the pistol if
you drop it, as you may grab the trigger and ....OH BOY. No problem in carrying a Glock chambered as long as you keep your finger off the trigger.:D
 
My G23 is kept in the bedroom with a loaded mag and empty chamber. When I carry it, I chamber a round. Everything else is kept unloaded and locked in a cabinet, ammo separate.
 
Depends on the type of pistol. A SA 1911 style pistol is cocked and locked. My SA derringer has the hammer down on the crossbolt safety. All others are carried hammer down. All firearms have one in the pipe. I only use the external safety on SA or hammerless pistols.
 
Colt Pony, HKP7-M8, or CZ-75SA When carrying loaded and chambered CZ with safety on. All guns are kept Chamber empty with loaded mags safeties off. Including guns in safe. AK, Shotgun, etc.

Best Regards
Sam
 
My Home D gun is a revolver, and strange as it is, it's actually loaded, with the cylinder out. The case I have for it, I've molded it like that. I haven't quite figured out why I don't have it loaded, but that's what I'm use to with my revolver...

But if it's on me (holstered) my Steyr M40 is chambered, full mag. It's safer that way. If I'm in a less than hostile environment, then the safety is on also (like my house) but if I'm outside like camping and carrying, then the safety is off.

Unchambered is a bit of a funny concept. I mean, rule #1 is "Every gun is loaded" (I don't like the "Treat every gun as if it were loaded, I think it should be changed to Every gun is loaded. Just state it period.) So if every gun is loaded, then I treat it accordingly, and never change my mental state. So if I go and pick it up, it should be ready to fire. If not, I'll have to "Tap Rack Bang" and that might slow me down in a firefight.

The safeties on modern guns are incredible. Unless the trigger is pulled, it's almost near impossible for my gun to go off by itself. (AD's just don't happen if you keep the finger out of the trigger well)

Albert
 
It's interesting to see, despite only 108 votes do far, that condition 1 and 2 seem to be tied, although I hear alot of people rebuking the 2nd condition.
But, we'll see when we pass 200-300 votes, before we can even get a more solid figure...
My pistols are stored loaded, but not chambered.
If I kept them in a safe for storage (locked up when we're not home, and unlocked easy access at night) It should be perfectly safe to have them condition 1, right? Maybe even safety on for a little extra umph...
The big thing, you don't want any intruder to hear you rack your slide, even "quiet" racking will still make noise. Picking up properly your condition 1 pistol makes NO NOISE, and thus the element of suprize will go in your favor.
I'll still have to consider this one, as I don't have a nice safe for storing my stuff.... which is ok, no kids yet.
 
to Twoblink

You have a very good point there about Rule #1...
I'll consider that.
Even if I know the chamber's empty, I always check inside before dissasembly, cleaning, etc...
 
In my humble oppinion a unchamered gun is an unloaded gun and an unloaded gun is useless. When I carry DA Sa autos the hammer is down. When I have carried 1911's its cocked and locked. Glocks are the best because its ready to go with out a safety to flick or a long da to go through. If you feel unsure about carrying a chambered gun you should not be carrying a gun because you will probably also hesitate to shoot someone that needs to be shot. Winning a gunfight,fist fight or any fight is about mindset. Your either in the game or your not.
PAT
 
Well my .45 (officers mod still under construction) for concealed carry has no safeties (nothing to forget to do at the last moment and nothing to give me a placebo when it is loaded) and I am debating whether or not to put sights on it I don't really ever use them in a hurry. It is carried with loaded mag. and nothing in the chamber.

My other .45's are just normal issue guns with all the normal accoutrements (safeties, non-adjustable sights) and carried with no round in the chamber.
 
My 1911 is chambered cocked & locked.
My Glock is chambered and, uh...laid down.
In 17 years of 1911 ownership/carry, I've found the safety swiped off twice! My fault, they dont swipe off by themselves. Plus I check it cause I know I'm the real safety!
Dont trust safties, BE the safety!:D
 
Depends on what and where.

Kimber:

Carried chamber loaded, cocked and locked.
Home full mag loaded, chamber empty

Any Walther:

Carried chamber loaded, hammer or striker forward, safety off if so equipped.
Home full mag loaded, chamber empty
 
Gun In Use (carry/home def.) = chambered, cocked, locked and ready to rock - 24/7

Gun In Storage = unloaded, locked up, ammo stored separately

I always have at least one gun in use. My carry is a Glock, it always has a round in the pipe.

- Gabe
 
It depends what I am having it prepared for. For carry, ooaded, one in chamber, safety on if the pistol I have has a manual safety. For bedside, loaded mag, empty chamber.:cool:
 
Only time I have an empty chamber

is when I've run dry or when I'm carrying a Colt SAA or my Old Model Ruger Super Blackhawk. In these cases the hammer always rests on an empty chamber.
 
the Scouting Way

I carry a DAO .45 so it is always carried with a round chambered and the magazine topped off...and hoping I'll never need it!
 
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