Empty Chamber Carry

By Bob Owens

From time to time, we’ll post an article on methods of handgun carry or training, and someone will mention in the comments that they take the “extra” safety step of carrying their defensive handgun with an empty chamber.

Proponents of empty chamber carry are typically open carriers, but there are a few concealed carriers that espouse this practice as well.

This mention of empty chamber carry invariably leads to other commenters blasting Mr. Empty Chamber for their decision, and Mr. Empty Chamber going on the defensive.

At the end of the day, the other commenters will leave the exchange feeling that Mr. Empty Chamber is a clueless moron who is going to die if he every ends up in a deadly force situation, and Mr. Empty Chamber leaves the conversation convinced that the other commenters are careless and reckless, and more than likely on their way to a negligent discharge.

No one learns anything.

Let’s try to rectify that.

Where Does Empty Chamber Carry Come From?

There are two primary reasons that empty chamber carry is “a thing.”

Apocryphally, I suspect that many of us have heard that empty chamber carry started in the early days of single-action revolvers, before the age of transfer bar safeties.

These early revolvers …read more

Source:: Bearing Arms