Is there any reason I shouldn't do this....

[MACSTAR100]

Ok, so I have an empty handgun, full magazine of 8 rounds, I insert the magazine into the gun, I pull the slide and chamber one into the pipe. Now I have 7+1 right... are there any issues with then dropping the magazine and adding one more round to then have 8+1 ?? I don't see any reason why not but I'm relying on some of you more experienced guys to confirm. thanks (when concealed carrying)

[joe817]

Welcome to the forum! Glad to have you with us!

I think you'll find that most folks here do just exactly that. I do.

[SATX-Scrub]

I think you'll find that's what we all do (well, those of us that carry one in the pipe anyhow!).

Welcome!

[The Annoyed Man]

I always top off the magazine.

[CC Italian]

That's the only way to carry imo. Just remember that just because the mag is full doesn't mean the chamber is empty. It is something I have seen a novice do at the gun range. I saw a guy tell his wife " It's empty come and hold it". Wife held the gun and since it didn't have a magazine disconnect it fired a the last round off in the chamber down the range when she was practicing dry firing. No one was hurt but the man's wife screamed and wouldn't shoot the gun again. My meaning is don't ever assume if you eject the mag. and say to yourself "ok, 8 in the mag. so that means I have an empty chamber". I am not saying you will do this but I have seen people be careless and do that before. I would just do one or the other. That way it is a routine and you know that the mag should be full and there is always a round in the chamber. That's how I do it but that's just me.

[MACSTAR100]

Ok, thanks for the reply's. I do have a loaded chamber indicator and I never use the magazine as a judge to determine if the gun is loaded or not. Thanks for your input I will continue to add one more to my mag after I have chambered a round into the pipe. Thanks again yall.

[RetNavy]

my 1911 is 7+1, if i use the 10 rd magazines then its 10+1 and carried in Condition 1, hammer back safety on
M&P .40 is 15+1
FNP9 is 16+1

havent had any problems carrying that way at all...

[TomV]

Be sure to practice with this at the range. I have seen multiple reports of weapons getting cranky with this. I don't understand why.

[Skiprr]

Don't rely on the loaded-chamber indicator, either. Not that they have a history of malfunctioning, but it's always best to establish a system of administrative handling that is transferable to most guns of the same general type.

IMHO, everyone should become comfortable picking up any popular semi-auto handgun and performing all necessary administrative actions no matter the model, e.g., clearing, loading, stoppage correction, press-checks. It's simply a good idea to practice a pattern of gun handling that is as universally applicable as possible. That way, all the practice remains valid whether you decide to change firearms in the future or, more importantly, have to pick up a different gun at a critical time.

[srothstein]

While I do carry in just this fashion, I strongly recommend that you try this with your pistol and each magazine at the range before doing so. Some magazines are listed as 8 rounds, but you have problems seating it and getting the weapon to fire when you leave the slide closed and try to push the full magazine back in.

[chasfm11]

Don't rely on the loaded-chamber indicator, either. Not that they have a history of malfunctioning, but it's always best to establish a system of administrative handling that is transferable to most guns of the same general type.

IMHO, everyone should become comfortable picking up any popular semi-auto handgun and performing all necessary administrative actions no matter the model, e.g., clearing, loading, stoppage correction, press-checks. It's simply a good idea to practice a pattern of gun handling that is as universally applicable as possible. That way, all the practice remains valid whether you decide to change firearms in the future or, more importantly, have to pick up a different gun at a critical time.

That is a great point. Those of us without a rich history handling pistols can easily be surprised. A friend recently asked me to clear a loaded Beretta that had been in his safe. It was my first time seeing a trigger guard release for the magazine. Knowing that I was inside his house with an unfamiliar gun, I was very cautious about my muzzle control but it took me a moment or so to figure it out. Sigs and Glocks are easy for me because I've practiced the mag drops with mine a lot. For those of us who don't have 1911s, even they can be much less familiar.

[WhoWouldGuess]

While I do carry in just this fashion, I strongly recommend that you try this with your pistol and each magazine at the range before doing so. Some magazines are listed as 8 rounds, but you have problems seating it and getting the weapon to fire when you leave the slide closed and try to push the full magazine back in.

My Sig 220 is that way. Magazine holds 8, but I can only insert it with 8 with the slide open. If I chamber a round, add one to the mag, and try to insert, it fights me, and I will probably get a failure to feed.

[RPBrown]

Always.

[KD5NRH]

I think you'll find that's what we all do (well, those of us that carry one in the pipe anyhow!).

When I had my 1911, I had a bunch of mags, so I just used a sticky one to load the chamber, then when I cleared the gun I dropped the chambered round into my bedside table drawer. That way, I rotated the chambered rounds rather than cycling one or two rounds through it over and over. That mag stayed in the drawer too, so it was just a matter of loading the odd mag, chambering a round, then switching to the mag I'd be carrying in it. Spare mags stayed with the holsters, based on which ones worked best with which holster. (One would conceal the 10 round extended mag just fine, another worked well with the bumper-type baseplates, etc.)