to cock or not to cock

[taking back sunday]

got a question for you guys. when you are carrying iwb do you have the hammer on single action, or do you keep it "safer" by keeping it on double action? i dont have my permit yet but i have been walking around my house/property for several weeks now with my gun. when i have the hammer in double action, i feel very safe from a negligent discharge since it would take quite a miracle to discharge from double action. when i walked around with the hammer in single action i felt very uneasy and worried that it could go off because it doesnt take much to fire from single action. sorry if this is a total noob question but i would like your opinions before i start to carry 8)

[EBDPA]

Thanks for posting TakeBackSunday... it is good to have you on the board. Can you enlighten us as to which make/model you are carrying. The safe and accepted procedure is different for each type of gun and safety systems. For example:

If you have a 1911 type weapon a Single Action Only, the proper carry mode is cocked and locked... meaning that the hammer is back and the safety is on, with the hammer block engaged. Police, Military nd civilians alike have carried like this for decades.

If you have a Single Ation (SA)/Double Action (DA) such as a Baretta 92F or a Sig P2226 for example, the safe carry position is with the hammer DECOCKED using the decocking lever so you can expect a DA pull on the first shot and the lighter SA pull on the following...

Of course, you could always simplify your life and buy a GLOCK and you won't have to worry about any of this.... :lol:

There are some exceptions, so post your actual make/model and someone here will be happy to give you the safest procedure.

Remember, no procedure is better or worse than another. Buy the gun you want to carry and then train so that it's safety systems are second nature to you, which does not happen over night. Dry practice and Live fire training that reinforces the consistent use of the correct procedure will engrain it into your mind so it is not a problem.

Good luck...

[DMorrison]

Indeed, buy a glock. I feel completely comfortable with my chambered glock in a holster, although i wouldn't suggest for the old "gangsta" waistband tuck method, invest a good iwb holster.

[duc_fan]

If your sidearm has a decocker and no manual safety, then it is designed to be carried decocked (double-action).

If your sidearm is Single action only (like a 1911) then it is designed to be cocked with the manual safety engaged.

If your sidearm is DA/SA + manual safety (like an HK USP, Variant 1), then you may choose between the two carry methods above, or even decocked AND safety'd.

I personally would not carry a hammer-fired weapon with the hammer cocked without a manual safety.

(I specify "hammer-fired", because striker-fired sidearms like Glocks and Springfield XDs use a totally different operational design, but suffice to say they are designed to be carried without a manual safety)

[Jay]

All good advice Matt. If you get up near Marion IN and have some time, I'll share some range time with you, and have you try a few things.

Physical skills are very important, but the mental skills chart the course for the physical ones.

[taking back sunday]

thanks for the knowledge, guys. i have a beretta m9 and now i know im supposed to have the hammer in double action/safety off. again, thanks guys.

im currently looking at a glock 21/23, a sig p226, or a para 1911. tough decision, but i think im gonna end up getting a 1911 for my next gun

Jay, i go to school at anderson university, which is right off of highway 9. a couple miles (20?) north on 9 and i will be right smack dab in the middle of marion! who knows, after i get my LTC its definitely possible that we could spend some range time together. it would be great to shoot with someone who could teach me a few things 8)

[nodaywithout]

Ok so i want to let you know that you are not alone, in feeling unsafe for a while.
For me I got my CCW permit on monday, prior to that i just practiced for the betterpart of three months , every night when i got home from work i would strap up. When i did so, i actually did not have it loaded at all but i did carry a mag close by (while still in my home) just in case.

For me I carry a Springfield XD which is very close to a glock with the exception of the safety features, it being my first gun i liked that fact.

When i go iwb i always carry one in the chamber. When i get home i remove the bullet from the chamber and reinsert in the mag, then it goes back in my holster (after i take the holster off) and then insert them both into my safe.

This is not something that everyone else, but i like the process.

[molonlabetn]

It depends on what type of pistol you have, and how it was designed to be operated, as was covered above quite well.

Personally, my carry 'preference' has evolved towards pistols with a consistent trigger pull shot-to-shot, which is why I lean towards the XD series. Technically a single-action, the grip safety provides sufficient deactivation of the action to render it completely safe to carry loaded, chambered and cocked. So, my answer is simply to carry your pistol loaded, chambered, and with the action in it's most basic configuration.... for example:

DA/SA pistol with decocker: loaded, and decocked

DA/SA pistol with safety and decocker: loaded, decocked, safety off

DA/SA pistol with safety only: loaded, cocked, safety on

DAO pistol with no safety: loaded

DAO pistol with safety: loaded, safety off

SA pistol with safety: loaded, cocked, safety on

[Jay]

Matt, if you find that you're gonna have some time, let me know. Fri and Sat are best for me.

I'd suggest that handguns should not be stored in leather holsters. Leather can and will absorb moisture. I have seen handguns stored in leather holsters that had some serious rust on them. My handguns go in the safe, but the holsters go elsewhere.

[VegasGeorge]

I carry my 1911 cocked and locked. I've carried that way for years. I understand that the 1911 was intended to be carried that way, even though the army decided to not to.

Added comment: Of course the 1911 has a thumb safety, and my Kimber has a grip safety as well. In order for the gun to discharge, three conditions have to be met simultaneously, thumb safety off, grip safety depressed, and trigger pulled. I feel very safe carrying the gun cocked and locked.

[jayspapa2002]

I have a colt goldcup that when i carry , is carried cocked and locked as it should be. I also have a S&W 915 that has a safety / decocker that must be carried in the safe posistion because it blocks the hammer from the fireingpin.

[penman53]

Come on guys. There are also lot's of other guns out there that do not require to be cocked and locked. What about my Sig 229 SAS or my Smith and Wesson M&P 40 compact? There are also some great snubbie wheel guns to.

[duc_fan]

Come on guys. There are also lot's of other guns out there that do not require to be cocked and locked. What about my Sig 229 SAS or my Smith and Wesson M&P 40 compact? There are also some great snubbie wheel guns to.

EBDPA, myself, and molonlabetn have all posted lists of firing/safety types, a number of which are not normally carried "cocked and locked."

My SIG 220 DA/SA does not have a manual safety. It's carried while simply decocked (double action on first pull, single action thereafter, for those not familiar with DA/SA operation). The fairly long and reasonably stout trigger pull is the main mechanical defense against accidental discharge. Of course, the user's brain is the overall primary safety mechanism.

[Ram Rod]

I carry all of my Glocks with one in the chamber---otherwise, there's no sense in carrying. My P220 is an SAO model, and I'll carry that cocked and locked with thumb safety engaged. This is one sweet pistol, and you can even rack the slide with the thumb safety engaged.

[calmp9]

got a question for you guys. when you are carrying iwb do you have the hammer on single action, or do you keep it "safer" by keeping it on double action? i dont have my permit yet but i have been walking around my house/property for several weeks now with my gun. when i have the hammer in double action, i feel very safe from a negligent discharge since it would take quite a miracle to discharge from double action. when i walked around with the hammer in single action i felt very uneasy and worried that it could go off because it doesnt take much to fire from single action. sorry if this is a total noob question but i would like your opinions before i start to carry 8)

I am a newb to the forum and I want to say hello to those in this thread. I haven't had my CCWs long, but I have been posting on other bulletin boards. I recognize some people here who also belong to the other boards.

I don't think that this is a newb question at all. It's definitely an important one. Personally, if I owned a handgun like the 92, I would use the decocking lever and carry it with a double action first shot. It doesn't matter if IWB or OWB.

I have two Smith & Wesson M&Ps that are similar to Glocks. I always carry them chambered. It is imperative to keep fingers out of the trigger guard until ready to fire. I can't carry in my home state, but I carry at home after work and on weekends.