carry in chamber

[TucsonMTB]

I agree... although I don't have a bucket of sand in the house, I do step outside every time I chamber a live round in a semi-auto. Old safety habits are hard to break...and I don't plan to break them . I'm glad I learned to do that because I have had a semi "slam fire" a single round at the range...had a small shaving of primer material foul the firing pin for a single round when dropping the slide from slide lock. Wake up call


surv

Hey Surv!

The PF-9 forum is not usually on my reading list, but this post is exceptional. While not quite as cavalier about my gun handling as Jeff Quinn, I must admit that slam fires were not on the radar screen before reading about your experience.

Time for a little behavior modification.

Thanks to you and everyone else on this thread for raising my awareness.

TucsonMTB . . . who is now shopping for a sturdy bucket.

[banana380]

+1 on the civil discussion, it's good to see that we can have those here from time to time

Yeah I messed up the quote and didn't proof read! Whoops.

On using the quotes, if you mess up, there's an "Edit" button that will appear in the upper right hand corner of your post beside the "Quote" button, you can use that next time to fix yourself

[Gungnir300]

Thanks, banana!

And, huzzah for civil discussion. I too appreciate it. I try to stay civil myself but if I stray someone kick me. I think everyone here has done a great job and it makes it very enjoyable even when disagreements happen.

If two people agree on everything one of them is unnecessary. Not my words, but a great paraphrase at least.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[magman454]

I like, "Three people can keep a secret.....If two of them are dead."

[spirithawk]

My son had a slam fire with his XD Compact 9mm. Luckily it was pointed at the floor. One time is all it takes to make a believer of you that it can and does happen. I've learned a lot since joining you folks here and mere words seldom bother me. I look at it like this. I've been shot, cut, stabbed, and blown clear off the ground by artilery so why on Earth should I worry about words. For what it's worth, I do find you all much more civil than many forums out there. Kudos to you all.

[magman454]

...For what it's worth, I do find you all much more civil than many forums out there. Kudos to you all.

It was decided very early on that that is how we wanted it to be here. We wanted an atmosphere where no one would be walking on eggshells in fear of being banned. As long as one is sincere in their position, they are free to speak their mind. Yes, sometimes things can get fairly heated, but it is a rarity. Funny thing is, when people have that kind of freedom, they seldom abuse it.

That being said, the odd troublemaker does find their way here from time to time. When that happens, they are dealt with in a swift and decisive manner.

[pocketgun]

I had nothing more to add, so I fixed Gungnir300's quote instead.

[bigreb83]

I have never bought or owned a firearm that would be unsafe to carry chambered regardless of safety, I dont use them if they are on the gun anyways. There are a few revolvers that I will hopefully obtain for collection purposes in the future that must be carried hammer down on an empty chamber but they are for collection purposes only and I wouldnt even take them to the range but make a case for them and hang them on my wall. But as far as carry guns if it isnt a quality gun it isnt even considered.

I have bought a Taurus 24/7 Pro .45acp that can doesnt like anything but 185gr ammo. That was a mistake thinking about the $380 price tag vs the $580 for the XD compact .45 which I know now is worth the money. When that happened I swore I would never make that mistake again. Dont get me wrong, with the right ammo the 24/7 has been completely reliable and I consider it completely safe for carry but if it cant digest what I want to feed it it doesnt have much worth to me. That is why I am working with a local guy to get a Dan Wesson CCO Bobtail, he is having trouble with his supplier obtaining one for some stupid reason, he is hanging on to a custom 1911 that is very similar to the CCO, it is a S&W 4.25" bbl scandium framed 1911 that has had the grip frame shortened by 1rd to use the 7rd mags while retaining the ability to use the standard and 10rd competition mags as well. He wants 1200 for it, and has let me shoot it, I want it but Id rather have the CCO, he is hanging on to it for me in the event that his supplier cant get the CCO. Both of those are completely safe to carry chambered and I know from handling the S&W that it can be carried cocked on a loaded chamber without engaging the thumb safety, there are many uncomfortable with that method of carry but I have no problem with it when I have tested and handled the 1911 in question. I have carried a relatives 3" Kimber that way several times and could actually buy it for a fair bit less than either of the two listed above but dont like the limitatins of the 3" bbl, The 230gr +P talons wont open properly, I prefer them for deer hunting and they are great defensive rounds as well, CorBon makes a dpx round specifically for the short barrel, that are good but I want a gun that I can use for hunting as well and the short barrel although quite accurate just isnt for me.

Dam I got a little off topic for a while, oh well, anyways I change my opinion of your friend a bit but the thought of carrying a handgun for defensive purposes with an empty chamber will always seem foolish to me, It just goes against common sense as well as everything I have been tought and learned. Any firearm carried or placed, handgun or shotgun, should always be ready to go with the pull of a trigger, or if someone isnt comfortable, the only other step would be disengaging a safety. I know someone who was shot while chambering a round, after emptying a magazine, thankfully he was wearing a vest but still has the bruise after nearly 20 years, but after that he learned to keep track of the number of rounds fired and now leaves the last round chambered while reloading during the drills and at the range so that he wont have that happen again. That is something that I practice and think is one of the essentials for anyone carrying a semi auto firearm.

[banana380]

Meh, off topic is embraced here @ the range...

And on that note, a big +1 to the Dan Wesson bobtail... I'm in the market for a 1911 this year (100 yr anniv.) and I'd love to get that model, but I'm also attracted to the SA Mil-Spec Stainless... Haven't found either yet, and I'm not sure I can buy them in FL yet anyway .

And to bring it back on topic... I'd carry them cocked and locked on a loaded chamber . (See what I did there? )

[Seede]

Well! I guess this is a new hurtle for me, I feel safer now that I carry but am a little leery about carrying chambered. I always make it a point to be very aware of whats going on and the people around me when in public and feel I could react in time. after seeing this thread I'm going to revisit and think hard about it.
One nice thing about the PF9 is it has a long trigger pull!!!

I carried a S&W M49 for years simply because it was a small J framed revolver and also because the hammer was recessed for snagging on draw. The trigger pull was twice that of the PF9 and the length of pull was every bit as long as the PF9. This 38 special was almost twice the weight of my PF9 and had only five shot. The point here is that in this revolver I always had one in the chamber (so to speak) but with the long pull and 12 lb trigger pull it could never accidentally fire.
I then compared this revolver with the PF9 and the PF9 won hands down. Near half lb lighter with three more shots and a more powerful bullet. Smaller weapon with about same recoil and better conceal. I carry with one in chamber and seven in clip. No way in world could have a misfire with the long trigger pull. I believe any person with the PF9 that would not carry one in the chamber is potentially in danger and defeats the purpose of concealed carry. At age of 83 I now carry in holster in pocket with one chambered. When you are in a gun fight, all of the things you think you know go right out the window. The automatic reflex is to simply pull the trigger. Ask any person who has been in a gun fight and he or she will tell you the same thing. Remember that it is your life that you put on line.