Buck Yeager On Empty Chamber Carry

Also known as “Israeli carry”:

“That’s dangerous!”  Response: “I hope it is”

I have to say I 100% agree with Buck on this one.  If you want proof check out this video of a jewelry store robbery where the employee or owner didn’t have one in the chamber.

MrColionNoir also did a video on the topic a couple months ago.

I’m starting to think that shoulder roll is a integral part of his speedy draw…

Thoughts?


Comments

30 responses to “Buck Yeager On Empty Chamber Carry”

  1. Rickenbacker Avatar
    Rickenbacker

    The Swedish police supposedly mostly carry with an empty chamber. Then again, that’s the same police that fired 16 shots across a busy street at a fruit bowl this spring, so maybe it’d be better if they didn’t have guns.

  2. He brought up an interesting point about the “confidence” thing. I’ve got a Sig P220 and while I can’t carry in the state I live in, I wouldn’t feel comfortable carrying it loaded because it lacks any kind of safety and is simply double action. I suppose if I ever moved to a state where I could carry, I’d have to get a pistol I felt I could carry with a round chambered…

    1. 2Wheels Avatar

      The “safety” on a Sig is the long double action trigger pull, combined with a proper holster.

      Ain’t nothing gonna pull that long and heavy DA trigger all the way back when it’s sitting in a holster, you’d have to concoct some crazy fantasy scenario for that to happen.

    2. NikonMikon Avatar
      NikonMikon

      That’s why you get a holster that covers the trigger guard entirely (protip: most do)

  3. Yeager fail. My brother served in the Israeli Special Forces. Want to guess how he carries?

    He’s also disturbingly fast on the draw/rack, almost as though he trained on that method constantly.

    On the other hand, I was taught to shoot by Army and Marine vets, and I always carry with one in the chamber, safety off, although that last part has to do with right-handed safeties and being left-handed.

    1. The whole issue of how the Israelis carry pistols is really a relic from the times where Israel was a newly formed state that didn’t have the funding to properly equip it’s military.

      As for why they might STILL do it, it is likely similar to why MARSOC is still using 1911-type pistols: Back in the day it was necessary, and it became an entrenched tradition.

  4. Even a blind squirrel can find a nut.

    1. Every once in awhile…

  5. pffff, if i can carry in condition butterscotch you high speed high drag operators can manage israeli

  6. 2Wheels Avatar

    Israeli carry displays, in most individuals, a lack of confidence in either themselves or their equipment.

    There really is no other way around it. Choose an action type that you feel the safest with (DA/SA, DAO, striker fired, SAO, whatever) and educate yourself as to the proper handling and operation of your handgun. Add a good holster+belt, and there’s no reason why you should ever “Israeli Carry”.

  7. Get a good holster. Have confidence in yourself and your firearm. Carry one in the chamber. End of story.

  8. SixtyForty Avatar
    SixtyForty

    The shoulder roll is Yeager just barely suppressing his body’s natural urge to kill.

    1. elephantrider Avatar
      elephantrider

      … or merely break someone’s back.

  9. Torontogosh Avatar
    Torontogosh

    I see this more than I would like. I know of CCW guys who get squirrely about chambered autos, but they have no problem carrying a revolver.

    I also think it is unfair to compare military tactics with those of armed citizens. What they have in logistics and equipment, they lose in individual training. A buddy of mine is an Air Force pilot who gets a one day course in the M9 every other year. It covers cleaning, shooting, malfunction drills, and that’s about it. Another buddy is Force Recon, and he is a straight up bad ass with a 1911 and M4, but he goes to 6 week shooting schools in addition to regular firearms training. Guess which one carries empty chamber when deployed ? So, while the Israeli’s have a competent military, their strategies and tactics may not be based solely on combat, but other dynamics like safety and response times.

    1. People often don’t seem to understand that tactics that military forces use are often not best suited to civilian use due to the countless differences in situations. They also seem to forget that outside specialist units very little attention is given to handguns in the military. The Israeli military used empty chamber carry due to a wide variety in handguns available and limited time to provide proper training in their use.

  10. librarian45 Avatar
    librarian45

    OMFG.
    Enough with the Isaeli carry.
    they only did that because they had a zillion second hand guns with questionable mechanics.
    I had nothing to do with combat effectiveness.
    It had everyhing to do with not trusting a 50 year old pistols rusty safety catch.

    as for all the guys who “know a guy in Israeli SF” i call shenanians. no one rolls into a situation where they KNOW they are going to shoot without a round in the chamber.

  11. Israeli carry makes sense….if you also happen to Mexican carry.

    1. I find it slows down my New York reloads too much

      1. Not to mention the Beirut unloads.

  12. Blah Blah Blah, color correct your video if you expect people to watch them. Attention to detail is a way of life.

    1. NikonMikon Avatar
      NikonMikon

      I did notice his white balance was a tad bit on the blue side but it’s not that big of a deal… geez

  13. Just the first 30 seconds or so where he’s rambling super fast about his shirt before the mandatory 3 sholder rolls gets me sick of this guy..then the “competence” comment when realistic people all know it’s training. Confidence requires training, anyone can be competent carrying and using a gun. He’s just angry at his life and has a bad superiority complex ever since he abandoned his buddies in Iraq…and yes, I know, he’ll break my back for saying this, yadda yadda yadda.

  14. personally i Israeli carry my Mexican carry duel deagles. I just rack them against each other and suckas know i mean biznez

  15. Only thing I would add is that cycling a round into the chamber adds the very real chance of a failure to feed to the start of a gunfight. If it happens, the fights going to be over before the person clears the failure.

  16. elephantrider Avatar
    elephantrider

    Does this guy own anything other than size Exrta Smedium t-shirts?

  17. I think he makes a solid and valid point about the time you waste racking your gun in the eventuality of a gunfight. This is questionable, of course, you can rack it while taking cover, and THEN shoot back… blablabla…
    You wanna carry, carry 100% ready.

  18. Crunkleross Avatar
    Crunkleross

    I beat my dead horses with a round in the chamber.

  19. elephantrider Avatar
    elephantrider

    The thing that no one seems to mention is what is illustrated in the video that ENDO Mike linked to. Not only does it take time to chamber a round, but you may not ever get a round chambered. You have put yourself in a situation where you need to work the gun just to get that first round off. Who is to say that a round will even chamber on the first try. How many of you do press checks after loading a pistol for carry? I hope most if not all of you. There is a reason for that, which is that a round does not always chamber on the first try no matter how well practiced you are.

    In the video the guy was desperately trying to get a round in his gun under stress. Who knows why it wouldn’t chamber, bad gun, lack of practice, bad ammo, adreneline preventing him from working his gun properly? He was just left with a small club, and that was taken away from him.

    Why go into a situation with a non-functioning weapon?

  20. I found the Mythbusters episode (S10 E11) never bring a knife to a gunfight to be well done. But it always bothered me that Adam would rack his gun after drawing it. I was unaware carrying without a round chambered was actually common practice. It seems so…impractical. It’d be like only putting gas in your car when you know you are ready to go someplace.

    1. NikonMikon Avatar
      NikonMikon

      To take it even further, it would be like not having any oil in your engine, brake fluid, transmission fluid, air in your tires etc until you have to go somewhere. The difference (to those who are a proponent of cond. 3) is that your car can’t accidentally run you over. lol