Feel weird carrying

[LT1MCSS]

It takes a while to get used to carrying concealed. No one will notice that you are carrying as long as you use a good holster, clothes that are a bit loose, and don't telegraph that you are carrying. Some people that carry, especially those that are new at it, tend to "check" to make sure that the gun is still there and concealed. Doing that draws attention to the fact that you are concealing something. Be conscious of that and try to avoid it.

Finding a comfortable holster that conceals well is a hit or miss proposition. That's why so many of us have stacks of slightly used holsters for sale.

Yes, always carry with a chambered round. I'd recommend carrying with the safety off, too.

This seriously is one of the hardest parts to carrying concealed. It took me a while to start getting past being paranoid. I still do get paranoid sometimes and want to check but i try not to.

 

[Dench]

im one of the few people who dont carry with a round in the chamber here. im also one of the rare people who dislike to carry, and is often in situations were carrying is totally inappropriate (i.e. drinking or being in federal buildings)

whenever i carry, i never ever have the thought in my head that i would actualy have to use it. im more worried about getting hit by lighting then being in a situation were i have to use lethal force.

as for the not carrying with one chambered, i do this for a number of reasons. the 1st being ive carried weapons for thousands of hours, and maybe 5% of that time did i actualy have a round chambered (0% of the time did i have one chambered in america). ive been in some incredibly strange and possibly dangerous situations and was comfortable with not having a round chambered. im pretty comfortable with my ability to rack a round quickly if i have to.

for civilian carrying, the 2nd issue i have is the lack of a safety, and the location of the weapon on my body. the last thing i need to do is have a AD into the trunk of my body while trying to pull out my pistol.

the 3rd reason is a lot of people will have AD's while clearing the chambered round out of their gun. ive seen alot of people do this. from the military to the police to postal inspectors. the last thing i need is complacency on my part and a hole in my apartment. Jar would be real pissed off if i shot a .40 into his part of the hosue.

now, i am aware that say my left hand was busy / not working i would be totally screwed. well, i wouldnt bother even pulling the pistol out then, to avoid it being used against me. im shit out of luck in that situation.

im a stickler for safety while carrying. ive seen people shot point blank by accident, and i have no intention of putting my self in any situation were that could easily happen. you could say that i rather have lower amounts of possible aggravation then the ability to immediately defend myself with lethal force. just me.

im sure that if i took it as serious as most of you guys id carry it loaded. i expect 99% of you guys to disagree!

 

[Bassturd]

Double action revolver, leave one cylinder chamber without a round and have that chamber be in front of the hammer.

The gun still won't fire, but you will feel batter about it being pointed at your junk. And if you pull the trigger it will go bang.

 

[drew]

Unload check double check, when you are 200% sure that the gun is un-loaded, put your holster on, guide your slide closed on an empty chamber, put your gun in your hand with trigger finger pressed onto the frame above trigger, when you insert your gun into the holster your trigger finger automatically goes onto the holster, continue inserting gun into holster... when you draw, trigger finger automatically goes onto holster above trigger, apply pressure so when you continue to draw the trigger finger goes directly to the frame of the gun... No ND can occur.... Practice... Practice... Practice...

 

[edin508]

Do any of you that carry with one in the chamber have a lightened trigger? I have a G30 that I had brought down to a 3.5 lb. trigger pull so I don't like to carry that with one in the pipe. Maybe just paranoid? But I have heard from some people that it is not generally a good idea to carry a gun that has had some trigger work done, specifically a trigger as light as mine.
I do however have a P99Cas that I will carry with one in the chamber because of it's de-cocking device. I can still use it double action at that point so it is always on the ready.
I am still a bit spooked about carrying one in the pipe with the pin sprung back and ready to hit. I have just seen way too many mechanical things in general break when least expected and have trust issues with some simple mechanics holding back something that could hurt or kill me.
Too paranoid ?

 

[wolf223]

edin508 and Dench:

ya'll need to store your Glocks, or any other firearms with one in the pipe, overnight for a period of 365 days.

upon completion of that excercise, you can carry w / one in the pipe.



all joking aside:

it's perfectly safe. carry around your residence and shoot 500 to 1k rounds! you'll be OK.

jc

 

[Dench]

im more then qualified to carry with the weapon loaded. i just dont have the need to carry, nevermind the need to carry it loaded, or in the glocks case black as opposed to red, which is impossible.
all about avoiding aggravation.

 

[drew]

When the SHTF you will not have time to rack the slide back and chamber a round, then theres the what if's what If I slip, what if the gun gets snagged in clothing, what if my hands are sweaty, what if I forget to take the safety off, etc, etc.... I would be glad to demonstrate this if anyone is up to the challenge, you would'nt carry a knife with out a blade in it, would you? And the guns with trigger jobs are mostly referring to single action guns, with proper training/practice you can carry with one in the pipe if anyone wants some PP training let me know... over 12 years instructional experience...

 

[wolf223]

im more then qualified to carry with the weapon loaded. i just dont have the need to carry, nevermind the need to carry it loaded, or in the glocks case black as opposed to red, which is impossible.
all about avoiding aggravation.

why carry at all?

as you said, the chance of having to use it...........

just bustin ya balls man...

to each your own.

 

[mikem317]

Do any of you that carry with one in the chamber have a lightened trigger? I have a G30 that I had brought down to a 3.5 lb. trigger pull so I don't like to carry that with one in the pipe. Maybe just paranoid? But I have heard from some people that it is not generally a good idea to carry a gun that has had some trigger work done, specifically a trigger as light as mine.
I do however have a P99Cas that I will carry with one in the chamber because of it's de-cocking device. I can still use it double action at that point so it is always on the ready.
I am still a bit spooked about carrying one in the pipe with the pin sprung back and ready to hit. I have just seen way too many mechanical things in general break when least expected and have trust issues with some simple mechanics holding back something that could hurt or kill me.
Too paranoid ?

Mine is all stock. But yes, keep one in the chamber.

The 21 foot rule only is sufficient for a draw, aim, and fire. No time to include "racking the slide". Keep one up in the pipe.

 

[drew]

Mikem, cudos to you, with your finger off the trigger and on the frame until you are ready to shoot or destroy,ADs or NDs arent really an issue, now is it? And neither would guns with light trigger pulls...

 

[Youradolt]

i've been carry one in the pipe with my sig and my ppk with the saftey off im not so nervous no more

 

[drew]

Any law enforcement officer or any Armed Personnel who do VIP protection, or any PP instructor will tell you, keep one in the pipe, better to have it and not need it..... 14 yrs with one in the pipe, not one single ND.....

 

[terraformer]

Do any of you that carry with one in the chamber have a lightened trigger? I have a G30 that I had brought down to a 3.5 lb. trigger pull so I don't like to carry that with one in the pipe. Maybe just paranoid? But I have heard from some people that it is not generally a good idea to carry a gun that has had some trigger work done, specifically a trigger as light as mine.

I wouldn't worry about the mechanical part as much as I would worry about the holster you use with something so light. Some holsters don't cover the entire distance of the finger guard or let loose easily. The former would allow things to get inside which can bind and put enough pressure and travel on the trigger. The latter issue should be obvious. I wouldn't touch anything less than a level 2 holster to a gun with that kind of trigger pull.

 

[drew]

edin, 3.5 is right around a preferred carry weight for a trigger on a ccw gun, not to light and not to heavy, great for accurracy and second shot placement... My wifes glock 19 has the 3.5 trigger, and so does my glock 22.... Just remember FOT.... He is right a real good holster will hide the trigger completely...

 

[terraformer]

edin, 3.5 is right around a preferred carry weight for a trigger on a ccw gun, not to light and not to heavy, great for accurracy and second shot placement... My wifes glock 19 has the 3.5 trigger, and so does my glock 22.... Just remember FOT.... He is right a real good holster will hide the trigger completely...

That's why god made a safety, which apparently glock and others leave off* and people like me prefer DA/SA or better yet, H&K USP vars 1&2 which have both a safety and DA/SA actions. But yes, we agree FOT or as some here like to say, keep that "booger hook [and laynards, clothing, obstructions...] off the bang switch".

* Yes, I know why glock et al; leave off the safety and anything else to complicate firing (hell, a monkey can fire one of those things...) under stress, I just don't agree with it. But I don't want to hijack this thread with what some folks would consider glock bashing (I have a G17 BTW).

 

[drew]

Safety=mechanical devices used to help minimize accidental discharges, not 100% reliable... Best safety is between your ears... remember muzzle management and trigger finger discipline, two absolutes of firearms safety...