Many people struggle on whether or not it is ok to carry with a round in the chamber. Many people put forth the opinion of, why carry at all if you don’t have a round in the chamber?
Here are some of the reasons people are hesitant to carry a round in the chamber:
They fear a round could go off inadvertently and cause injury or death.
Their gun may not have an external safety.
You should keep your gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
It just does not take that long to rack the slide and chamber a round.
While the possibility of inadvertent fire is extremely rare, it does happen. But certain precautions must absolutely be maintained if you choose to carry with a round in the chamber. You must have a quality holster, molded to your firearm, with a trigger guard. Be sure you are holstering your firearm correctly, without anything catching in the trigger guard. Know the ins and outs of the mechanics of your firearms—this will help if you are cleaning it regularly. And, as always, follow all basic gun safety rules.
But there is at least one good reason to carry a round chambered: time. If you are under threat, drawing your gun takes time while you are already at a disadvantage. Racking the slide adds more time, which puts you at further disadvantage.
If you are not comfortable carrying a round in the chamber, or if it makes you nervous, then you probably shouldn’t. And you may want to take some more training and get in some more time at the range to become more proficient. Even if, after lots of training and familiarity with your firearm, you still aren’t comfortable carrying a chambered round, don’t. It’s your choice.
