Colt's and "six up" carry

[bedbugbilly]

I'm with what was said by one . . if you're at the range then carry six if that's your desire . . . . as far as "carrying" . . . I've always left an empty. Maybe it's necessary . . . maybe it isn't . . . . but if you get in the habit of veing as safe as you can, the "freak accident" has a higher probablilty of not happening. I don't even carry my "modern" revolvers with six . . just a habit I've developed. In the field, there's always a chance of stumbling, falling or whatever. Whether SA or DA, if it's carried on an empty, the next one coming up when you cock (SA) or pull the trigger (DA) is going to come up hot. Even on my New Vaquero with a cross bar safety, etc., I still only load five if I'm going to carry . . at the range, I'll do six. If it comes down to an incident of wondering whether the "sixth" round would have made the difference . . . if I'm carrying because of that possibility, that's why I'm carrying a semi-auto with a 17 round clip. Just my 2 cents .. .

[arcticap]

Originally Posted by Ben Towe

Can anyone explain to me why exactly carrying six rounds on half cock is considered so unsafe? Is this a modern "age of safety" notion or was it practiced in antiquity?

During the days of the Mexican-American War and the Texas frontier, the military mentality to load and carry 6 must not have been such a big deal. Those who wouldn't load more than 5 were probably the ones that were considered to be paranoid.