Carry Gun with or without safety?

[clfergus]

I currently have a glock 43 and a M&P Shield. I carry both in an Alien Gear Cloack Tuck 3.0. One thing that has always concerned me is carrying the glock with a round in the chamber without the external safety on the gun. I realize that I am the ultimate safety and without my finger on the trigger...... as well as the safety in the trigger of the glock. I practice and feel comfortable with my draw and finger placement, it is that I am around so many children in one instance where I have to carry and I worry about an accidental discharge.

There is something about having the safety on the Smith that makes me feel more comfortable but the dilemma is I shoot my glock way way better. If I ever need to protect myself or other I care about I have the ultimate confidence that I can place the shots needed with the glock 43.

Anyone else think about this stuff and if so, what helped you get past it?

 

[edwea]

I was also a little nervous about carrying a striker fired with no external safety (in my case a glock). To build my trust in the internal safeties, I carried it "cocked" but without a round in the chamber. I never found the trigger to have been pulled at the end of the day.

Edit...Once I was confident the safeties did their job, I carried with a round in the chamber...That wasn't clear in my original post and I don't want to restart the "carrying on an empty chamber" thread.

 

[SSGSAD]

All of my guns, except revolvers, have a manual safety .....

This is me .....

YMMV .....

Carry how YOU are comfortable .....

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Proper belt/holster plus proper trigger/muzzle discipline equals no worries

 

[T.Lex]

Yeah, INGO historically favors carrying a round in the chamber even with striker fired/non-external safety firearms, and there are good reasons for it. However, there are no guarantees, and it only takes 1 instance of a 1-in-a-million event to make for a VERY bad day. And a thigh/calf/foot injury or worse.

For me, though, since I CC and there a million different ways for things to get snagged, I do carry a round-chambered/external-safety firearm (S&W 915). It is more about training with it and having the muscle memory in place to flick the switch.

For you, since you said you fired the Glock better, that'd be a key data point. My accuracy/draw time averages about the same with my regular carry and my Glock 23. Plus, with the 9mm, I get a couple extra opportunities to miss per magazine.

Depending on how much better your shooting is, you may be best served by getting used to carrying with a round chambered. I don't know your finances, but if it worries you that much, perhaps find a safety-included pistol that you shoot well.

 

[dung]

I have started carrying my XDM cocked without one in the chamber as well. I prefer having a safety, but I really like my XDM and with teh grip safety I feel like I am less likely to shoot an extra hole into my butt

 

[Tactically Fat]

I have started carrying my XDM cocked without one in the chamber as well. I prefer having a safety, but I really like my XDM and with teh grip safety I feel like I am less likely to shoot an extra hole into my butt

Can you chamber a round with one hand?

How quickly?

 

[Bapak2ja]

One of the reasons I jumped off the Glock bandwagon was I wanted an external safety. All my semi-autos have an external safety.

 

[HubertGummer]

I have a safety on my shield and used to always have it engaged. Lately I have left it off because I could see having issues remembering to flick it in an emergency. If you carry in a good quality kydex holester I don't see how the trigger could get pulled without your finger being on it....if you carry in a nylon Uncle Mikes floppy holester though, that's a different story. This also assumes you don't whip it out and play with it every chance you get.

What worries me with carrying on in the chamber isnt the trihger getting pulled on its own , but a mechanical failure in the gun causing it to discharge.

 

[Sylvain]

One of the reasons I jumped off the Glock bandwagon was I wanted an external safety. All my semi-autos have an external safety.

I've seen people put external safeties on Glock pistols.
Of course it's an aftermarket part so I have no idea how reliable it is.
Probably a bad idea since it's one more thing that can go wrong.

A few models have been designed by Glock with external safeties.
Not sure it's availabe to the average guy, it's usually for police and military contracts.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I have a safety on my shield and used to always have it engaged. Lately I have left it off because I could see having issues remembering to flick it in an emergency. If you carry in a good quality kydex holester I don't see how the trigger could get pulled without your finger being on it....if you carry in a nylon Uncle Mikes floppy holester though, that's a different story. This also assumes you don't whip it out and play with it every chance you get.

What worries me with carrying on in the chamber isnt the trihger getting pulled on its own , but a mechanical failure in the gun causing it to discharge.

Well, at least that would keep him from handling his pistol...

 

[possum_128]

Unless it's a single action, ie 1911 or the like, no safeties for me. I have had two safeties fail on me, one fired with safety on and one would not fire with safety off. Ask yourself, will you remember to click that safety off under stress? If it's a striker fired or a double action hammer pistol carry with a round in the chamber and like all guns, keep everything out of the trigger guard.

 

[Bigtanker]

From the little research I've done it seems a good portion of ND's happen when reholstering. Never be in a hurry to put the gun back in the holster.

I didn't buy my XDm or XDs because of the grip safety, but since it's there, I take advantage of it when reholstering. My thumb goes on the rear of the slide which engages the grip safety. That way if something does get into the trigger guard, chances of it discharging are reduced dramatically.

A proper holster and belt will also help as with continued training/practice.

 

[dung]

Can you chamber a round with one hand?

How quickly?

Theotretically quite possible, yes I have done it. No, not practical or fast. I understand why there should be one in the chamber. I am working up to doing that.

 

[JettaKnight]

A simple analysis of the Tueller Drill (or Hypothesis) would lead one to believe there's barely enough time to draw and fire, let alone draw, chamber, and fire. Therefore, I would never, ever carry on an empty chamber (even used as a crutch to build confidence) because in a situation that called for it, you will be so focused on drawing and then chambering instead of resorting to a better self defense tactic (e.g. knife, hands, flashlight) in that situation.

Better to invest time and money into training and do it right from the start.



As to the OP, sounds like you have all the information you need to make a choice that's right for you.

 

[JettaKnight]

I have a safety on my shield and used to always have it engaged. Lately I have left it off because I could see having issues remembering to flick it in an emergency. If you carry in a good quality kydex holester I don't see how the trigger could get pulled without your finger being on it....if you carry in a nylon Uncle Mikes floppy holester though, that's a different story. This also assumes you don't whip it out and play with it every chance you get.

What worries me with carrying on in the chamber isn't the trigger getting pulled on its own, but a mechanical failure in the gun causing it to discharge.

How often does that actually happen? Most, if not all, cases of AD are actually ND's where the shooter is too embarrassed (or trying to avoid legal ramifications) to admit to coonfingering.

The few cases of AD that I am aware of involve dropping old firearms (Polish P64), faulty trigger mechanism due to poor maintenance or misadjustment (Rem 700), or the ghost at Shootrite (Rem 870). I'm not personally aware of incidents involving modern combat handguns.


The biggest risk is during the holstering procedure and my technique is the same as BigTanker's.

 

[T.Lex]

How often does that actually happen? Most, if not all, cases of AD are actually ND's where the shooter is too embarrassed (or trying to avoid legal ramifications) to admit to coonfingering.

The few cases of AD that I am aware of involve dropping old firearms (Polish P64), faulty trigger mechanism due to poor maintenance or misadjustment (Rem 700), or the ghost at Shootrite (Rem 870). I'm not personally aware of incidents involving modern combat handguns.


The biggest risk is during the holstering procedure and my technique is the same as BigTanker's.

I am familiar with a very proficient carrier - you might even consider the person a professional at it - who suffered a situation where a pull-loop for a jacket wedged at exactly the right/wrong angle to discharge his OWB holstered Glock, in a room full of other professionals. There was no coonfingering. It was a one-in-a-billion. Not sure if that counts as AD/ND, but not to me.


It comes down to risk aversion.

 

[venenoindy]

I carry with one in the chamber and absolutely no manual safety.

 

[Areoflyer09]

Personally for me, it's a psychological issue from a lack of experience. I know with proper training that the options with no safeties aren't inherently more dangerous, but it still makes me nervous. I can't even argue that having no safeties is a worse option. I don't disagree that if I needed to use it I want as few mistakes to occur as possible. Would I remover to flick the safety off?

Those ever lingering 'what ifs?' really get stuck in the head and bounce around.

My LTCH is in process so I suppose I should probably put more thought into what I want to carry and the features that make me feel comfortable. Luckily just because I have t doesn't mean I have to carry and I can take as long as I want to decide and then it'll be class time.

 

[MarkC]

I am familiar with a very proficient carrier - you might even consider the person a professional at it - who suffered a situation where a pull-loop for a jacket wedged at exactly the right/wrong angle to discharge his OWB holstered Glock, in a room full of other professionals. There was no coonfingering. It was a one-in-a-billion. Not sure if that counts as AD/ND, but not to me.


It comes down to risk aversion.

Before I retired from my last job, there was a video going around of a very experienced LEO, a police chief, who was re-holstering his duty weapon after coonfingering a weapon in a LGS. The pull-loop on his windbreaker caught the trigger, and BANG. Those sharing the video were warning the rest of us (carrying state-issued Brand G at the time) to either not wear clothing with pull-loops, or to cut the pull-loops off.