Condition 3 carry

[Dapaki]

Pull trigger... BANG!

I carry single action, some without a mechanical safety switch.

I have hosted several 'active shooter' training sessions in my buildings when vacant for the cops to use Simunitions and have personally played the 'bad guy' a half dozen times... I always died.

Because of watching the cops train and seeing where they messed up and got 'shot', I stopped training on the safety latch for my EDC. What was happening time after time was upon engagement, they forgot to unsafe their weapon and got drilled every time. These were all guys that trained at the range to stay in safe, switch, fire, switch. The problem was that they reverted to idiots when under fire! Shooting 2 foot low, safety's left on, even dancing (hoping from foot to foot) when shot.

watching that go down time and time again changed my mind, draw, aim, bang!

[Burnt Fingers]

You have to look at the reason the Israelis taught condition 3.

They had such a mish mash of equipment that there was NO way to teach everyone the order of arms for the pistol they had.

So they settled on condition 3 as it can be done with any pistol.

[Geezer in NH]

Glocks don't need condition 3.

[johniv]

What Smokywolf said!

[mattw]

I like a 1911 Officers model in condition 1, if the clothes are right. Otherwise it is a good 380 in condition 1 in my wallet pocket. If I have to go smaller, a P32 ready to go.

[tazman]

Given my condition and abilities, any draw I make will be slow. That said, The condition I carry in depends on the gun and the circumstance I expect to see.
In my home, the pistols are in condition three. If a child or unknown person should find the weapon, there will be a little time before they figure out there is no round in the chamber giving me time to react to it. When the grandkids are in the house, the guns are locked up where they can't get to them( I have one grandchild that I will not ever allow to handle a gun if I am present. He makes bad choices regularly, so I take no chances with him around. If he had access to a working gun, he would gladly shoot his family when in a fit of rage.).

When I pull the home defense weapon from hiding, I rack the slide. I can do this quickly or quietly depending on need. By the time I have the pistol in hand and standing, the chamber is loaded. The pistols are scattered through the house so that I am within a few feet of one no matter where I am in the house. These pistols get checked and lubed regularly. I take them to the range in rotation. I can do 4 inches or less group size at 10 yards with all of my pistols. Some will do quite a bit better.

In the woods, I carry either a 357 mag revolver or a 45ACP. The 45 will be cocked and locked(1911) or loaded and ready to go(Springfield XDm with grip and trigger safety).

The revolvers I carry don't really fit the conditions that are used for pistols. They are all carried with the cylinder full.
Slow fire, I can hold a 3 inch group at 10 yards. Rapid fire(double action) I can hold the 8 ring on a B27 target at 7 yards consistently. Good enough for close work on social occasions.

I don't have a compact pistol for concealed carry at this time. I am not certain I would be confident using one. I am quite confident with my revolvers.

[1006]

I think you should pick a method that allows you to draw and shoot with only one hand.

You may be defending yourself with the other or have already lost the use of it by restraint or injury.

[Idaho45guy]

I have carried for years in condition 3 with no safety. In the three instances I needed to clear leather, I was aware enough of my surroundings to have plenty of time to draw, rack the slide, and bring the pistol up with plenty of time.

I now carry a pistol with a safety and it goes in public with a round chambered and the safety engaged.

When I'm in the woods, my carry gun is a Glock 10mm and it has a round chambered when out of the vehicle and in the woods. When I carried a Glock for EDC in town, I carried empty chamber. I figured the chance of me have a negligent discharge in normal handling was greater than me having to engage a threat with my sidearm in the very low crime area I live.

When I traveled to bigger cities, I had a round chambered. Probably silly, but it's what I was comfortable with and the statistics bore out that practice.

It's all a very personal choice based on risk assessment for their specific area and what each person is comfortable with. So whatever folks decide to do in their own environments is fine with me.