New to Carry...couple of questions

[KingPing]

I just purchased a Kahr PM9 for my first CCW. I'm using the flush mag.(6+1) DeSantis holster and Federal 135 grain Hydra-Shok.

At the end of my day it goes in the safe since I have a different firearm in my Gunvault.

Should I unload the PM9 before it goes in the safe?
If so do I need to "rotate" the round that was chambered?
If not how often should I replace the chambered round?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Kingping

 

[Underwhere]

Welcome to responsibility.

Don't unload it. No harm will be done in anyway by leaving it loaded.

If you do unload it every night, then cycle the round. Repeated chambering of the same bullet can lead to something called "set back." I.e. pushing the bullet further into the casing. It can in rare cases - depending on ammo- lead to excessive pressure in the chamber when you fire the round. It happens with cheaper ammo more frequently. CCI for example can set back substantially when cycled repeatedly.

There's no arguing when Jesus gives you sound advice.

 

[M1911]

I just purchased a Kahr PM9 for my first CCW. I'm using the flush mag.(6+1) DeSantis holster and Federal 135 grain Hydra-Shok.

At the end of my day it goes in the safe since I have a different firearm in my Gunvault.

Should I unload the PM9 before it goes in the safe?

No. The more you mess with your gun, the more likely you are to have negligent discharge. The less you mess with it, the less likely you are to have a negligent discharge. A loaded gun sitting in your safe isn't going to fire itself -- guns go off when you mess with them.

If so do I need to "rotate" the round that was chambered?

If you insist on chambering it all the time, then yes you'll need to rotate it. Measure the overall length with a micrometer and see if you are getting setback. Or just stop loading and unloading it.

If not how often should I replace the chambered round?

Don't keep loading and unloading and then you won't need to worry about it.

 

[M1911]

that's pretty retarded advice there, homeboy.

I disagree. Can you load and unload a gun safely? Sure. But people do screw up now and then.

Consider two possible scenarios:

1) At the beginning of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his loaded gun out of the safe and puts it in his holster. At the end of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his loaded gun out of his holster and stuffs it in his safe.

2) At the beginning of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his unloaded gun out of the safe, loads it, and puts in his holster. At the end of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his gun out of his holster, unloads it, and stuffs it in his safe.

In which option is he handling the gun more? In which option are there more opportunities (however remote) for J. Random Gunowner to crew up? There are more steps in scenario 2 than scenario 1, so by definition he is more likely to screw up. That likelihood may be, and should be, very small.

Why add extra steps that might add a small amount of risk when they are completely unnecessary?

I've got ~200 hours of firearms training. I'm not afraid of my gun.

 

[atmay]

I disagree. Can you load and unload a gun safely? Sure. But people do screw up now and then.

Consider two possible scenarios:

1) At the beginning of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his loaded gun out of the safe and puts it in his holster. At the end of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his loaded gun out of his holster and stuffs it in his safe.

2) At the beginning of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his unloaded gun out of the safe, loads it, and puts in his holster. At the end of the day, J. Random Gunowner takes his gun out of his holster, unloads it, and stuffs it in his safe.

In which option is he handling the gun more? In which option are there more opportunities (however remote) for J. Random Gunowner to crew up? There are more steps in scenario 2 than scenario 1, so by definition he is more likely to screw up. That likelihood may be, and should be, very small.

Why add extra steps that might add a small amount of risk when they are completely unnecessary?

I've got ~200 hours of firearms training. I'm not afraid of my gun.

I unload and reload some of my pistols multiple times a day, for dry-fire practice when I'm bored. I've yet to even come close to having an ND.

A modicum of common sense combined with an iota of situational awareness is all you need to avoid putting holes in the wall.

 

[MtRiverCharlie]

I'm with Timber. Repeated proper handling is better than none. Keep your finger out of the trigger and you're 99.9% less likely to have a negligent discharge. If you're not comfortable cambering and unloading a firearm you will be more prone to make mistakes.

KingPing, Get some snap caps. Load, unload, rinse and repeat. Get comfortable with your piece and you'll be golden. Happy CCW!

 

[TWtommers]

I think the point was that, all things being equal, there are less chances to lose focus and screw up if you do not load and unload your gun every day. Makes perfect sense and has little if nothing to do with a person's proficiency with a firearm. It's math.
The more pertinent question is whether or not the is any value on God's green earth to unloading and loading your weapon to store it in a safe. I say no. Therefore, if there is no value added, do not perform the task and avoid any risks said task may bring to bear.
For the record, I remove my MTAC holster with my gun loaded gun in it and store the whole kit in my safe each night. When I go to the range I typically fire off the chambered round to avoid messing with that cartridge too much.

 

[M1911]

If you think that J. Random Gunowner is too stupid to put a gun into a safe, and then retrieve it to put it in a holster, then you're scared of your gun.

Um, hello? I said leave the gun loaded, don't bother to unload and reload. I don't know about you, but I've seen some gunowners do some stupid crap. And I've seen the aftermath.

As for a bulldozer, I've driven a D7 and I've spent a year at the construction site of a 1 million cubic yard earth fill dam. I've got a healthy respect for what they can do, and for the lack of visibility that the operator has. And I've learned to recognize which operators I can trust.

Either way, you're scared.

Nope. I see the bullet holes in the baffles at my club from idiots who can't keep a gun pointed approximately at a backstop while they pull the trigger.

Evidently your ~200 hours of training were spent with people who've never actually used guns for what they're inteded for.

Really? You think that? Have you met John Peterson? IIRC, he was reserve special forces, and deployed to Afghanistan when he was called back to active duty.

Randy Cain was a police officer for about seven years, IIRC, and had an officer-involved-shooting.

Nice try, though.

 

[M1911]

I think the point was that, all things being equal, there are less chances to lose focus and screw up if you do not load and unload your gun every day. Makes perfect sense and has little if nothing to do with a person's proficiency with a firearm. It's math.

Someone gets it. It went straight over the head of all the rest who got insulted.

The more pertinent question is whether or not the is any value on God's green earth to unloading and loading your weapon to store it in a safe. I say no.

Agreed. There's no point.

Therefore, if there is no value added, do not perform the task and avoid any risks said task may bring to bear.

Exactly. There is no value added to unloading and reload, and you would be accepting some small amount of added risk for no reason -- so don't do that.

 

[M1911]

Anyone who's a slave to the rules - don't touch your gun! it might go off! - is a someone who's also scared to tie their own shoes or get up on their own roof and push the snow off.

And another strawman, typical of you Timber.

 

[TheRoland]

that's like telling someone the more often they park their car in thier garage, the more likely they are to drive through the back wall.

Well, mathematically, this statement is true.

 

[atmay]

Well, mathematically, this statement is true.

Which doesn't make the statement any less stupid.

 

[M1911]

Which doesn't make the statement any less stupid.

No, it's not stupid. I've seen stupid gun owners. I'm a realist. You have more faith in them than I do.

I've had people sweep me with the muzzle of a 1911 at an IDPA "safe area". I've had people sweep me with the muzzle of an SAA on the range. People do stupid things.

 

[TheRoland]

Back to the OP:

I
Should I unload the PM9 before it goes in the safe?

If it's going in a cluttered safe where the trigger may be pressed by other junk in there, yes. Otherwise, no.

 

[M1911]

Timber, you're such a tough guy. I shake in my boots when I think of you.

As for Randy Cain, he has taught at Gunsite, and I believe still teaches there on occasion. John Peterson was an instructor Sigarms Academy and last I heard was an instructor for the Federal Air Marshals. Both are worth training with.

I've yet to meet anyone on this board who talks about what a hard shooter you are.

A "hard shooter." Wow, you're such a tough guy.

 

[atmay]

No, it's not stupid. I've seen stupid gun owners. I'm a realist. You have more faith in them than I do.

No, I'm acutely aware of how stupid 99% of the human race is. That doesn't make your advice any less dumb.


Is there any need to unload the gun at the end of the day? No.

Is there any need to be afraid of unloading it? Hell no. If you can't pick up a weapon and manipulate it without it going off, or being scared that you're too dumb not to pull the trigger you should probably go see if you can get a refund at the store.

 

[Serapis]

I think the guy just wanted to know if he should take the chambered round out and/or rotate it. He mentioned nothing about being a scared imbecile who doesn't know how to use his firearm.

I don't empty my chamber at night, but I personally shoot my CCW ammo that is loaded in my mags every other month. I like to keep it fresh. Just a personal option I like. It gives you good training with your carry ammo and how it shoots.

 

[cekim]

that said, i put my real life money where my mouth is and show up to every shoot that's posted. i'll put my marksmanship and my knowledge to the test with any poster here.

He makes a mean pork sammich too...

 

[M1911]

No, I'm acutely aware of how stupid 99% of the human race is. That doesn't make your advice any less dumb.

We'll have to disagree on that.

Is there any need to unload the gun at the end of the day? No.

Agreed.

Is there any need to be afraid of unloading it? Hell no.

I'm not afraid of it, nor am I suggesting the OP should be. Let's say you carry 365 days per year for 30 years. That's ~10,000 times to make a mistake. Extra steps are extra chances for a mistake. That's all.

 

[atmay]

I think the guy just wanted to know if he should take the chambered round out and/or rotate it. He mentioned nothing about being a scared imbecile who doesn't know how to use is firearm.

Hold on.....did you just imply that you expected us to stay on topic?

 

[Serapis]

Hold on.....did you just imply that you expected us to stay on topic?

No, but assuming the guy is an idiot that doesn't know his firearms is just dumb.

 

[KingPing]

I think the guy just wanted to know if he should take the chambered round out and/or rotate it. He mentioned nothing about being a scared imbecile who doesn't know how to use is firearm.

I don't empty my chamber at night, but I personally shoot my CCW ammo that is loaded in my mags every other month. I like to keep it fresh. Just a personal option I like. It gives you good training with your carry ammo and how it shoots.

Exactly. I just wanted to know if leaving it loaded for long periods of time is not advised. I like the idea of shooting it off every month or so.
I can say that I do constantly repeat the rules of safety in my head when handling my firearms. Although I am not afraid of handling firearms I do give them the respect that they deserve.
My apologies for starting the pissing contest and I very much appreciate all of the advice.

KP

 

[M1911]

yeah... i'm a real tough guy.

You choose someone here to follow around and denigrate them at every turn. This my turn, again. You did that before with me, you're doing it now, you'll do it again in the future. You've chased more than a few people off of NES doing that.

that said, i put my real life money where my mouth is and show up to every shoot that's posted. i'll put my marksmanship and my knowledge to the test with any poster here.

But you're not a tough guy. . My goal at competitions is to have fun and improve my shooting, not to engage in a dick-measuring contest.

i don't just sit around posting dumbass crap that i read on drudge as gospel and pretend there's shit i can deliver via the internet.

Drudge? Someone actually reads that? I don't.

you should try that sometime.

I attended a match at Harvard in November. I'll be at the match in Worcester on Saturday. Come on out and shoot.

 

[atmay]

Exactly. I just wanted to know if leaving it loaded for long periods of time is not advised. I like the idea of shooting it off every month or so.
I can say that I do constantly repeat the rules of safety in my head when handling my firearms. Although I am not afraid of handling firearms I do give them the respect that they deserve.
My apologies for starting the pissing contest and I very much appreciate all of the advice.

KP

Yep. Nothing wrong with leaving it loaded. Nothing wrong with putting it in the safe still in the holster, either. Hell...I've been known to suggest leaving the gun in the holster on your belt on your pants, and just putting it all in the safe

On the flipside, pay attention to what you're doing, and don't be afraid to manipulate the firearm.

 

[EddieCoyle]

To the OP: If you're stupid, don't touch your gun because M1911 has seen holes in the baffles at his range, and if you're stupid, it was probably you.

Timber answered your question correctly in the 2nd post.

I don't think you're stupid. You can do whatever you want with your gun, but there's no compelling reason to unload it when you put it away. In fact, there's a compelling reason not to unload it when you put it away - if you ever need it, you're going to need it fast, and opening the safe and loading it takes longer than opening the safe and shooting it.

 

[TWtommers]

Exactly. I just wanted to know if leaving it loaded for long periods of time is not advised. I like the idea of shooting it off every month or so.
I can say that I do constantly repeat the rules of safety in my head when handling my firearms. Although I am not afraid of handling firearms I do give them the respect that they deserve.
My apologies for starting the pissing contest and I very much appreciate all of the advice.

KP

Oh, you didn't start the match, you just painted the field. Not your issue.
Cartridges don't go bad without some external influence so keeping the gun loaded is fine. Some folks swear by rotating through carry ammo and there's nothing wrong with shooting through it as long as you don't mind paying for more. The chambered round is really the only one you have to worry about though and even then, thats only if you load and unload it a bunch. You can still do a visual check on it to see if the bullet seats too deeply.

 

[M1911]

I think the guy just wanted to know if he should take the chambered round out and/or rotate it. He mentioned nothing about being a scared imbecile who doesn't know how to use his firearm.

Nor was that meant to be implied. People screw up now and then, particularly at 0-dark-30 when they're rushing to get to work, so why make it harder on yourself? That's all I was trying to imply before we ran off the rails.

 

[M1911]

Exactly. I just wanted to know if leaving it loaded for long periods of time is not advised.

Not a problem.

I like the idea of shooting it off every month or so.

Great idea if you can afford it. JHP can get kind of expensive.

I can say that I do constantly repeat the rules of safety in my head when handling my firearms. Although I am not afraid of handling firearms I do give them the respect that they deserve.

That's great.

My apologies for starting the pissing contest and I very much appreciate all of the advice.

No, you didn't start that. Timber has had a hair up his ass for me for quite a long time, and I don't like him either.

 

[tigersplint]

Yep. Nothing wrong with leaving it loaded. Nothing wrong with putting it in the safe still in the holster, either. Hell...I've been known to suggest leaving the gun in the holster on your belt on your pants, and just putting it all in the safe .

DUDE...+1

Anyone ielse get the idea of manufacturing sewn in holster pants?

 

[TBalls]

Yep. Nothing wrong with leaving it loaded. Nothing wrong with putting it in the safe still in the holster, either. Hell...I've been known to suggest leaving the gun in the holster on your belt on your pants, and just putting it all in the safe

I'm just going to get a walk-in safe with a nice comfy bed. That way I won't even have to take my pants off!

I know I'm a bit late to the show, but this has been seriously entertaining......