To chachunk, or not to chachunk

[san_chang4837]

chamber empty

ed: lol wheelgunners can gloat...

[Samurai]

I carry with the chamber empty, but I don't know ANYONE else who does.

I don't carry empty because I think the sound (chachunk, was it?) will frighten anyone. I carry empty because I only recently got my concealed carry permit, and I'm still afraid I'll sit on the stupid thing and switch the safety off. (Everyone tells me this is dumb, and no, I don't need to hear it again, thank you.) Plus, there's the contingency for someone to grab it and squeeze the trigger, etc... I'm new, and I'm still paranoid. Sue me.

But, at the same time, I don't see the logic/wisdom in believing that you need to have the gun chambered. If a guy is pointing a gun at you, does anyone actually believe they will be able to "quick draw" successfully before the other guy can simply squeeze the trigger? And, if the gun is not pointed at you yet, i.e., you're in your home and hear the badguy downstairs, then why can't you simply go get your gun from the nightstand, rack it, and go to work? Is the "click" of the safety going to give away your position any less than the racking noise? Maybe my safety switch is just really loud...

[fmjgordo]

i keep all my guns chambers empty. it takes about a second to load an sks. that noise of the bolt slamming forward signifies they just went from being the hunter to being the hunted.

[Shaun]

samurai, not to rag on you, but carrying a concealed handgun unchambered cancels out the purpose of having the gun. Brandishing is usually illegal, so if you are pulling that weapon out, you are intending to use it. Most gunfights take place at very close distances, often an arms length. In a defensive handgun class, they very often teach how to use your weak arm to fend off an attack while drawing your weapon. Last i checked it takes two hands to rack the slide on an semi-automatic (this conclusion comes after a failed experiment where i used my teeth to rack a semiauto). If a round is not chambered you now have a 2lb hunk of steel in your hand, useless. If youre skittish about having a loaded carry gun, get a revolver. Thinking youll have time to draw, rack ,and fire is like not wearing your seatbelt and thinking youll put it on as the accident is about to occur. Once again, i apologize if you feel i am ragging on you. But you are defeating the purpose of a concealed weapon if its not chambered.

Onto the HD weapon issue, unless you leave your doors unlocked, or dont have a dog (get one!!), you will most likely not be in the situation where you are caught completely by surprise. If you live alone and dont drink or have any friends over or nephews and neices, then sure, leave all your guns loaded and what not. In my house all my guns are unchambered, revolvers unloaded (i can speed load blindfolded if i had to) im not afraid of waking up surrounded by gang members. But hey, different strokes move the world.

[Samurai]

I bet that hurt! (the teeth thing...)

I know. I know... It's a comfort thing right now. I'll get to where I trust the mechanics of the weapon enough to depend on the safety switch. But, I'm not there yet. (When in doubt, train, train, train, right?)

I guess I can pretty-well defend against an attacker with one hand (don't believe my screenname, I'm not really that good...), but I think it would be an awful risk to draw one-handed in the middle of a scuffle. I'm sure there's a way to do it, and I'm sure I'll learn that trick later. Have to learn to squeeze the trigger without a 6" flinch first!

[stephen426]

My night stand pistol is loaded and ready to go. The 870 is chamber empty, and dry fired so I rack without fumbeling for the release. I also have an alarm and keep the door locked so giving away my position is not that big of a deal.

[JoshB]

I keep my 1911 [primary carry and HD weapon] in condition 1. I wouldn't want it any other way because it's ready when I need it.
I keep my AK [backup home defense weapon in case the BG is wearing body armor or I'm up against a bear, etc] in condition 3 because racking the bolt makes a nice sound. The AK also has a strange safety, so by keeping it in condition 3, I won't forget to put it on fire when I need it.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Endless argument about carrying unchambered with a handgun.

The entire unchambered issue revolves around trigger pull. So get a revolver with a 12 lb pull. Argument over.

Next, why carry a semiauto chambered? Because the more you have to do to get the gun into action in an incident, the higher the probability that something goes wrong. It is unarguable math.

Mark that risk against the risk you will ND or someone grabs your gun before you make it hot - make your decision.

Long arms are slightly different as many are not so safe when you drop them. That's the reason for unchambered carry for them for the most part.

[profshadow]

Making damn sure of target first, but otherwise:

Old and trusty Enfield pistol (.38 S &W rounds, six shooter, breaks in middle) in drawer at bedside, all six ready.

Wife and I both have S&W 642 with Crimson Trace grips, all five chambers ready.

And the BUG (Kel-tec P32) has the extended mag,, giving it 10+1

Next couple weapons will be the same. And yeah, OC spray handy too.

Paranoid? Naw....I live in Jacksonville, FL, near the Interstate, so more like "prepared"

[Rainbow Six]

Just a thought... the 870 safety is a trigger block, not a hammer/sear lock. Our SOP defines "cruiser ready" as loaded mag tube (ours hold four rounds) with the safety off and the hammer dropped on an empty chamber. Supposedly, if the 870 is handled rough enough on safety there have been instances where the sear released and fired a round with the safety on. I've never seen it happen but that's what they teach in our shotgun training now...

[stratus]

Chachunk if it's a Glock or a Shotgun.

No Chachunk if it's a DA/SA or most types of long gun.

Good question by the way.

[mvpel]

Remember that 98% of defensive firearms use don't involve discharge of the firearm - so the "ca-chunk" school of thought does have at least that aspect going for it. The sound of a racking shotgun is an unmistakable, gut-level warning to the intruder that he's moments away from a great deal of pain if he continues with his actions.

But I tend to lean towards a shouted warning if I'm going to give one. Defensive firearms should be loaded, otherwise they're glorified and expensive clubs.

[XavierBreath]

I see three reasons for stowing a pump shotgun at cruiser ready.

Reason one, when carried in an automobile that may very well be involved in an accident, an empty chamber makes for a safe weapon. No amount of impact can discharge the gun.

Reason two is potentially more important. In "cruiser ready" condition, all pump shotguns work the same. One does not have to worry about where the slide release or safety is, nor whether he is holding a Remington, Mossberg, or Winchester. In all three you simply rack the slide aim and pull the trigger.

Reason three: Racking the slide is gross motor movement. Snicking off safeties and slide releases are fine motor movements. Fine motor skills tend to elude us when under severe stress. It is much better to only have the need for gross motor skills. Cruiser ready allows that.

The chachunk noise is a byproduct of other considerations.

[Samurai]

Carried a chambered round all weekend, and I didn't shoot myself/others. Also, I didn't accidentally disengage the safety. Baby steps...

[Model520Fan]

Long arms are slightly different as many are not so safe when you drop them. That's the reason for unchambered carry for them for the most part.

Thank you, Glenn. A good friend of mine killed himself accidentally because he thought he was smarter than he was, meaning he was a good old boy with an IQ of 140 or so who had been around guns all his life and didn't know what you wrote above, or never thought it through properly.

[Arizona Fusilier]

While I would admit the "chachunk" is probably overrated by Hollywood and the like......

I think it it is an advantageous "by product" of the cruiser-ready condition (like XavierBreath so aptly put it). I'm afraid I'm very dismissive of this whole "give away your position" angle. I don't know what y'all were taught in your CCW classes, but vocalizing to the threat while there is still time to do so was part and parcel of threat management. Obviously if he's standing over the bed your not interested in making threats or "chachunks". But if he/they are still in the other room, I think prudence, legal or otherwise, dictates the use of the "get the hell out of here" idiom.

The average punk will high-tail it. The absolutley zonked-out meth-head that is not in his right mind is going to do what he's going to do, "chachunk" or no. Regardless, the purpose of "chachunk" is not to demoralize them with the legendary, infallible, death ray effects of the shotgun. It's to convince them beyond a reasonable doubt that you are indeed armed, and not bluffing, and that is their cue to leave.

So yeah, it might be overrated, but in the main, I see no harm. I mean, if people kept it on an empty chamber for safety purposes, you wouldn't tell them not to chamber it?

Of course, if you are a member of the Super-Secret North American Action-Hero Ranger Squad, and live in palpable fear of Al-Qaeda ninjas with GPS-guided bullets that will home in on your position once you've "chachunked", then by all means, remain stealthy in your ambush position and do not vocalize or otherwise utter a peep.

You are, after all, good enough to ascertain the difference in footfall from your would-be assassins and your son/daughter coming home late.

[Mannlicher]

I guess this is going to be asked over, and over, and over. The same folks post the same replies again and again. It's a personal preferance thing, and most will never change their minds, nor should they. If your choice works for you, go for it.
The one thing I will inject here though, is about 'cruiser ready'. For me, thats a great way for cops to carry their shotguns in their cars. I see no valid reasons to have your bedside weapon in that condition. Three reasons were brought up by XavierBreath, first that if involved in an accident, it would not go off is on its face, invalid in your bedroom. The second reason about all shotguns working the same, is also invalid, with the same 870 being by the bed year in and year out, and the third about motor skills is invalidated by use and training.
No, Cruiser ready is not a good idea for home use.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

1. You perhaps will not keep the shotgun chambered for safety reasons discussed above.

2. When you pick it up because you think you might have to use it and chamber, the sound is side effect. If it has some effect - goodie.

3. You don't keep it unchambered for sound effects. Better sound effects are:

a. Big dog
b. Internal alarm siren you can trigger from your safe room
c. Verbal warning

There is nothing more in this debate than these statements.

Remember to double tap your chachunks as you don't need the ammo anyway. Chachunk as you clear each room and go around a corner too.

[dev_null]

Every thread that starts out with "here's what I do" seems to devolve into "here's what I do, and anyone who does differently is wrong." It gets really bloody tiresome after a while. I don't need anyone's permission for or agreement with my decisions, and grant you the same privilege.

EDIT: Ok, that was a little on the grumpy side. I feel better now.

[Mannlicher]

dev null

Every thread that starts out with "here's what I do" seems to devolve into "here's what I do, and anyone who does differently is wrong." It gets really bloody tiresome after a while. I don't need anyone's permission for or agreement with my decisions, and grant you the same privilege.

now that would sure keep the threads down to about 4 responses
Now if we can just do something to limit the number of 'why use a shotgun' posts in the first place...............

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Trying to get this to 4, Dev - so you don't have to read it anymore.

Anyway, I'm going to ask the Austin City Council to banning chachunking as I think it represents a violent act that is not appropriate in our society.

In my bill, all guns will be tested for dB in chambering a round and any that are too loud will be banned. Upsetting people by chachunking is not acceptable in our society. The 2nd Amend. makes no mention of chachunking. You bear arms but not chachunk them, IMHO.

GWB has stated that if a federal chachunk ban gets to him, he will sign it. This is taken by supporters of the RTCS (figure it out) as brillant politics as he knows that soccer moms are anti-chachunkers but the pro-Chachunkers will not let the bill get to him.

Some suggest an smart chachunker with a sound chip that produces a reverse waveform chachunker that negates the real sound might be a legal solution.

Did that get us to 4 pages yet? We can call someone a Nazi using Godwin's law and get us locked before 4 pages?

[pax]

I'm not a good enough shot to arbitrarily throw away extra ammunition. So I vote against empty chambers.

If the chamber is empty, you have to cachunk, even if you're in a hurry and even if you need to keep quiet for one reason or another. If it's loaded, you can cachunk if you feel the situation calls for it, but you don't have to.

pax

[Edward429451]

Since perps generally have more rights than citizens, and ca chunking could feasibly strike terror into their hearts...could we be charged with terrorism for ca chunking?

[38splfan]

Cachunk, but not for intimidation.
The shotty leans on the nightstand, tube full.
I keep the bedroom pretty private, but we still have company over and I like to be prepared but careful at the same time.
It only takes a second to shuck a shell, and I've trained with dry firing and range time to work the action very forcefully, so that short shucking is not a real big problem.
(It does seem to be easier with the Ithaca than an 870, even though the action length is not noticeably different.)

[CajunBass]

I don't do either. My wife has three annoying little dogs. (Note. I do not have ANY dogs.) They only bark at three things. Anything, everything, and nothing. They are so annoying that no one with any sense would stick around to listen to them. (Says something about me I suppose.) At this point I would yell at the dog's to "Shut the ....... up before I shoot all three of you." This would let the BG know that (1) I'm here, (2) I'm awake, (3) there is a chance, maybe better than 50/50 that I am armed and prepared to shoot the dogs. He might get hit by accident, so it would be a good idea to get out of Dodge.

That's my plan anyway.