If you have made the decision to carry a weapon....

[Warph]

If you have made the decision to carry a weapon concealed then you will eventually have to decide whether or not you want to carry with a round in the chamber. Besides having the advantage of an extra round (full mag + 1 in the chamber), many people decide to chamber a round for speed and surprisingly, safety.

Unlike Hollywood, nobody runs away when they hear a round chambered. We've all been conditioned, thanks to movies and TV, to think that some bad guys would run or stop whatever they're doing merely at the sound of a 12 gauge being brought into action, but it's just not the case.

Police officers carry their handguns with a round in the chamber. Why? Because when their gun clears the holster its out for a reason; life has to be defended and someone who is trying to take a life must be stopped. But isn't that why you're carrying a weapon? Hopefully you are not carrying a legally concealed weapon because you think it's cool- it's there to save a life if need be. If your gun ever clears leather you don't need something else to think about.

Opponents of loaded carry often cite the safety concerns with carrying a loaded weapon. With all the safety devices that modern firearms have, you're brain should be all the safety you need. But just in case that isn't enough remember: (1)The gun is always loaded; and (2)Never point a gun at anything you don't want to destroy.

Some people persist and decide to carry everyday and just work on their Israeli draw. The origin of the Israeli draw is mired in legend, but is essentially a weapon carried with a loaded magazine with an empty chamber. Upon drawing, the slide is racked and a round is chambered. This is a draw that must be practiced for speed as it is NOT intuitive. Some people do pretty well with it but again, practice and a lot of it will only help with this.

[Diane Amberg]

Unless people have been in combat, most people don't know it's a totally different thing when the ammunition is coming at you as well as from you. Please don't over estimate your abilities, or the abilities of others! Be very careful!!!

[Wilma]

I had a dream one night where I was in a situation that I could take a shot at a perp.  You know what I did?  I decided to wait until Janet got there.  She is a better shot than I am and would know more about what to do.  This was just a dream, folks, don't try to make anything else out of it.

[Teresa]

That is loaded question Warph..........( and you know it)

Depends on so many factors.
What kind of gun are you carrying, is the main one. With the different guns, comes the different trigger safety's, manual safety's or lack of safety's..
There are many guns to choose from and it is a matter of personal preference which one you choose to use..
What size feels good in your hand ( hand size) are you female or male.. what type of clothing do you predominately wear. Many factors.

I have a Ruger LCP (light carry pistol)  It's small, lightweight and I can wear most clothes and conceal it but still have it handy in a second if I need it. I carry a round in the chamber with a full loaded clip  It has no safety.. BUT it has a very long and hard trigger pull .. which makes it very very near impossible to discharge unless the trigger is pulled.

You also need to spend lots of time handling the gun empty. Drawing, dry firing and getting used to the feel of the gun in your hand. Also do this in the dark. Your carry gun should be as familiar to you as reaching for your glasses in the dark to put them on. Then take it out and get used to the feel of it firing. The pull of the trigger.. the feel of the recoil. shooting fast in succession and shooting short blasts and different targets that you have to move your body to shoot at.
Sometimes in a stressful situation.. you might have a malfunction.. ( bullet doesn't chamber etc)

If you're going to carry an auto, start practicing what to do with malfunctions until you can do it in your sleep, underwater, and with your eyes shut.
In fact, you might want to have someone roll some "light loads" to mix in with your practice ammo (and make sure you don't get your practice ammo and your carry ammo mixed up!) so you can cause some malfunctions. About one round in fifty is enough, and don't mark them any differently from your other practice ammo (in fact, have someone else put the round into the boxes for you.)

I have learned a lot from the professionals ( my husband for one) that I hang around all the time.  So I hear gun talk about 98% of the time I am awake and breathing..
Some of it DOES rub off.. LOL

[Kjell H.]

Some people persist and decide to carry everyday and just work on their Israeli draw. The origin of the Israeli draw is mired in legend, but is essentially a weapon carried with a loaded magazine with an empty chamber. Upon drawing, the slide is racked and a round is chambered. This is a draw that must be practiced for speed as it is NOT intuitive. Some people do pretty well with it but again, practice and a lot of it will only help with this.

The draw, rotate and rack drill for a semi-auto has been used by many over the years. Back in my old country, member of the resistant movement during WWII were taught this technique in training camps in the UK and used it successfully in situations where distance allowed it. Most of them had a semi-auto in their pockets for better concealment. Carrying in a pocket requires what I consider a double safety and an empty chamber is a requirement for certain type of handguns.

I would never carry a chambered single action semi-auto in a pocket, but I would if it is double action only like the Ruger LCP or a small hammerless double action revolver.

For me personally and with a good holster, a chambered and ready to fire gun is my only option. In a worst case scenario where my weak hand cannot be used as a support hand, I want to be able to shoot one handed.

In general, people owning and carrying a gun should become VERY familiar with it. I am not just talking about knowing how it works, but how to handle a gun in different situations (scenarios). In other words, every gun owner should attend at least one shooting class by a certified instructor. It is well worth the time and money.

I just attended a class at Gunsite in Arizona last week. Even as a long time firearms instructor and competitive shooter with all kinds of firearms, I found it very useful. Repeating gun handling basics is useful even for me.

No, you don't have to go to Arizona to take shooting classes. We have the best facility and instructors just 2 hours away at the US Shooting Academy down in Tulsa.