[2edgesword]

Personally I don't want to rely on anything other than gross motor skills during the adrenalin rush circumstance of having to use a weapon. I have never carried a firearm with a safety and always have one in the chamber. It will be draw, point and shoot.

 

[DozerD9]

To the first part, this is what training and practice are for: so you can do certain things without thinking. In a stressful situation it can go down the tubes, so people default to their highest level of mastery. Accessing the weapon, pulling it out of the holster, pointing at the target, sweeping off the safety, aligning the sights, and squeezing the trigger are all muscle memory. Deciding whether to do the first and last night thing (pulling it and shooting it) are the only things that require thinking and judgement. Everything in between does not.

To the second part, and only commenting on the use of "OK" here, since there is context: I think your confusion is based on your limited understanding of the word as a response, and only in the further limited use of it as a response to a restricted range of inquires. For example, "Would you like an English lesson?" Answer: "Okay/OK/O.K." It is a manner of expressing agreement, concession or consent, among many other uses.

So, when the OP used the word "OK," he was saying "Given that...." "Considering that..." "Granted...." "In light of......" [All of these are examples of conceding a point]....I have taken several firearms courses, but in all those courses I have taken, I have never seen the issue of carrying one in the chamber addressed...."

O.K., thank you Sir for that complete and in-depth explanation. 👌

 

[DozerD9]

The main reason I carry one in the chamber is if I am injured,hand ,arm whatever prior to making that first shot I would not have to struggle to rack the slide to put my gun in battery,ready to shoot.The use of a thumb safety could complicate an injury sitiuation even greater. Just my opinion having 30 plus years of inservice training. I have a pistol Ruger LC9S with a Thumb safety and a Glock which has none. I carry the Glock as my preferred gun.

Great point, I never thought about the injury possibility!

 

[Striper]

I remember seeing a horrible video of a security guard that was killed because he didn’t have one in the chamber. A fight ensued and he drew his weapon but couldn’t fire a round before being shot. That convinced me never to carry an unloaded weapon.

 

[DozerD9]

Thanks everyone, good info here and I'm kinda surprised that the general consensus seems to be guns without a safety. While I admit I'm not as well-trained as most of you I always thought of the safety as an extra level of security (safety?) and something I could easily bypass if I chose to just by keeping it off. I guess in an immediate emergency situation I'd have to rely on muscle memory and recall, hopefully if that day ever comes I'll have the time to access the weapon, flip the safety off and aim. In the meantime I'll continue to practice "remove, point, safety off and..." whatever follows. And regardless of the safety position I will carry one in the chamber. Thanks again! 👌

 

[notphilivey]

O.K., I've been through several training courses (NRA, Military) and have never heard this addressed.... for all of you that carry a loaded semi-automatic do you carry with one in the chamber and if you do do you have your safety (if applicable) on or off? Or do you prefer to carry with the chamber empty and again, safety on or off? I've been practicing (S&W Shield Plus) moving the safety on off with my thumb and it feels fairly easy to do in a time of crisis but still I wonder if I'd have the foresight to do it in that time of crisis. Thanks...

With striker fire I am ok with no further safety as long as you have a trigger guard on holster. Cocked and locked I recommend an additional manual saftey. The best safety is between the ears. If I have to draw then do a manual safety release I am hesitating that extra second and as we all know the graveyards are full of people who had the safety on whose last words were “oh shit.” That being said, do what makes you feel comfortable.

 

[notphilivey]

One in the chamber and I carry a DA/SA. There is no safety. My safety is the double action of the first pull.

So u have the decocker. Is that an HK or an Sig?

 

[Striper]

So u have the decocker. Is that an HK or an Sig?

Yes. I have hammer fired SIG’s, all in DA/SA.

 

[Charlie-NY]

For those of you who are hunters - have you ever gotten so anxious to take your game that you started to squeeze the trigger without even thinking about removing the safety first? I'm sure that it happens more often than people will admit. In a life & death situation, that could evolve in a nano-second, would you think to remove the safety?

A handgun that doesn't need a safety to be safe, seems like a much better idea for a personal defense gun.

 

[Ancap]

To the original poster…I understand your concern

when I first started carrying I wasn’t comfortable having one in the chamber and would carry in ”condition 3” for the first two months or so. It gave me an extra buffer until I learned how to handle the gun safely.

So take the path that you feel is right. I also recommend force on force training, it’s a very big eye opener in learning what actually works

 

[Peconic Paladin]

.....and as we all know the graveyards are full of people who had the safety on whose last words were “oh shit.”

I'm not so sure about that.

I'm sure there are plenty of untrained people in general who didn't make it, but don't know about the idea of their being lots of people who were too "safety" conscious....or should I say unconscious.

 

[sig45]

I have a question that is loosely related to this post.

Last night I was at my 16 hour CCW course. The instructor stated that 7 +1 round limit is still in effect. I thought that was was knocked down by an upstate court. Can someone please provide some feedback on this? Thanks.

i asked suffolk about carrying rounds they said 10