pre-press trigger or not to holster?

[king]

Newby CCW here. learning safety myself - local ccw class was embarrassingly bad; NO training, no test, just guy talking for a few hours about experiences of others....

anyway, glock 21. I've no intention of carrying with one in the chamber until I have a LOT more experience, if even then. just saw someone pull trigger, load magazine, then holster gun......

I thought just mag in, none in chamber, should be safe enough for me for now.

Are there pros or cons to also pulling the trigger first?

thank you,
kay

[pirateguy191]

Welcome Kay. What area are you from? You do know there are state requirements for obtaining your CHL right? If the class did not meet these requirements, you need to get your money back then turn the instructor in.

[NavyChief]

OK, first let me share just how disappointed I am in your CHL class. Was it even the state mandated length? If not, you might want to seriously consider taking another one. Why? Just ask the folks that attended these boneheads' courses:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... pardy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And yes, a lot of these folks are now finding their licenses suspended.

Now, moving on to your original question. I strongly urge you to not carry on an empty chamber. If God forbid you ever need your firearm to address an unpleasant social encounter it is an almost certainty you will not be able to rack the slide and get on target fast enough to do you any good. (Yes, I know - "the Israelis do it that way." Well, first off, it's "the Israelis used to do it that way," and secondly, they trained to that - a lot. Third, as an aside, the reason they did that was 'cause in the early days of their nation they had no idea what make/model handgun they might be forced to use, so if they just trained from Condition III all the guess work was removed.) Having said all that, if you absolutely must, for your own peace of mind, go with Condition III, do NOT get in the habit of pressing the trigger before holstering. Habits are hard things to break. One day you may end up with a bullet track down your thigh.

[brian0918]

1. Do not carry with an empty chamber. Any fear you have about it can be corrected through proper training and good holstering/unholstering technique. When you don't yet have your firearm pointed at something you wish to destroy, and you haven't yet made the decision to destroy said target, you should always keep your finger out of the trigger guard.

2. Do not make a habit of needlessly pulling the trigger. You shouldn't ever have to pull the trigger unless you are shooting a target, or disassembling the firearm - before which you've already a) locked the slide back, b) removed the magazine, and c) verified the chamber is empty, in that order.

This video on preventing negligent discharges could be helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPOGlAH1Fxk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Where are you located? Perhaps someone can lead you through the fundamentals of draw, trigger press and reset.

[ATGglobal]

As an instructor it sickens me to no end to hear how many people who become instructors just to earn a few extra bucks often take advantage of the people taking their class. I personally don't consider that instruction. I would go back to them and demand my money back and turn them in. Too many people getting their licenses suspended because of J-hole's like this. I would definately look into another course simply to be on the safe side.

Also to help you get more comfortable carrying these are the steps I tell my students who are more apprehensive in carrying.

1. Walk around the house with your firearm unloaded while you do your everyday "chores". This will help you get more comfortable with having your weapon with you and also you get the feel of how your set-up works. You also learn if you need to adjust anything like location of your holster etc.
2. Load a magazine and load it into the gun without one chambered when you are going over to a friends or family members house. This helps you to learn to carry outside of the house but you are still in a familiar and controlled setting. You won't be around a lot of people either.
3. Go to a public place like a restaurant family reunion or a place that you know it's a pretty good chance you won't need to use your weapon. This helps you to get more familiar with carrying your firearm in a setting with a small number of people but you're still in public.
4. Load and chamber a round while you're again doing chores around the house. Do this and don't pay a lot of attention to it. This way it keeps your mind off the fact that it is in Condition 1. This way also if you get too nervous having it loaded you can simply and easily store it since you're at your house. Do this step several times around the house till you are comfortable enough with it to go out in public with it in this condition.

Honestly you're not the first person on this forum who is new to carrying and nervous about carrying chambered. My advice is if you are ready to carry but not ready to carry chambered then Don't. Don't do it till you are comfortable enough with your self and the rules of safety to safely carry that way. It will come when you're ready. I will say though that the firearm you have even though it does not have a manual safety carrying one in the chamber is completely safe as long as you follow your rules of safety. I carried one for years with one in the chamber without issue. Welcome and good to have you within the ranks of those of us who support the 2nd amendmant and self defense.

[brian0918]

I will say though that the firearm you have even though it does not have a manual safety carrying one in the chamber is completely safe as long as you follow your rules of safety.

I consider that a feature - no false sense of security! The only safety is you.

[ATGglobal]

I will say though that the firearm you have even though it does not have a manual safety carrying one in the chamber is completely safe as long as you follow your rules of safety.

I consider that a feature - no false sense of security! The only safety is you.

Thats why I said no manual safety. Even a firearm with a manual safety the best safety is you.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

A day at the rage with someone qualified to train you should break your fear of condition 0 in the glock..I carry a M&P and no significant difference in its battery of arms. I carry condition 0.

[TSiWRX]

just saw someone pull trigger, load magazine, then holster gun......

Absolutely no need for that, with a Glock.

Keep your finger out of the trigger guard unless you're ready-to-fire (or are in the process of field-stripping the weapon - but that comes *AFTER* you've ejected the magazine and verified that the chamber is clear).

Seat the magazine in one firm motion, rack the slide with authority, and you're ready-to-go. Assuming that you're carrying with one in the chamber, of-course.

What the others have said about getting comfortable is just that: you can go a step more in assuring yourself that your gun won't just "go off" while it's in your holster, with a round chambered, by carrying it with the gun "cocked," but without any cartridges in either its chamber or the magazine. Verifying at the end of your day that it has stayed that way with a dry-fire in a safe direction, it will give you the confidence that your gun didn't just "go off" for no good reason.

Similarly, get familiar with the Glock's internals, so that you can understand that it will not "just go off."

To me, there is validity in someone saying that they do not want to carry a gun with a round chambered. They don't have to justify it with anything other than saying that, as a matter of fact, the gun cannot fire without a bullet in the chamber. Anything other justification - i.e. that "I can get the gun into action only a couple of tenths of a second slower" or "that's how the Israelis did it" - is neither relevant nor logical. Guns are mechanical items made by man, and despite the safeties inherent in its design, can well fail. It's more rare than rare, but it's possible, so all that a person who desires to carry without a round chambered needs to cite is this one irrefutable fact, yes/no. End-of-argument.

How each of us chooses to carry is a personal decision, based on how each person perceives their risk-benefit ratio. The same goes with what the individual has chosen to carry and how he/she chooses to carry it. Each of us is a unique person, with unique needs.

But yes, in the interest of full disclosure, I do carry with one in the chamber, ready-to-go.

[brian0918]

"I can get the gun into action only a couple of tenths of a second slower"

Even when your strong hand is incapacitated?

[TSiWRX]

^ That's exactly what I'm saying - that such arguments are neither valid nor logical, precisely based on such "what ifs."

I've engaged in countless discussions with those who do not want to carry chambered and endlessly cite how they can come "that close" to the "one in the chamber" mark times. But that's really completely illogical, when the truth of the matter is that under such dire circumstances, every millisecond is going to count. To me, it does not make sense to argue their preference, from that point of view. It just doesn't compute.

The ONLY logical reason for someone to want to carry without a round in the chamber is because the gun simply cannot be discharged without a round chambered. It's a simple yes/no.

[ATGglobal]

"I can get the gun into action only a couple of tenths of a second slower"

Even when your strong hand is incapacitated?

Let's not hijack this persons thread by mulling around "what if's". How someone chooses to carry is their decision. Telling them that they're carrying incorrectly because it's not how you carry is like telling a kid learning to write that they aren't holding their pencil correctly because that's not how you hold it or were taught to hold it. I would rather someone who knows they aren't comfortable carrying with one in the chamber make that choice in the beginning and work at becoming more comfortable with it as they gain experience and knowledge then for us "veteran carriers" tell them they should or shouldn't carry one way or the other. Instead let's encourage them to continue training, practicing and learning why to carry not how. Carrying with one in the chamber does take some time getting used to. Some people take longer then others.

[TSiWRX]

^ Exactly my point.

There need not be a discussion here of why someone would choose to either carry with a round chambered or without.

There are equally logical and valid reasons to both sides of that age-old argument.

Like I said above, How each of us chooses to carry is a personal decision, based on how each person perceives their risk-benefit ratio. The same goes with what the individual has chosen to carry and how he/she chooses to carry it. Each of us is a unique person, with unique needs.

Some of us feel more comfortable toting around a PDW. Others here are just fine with a 6-shot snubbie. Yet others keep a long-gun in their trunk. Some carry two "high-capacity" spare magazines on their person. Others have just four on a "speed-strip." Yet others carry two guns - or multiple knives. Some choose to open-carry, others, conceal. We're all unique individuals with unique needs, be they absolute or perceived.

The OP stated his whys and hows, and that's plenty enough.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

Kay-

Do what feels right.

If you are not currently comfortable with carrying a round already chambered, don't do it.

The extra time it takes for a newbie to rack the slide and get on target is enough time for your attacker to kill you.

That keeps him safe and eliminates another gun owner.

Please consider taking an additional training class (from a different instructor) to get comfortable with your firearm.

Carrying with a round chambered is my personal choice. I want to be able to shoot from the hip if I must.

And, unless you are firing your Glock, practicing dry-firing or removing the slide, you shouldn't be pulling your trigger.