Carry mode: Keep a round chambered or no? Why or why not?

[jws360]

Hello, all-

Got a new PM9 that went through 200 rounds or so with only 1 minor hiccup around round 30 or so. Cleaned & reassembled with the helpful guides here.

Now that it is arguably more reliable I am trying to decide whether to carry with a round in the chamber or leave the mag full and chamber a round only if needed.

I have 2 lines of thought:

1) Leaving a round un-chambered lessens the risk if someone unfamiliar with it has access. While I keep things locked up & my kids are old enough to know better, I often have a fear of leaving a weapon around in a "just pull the trigger to fire" mode. I figure that if I'm ever in a situation where I don't have time to rack the slide I'm in deeper crap than I thought.

2) Keep a round chambered for maximum readiness, not that I have any specific threats in an otherwise ordinary daily life.

What do people here do and why?

Thanks!

JWS360

[Barth]

Carry mode: Keep a round chambered or no? YES
Why or why not? I Want to Live

[Planedude]

If your going to carry the gun, yes please chamber a round. If your storing the firearm and are worried in the least a young one might find it, leave it unloaded.
Magazine and gun in seperate spots is safer...
The safest thing though would be to train the kids to leave the gun alone and how to make one safe. Once or twice a year I would bring my Daughter and Son into the safe room and we would go over making safe each type of firearms and place them on the bed. My Daughter HATED doing that, but she will be the first to show you how to safe any type of gun you handed her.

[HenryinFlorida]

The time it takes to chamber a round will get you killed. I always carry with a round chambered. That is why a lot of the modern guns have a long trigger pull. That gives you your safety net, but still allows you to respond quickly when necessary.

When your not carrying your gun it's different, especially if you have children around.

[jocko]

when kids are around, it is a new ballgame, I don't care how much u think ur train ur kids with guns etc, They just don't know and maybe ur kid might not do something stupid but if a friend is with them then again it is a whole new game U are not allowed one mistake either... Kids around keep it locked in a safe or unload and lock the slide open, better safe than sorry. U would never forgive urself if anthing happened to ur child or a neighbors child due to u having a loaded gun around. Just don't do it,

I would not carry an unloaded gun though. My kids are allgine so my home has loaded guns everywhere.

[Wolffire99]

Chances are if you're life is threatened in an attack you will be involved in a physical altercation (think G. Zimmerman being pinned down). If you don't have a round chambered you might as well carry a rock.

[rholmes69]

I have a 6 yr old girl and a 1yr old boy. Started getting the girl handling firearms (started with plastic, moved to paintball, pellet to heavy caliber) by age 3-4. Use to practice hiding toy guns around the house, yard etc, to enforce "if you see one, find an adult". I always carry with one chambered and treat even the toys like they are loaded and deadly. It drives the point home with the children. Nothing is left laying loose in the house (state law says they must be locked up) and I don't sleep with one "under the pillow" (bedside safe instead). To further press the issue, while guns are certainly cool, I never "show them off" to guests unless it is at the range. Become "psychotic" about the handling practices and it becomes second nature. You will never have to fear a ND when you always treat your weapons with the respect they deserve and carry in manner that absolutely prevents anything getting in the trigger housing.

I honestly see no reason what so ever to carry a pistol on you for self defense purposes unless the chamber is loaded. That second needed to chamber is literally the difference between life and death sometimes. If you think that you are good enough to chamber a round while under attack, there are COUNTLESS videos with proof that people aren't. I would never want to be the guy in one of those vids...

[scoose]

Always carry with a round chambered. The time to chamber a round could cost you your life. IMHO if you are carrying without a round chambered you MAY be better off leaving your weapon at home.

[ripley16]

Welcome to the forum. A small pistol without a round in the chamber is blunt instrument, only slightly more useful than your fist.

When I drive my car I make sure the gas tank is empty... no chance of fire.
When I use a knife, I leave the sheath on...just in case.
When I ride my bike I always have the brake on, so I can't go too fast.

Point being, if you want to have a gun handy, carry a gun for protection, rely on a gun to keep you or your kids alive, then have the gun ready to do so.

I often have a fear of leaving a weapon around ...

Then don't. Who does? If you have kids then buy a small safe to keep your loaded carry gun in while at home, so they have zero access to it.

[Replay13]

For once I agree with most everyone When you carry keep one in the chamber, and keep it in a holster that protects the trigger. Safe and ready to use if needed. If you ever do need it, you probably won't have time to rack it.

I'll also agree about keeping a pistol unloaded if you have kids. Even tho that wasn't the case for me. I worked swing shift all my life so a safe room made some sense for me. If someone was beating the door down everyone was to run to the back bedroom and lock that door. In there is a loaded pistol and if they broke down that door it was time to start shooting. Kids are all gone now and I still have the safe room with a loaded XDm .40 with 17 rounds and a spare mag with 16 more. The pistol safe makes more sense then what I did.

[Longitude Zero]

Leaving the chamber empty on a carry weapon is just plain loco. Anybody who makes that seriously dangerous mistake is holding nothing more than a short handled club. If a person feels unsafe with a round in the chamber of a carry weapon they probably have NO business with a weapon in the first place.

As to kids there are ways to secure a weapon away from them and it still be ready for virtually instant use. You cannot child proof a gun so thru education you gun proof your children.

[pitandkahr]

Always carry with a round chambered. The time to chamber a round could cost you your life. IMHO if you are carrying without a round chambered you MAY be better off leaving your weapon at home.

x2 I keep a round chambered at all times for family and personal protection and I have a gun safe at home for kid knucklehead protection... LOL

[aKahrt_and_p2KT]

My thought is that you should always treat a gun like it has a rounded loaded even if it doesn't so keeping one in the chamber does not give you any larger risk if you are responsible in handing your gun. I always keep one chambered now and I always know where my gun is.

[jws360]

Excellent points, all. You've convinced me to chamber.

Thanks to all for the interesting discussion here. Convinced me to keep one in the chamber.

I was being a bit cautious with kids, but see no reason why I can't unload upon arriving home and rechamber in the morning. For home defense a trusty Rem. 870 is my preferred tool in any event.

Didn't think I'd get so many replies, but again thanks to all!

Great board and people here.

[muggsy]

It takes an attacker about 2.5 seconds to close from 21 feet. That gives you about 1.5 seconds to draw and fire. An assailant won't wait for you to chamber a round. Survival is a mind set.