Envoking the +1 Rule on Pocket Guns w/out Trigger Safety?

[A-R]

Absolutely yes - with # of rounds already significantly hampered, +1 to make 7 is a must if planning to carry chambered! 7 is much better than 6.

Actually brings me to a final question that I don't recall seeing specific mention to - and may be weapon specific... If carrying 24x7 and visiting range only every other week, are there concerns with LCP (or similar) being cocked for 2+ weeks at a time - with no release/down time in between (hopefully)?! Potential for wearing out trigger springs or components under pressure?!

Just adding my $0.02:

1. I carry all my guns with a round in the tube (semi-auto) or full cylinder (revolver). This includes all pocket guns.

2. I actually DON'T carry +1 ... this is an old habit of mine, but one which works well for me. I insert a full mag, rack the slide to chamber a round, holster the weapon, go about my day. I never worry too much that I will end up in a situation where if I'd just had ONE MORE ROUND I'd be "safe" instead of "dead" or whatever. Practically speaking, I carry this way because if I find myself in a situation where I want/need to unchamber, I can simply stick the chambered round back into the top of the magazine and not have a spare round just laying around.

When my semi-autos are not in my immediate possession (i.e. holstered), I often keep them stored with a full mag inserted but without one in the pipe. There are numerous reasons I do this, but most involve safety: a) my very young children if they somehow came into contact with my guns (unlikely as I keep them all either holstered or locked in various safes and lockboxes) do not have the manual dexterity to rack the slide on a semi-auto (and yes, I've tested this with the oldest - 3 years old); b) in the event of a fire, rounds in a magazine will just blow up and ruin the gun, a round in the chamber will fire down the rifled barrel with deadly force (a very rare possibility, of course, but something I've thought about.

I have a few travel lock boxes in which I generally keep the guns unchambered. In my large floor safe, I usually keep any carry guns stored there chambered, but long guns are left unchambered.

3. I have no idea if keeping the hammer of an LCP at half-cock will harm the weapon, but it's never harmed mine. Striker spring at half-cock on Glock and other such weapons is not supposed to be a problem.

[Bart]

I carry with a round chambered but I insist my holster covers the trigger.

[wgoforth]

I never carry chambered. I realize there are many reasons to chamber, and a few not to chamber...so it is a trade-off on what you are comfortable with. I do the haganah method of delivery, the method taught to the Israeli army and is taught in some handgun training classes. See the video at http://www.israelicombatshooting.com/fi ... ograms.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 1.5 secs to pull, rack and shoot.

[Mike from Texas]

Both my primary AND my BUG are carried with one in the chamber. My BUG is a Kel-Tec P3AT.

[boomerang]

I pocket carry a revolver and I load all the chambers.

[stroo]

I have several guns I pocket carry although mostly either a Seacamp .32 or j-frame. Neither of them has a safety and I always carry the Seacamp +1 and the j-frame fully loaded. I always put them in a pocket holster, then put both the gun and holster into my pocket. That way the trigger is covered going into my pocket. Keep everything out of the pocket with the gun in it and don't play with the gun in your pocket. If you do that, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

[srothstein]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record...
(records were round vinyl disks with a series of grooves that could be played on a phonograph to enjoy music)

Since I have always liked to be technically correct, I will not hesitate to point out that the record only had two grooves on it. One per side in long close spirals. if the grooves were actually separate grooves,t he needle could not go from one to the other to play it. This has long been one of my favorite trivia questions that has fallen into disuse with the advent of CDs.


And on the original topic, I would recommend carrying chambered, either with the magazine one round down or with it full (as plus one indicates). BUT I would also recommend making sure there is NOTHING in the pocket other than the weapon and holster. to me, the danger comes when something else is in the pocket can can catch the trigger, so I make sure that pocket is not used for anything else.

[Embalmo]

I guess if a person were to decide none in the pipe, they would have to be intelligent about it and do 100s of draw/rack drills to establish muscle memory.

[wgoforth]

I guess if a person were to decide none in the pipe, they would have to be intelligent about it and do 100s of draw/rack drills to establish muscle memory.

correct. such is what i do. Same way Israelis train with it. We have 10 children, so i view this as a trade off.

[Embalmo]

I guess if a person were to decide none in the pipe, they would have to be intelligent about it and do 100s of draw/rack drills to establish muscle memory.

correct. such is what i do. Same way Israelis train with it. We have 10 children, so i view this as a trade off.

It's not a good idea unless you can convince the bad guy to also not have a round in the chamber. Seriously, in a self defense situation, you are, by definition, at a disadvantage reacting to an attack. We were taught in our CHL training that one must not increase the disadvantage by adding that awkward step. Did your training emphasise that?

Embalmo

[chabouk]

I guess if a person were to decide none in the pipe, they would have to be intelligent about it and do 100s of draw/rack drills to establish muscle memory.

correct. such is what i do. Same way Israelis train with it. We have 10 children, so i view this as a trade off.

Having children is one of the reasons I always carry chambered: with kids around, my free hand is probably going to be busy with either the kids or the BG, so my strong hand needs to be free to draw and fire. Without two hands, my gun is a club. (And yes, I do know how to rack the slide without two hands, and I recommend everyone practice one-hand-only drills.)

[Carry-a-Kimber]

I never carry chambered. I realize there are many reasons to chamber, and a few not to chamber...so it is a trade-off on what you are comfortable with. I do the haganah method of delivery, the method taught to the Israeli army and is taught in some handgun training classes. See the video at http://www.israelicombatshooting.com/fi ... ograms.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 1.5 secs to pull, rack and shoot.

I don't have an issue with this method if there is training that is reinforced with practice. I do take issue with the guy in the video saying his perfered method is "three to the head". At a distance of less than 7 yards, while moving, in an unexpected situation with so many factors, I think it would be next to imposible to get even one of the three rounds into a perps head. On the other hand three COM shots have a very good chance of hitting the body in a vital organ, or with enough force to eliminate the threat.
Back on topic, I carry +1 in all of my autos for the same reason I carry an extra mag, I don't think too much ammo is ever a disadvantage. That is unless you are humpin' it across the desert.

[wgoforth]

I never carry chambered. I realize there are many reasons to chamber, and a few not to chamber...so it is a trade-off on what you are comfortable with. I do the haganah method of delivery, the method taught to the Israeli army and is taught in some handgun training classes. See the video at http://www.israelicombatshooting.com/fi ... ograms.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 1.5 secs to pull, rack and shoot.

I don't have an issue with this method if there is training that is reinforced with practice. I do take issue with the guy in the video saying his perfered method is "three to the head". At a distance of less than 7 yards, while moving, in an unexpected situation with so many factors, I think it would be next to imposible to get even one of the three rounds into a perps head. On the other hand three COM shots have a very good chance of hitting the body in a vital organ, or with enough force to eliminate the threat.
Back on topic, I carry +1 in all of my autos for the same reason I carry an extra mag, I don't think too much ammo is ever a disadvantage. That is unless you are humpin' it across the desert.

Yeah, the 3 to a head was not practical. We actually practiced the Mozambique drill (2 to the chest, one to the head) BUT even then it was to learn movement in shooting rather than real life shooting. We were taught 3 to COM, and if he was compliant, cease. If not, 3 more.