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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Should You Carry a Handgun With an Empty Chamber?

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Every class (of any size) seems to have at least one person who brings up chamber-empty carry. Recently, a good friend showed me his stainless-steel Kimber — thrust casually in the waistband and carried chamber empty. A marine veteran and a man who is definitely the ‘real thing’ as far as real world experience goes carries his Glock in a proper holster — chamber empty.

I simply feel that anyone who doesn’t trust a fully loaded, properly carried, semi-automatic pistol, should carry a revolver! But, there are those I respect who carry chamber empty. Likewise, I respect my students enough to study this mode of carry once more.

An instructor drawing a gun from a concealed carry position
Drawing from concealed carry, and quickly presenting the handgun for action, is difficult enough without adding the complication of making a half-loaded pistol ready.

A Bit of Background

During my time as a peace officer, I always carried a handgun fully loaded. These handguns were 1911s, SIG DA first-shot handguns, and Glock pistols. It isn’t a problem to transition and carry a concealed handgun in the same manner.

I deploy a properly designed holster that covers the trigger guard of the handgun and keeps the gun secure. Part of the secure fit of the holster is for safety and part is for a rapid draw. My backup handgun is fully loaded. After all, I were to become injured and needing my backup, I would hate to fumble with racking a slide with only one hand.

The military forces of the world often mandate that the handgun be carried chamber empty. That’s ok for some uses. However, I guarantee that those on the front line carry the handgun fully loaded. Some point out that the Israeli’s advocate chamber-empty carry and point out several Israeli instructors teaching chamber-empty carry exclusively.

My research shows that most units carry fully loaded when on point. In fact, one unit carried its Browning Hi-Power 9mm handguns fully loaded, hammer to the rear, and safety off! This was because the safety of the Hi-Power was difficult to manipulate. I suppose a combination of international carry may be indicated if you carry Mexican Carry (no holster) then carry Israeli Carry (no round in the chamber). Funny, my Mexican friends and relatives all use holsters…

The truth is, institutional carry is not personal defense. Like many nations — including our own during wartime — Israel did not have enough handguns and scraped together a number of handguns that included Browning, Colt, CZ, Ruger, and Smith and Wesson designs. With such diverse handguns in inventory, a soldier knew that all he had to do was rack the slide and the pistol was ready, regardless the safety or decocker system. A civilian with a concealed carry permit should be more familiar with his or her individual handgun.

a slingshot release of the .45 ACP 1911 slide
When loading the automatic, be certain that you perform the chore with speed and letting the slide snap forward. Don’t ride it forward slowly.

Common Concerns

Some folks seem to think a chamber-loaded pistol could go off if dropped or improperly manipulated. No handgun suffers fools lightly. Learn to properly handle the pistol! Modern quality handguns have an array of safety features.

Some state that it doesn’t take that much time to rack the slide and that they will be able to see the threat coming. Sure, you can in a dojo or training course, but not in real life. Decide which consciousness you live. Surviving an attack is a kind of epiphany and the instructor who has survived is good at relating these things.

Thinking a few seconds ahead is a good trait to develop. We cannot always see the threat coming, and we may not always have both hands ready. Some feel that a single-action pistol should not be carried chamber loaded. This is very far from the truth.

1911 pistol secured in an IWB holster
Cocked and locked and ready to rock with an inside the waistband holster.

A 1911 with a slide lock safety grip safety and firing pin block is as safe as a machine may be. Even an original Colt 1903 with its grip safety, thumb safety, and ‘flipping sear’ is a safe pistol to carry loaded. Although not as drop safe as modern handguns, pistols with no manual safety may also be carried chamber loaded. The Glock, as an example, features a firing pin block and trigger lever safety. The Glock fires only when the trigger is pressed.

I would not recommend carrying a cheap self-loading pistol chamber loaded, but then I don’t recommend carrying them at all. A Jimenez, Hi-Point, Raven .25 ACP, or one of the many pot metal .32 ACP and .380 pistols are simply not suited to personal defense. If a pistol isn’t ‘drop safe,’ it should not be used at all. The assumption is that at some point it will be loaded and may be dropped.

Avoid junk guns. If you insist on carrying a pistol without a holster — a very bad idea — perhaps chamber empty is the only choice. A self-loader carried in the pocket or waistband without a holster is a candidate for chamber empty carry in some instances. But then, with a holster, the holster must be molded for that handgun and feature a covered trigger guard (practically universal in modern holsters).

coyote brown Glock in a DeSantis Infiltrator Air holster
Note the DeSantis Infiltrator Air features a covered trigger guard for safety.

Elastic waistbands, errant strings, and pocket debris may invade the trigger guard. I suppose hammer-down, and chamber-loaded carry is superior with a single-action type to chamber empty if carried in the waistband. However, this is another slow and undesirable carry mode.

Safety & Training

Be certain that if you carry chamber empty you also practice safely unloading the handgun. After all, if you rack the slide, load the pistol, and trouble doesn’t come, at some point you must unload the pistol. Dropping the magazine, unloading the chamber, and then reloading the chamber-empty pistol is an important skill. Practice would be better spent on other drills.

I don’t like to rely on a manual safety; I rely on proper handling. Sure, I engage the safety, but I also keep my finger off the trigger. Just the same, a properly carried, cocked-and-locked 1911 has an array of safety features that would have to be defeated to have an accidental discharge. A SIG P226 may not have a visible safety, but there is a long, double-action trigger press and an internal drop safety. The Glock features a lever inset into the trigger face and an internal striker block. Learning how these safety features work and combining them with safe handling is essential to carrying a pistol concealed. The bottom line with the Glock, FN, Masada, and others — finger on the trigger, ready to fire/ finger off the trigger, safe.

The time factor is essential in concealed carry. We carry a pistol to meet an unexpected threat. We don’t know what is coming. If we did, we would have a shotgun or rifle in hand not a pistol. Some say racking the slide adds as little as a half second to making the gun ready. If you were getting off a shot under controlled range conditions, maybe.

Maybe if you don’t have a timer and you are just guessing. Maybe if you are flying by the seat of your pants not actually engaging in research. Maybe if you don’t care if you hit the target or not. Maybe if you do not have an adversary grabbing the other arm. Chamber-empty carry violates the principles of the standard response drill.

Semi-automatic 1911 pistol cocked and lock bottom, and .38 SPL revolver top
If you are not comfortable with an automatic pistol then by all means choose a revolver.

Draw, the hand pushes the pistol forward as the support hand meets the firing hand and the pistol is pushed to eye level and fired. If the threat is close, you may fire with one hand. Some drills in close quarters battle demand one-hand fire, possibly below eye level. I am not going to bet my life that I have enough time to rack the slide.

Chamber-empty carry simply does not make up for sloppy gun handling. Get with the program and learn to handle the pistol properly. During an experiment and under stress, or while attempting to execute range drills, shooters of less experience often fail to properly rack the slide and short cycle the pistol. And this was not a high-stress situation, just a range drill.

To properly load a self-loading pistol, the pistol’s slide should be locked to the rear, the magazine inserted, and the slide dropped. To insert the magazine and then rack the slide is asking for a short cycle. This is another serious flaw with chamber empty carry.

Grasping a 1911 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol and racking the slide
Grasping a 1911 and racking the slide requires leverage against a 16–22-pound recoil spring.

To use two-hand hold, we flow seamlessly into two hands as the pistol is drawn. With chamber-empty carry, we draw, use the weak side hand to rack the slide, and then we move the support hand into a two-hand hold. That is slow, very slow. I would prefer a revolver. The action will be over within the space of a few shots, save in very rare situations.

Telling Tales

An adventure that reinforces my aversion to chamber-empty carry illustrates my point. A good friend was forced to fire at an individual who was pummeling him with a ball bat. The action was unexpected and happened as quickly as a car wreck. My friend held up his weak side arm to absorb the blows.

While the arm bones were fractured, it was better than taking a Louisville slugger to the cranium. Three shots were fired at close range (arm’s length), to settle the fight. I can imagine the outcome if the pistol had been carried chamber empty.

A woman racking the slide of a Smith and Wesson EZ
Some folks don’t have as much hand strength as others.

While a minor consideration, racking the slide may be loud. In a home defense situation, you do not always wish to give away your position. Racking the slide of a shotgun, or the racking of a pistol slide, cannot be counted on to deter an assailant. Instead, the chemical reactions going on in their body may trigger anger and a rush, as likely as fear may be felt. The harder you look at tactical reality, the more disadvantage you see in chamber-empty carry.

Just the same, sometimes intelligent people make a choice that completely suits them, and which works for their lifestyle that is contra-indicated to my own experience. A trial lawyer of some repute went through an early class of mine. He decided on a single-action revolver for home defense.

He focused on safety and had been involved in trails involving ‘unsafe’ guns. He felt a single-action revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer was the safest possible handgun for him. At least it was instantly ready. A young woman who did well in the shooting phase 0f training carries her pistol chamber empty. She feels that the lack of a safety on a revolver isn’t for her, and neither does she trust a fully loaded automatic.

Racking the action on a Hi Point 10mm handgun
Some pistols, such as the Hi Point 10mm, are more difficult to rack. These should never be a top choice for personal defense.

A friend still active in police work has taken two revolvers from felons in the past year. Each was carried with the chamber under the hammer empty. About half the pistols he takes off felons are chamber empty so perhaps you would have a running chance against these guys. Not a good bet in my opinion.

Final Thoughts

While I don’t agree these choices would fit my needs, I respect their thoughts and practice. The bottom line… whichever mode of carry you choose, practice. An hour of range time is worth a month of discussion.

Stick with the mode of carry chosen; don’t jump from one to the other with different handguns. That said, I feel that chamber-empty carry violates the principles of response to an attack and economy of motion. Carry the pistol as it was designed to be carried. Fully loaded in the case of the SIG and Glock, and cocked and locked with the 1911. Chamber empty worked well enough in institutional use (and when demanded) due to a hodgepodge of handguns cobbled together in an emergency. You should be better prepared than that.

Let’s take a little poll. Do you carry a handgun with an empty chamber? Would you recommend it for others? Are there any situations or particular handguns you would recommend carrying chamber empty? Share your answers in the comment section.

  • Racking the slide of a Kimber 1911 .45 ACP handgun
  • Drawing a concealed handgun while a knife wielding attacker charges
  • Racking the slide of a CZ pistol while holding a spare magazine
  • Racking the slide of a 1911 .45 ACP handgun at eye level
  • Bob Campbell shooting a gun one handed
  • Holding a pistol at chest level while racking the slide
  • Man racking the slide on a 1911 .45 ACP pistol
  • a slingshot release of the .45 ACP 1911 slide
  • coyote brown Glock in a DeSantis Infiltrator Air holster
  • Semi-automatic 1911 pistol cocked and lock bottom, and .38 SPL revolver top
  • An instructor drawing a gun from a concealed carry position
  • Two WWII era semi-automatic handguns
  • Racking the action on a Hi Point 10mm handgun
  • Grasping a 1911 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol and racking the slide
  • A woman racking the slide of a Smith and Wesson EZ



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