Ken’s note: the following comments, remarks, opinions, observations, and conclusions, are mine. They have been arrived at by me over many years of personal study and experimentation. Nonetheless, many others more knowledgeable than myself, both here and in other formats, have said essentially the same things for essentially the same reasons.
Israeli System trainee loading his pistol prior to shooting
As I stated in a previous post on ICCF, and I want to emphasize this point, “
Much, if not all, of my commentary on this subject was, and is, directed towards the intentional (not mandated) carrying of a modern, perfectly functional and safe, handgun with a loaded magazine and an empty chamber, i.e. condition 3 carry. This with the intent of education not criticism. Hey, it’s a free country (for the time being),
YOU carry YOUR gun how YOU wish.” Additionally, I personally have nothing against (
or for) the Israel Defense Forces pistol operation and shooting methodologies…for them and in their country. More on this to come.
Please take note of some important factors regarding the Israeli system/method/technique of pistol shooting and/or the practice of intentionally carrying your handgun with an empty chamber, i.e. condition 3 or so-called Israeli carry. These are as follows and, as usual, in no particular order:
My first point is, we’re well into the 21st century, why is carrying with an empty chamber even a consideration for armed citizens? I feel there are a few reasons (in no particular order). There are people who feel they need a gun, know virtually nothing about guns or shooting (and don’t want to admit it), get sold the latest & greatest auto-loading pistol, and don’t want to take any, even elementary, training. Ergo, they feel safe simply because they have a gun, albeit it’s an unloaded one because they’re somewhat ignorant and afraid of it. There’s also the Hollywood influence to deal with. How many times have we all seen in a movie or TV show, our hero about to go into deadly action, melodramatically drawing his or her weapon and jackin’ one into the chamber? This usually accompanied by equally melodramatic music and the overemphasis of the sound of the slide being racked. Sadly Hollywood has a huge influence, usually a negative one, on the firearms community. There are people out there who think they’re firearms wise based upon all the Hollywood action films they’ve see. Lest we forget the Israelophiles who believe that if the IDF/Mossad does it, it just has to be the absolute bestest, so that’s the way they’re going to do it as well. There’s more, but you get the idea. I’ve seen many people like them and, I’m ashamed to admit, have known several people like them as well and they’re a hard lot to reprogram. Of course, there are also the folks who, despite the fact that they are somewhat educated on their pistol and its usage, are still rather uncomfortable with their pistol having a loaded chamber.1 As an example, I had a dear friend whose only handgun experience was in the Army in the early ’80s. They taught empty chambers only. These people can generally be reached easier and shown that a loaded chamber can be safe and work for them.
Why the Israelis do it. It must be remembered that the then Palestinians (Jews and Arabs) were essentially under British rule from 1918 to 1948. That’s 30-years of British influence. Many Palestinian Jews (and some Arabs) served in, and saw combat with, the British military to include the army, RAF, RN, commando, and special operations units. The Palestinian Jewish veterans formed the backbone of, and training cadre for, the future Israeli Defense Forces. With that stated and to the best of my knowledge, not being a nation of handgunners, the British services all warranted empty chamber carry for automatic pistols. Thus, the seed was sown.
Furthermore, the IDF, especially so in the early years of their nation, had many varied types of handguns and many varied types of people (who spoke many varied languages) to train and train very quickly. Since the vast majority of these people hand little to no firearms experience, the simplest, fastest, and safest, method was the loaded magazine/empty chamber method. It made sense. In the main, this worked out well for them and they stuck with it.
The Israeli technique of pistol shooting, once developed, was and is based primarily upon military necessities and applications, certainly not what we might call armed citizen requirements. Even a cursory glance at their methods indicates this is so.
Overall,
the Israeli method, from what I know of it, does not adapt itself well to positions other than standing.
2 Even when taking into account only the empty chamber carry aspect of the system, which is really the point that concerns me most, I consider it exceedingly awkward, tedious, and precarious, from non-standing positions. You can easily see for yourself. Following all the rules of
Safety With Dry-Fire Practice, and whenever it is completely safe and discreet to do so, experiment with drawing and operating the slide from the various positions you usually hold during the day. Seated in your car (
imaging being carjacked and having to chamber a round), from your favorite chair or sofa, while in bed (
from wherever you normally keep it while asleep), cooking in your kitchen, while using the lavatory
(hey, it can happen), if you are a parent, with a small child in your arm (
it’s a possibility and something I actually planned for in my day), and so on and so forth. See how well this works out. Note, you may want to use training rounds (
not live ammo!) to see if you successfully chambered a round during these experiments.
It is worth noting that the Israeli or IDF system of pistol shooting and the simple carrying of one’s pistol with the chamber empty (condition 3) have nothing in common except the the empty chamber. The former is their complete method of instruction; an empty chamber is usually, but not always, indicated. In the latter, it’s simply a mode some people use of pistol readiness or carry.
In so far as civilian/armed citizen (to include police and security personnel) applications are concerned, I feel the practice of intentional empty chamber carry should be highly discouraged and frowned upon. This through insight and instruction, not through indignation.
For those who partake in empty chamber carry out of fear of an unintentional discharge, I strongly recommend some personal experimentation. Carry the pistol, around your home, as it should be carried yet with an empty chamber. Do this for a week or so and see it the gun has “discharged” itself.3 If it has not discharged, this should prove to you that the pistol is safe to carry with a round in the chamber.
At this time I feel it’s appropriate to address the so-called drop-safe question. After reading the preceding paragraph, undoubtedly someone will think the experiment doesn’t test a weapon’s drop-safeness. Of course it doesn’t and the reason should be apparent. Personally, and at the risk of being lambasted (which I have seen happen on various social media), I will say that I feel the entire drop-safe concern is legitimate yet overly inflated.4 Certainly so with modern firearms. That being said, in order to be concise, I will state my opinions, omitting numerous explanations, and let the reader decide for themselves. Alternatively, we can discuss it in the commentary like mature adults. First, “not drop-safe” does not mean that the firearm will automatically discharge when dropped. All it means is the potential is there, to a greater or lesser extent, depending upon the arms design. To the best of my understanding, for a firearm to be truly drop-safe, a positive mechanical firing pin lock of some sort is required. As long as the firing pin can move, spring notwithstanding, it is not absolutely drop-safe. Therefore, most firearms are technically not drop-safe. Second, the main reason many firearms, mainly long-guns, are carried in C3 isn’t necessarily that they’re not drop-safe. There are several other legitimate considerations, which I am not going to go into at this time. When combat seems even remotely likely, chambers are loaded and safeties applied on these weapons. Suffice it to say that, depending upon YOUR pistol’s design, it not being drop-safe should not be the only reason you decide upon carrying it unloaded.
Objections to the empty chamber. Perhaps my greatest personal objection to C3 carry is that it takes both hands to get the weapon into action. Is it necessary for me to further explain the potential here? A close second objection is that it adds another step to the process. Under the extreme stress of an armed confrontation, the last thing one needs is to have to load their pistol. This assuming you remember that you have to load it. What could possibly go wrong? Another concern is speed. Adding the loading step is going to slow you down. It may not be by much, nevertheless it will slow you down. Lastly, by their very nature, handguns are typically viewed as defensive weapons, certainly so for an armed citizen. To defend oneself, one must be attacked, or perceive an attack is imminent. Meaning that an armed citizen is usually behind the curve, they’re re-acting. Therefore a handgun must be ready for immediate use. An empty pistol is far from ready for immediate usage. Enough said.
There’s also the age/health factor to acknowledge. When I was a younger man, I briefly experimented with empty chamber carry mainly out of curiosity, to see how it worked and to learn the nuances of drawing and chambering. I do not recall actually carrying in C3 at any time. This was not a technique for me as I had already proven to myself. Well, now that I’m older I am very glad I did not adopt this as a practice. I have a few “senior health issues”. Two of which are Dupuytren's contracture and a touch of arthritis in both hands, my left is the worse affected. While I can still manipulate a slide, I certainly cannot do it with any significant speed and subsequent reliability. The age/health factor should be considered whenever one decides to adopt or maintain a particular methodology. This is certainly so for firearm’s usage. Guns are the Great Equalizers for seniors and the physically weak or impaired. Therefore, C3 carry alone, and certainly the Israeli/IDF system of shooting, is not geared towards any but the younger and more physically fit amongst us.
The essence. From my perspective, the crux of the matter is whether, through education and training, you can overcome the apprehension of carrying with a round in the chamber. If you can, then by all means do so. If you simply cannot, I would suggest, if at all possible, obtaining a good double action revolver.5 If that is not an option, or you simply choose to carry this way for whatever reason, then the only other alternative is intensive and continuous training in drawing and racking the slide from various positions. If you insist upon, or are legally forced into, using this technique it must be perfected and become instinctual.
Notes:
1 There are people who will carry a modern (post WWII) double action revolver with an empty chamber under the hammer. A revolver’s version of C3 carry. I actually knew one police officer who carried his Chief’s Special, which had a hammer block, with an empty chamber under the hammer. That’s a sign of ignorance and is ridiculous. With many very old revolvers, and especially single actions, the empty chamber is the way to go. If you are uncertain of what you have, simply ask a competent gunsmith. They can tell you if it has a hammer block or transfer bar safety mechanism.
2 Honestly, I don’t believe any system does adapt itself all that well to non-standing or awkward positions. I am uncertain if any instructors teach methods such as these. If they do, I suppose it would be farther down the road, in their advanced classes. This is why I’m an advocate of training yourself. You know your lifestyle, your daily routines, the most likely scenarios you’ll be in. You know your heath, your physical condition, the way your body moves best. No one knows you better than you do. You have to think and do for yourself. You have to use your logic and common sense. Not everything can be taught in a classroom or range.
3 This is easier to determine with certain types of pistol actions than with others. Prior to continuing I feel compelled to state that you must always observe all the safety rules whenever handling any firearm or ammunition. If you do not know what you are doing, don’t be ashamed, ask someone who does, such as a certified gunsmith or instructor. With that in mind, one certain way to determine if your pistol unintentionally discharged is to use a completely empty case, no bullet or powder, but with a live primer. If the pistol fires, you may hear the primer go off (maybe not, they’re not that loud). Nonetheless, upon visual inspection, you will see the firing pin indent. To obtain a primed case you can either pull the bullet and dump the powder from a live round or, if you or a friend handloads, just prime an empty case. Another option is to securely place a piece of mashing tape over the primer area of a spent case or snap-cap. You should be able to tell whether the firing pin has struck the tape or not.
4 A dropped firearm may be an accident, however it is also negligence on the shooters part. It’s improper gun handling. The vast majority of unintentional discharges are shooter caused, i.e. negligent discharges. Simply put, just as over-penetration isn’t the main concern, it’s the shooter missing the target that is. The firearm being legitimately drop-safe is not the main concern, it’s the shooter dropping it that is. Maintain control of your firearm at all times.
5 Don’t underestimate the revolver. It’s detractors site the heavy double action trigger pull and it’s limited ammunition capacity as it’s main faults. The DA trigger can be easily mastered through safe and consistent dry-fire practice. Depending upon the revolver, there’s always the option of shooting single action. In so far as it’s limited capacity is concerned, that’s debatable. We’re talking a self-defense scenario here, not a SHTF, WROL, or TEOTWAWKI, type situation. Historically, five or six rounds is usually enough. If not, you can always reload. A speedloader should be on hand as a backup, and it's important to practice with it.
For additional commentary on this subject, I append the following threads:
I’m certain there’s more, nonetheless this is enough to give you the idea.
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Take care and stay safe,
Joe Doakes aka Kilogulf59
Integrated Close Combat Forum
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