I have always carried in Condition 0 on my Sig, but they have no external safety and compensate with a longer trigger pull the first round being double-action. When I buy a 1911 I'll carry Condition 1. Condition 3 is absurd. The last thing I want to be doing in a self-defense situation is racking a slide, potentially making noise, and waving the muzzle around while I do it. And you can actually rack a slide one-handed Mitlov. The way I was taught to do it is from an entirely one-handed reload. 1. Push the magazine release, sit on your butt, place the pistol between your knees, empty magazine well up. 2. Remove fresh magazine from magazine pouch, place it into magazine well, slap it into place. 3. Grab pistol grip, making sure to index the weapon. 4. Move to kneeling shooting stance. 5. Use rear sights to catch on the edge of the heel of your boot and force the slide back. 6. Move pistol away from boot and hold in low ready. (If you practice that, don't shoot yourself and make sure you index the weapon at all time and go through the motions several times without ammo.)
Thanks for the one-handed racking method! I'll practice that as well as two-handed. It goes without saying that whether you're carrying Condition 3 or Condition 1, you should be practicing it constantly so that either racking the slide or flipping the safety is burned into your muscle memory. How are you "waiving your barrel around" when you're racking the slide? Provided you're grabbing the rear serrations and pulling instead of placing your palm over the top of the slide and pushing, your muzzle is going to be placed in the same general direction. What's a self-defense situation where making noise is a concern? That's not sarcasm, but a serious question. If I'm pulling a gun on someone in self-defense, it seems to me that I'm not going to be sneaking up on them; I'm probably going to be telling them at the top of my lungs to get back (or yelling incoherently if violence has already started). For cops and soldiers, I think that's a bigger issue, but for civilian self-defense, I don't see how the noise of racking the slide is a problem.
The big one is searching your home after hearing a suspicious noise, but intervening in an assault is a time when you want surprise on your side. Especially if you win the karmic lottery and end up present during an active shooter scenario. Whichever grip you use on the slide, if you're waving the muzzle around when racking, you're doing it wrong. For the one handed reload, a stiff belt can substitute for the boot and the armpit or holster can substitute for the knees and you can eliminate the requirement, but retain the option, to kneel. If you don't have drop free mags (which can't be relied on to drop free anyway) you can scrape the mag free with the belt as well. Had a classmate rack with his teeth at the range once. He managed to do it but chipped a tooth in the process. Not too bright. And I'm hammer down (if there is one) and Condition 0 all the way. DA and trigger safeties.
We prefer using the ipsc standard for condition modes of carry. Condition 1 being with loaded chamber. Condition 2 with mag inserted no chamber load. And condition 3 no chamber load no mag inserted. Ive seen many who fumble where the course of fire requires condition 2 at start signal. Thats a sports environment how much more in actual combat. But i dont mean to say it cant be done. for me its tactically sound to carry with one in the chamber. Carrying firearms have already been built in my way of life. I see to it i carry in condition 1.
The all too often fatuous comment I hear whenever someone, usually I know, colleagues or cohorts, (spots my gun while transport) says "Is that loaded?"
Do you carry everyday in the same condition, or will some situations like taking the kids the school require a lessor carry condition then popping to the 7-11 at night to get some smokes? what about storage, do you keep them in a gun safe empty, or preloaded etc?
I store the gun unloaded - both for safety and for legality. I keep the ammo separate too, although both are relatively proximate in case they need to be accessed under duress. There is no such thing as a different level of carry depending on environment in my view - you carry ready to "go" or you don't carry at all. That is one of the points raised by the article Mitlov mentioned, and as pointed out my Glock is "point, squeeze, bang" and dpes not have the "safety off" steps included. To this ened if I carry it without a round chambered it is just daft
Thanks for the clarification! So do people here carry all the time then? even at home? or is it just during work / dangerous areas?
It would depend on the area/state/country you live in. I have a friend in texas who basically has a small arsenal of firearms with him everywhere he goes, but that is Texas I suppose! I tend to carry to and from (and obviously at) work and when not there my firearm is securely stowed. Legally I can carry "off duty"; under policy specific to my Service I cannot - I vascilate on my opinion of whether this is a good or bad thing
I haven't found the need to carry all the time. A LEO, I think, is required to. I only carry whenever I leave the home for a trip, going to a large metro, etc. Some states do not have the "Reciprocity Law" so CC may not be legal
We store it in a safe next to our bed in Condition 3. Full magazine, empty chamber. The guy I bought it from, who is a real firearms enthusiast, does the same with all his firearms. Wherever each is stored, it has a full magazine and empty chamber. Right now I'm not carrying at all. Only just recently got the 1911. I've got the license to conceal carry but I don't yet have the level of proficiency with a pistol where I feel it's a good idea (I'm great with a shotgun, but they don't lend themselves to carry ). I absolutely intend on carrying on all camping and hiking trips we take next year, and may or may not start carrying everyday in the city. Still undecided on that.
Just get some professional training Mitlov. There are courses you can take, though I imagine many are overpriced and under-deliver. I recommend finding some local vets who wouldn't mind teaching you to shoot, or possibly a local LEO. If you make friends with someone who has the combat shooting training, those guys often love to get out and shoot in their spare time. It's a great excuse to go have some fun too. All you need is some open space in the countryside where you verify it's safe and acceptable to shoot, some steel silhouette targets, and regular purchases of bulk ammo for your weapon. I recommend buying either at gun shows or Walmart in the 100-1000 round capacities. For 9mm is about's about $100.00 for 1000 rounds (obviously it will be more for .45 ammo), and if you purchase from a gun show then you receive a metal military ammo crate with the ammo. Learn your basic movement drills, firing positions, drawing and firing drills, firing while moving drills, etc. Once you're able to consistently shoot a fist-sized grouping at 25 feet you'll be a solid shooter. Be safe and have fun.
I appreciate that. For the record, I'm only new to pistol shooting, not shooting in general. I shoot trap weekly and compete in a local league. I've shot 25 straight from sixteen yards behind the traphouse, and 24/25 from twenty yards behind the traphouse. But yeah, I'm still very new to pistol shooting and I understand that.
Did anyone else used to fire pencils at each other with pistols? Magazine out clear chamber, pencil down barrell, pull back hammer. Point and fire at comrade!
As a civilian who treats Jeff Cooper's four rules like gospel, this makes me cringe, but I'm sure in the military and law enforcement there's probably plenty of horseplay like this. The four rules, for folks who don't know them, are: If everyone followed these rules, accidental shootings quite literally would never happen.
