[CDR_Glock]

I have been carry Glocks for a couple of years. Safety has always been priority one. Safe Training and Safe Practice. Before I carry it loaded, I carried it at home in the holster (unloaded). I carried it around the home loaded with Snap Caps. I practiced drawing from concealment UNLOADED. I practiced drawing from concealment with Snap Caps.

ONE MUST ALWAYS BE DELIBERATE AND HAVE AWARENESS OF THE FINGER IN RELATION TO THE TRIGGER.

ONE MUST REALIZE THAT THE GUN IS ALWAYS LOADED.

Despite no external safety, I feel completely confident carrying a Glock loaded. When I remove the Glock from my holster, my finger is always outside of the trigger guard. When I place my Glock in my holster, it is ALWAYS before I put the holster onto my belt. If I practice drawing, my finger is ALWAYS outside of the trigger guard, until it is cleared from my holster.

How people shoot themselves:
NOT REALIZING GUN WAS LOADED
Re-holstering a pistol into a holster WITHOUT LOOKING
Not paying attention to position of finger in relation to the trigger when drawing or handling
Using improper technique when drawing from a Serpa Holster

Some advocate the Israeli Draw: Loaded Magazine, Empty Chamber and racking the slide while drawing. That may work, if you have function of both hands/arms. If you have to shoot one handed because of unforseen injury, you're pretty much Dead in the Water, as I heard them say in my Navy days.

Anyways, do what works BUT DO WHAT IS MOST COMFORTABLE TO YOU.

This is my way. You have your own way.

 

[Dustin WJ]

Like you, I always carry with a round in the chamber. Carrying an unloaded gun just seems a bit silly to me.

 

[PitbullNinja]

CDR the key thing you hit on is that you trained before you carried. I've carried a Glock for 20 years as a Police officer and you MUST train or you will have an accidental discharge. And yes I carry one in the chamber. It seems pointless not to.

 

[divilglock]

awesome post & perfect point. i too practice all the time with no shells loaded while drawing. i've go so use to keeping my finger outside of the trigger guard, i notice i do the very same thing while handling toy pistols. no kidding. practice practice practice. it works.

 

[divilglock]

btw, i too carry with one in the chamber at all times. even if one has both hands to use, there just may not be enough time to rack the slide if that one is surprise attacked.

 

[Kmurray96]

Until the last couple of years, my department required us to carry, if we chose to carry, OD with a thumb strap retention holster. Carrying my Beretta 96D for almost 20 years, needless to say, my holsters were almost as old. A few years ago, I'd gotten enough seniority to bid out of the prison into a mobil patrol bid. Not liking to slip holsters on and off, I bought my own dept style holster. I had just changed into a G19C for my OD and I was happy to find out it also fit in the Safariland holster intended to fit the H&K USP. But while I was getting my OD/OC holster, I started looking at a Blackhawk Serpa holster for OWB/CC.

The feel and use of the holster seemed so smart to me I was amazed. You see, for some reason, I had been starting to develop a bad habit of putting my finger in the trigger guard during my draw. I was so aware of it, it was starting to interfere with my mechanics on the range.

Now we're all familiar with the old adages, "Practice makes perfect" and "Practice, practice, practice". The reason for that is that the human body can program itself with nerve-muscle coordination. That thing we call "muscle memory". It's what could give you just enough speed to save you in a life-or-death confrontation. Do it wrong, with adrenaline pumping, and it could end up in a tragedy.

Anyhow, the design of the Serpa, making the trigger finger index on the frame or front of the trigger guard on the draw has made my problem disappear completely. I don't even experience it using my DeSantis Scorpion IWB.

And the Blackhawk was cheap enough so that I bought another one to use when I take friends and family to a range to familiarize them to the use of handguns. (Which also gets them in the mind-set to buy GLOCK).

And to answer the original question; Yes, I always carry with one in the chamber. When I did ASROC Sound & Security on my Tin Can (USS McCloy DE-1038) we carried empty chamber. We practiced the draw and chamber both two-handed and one-handed. I was never able to chamber one-handed fast enough to where I thought I'd be alive later to tell someone about it.

 

[Jmd]

Always carry one in chamber, I treat it loaded anyway, just don't think there's enough time to react to load one in chamber

 

[Sarabian]

I also always carry chamber loaded. I mainly use a Serpa for my holster and of course I train frequently. I have training sticks I got in the academy and LOVE them. I'll post a picture one day soon for those that are not familiar with this inexpensive training aid everyone should have. I use my training sticks to practice my draw from both my duty belt and from concealment. I also practice running into my safe room and getting the pistol out and ready, then tactically clear the house.

Always remember that you will act as you train, so before practicing make sure to check with an expert and know you are doing it correctly.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Joe criminal has one in the chamber so do I. Glock works on the fundamental #1 rule: Finger off trigger until ready to fire.

Anyone following this basic principal doesn't need any other safety.

 

[Kmurray96]

Joe criminal has one in the chamber so do I. Glock works on the fundamental #1 rule: Finger off trigger until ready to fire.

Anyone following this basic principal doesn't need any other safety.

Excellent point!!!

 

[jramos25]

I always have one in the chamber

 

[LT2108]

Always one in the chamber, does not make sense not too, if you carry without one in the chamber, you are carrying a paper weight IMO !

 

[iRockGlock]

Always carry + 1 in the chamber!
Condition 0 in my Glock always

 

[iGlock]

Always carry + 1 in the chamber!
Condition 0 in my Glock always

+1 in every gun, even in my shotgun...

 

[nukinfuts29]

Always one in the chamber, does not make sense not too, if you carry without one in the chamber, you are carrying a paper weight IMO !

Well i wouldnt go that far. Its not like racking one is a fine motor skill that you loose in an adreneline state. I carry one in the chamber but its not for everyone. To imply a gun with an empty chamber and a full magazine is useless is, imo, an ignorant statement. I would venture theres plenty of people on here that could draw their weapon, chamber a round, and put three center mast in the same time as someone who only has to draw and fire.

There is a test called the tap test. You holster, face target, and wait. An instructor will tap your shoulder at a random moment and when he does you draw, chamber if needed, and fire. At the same time he takes off running behind you while another instrucor times it. He stops running when you hit the target.

This test is done to show people just how much ground someone can cover in the time it takes you to draw and fire. I have seen my instructor friend do this test time and time again to demonstrate that someone without a chambered round can be as effective and sometimes more then another with a chambered round.

Its a great test, a real eye opener. I suggest everyone tries it sometime.

 

[hermdog2004]

I've had a debate about this in my head for quite some time. I've read where an attacker can come at you at like 21 feet a second. Its a good idea to carry one in the chamber. With someone coming at you that fast, there's really no time to rack the slide, well unless you run. There's plenty of videos on youtube displaying a round in the barrel with just a primer to see if the gun actually fires when dropped. I trust the internal safeties in the Glock, im just paranoid I guess. But its my life on the line.

 

[david1962hd]

1 in the chamber for me always.

 

[Glock22Gen3]

One in the pipe.

I'd had my permit for 22 years before my County would even issue a permit. My permit wasn't any better then a hunting license and gun buying license combined in the one piece of paper. My state was a may issue state, if the Sheriff didn't want you to carry he would not issue a non restricted permit. After the state went to a shall issue the Sheriff could no longer restrict my permit.

I carried my wheel gun, Ruger LCR, to help my mind get used to carrying. Then after getting my Glock I didn't carry it until I practiced fast draw with the holster, and then qualified with the same test the local Sheriffs Dept takes. I tested twice scoring a 98% my first time through and a 100% the second.

My state does not require shooting, only a course that you may or may not get anything out of. A written test is up to the NRA instructor that gives the class. Then a certificate is handed to you and you get your permit. If you know how to shoot so what is how the law is basically written. One thing that makes it that way is my permit is a weapons permit, not a permit to carry a firearm.

 

[Glock8856]

Like you, I always carry with a round in the chamber. Carrying an unloaded gun just seems a bit silly to me.

Agreed. I really see no point in carrying unloaded. When in time if you ever need to draw your weapon, you CANNOT spare that 3 extra second to cock your pistol. But, I also think if you can not do either way safely then don't do it at all, because you will just end up hurting someone innocent.

 

[Donn]

Carry a wheel gun, so yes, there's always one in the chamber. Like any other firearm, the best safety is finger off the trigger till you're ready to fire.