[M Yaworski]

Killed 100 chickens, and the owner's son Puppy.

Who names their kid "Puppy"?

 

[jjfitch]

I'm pretty late to this conversation, but my primary reason for press checks is when the chamber is SUPPOSED to be empty for dry fire. Not saying I don't sometimes press-check to ensure it's loaded, but even if I just unloaded my gun, I always check the chamber before dropping hammer to make sure that it's an empty chamber. This is mostly about building habits. When I'm completely awake and feeling great, I'm confident I won't make a mistake and drop hammer on a live chamber. But for those days when I'm running on 2 hours of sleep and I have a cold, I don't want my brain to even register the option of dry-firing without first checking the chamber. Or of putting an "empty" gun into storage without checking.

"Press check" is not intended to check for an empty firearm prior to making it safe!

To insure that a firearm is safe requires visual inspection and tactile verification by inserting a finger into the chamber.

"Press check" is an administrative task meant io insure a firearm is in fact loaded and ready for it's intended purpose!

Smiles,

 

[jjfitch]

And nobody laughs!

Which is also when the gut-bustin' laughter starts. :laugh: :grin:

The one time Robby Leatham dicked-up a run on the start buzzer like that ... well, they still haven't let the poor guy live it down!

Happened back in the mid-'90s as I recall.

I've shot with R/L enough times to know he can start every stage with and empty firearm and still win matches! And nobody laughs! 's

 

[Glorfindel]

"Press check" is not intended to check for an empty firearm prior to making it safe!

To insure that a firearm is safe requires visual inspection and tactile verification by inserting a finger into the chamber.

"Press check" is an administrative task meant io insure a firearm is in fact loaded and ready for it's intended purpose!

Smiles,

I think we have a terminology difference here. No biggie. Regarding "making it safe," I can see where the confusion would come from - my original post didn't make it clear that I'm talking about weapons that are already "made safe," "ensured safe," "verified safe and empty" or whatever term one may use. Basically it's a personal OCD habit of mine to do one last chamber check before dry-firing or storing just in case I had a brain fart and missed a step. It's an extra step I add, not something I use in lieu of proper safety checks. Given how often I dry fire, often in front of an audience, it's worth building the habit to guard against fuzzy-brain syndrome.

 

[wrmiller]

"and tactile verification by inserting a finger into the chamber"

Sorry, but some of us don't need to shove a finger in a chamber to see if it's empty. I've certainly never done it. Never will either.

 

[jjfitch]

Sorry, but some of us don't need to shove a finger in a chamber to see if it's empty. I've certainly never done it. Never will either.

As an instructor, the level of new shooters today seen in entry level training will change your mind!

Smiles,

 

[flight567]

I will say that I have used my finger to tactilely check my chamber. My process is usually two racks, a visual 3 point inspection, and a repeat inspection, but in the dark I will frequently use my finger to check my work. Sometimes I even go so far as to check it with a chamber flag.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Uncle Bob]

As an instructor, the level of new shooters today seen in entry level training will change your mind!

Smiles,

Nope, they were just as bad back in the day. Problem I see today is the need for instant gratification instead of investing the time and effort.

 

[wrmiller]

Nope, they were just as bad back in the day. Problem I see today is the need for instant gratification instead of investing the time and effort.

I was a rifle/pistol instructor for a time in the Corps. Had some good students, and some bad. But unfortunately I wasn't allowed to shoot the really bad ones.

Many of my best students were WMs (Women Marines).

 

[OldCuz]

Sometimes I'll check to make sure that it's loaded when I'm out. I already know that it is but I guess I'm ocd.
But when I believe that it's empty or expect it to be I'll press check several times. Sometimes I'll even lock back the slide. This is usually when I have several guns out for whatever reason. Cleaning or whatever.

 

[UBOATDOC]

Sorry, but some of us don't need to shove a finger in a chamber to see if it's empty. I've certainly never done it. Never will either.

Best to not shove a finger anywhere......a gentle caress and probing perhaps. I do not recall doing finger sweeps of firearm chambers. With gloved fingers, have swept airways of human beings more than once having to do blind intubations, but that is about it. Like my favorite women, my 1911's get a gentle inspection even when press checking....and yes indeed, from underneath the muzzle.

 

[M Yaworski]

Do what you need to do to make sure your firearm is unloaded. If you want to stick a finger into the chamber, do that. If looking is good enough. I'm not high speed nor low drag but I've been doing this for more than four decades, I cycle the action three times and then peek into the chamber to make sure that it's unloaded. After loading, I press check to make sure that a round went in.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Best to not shove a finger anywhere......a gentle caress and probing perhaps. I do not recall doing finger sweeps of firearm chambers. With gloved fingers, have swept airways of human beings more than once having to do blind intubations, but that is about it. Like my favorite women, my 1911's get a gentle inspection even when press checking....and yes indeed, from underneath the muzzle.

Only good reason for skilled shooters to actually use a finger to confirm a round in the chamber is low light or no light situations.

I' not saying someone shouldn't do it, but it's something I only do for a specific reason. And yes we've shot low light, no light and strobe light situations (practice).

 

[M Yaworski]

. .

 

[M Yaworski]

Problem I see today is the need for instant gratification instead of investing the time and effort.

That's the big reason that bullseye is dying. It takes too long to get anywhere near good. Action shooting has big targets, short distances, and liberal scoring. Pins and plates have the gratification of seeing things fall so the novice forgets about all the misses.

 

[Uncle Bob]

That's the big reason that bullseye is dying. It takes too long to get anywhere near good. Action shooting has big targets, short distances, and liberal scoring. Pins and plates have the gratification of seeing things fall so the novice forgets about all the misses.

Actually I've been watching the decline in people shooting matches all across the board. It takes work and effort to be even a "decent" shooter at matches from "action pistol" to several kinds of rifle shooting. Trick is, a lot of people don't want to work at it.

Not just instant gratification, they've been raised to get awards for showing up in class... you really think those kind of people are going to work at a skill set?

 

[Adam13]

You can do a chamber check in an ar15. You don't see it in movies but people do it.

*edit* You can also do a chamber check on a Tac 338 or any other common bolt gun. Not so much on a minigun.

Not really “press check” but...
We checked M4s all the time in USMC. Charging handle back ( not all the way)

Or by way of the magazine.

1) Full magazine has top round at the right.
2) load mag and charge
3) eject mag and top round should be on left.

The round didn’t disappear.. it’s chambered.

 

[Glorfindel]

That's the big reason that bullseye is dying. It takes too long to get anywhere near good. Action shooting has big targets, short distances, and liberal scoring. Pins and plates have the gratification of seeing things fall so the novice forgets about all the misses.

I agree the gratification thing probably has something to do with it. I also think the "practical application" aspect is something that feeds any kind of action shooting, whether it be IPSC, USPSA, etc. And of course it looks and feels "cooler" than bullseye.

 

[M Yaworski]

Not just instant gratification, they've been raised to get awards for showing up in class... you really think those kind of people are going to work at a skill set?

They work really hard to master video games.

 

[M Yaworski]

And of course it looks and feels "cooler" than bullseye.

Yep, bullseye is like golf or chess to watch.