[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chamber Loaded or Not? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/23/2008 1:09:22 PM EDT
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Went to a training class last week and Clint Smith had an interesting observation. He asked the class, "How many of you have a loaded pistol, a 1911, Glock, SIG, etc with one in the chamber?" Everybody raised their hand. He then asked, "How many of you have an AR-15 or shotgun in your homes, with magazine loaded, but with the chamber empty?" Nearly everyone raised their hands and laughed. He asked, "Why do people do that? I'll tell you. They feel it is okay to have a loaded chamber in their pistol, but they look at a rifle or shotgun and think, 'That thing will kill you!', and they keep the chamber empty."  How about you? Do you keep your house carbine or shotgun loaded, including the chamber? |
I don't keep any firearm with a round in the chamber unless I'm carrying it. If it's not on me, then it get's 'unloaded'. I got kids and it's way to easy for them to get into trouble if I kept it with a loaded chamber. |
I agree. I can make condition 1 on an AR as I bring it to the ready. If its not in 1 arms reach, its condition 3. AND I'm not sure the average person could even figure out how to chamber an AR with out some time to finger fuck it. All my CCW weapons are ALWAYS Chambered |
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Chamber loaded. If I ever get into a gun fight then I want to be ready to fight when the bell rings. There are no time outs in a lethal engagement. 1. It takes time to chamber a round and time is precious in a gun fight. 2. I have had weapons FTF when chambering the first round in the mag. With the round already chambered I am guaranteed to get at least one shot, which maybe all that you get in any gun fight. |
+1 When I'm hunting or carrying a long gun for defensive purposes they are always loaded. Sitting in the corner by the bed it's not. |
| This answer isn't gonna make me popular with the 1911 guys, but I don't like the idea of a firearm sitting around with a round chambered and the hammer straining against the sear trying to get the gun to go "boom." That's the reason I have no problem leaving revolvers or double action autos chambered but don't leave an AR chambered. |
Fortunately they don't show that on tv much |
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My 870 is fully loaded, my ak is not. The reason for that is the noise of flipping off the selector on the AK. Either charging it or flipping the selector to fire will make noise. If I'm making noise, I might as well be charging the weapon. I think Clint made an excellent point there, but he did forget about wheelguns. 
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My bedside gun, Glock in a Gunvault, is condition 1. My AR, in my safe, has a loaded mag but an empty chamber. In the same safe, my 870 has 4 in the tube and 1 in the chamber. The reasoning behind that is that if I leave the chamber empty, I'm giving up 20% of my capacity. I'm the only one who has access to the safe, I know what condition everything is in, and I make it a habit to follow the rules of firearm safety, so having guns in different conditions doesn't bother me. |
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Long guns are stored with full mags but no round in the chamber. Pistols are stored fully loaded. I don't own any long guns that are drop safe. I prefer having the hammer springs relaxed also. We don't own any single action pistols so that's not a problem there. I don't think the exact way weapons are stored matters as much as being consistent. My wife and I know the condition of every weapon in the locker, in the dark, when half asleep. BSW |
Now why would you leave the chamber empty on the weapon that is more difficult to chamber? On your AR you either hit the slide release or do a quick pull and release on the charging handle. On the shotgun you have to pump the action back and forth, and hope that in your panic you don't forget to hit the pump release (if it's set) or short stroke the action. Unless you aren't planning on having to use your shotgun in the gun fight. |
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AR is by my bedside at night with one in the chamber. In the safe during the day, still with one in the chamber. All other guns in the safe are unloaded except for a shotgun and a FAL that have full magazines and empty chambers. All pistols strategically placed around the house, vehicle, and on my person have one in the chamber. |
That's my point. My HD shotgun is my Benelli SBE. Great gun, but I have missed a few ducks while first getting into the blind when I tried to jam a shell into the chamber for a sneaky bird. Sometimes it didn't go into battery until the thingamabob on the bolt is mashed forward like a forward assist. |
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My glock is always chambered.. the benelli m1014 is chambered, the AR is not chambered.. not because I think less of the AR, but because the Glock is the go-to weapon for things that go bump.. the AR would be for something that occurred in time to go get the AR.. which implies time to chamber the round. |
I'm not. To clarify, the shotgun is at cruiser ready - empty chamber, hammer down. |
| I keep both an AR and a shotgun near the bed. I keep the AR loaded, one in the chamber, but I do keep the shotgun chambered. I have always heard that due to the shotgun's design, it is pretty likely to go off if dropped. For that reason, I don't keep it chambered. Am I incorrect? |
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AR-15 has a round chambered, safety on. My son is 4 and knows that he is not to touch the AR-15. He has his own "gun" - a plastic AK-47 I got for him at a Halloween store last year. He's already learning to handle it safely; if he wants to play with it, I supervise him, and he is not allowed to point it at anyone or in an unsafe direction. If he does, it gets taken away and put away for a while. -Mark |
Me too. It's pretty much automatic to pull and release the charging handle, or cycle the action of a shotgun if needed based on training. If I kept one in the chamber of the rifle or shotgun, I'd almost certainly lose a round when I cycled the action. |
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The traditional role of a hand gun is as a defensive, emergency, reactive weapon. When the need arises it wll come fast and furiuos and time to chamber a round may cost you your life. Rifles and carbines on the other hand, are typically an offensive weapon, not grabbed in an emergency, but used in more of a planned, deliberate fashion. If I kept a rifle to be used in the traditional role of a handgun, which I don't, I'd keep it loaded with a round in the chamber. As it is, I keep a loaded mag on the shelf in the safe next to it. Well ok, 10 loaded mags. I live in a small house with narrow hallways and doors. Maneuvering a carbine around would be difficult and more often than not the gun would be pointed straight up, or straight down. Also, I don't want to go to the door at night, or out in the yard, carrying a carbine and I sure as hell don't want to do it unarmed. If 16 rounds of 10mm doesn't solve my problem, it should make them keep their heads down long enough for me to retreat to the safe, remove the AR and load it. |
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Nothing chambered. An AR mag is loaded, but until now every gun has been locked in the safe due to my teenage son and friends. Now I have a cc permit and am trying to get used to a loaded gun in my pocket. I'll be honest, that one (P3AT) doesn't have one in the chamber either. Frequently I'll be rough housing with my son who is bigger and stronger than me and the gun will get crushed beneath us. I'd feel really bad if I shot myself or someone I like. Please don't bother to tell me - again - that a gun w/o a chambered round is a club. I've timed it, and it goes from club to gun in one second. There are too many accidental discharges posted on the Handgun forum for me to think it couldn't happen to me. |
Awesome, I'm not alone. One or two pistols are chambered usually, others may or may not have a loaded mag in them or near them, but not chambered. Some long guns and my shotgun have full mags in them but are not chambered. Its just the way I've always done it. I carry my pistols sometimes, and just leave the rounds chambered. I don't carry the rifles and therefore no round is chambered. If I have company, guns get unloaded and safe is locked. |
I can understand your reasons, but if you've looked carefully, EVERY SINGLE AD posted has actually been a NEGLIGENT discharge. If you have a quality gun in good working order in a good holster, there is no reason to not carry it chambered. Have you timed how long it takes to draw and chamber a round with one hand? Most shootings are 3 feet or less. Your other hand could be busy keeping someone from stabbing you, or pushing their gun out of your face. The first day I carried (xd 9 sub compact), I did so without a round chambered for the same reasons you posted. It's always chambered now. If you're REALLY concerned, but a snap cap in it, cock and load, and roughhouse HARD. It won't go off. I've tested mine, and I can't get it to go off without holding the grip and pulling the trigger. |