Do any of you use chamber flags ?

adamc · January 25, 2013, 09:51 PM

I bought some to use. Kleen bore
Seem to do what they are for.....
input ?

rebs · January 25, 2013, 09:55 PM

They are a must use at our club ranges for pistol, rifle and shotgun.

sam colt · January 25, 2013, 09:57 PM

yeah, I use them. Had a ND many years ago at my pistol club. I was the only one there at the time so no one was hurt, but I still felt like a fool. Have used them ever since.

Dan-O · January 25, 2013, 10:35 PM

Guns don't go off on their own. I treat every firearm as if it's loaded. I only point firearms in a safe direction or at something I'm willing to destroy....etc, etc. I have no use for them.

Sheriff Gotcha · January 25, 2013, 11:59 PM

I don't know what they are so no I don't use them, but I have a general idea from the name what it is.

chris in va · January 26, 2013, 02:48 AM

Our range requires them.

Ozzieman · January 26, 2013, 08:38 AM

I have no use for them.
A lot of people say the same thing but with the recent accidental shooting at gun shows there just might be a use for them. I agree that the only real safety in handling guns is the brain between our ears but there is a good use for them. On our range the guns must be cased or flagged if they are not in the owner’s control.
Chamber flags are cheap and show you’re a concerned and safe gun handler. Granted it doesn’t actually mean you’re safe but having seen holes in the metal roof of our range, there not such a bad idea. And it might stop one more incident from showing up in the liberal news about gun show shooting that make gun people look stupid.
The following are chamber flags
http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=3929

lockedcj7 · January 26, 2013, 09:01 AM

I never used them until recently and now I love them. I've been teaching my son to shoot an AR and it's nice to be able to verify that the bolt is locked back from a distance. I just use the ones that came with my CMP rifles.

jonnyc · January 26, 2013, 09:42 AM

I have one old CMP flag that I keep in my bag. I only ever use it at my range when I shoot an AK. The bolts, slides, and cylinders on everything else I have stay open all by themselves.

915A · January 26, 2013, 10:04 AM

At our new Shooting Complex it is a must

Japle · January 26, 2013, 10:07 AM

I keep a few in my range bag. It makes it much easier for the RO to tell your rifle is cleared.

Using them is just good manners.

RC20 · January 26, 2013, 11:23 AM

I keep one in my range box.

I use it from time to time with guns that don't have a slide lock back.

Great device, anything that improves safety is a plug and I would have no issue if the range required them for all cease fires

Stevie-Ray · January 26, 2013, 12:33 PM

The range I frequent wants all actions open duing cease fire. A chamber flag suffices for all ROs, so I use the one that came with my GSG-5. I also use one with my Mossberg 930 SPX.

adamc · January 26, 2013, 01:01 PM

Thanks for the info guys....

I just opened the packages and put them in all the chambers

Now my guns are SAFER! Now all I have to
Worry about is the politicians here in Connecticut AND Washington

NWCP · January 27, 2013, 03:39 AM

My club requires the use of them.

TMA-1 · January 27, 2013, 06:13 AM

I teach groups of Boy Scouts all the time. Chamber flags are a must, if for no other reason than to keep my RSO's blood pressure at a normal level!

By the way, a good substitute is brightly-colored weed-eater line.

mdcmn7 · January 27, 2013, 06:18 AM

Don't use the flags, but I do keep the bolt open and mags out (if equipped) at all times when not shooting.

Sent from my Desire HD

Yung.gunr · January 27, 2013, 09:15 AM

I got a bunch to use when I put the guns back in the safe. The wife loves em. Happy wife happy life...

Bart Noir · January 27, 2013, 11:57 AM

The forum is answering two different questions:

Do you use them at the range, during cease fires?
and
Do you use them when storing or carrying cased guns to the range?

In my case, it is "yes since required at my club" and "no".

Bart Noir

TunnelRat · January 27, 2013, 12:09 PM

No. At our range we're required to drop mags and lock the slide back before anyone goes out (AK guys use a pen to hold the bolt back a bit). I walk the line and examine the guns before I go out there. It's not that I don't trust them, I don't trust anybody

. I have nothing against guys that choose to use them however.

johnwilliamson062 · January 27, 2013, 11:21 PM

Quote:

I have no use for them.

Dan-O is the only one professional enough...

I use them and I really appreciate it when people around me use them. Part of being at a range is not only checking yourself, but also double checking those around you. The chamber flag makes double checking others guns extremely easy. You can look up and down a line and KNOW that nothing is in the chamber and that there is a physical impediment to anything entering the chamber. They eliminate forgetting to clear the chamber of accidentally dropping the slide and chambering a round. They are dirt cheap and you can even get them for free some of places. The CMP club I shoot at hands them out like candy on Halloween. I wish more guns came with them instead of trigger locks that get thrown away. I don't have brake lights to make sure I know when I am braking.

I use them at a public range and when transporting to the range. I leave the flags in my competition guns so I don't forget them.

When reading above, consider I am a person who does not look favorably upon manual safeties. On many of my guns I simply do not use them.

JR_Roosa · January 27, 2013, 11:37 PM

Yes at the range. It's polite for other shooters and safety officers.

No during storage or transport, except air travel. Easy for TSA or people at the baggage check to see what's up. I don't like racking open the action in a crowded airport. More discreet to just point at the chamber flags.

Maybe if going to a range where I want the flag in when it comes out of the case or to a gun shop or something. This is also to be polite for other folks who may not know that I'm the only one professional enough...

-J.

9mm · January 28, 2013, 12:43 AM

No, because guns don't go off by themselves. Besides I believe it will damage t he gun over time, thick plastic rod sticking out of your barrel, with slide closing on it, barrel on a Glock tilts up and slide forcing foward. Do not like, sometimes crushes on the extractor.

Just keep your slide open so others can see.

Jim Watson · January 28, 2013, 12:54 AM

I use OBIs when shooting BPCR and F class as required by the rules.

My other main shooting sport is IDPA in which pistols are kept holstered except when on the course. No flags required or even feasible. But leave that sucker in the holster until it is your turn to shoot.

I have only shot on a couple of those rental ranges with the clerk "range officer" overseeing operations and they did not require them. Just stand back from your open gun while others were downrange.

mrbatchelor · January 28, 2013, 12:56 AM

During matches we "must" use flags. But when I'm alone I just carry the bolt with me in my pocket when I'm walking from the firing line to the targets.

It's a really small self supervised range. I'm usually completely alone or with one other person.

January 25, 2013, 09:51 PM	#1
adamc Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2013 Location: Stalingrad Connecticut Posts: 216	Do any of you use chamber flags ? I bought some to use. Kleen bore Seem to do what they are for..... input ?

January 25, 2013, 10:35 PM	#4
Dan-O Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 2011 Location: Northern Colorado Posts: 969	Guns don't go off on their own. I treat every firearm as if it's loaded. I only point firearms in a safe direction or at something I'm willing to destroy....etc, etc. I have no use for them. Last edited by Dan-O; January 25, 2013 at 10:41 PM.

January 26, 2013, 08:38 AM	#7
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	I have no use for them. A lot of people say the same thing but with the recent accidental shooting at gun shows there just might be a use for them. I agree that the only real safety in handling guns is the brain between our ears but there is a good use for them. On our range the guns must be cased or flagged if they are not in the owner’s control. Chamber flags are cheap and show you’re a concerned and safe gun handler. Granted it doesn’t actually mean you’re safe but having seen holes in the metal roof of our range, there not such a bad idea. And it might stop one more incident from showing up in the liberal news about gun show shooting that make gun people look stupid. The following are chamber flags http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=3929 __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe.

January 26, 2013, 09:01 AM	#8
lockedcj7 Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2007 Posts: 1,215	I never used them until recently and now I love them. I've been teaching my son to shoot an AR and it's nice to be able to verify that the bolt is locked back from a distance. I just use the ones that came with my CMP rifles. __________________ To a much greater extent than most mechanical devices, firearms are terribly unforgiving of any overconfidence, complacency or negligence.

January 26, 2013, 09:42 AM	#9
jonnyc Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: PA Posts: 1,731	I have one old CMP flag that I keep in my bag. I only ever use it at my range when I shoot an AK. The bolts, slides, and cylinders on everything else I have stay open all by themselves. __________________ 2024 PA Cartridge Collector Show; Aug. 16-17, 2024!!! Buy...Sell...Trade All Types of Ammunition & Ordnance PM or email me for 2024 show details.

January 25, 2013, 09:55 PM	#2
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	They are a must use at our club ranges for pistol, rifle and shotgun.

January 25, 2013, 09:57 PM	#3
sam colt Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: nc Posts: 93	yeah, I use them. Had a ND many years ago at my pistol club. I was the only one there at the time so no one was hurt, but I still felt like a fool. Have used them ever since.

January 25, 2013, 11:59 PM	#5
Sheriff Gotcha Senior Member Join Date: March 19, 2012 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 236	I don't know what they are so no I don't use them, but I have a general idea from the name what it is.

January 26, 2013, 02:48 AM	#6
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Our range requires them.

January 26, 2013, 10:04 AM	#10
915A Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2012 Location: Colorado Posts: 464	At our new Shooting Complex it is a must __________________ "I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." Clint Eastwood

January 26, 2013, 10:07 AM	#11
Japle Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2004 Location: Viera, Florida Posts: 1,340	I keep a few in my range bag. It makes it much easier for the RO to tell your rifle is cleared. Using them is just good manners.

January 26, 2013, 11:23 AM	#12
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	I keep one in my range box. I use it from time to time with guns that don't have a slide lock back. Great device, anything that improves safety is a plug and I would have no issue if the range required them for all cease fires

January 26, 2013, 12:33 PM	#13
Stevie-Ray Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: The shores of Lake Huron Posts: 4,783	The range I frequent wants all actions open duing cease fire. A chamber flag suffices for all ROs, so I use the one that came with my GSG-5. I also use one with my Mossberg 930 SPX. __________________ Stevie-Ray Join the NRA/ILA I am the weapon; my gun is a tool. It's regrettable that with some people those descriptors are reversed.

January 26, 2013, 01:01 PM	#14
adamc Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2013 Location: Stalingrad Connecticut Posts: 216	Thanks for the info guys.... I just opened the packages and put them in all the chambers Now my guns are SAFER! Now all I have to Worry about is the politicians here in Connecticut AND Washington

January 27, 2013, 03:39 AM	#15
NWCP Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2006 Posts: 1,903	My club requires the use of them.

January 27, 2013, 06:13 AM	#16
TMA-1 Member Join Date: May 27, 2009 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 42	I teach groups of Boy Scouts all the time. Chamber flags are a must, if for no other reason than to keep my RSO's blood pressure at a normal level! By the way, a good substitute is brightly-colored weed-eater line.

January 27, 2013, 06:18 AM	#17
mdcmn7 Member Join Date: January 19, 2013 Posts: 46	Don't use the flags, but I do keep the bolt open and mags out (if equipped) at all times when not shooting. Sent from my Desire HD

January 27, 2013, 09:15 AM	#18
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	I got a bunch to use when I put the guns back in the safe. The wife loves em. Happy wife happy life...

January 27, 2013, 11:57 AM	#19
Bart Noir Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2000 Location: Puget Sound, USA Posts: 2,215	The forum is answering two different questions: Do you use them at the range, during cease fires? and Do you use them when storing or carrying cased guns to the range? In my case, it is "yes since required at my club" and "no". Bart Noir __________________ Be of good cheer and mindful of your gun muzzle!

January 27, 2013, 12:09 PM	#20
TunnelRat Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 12,213	No. At our range we're required to drop mags and lock the slide back before anyone goes out (AK guys use a pen to hold the bolt back a bit). I walk the line and examine the guns before I go out there. It's not that I don't trust them, I don't trust anybody . I have nothing against guys that choose to use them however. __________________ Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness

January 27, 2013, 11:37 PM	#22
JR_Roosa Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2009 Posts: 130	Yes at the range. It's polite for other shooters and safety officers. No during storage or transport, except air travel. Easy for TSA or people at the baggage check to see what's up. I don't like racking open the action in a crowded airport. More discreet to just point at the chamber flags. Maybe if going to a range where I want the flag in when it comes out of the case or to a gun shop or something. This is also to be polite for other folks who may not know that I'm the only one professional enough... -J.

January 28, 2013, 12:43 AM	#23
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,834	No, because guns don't go off by themselves. Besides I believe it will damage t he gun over time, thick plastic rod sticking out of your barrel, with slide closing on it, barrel on a Glock tilts up and slide forcing foward. Do not like, sometimes crushes on the extractor. Just keep your slide open so others can see.

January 28, 2013, 12:54 AM	#24
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,534	I use OBIs when shooting BPCR and F class as required by the rules. My other main shooting sport is IDPA in which pistols are kept holstered except when on the course. No flags required or even feasible. But leave that sucker in the holster until it is your turn to shoot. I have only shot on a couple of those rental ranges with the clerk "range officer" overseeing operations and they did not require them. Just stand back from your open gun while others were downrange.

January 28, 2013, 12:56 AM	#25
mrbatchelor Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2010 Location: South Carolina Posts: 237	During matches we "must" use flags. But when I'm alone I just carry the bolt with me in my pocket when I'm walking from the firing line to the targets. It's a really small self supervised range. I'm usually completely alone or with one other person.

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