I never press check, it seems silly to me when most of my pistols have ways to see a bit of the chambered round. Good info sir, your videos are always well thought out and easy to "get" . I do however like front serrations for the aesthetics except on 1911s.
Compulsion, fad, cosplaying what they believe a "real warrior" does. Many of the folks so enamored of the press check don't even take a good look at the status of the chamber they're just parroting the motions. As always, opinions vary.
First person on youtube I've seen done this. Thank you! This is the same method I use and cannot understand why people press check when all you have to do is turn your pistol and look at the visual indication! Keep it simple
Thank you for the video. This was actually educational. All I'd found before this on the topic was people calling each other lovely names for disagreeing, and not actually explaining the pros/cons of press checking. Your video was thorough and respectful to both schools of thought, and did a great job explaining the processes involved.
I've been doing that with my Beretta Pico .380 since I first got it. If I could see brass in that little slot after I chambered a round, I knew the round was truly chambered. I also smile when you use the slide release lever on some of those guns, knowing it will send some viewers into an apoplectic fit.
Great video. I always like to hear from people who have a well thought out rationale even if it's not my preference. I don't avoid press checks altogether, but I make sure they're rare. For me, every once in a while I get distracted, and that's when they may be useful. Moreover, I like practicing press checks for the rare situation I need to do one (to make sure I get a good purchase on all the different handguns I own), but I do this while dry practicing and the pistol is unloaded. Generally speaking, however, I try to fully lock back the slide while dry practicing (when I'm actually checking the chamber and not just practicing), and I do this repeatedly throughout my session (always consciously looking for an empty chamber to make sure its unloaded even when I just did it). Of course press checks are never part of my unloading process, they're just part of my dry practice or that rare occasion when I somehow get distracted while loading my weapon (to in ensure I charged it).
I agree with you and I do the exact same thing except I skip watching it go up into the chamber. I haven’t found a gun yet where you couldn’t get a glimpse of a loaded round in the chamber. Never understood press checking. The only thing front serrations are good for is it’s faster to reload the gun using those from a table start in competition.
This is due to the fact that you’re not ejecting the mag beforehand.I was trained to always eject the magazine,put it between my pinky and ring finger,press check,hammer fist the back of the slide to ensure battery,send home the magazine and holster safely.Taught this way in Special Forces,and I learned from the best SF operators in the world.All our instructors were former CAG guys who aged out.
Sorry, I don’t agree with your point about the extractor. The extractor only starts to kick the round out when the rear of the case starts to make contact with the ejector. You could argue that the extractor is under tension and could technically start pulling the round outwards, but the round stays on a straight plane as long as majority of the case is still in the chamber, thus countering the possibility of ejection. I was taught to press check “Hollywood” over the top style in the military, and it works for me every time. I pull the slide back about 5mm every time, and have never had a single problem. Might not work for everyone.
I see your point. The extractor doesn't ever kick the round out, the ejector does. Some guns have ejectors that begin that side-loaded pressure very early and I've actually seen people get sloppy and induce a malfunction this way when trying to press check. On my Beretta 92 guns, I can pull back a good distance without worrying about it but on some other guns it happens fairly early in the stroke. Either wait the chief point was that the possibility exists if you get a little to zealous working the slide and in my opinion there are easier ways to verify a loaded chamber without running that risk at all. I've seen people who not only visually verify but put a finger on the round and feel for it. In these cases, the chamber must be opened to a greater degree which is where these issues may be more obvious.
@@jhelmsing yup. I literally did a search for "press check" to see if I'm the only one who relies on a brass visual - to see what all the noise was about. The first video simply showed a dozen different ways to press check a hot rod G19 and the second video was yours. Refreshing all the way through. I'm now a new subscriber. I can confirm that you can add the P365 to your list. Both a nice witness hole up top and a gap on the side. That's all I need. Usually I know exactly which guns are loaded and with exactly how many rounds since I don't like to keep my bedside guns fully loaded for more than a week, I'll empty, let the spring relax for a month while I rotate through three other guns, weekly. I have a system and when you develop good habits around that system, mostly good things can happen. (Sorry to hear about your DQ. I did the same thing in a tactical class a month ago that I completely missed but the instructor didn't.) Side note, the only exception to my spring relax program is with my Glocks. I have a Gen 2.5 G27 (yup, they made it for a few months in the 90s) that has three mags loaded to the top for almost 25 years and the mags still function like new. They have about the same tension as a six months old HK VP9 magazines that had been kept loaded to break in the springs. Who would have guessed that the plastic mags we l that freaked us out back in the 90s would turn out to be the most reliable. Good info. Thanks for your time and your service.
Interesting topic. I've got visual and tactile loaded chamber indicators on my Springfield XD Mod.2 sc, so I'm with you. Perhaps the press check is the 6-gun spin of the 21st century? If nothing else, I certainly now understand why you have more magazines than Gun Mag Warehouse. Nice job and thank you for your service!
J Helmsing, where did you have your laser engraving on the top of that Sigs' slide done? Shopping around for a quality engraver for my P30L. Decent prices? Is it just somewhat customizable flash, or full custom? I used to have an old artist that did fantastic work on my S&W .44mag, but sadly passed. He was a legend, in my book, but since then, looking for another. Thx.
I’ve never preformed press checks using the slide, I’ve always just looked inside (like you’re doing) or relied on the slide notch (CZ PCR or Sig P320x) Been doing it this for years, worked so far.
I noticed the 509 has the new apex trigger in it. Did you install it yourself? If so, was that pin in front of the trigger guard giving you any problems? Excellent video, thanks for uploading!
The front pin can be difficult, but I just placed my gun block on concrete and gave it a healthy wack with a stubby pilot pin and it came out without much of an issue. I think Apex released a video on removing that specific pin because I can be a pain.
I load one round in an empty magazine, insert the magazine and release the slide. Yuen simply remove the magazines down if the round loaded the magazine will be empty. Then seat fully loaded magazine and your good to go.
Interesting, you make very good points. I think that any safe method to do a chamber check is critical. I do do press checks, and if I do cause a malfunction (which I have not) I can always clear and redo.
Here's the issue I have with press checking in the Dogma that it is. Grant you a question do you do press checks whenever you do a combat reload AKA tactical reload or do you just do it when you start shooting or when you first holster the weapon? Because if you doing press text you need to do a press check every single time or else it's just theater. I don't do a press check I don't look at the chamber I don't do anything the gun makes a very distinct sound and feel when a round is chambered been shooting for 40 plus years have never had a single issue I don't unloaded my guns at night I simply take the holster off set it on my nightstand how wake up next day when I get ready put the gun back on.
RED S7VN Press checks, or chamber checks, are administrative by definition. They are done only in a non-threat situation. You are either unloading, or loading your pistol administratively. Prepping the gun for possible action. It is not only “theater”, but it is a guarantee that your gun is in the condition it needs to be in for any future action. By “listening” to the gun to determine if a round went into the chamber, you are just doing a chamber check of sorts - just a much less reliable one...
@@ephrammaker3153 I have to disagree on your point that by sound and feel is unreliable. It has been one hundred percent reliable for me and everyone I know that does the same. I can be blindfolded and given a firearm in simply load the weapon and I will tell you whether or not it was properly loaded or not. I'm not trying to be some kind of tacticool fool or boastful but proving a point it is very easy to determine dropping the slide on an empty chamber makes a very distinct sound and feel wow dropping the slide and a round is chambered also has a very distinct sound and feel. You yourself just proved my point in that you say press checks and Hammer checks which there is no such thing as a hammer check because if you pull the slide to the rear and released it the hammer goes to the rear and if you have a Striker Fired weapon or a hammerless firearm than it is impossible cuz it is internal but back to my point you proved it when you said that they were administrative that you don't do them in a "tactical" environment. If they aren't conducted in a tactical environment than they are pointless to a certain extent. Unfortunately too many people mimic what they see and take his gospel what some people they perceive as experts and they do this and it is theater that's all it is. You get guys that mostly do this that shoot competitively. And I get it you want to make sure everything is perfect and everybody's got their little ticks did they do just before they do something if you watch these guys that shoot 3 gun or USPSA you'll see all the little ticks they go through pulling their house or the same way every time checking their mags pulling their pistol out press checking it three times and then putting it back in the holster filling their holster again checking the mags. This is all done is habit and I understand why because they are competing against the clock and this is their livelihood. But as someone who retired for the military and SOF and as 14 years of law enforcement experience I can honestly tell you I've never press check the weapon or witnessed anyone in my company do it other than at the range of people I did not know.
RED S7VN really don’t know what you mean by “hammer check”. Actually, I am AD Navy, train and have trained with Law Enforcement and other military Special Forces, to include prior SEAL and DELTA trainers, and none have very said “listen to your gun to see it it is chambered.” None have ever said doing a press check is not useful or should not be done. Don’t know how you were trained, but you may wish to update your training...
I’ve always viewed press checks as some tacti-cool thing that somebody did and everybody decided to follow. You never really heard about press checks much until a few years ago. Also, I always think that the excuse of “the gun went off while I was cleaning it” is a cover for “I was actually being stupid and not following gun safety rules, the gun went off and I need an excuse to explain what happened”...that could just be me, though. All I do when loading my pistol is load a full mag, rack the slide to load a round, pull the mag and top it off with another round. If I can load another round into the mag, the missing round MUST be chambered.
Some good points and info. Every time I have done a press check there's a little bit of my brain that's like "wonder if the extractor is still seated right on the case? Nah it should be fine". I think I'll be going with your method from now on.
I concur entirely. I hear everyone saying how they need front serrations for press checks and even chambering rounds faster, but I have yet to take a class where that’s employed. It seems like poor habits to commit to muscle memory. Safety, especially under stress just doesn’t jive with dinking around with the muzzle end to me. Stay safe.
Let me preface by saying I’m new to guns so I hope this is not a stupid question. What I saw in this video makes sense to me when confirming if a round loaded properly. My question is would the same logic apply for ensuring a barrel is empty? Seems to me like this method is great for ensuring proper loading but a press check would be great for ensuring a properly unloaded barrel. Thanks for your help.
I agree that press checks are frivolous and add to the percentage chance that you're going to add a malfunction - I don't do them. Not only do most modern guns have a loaded chamber 'gap' where you can see your round in the chamber, your extractor on your glock (and looks like your sig as well) stand out proud and wider than the slide itself and give you a tactile loaded chamber indicator too. That said... I love and use front serrations on all my guns for slide manipulation. This is might be due the fact that I usually have wide, sharp, pokey rear target sights on most of my competition gun though. I think it's faster but also because running the front serrations on 'unload and show clear' keeps my muzzle down range vs more up angle and I'm trying to keep my muzzle from pointing over the berm..
Good insightful video. I agree with you regarding press checking. I follow the same loading procedure each time so I know what state my gun is in when holstered. I always have a chambered round and full magazine. I always start my range time with my carry ammo in the state I carry it as I want to rotate my carry ammo anyway. Then finish my range time with FMJ stuff. Then reload following the same process and holster my gun. Then stopping at my local gun shop on the way home, pick up a fresh box of carry ammo then home to unload and clean the gun. Then, the same reload procedure with the clean gun and holster until I hit the range next week. Because I dry fire frequently between range times, I have to follow the same unload process and reload with Snap Caps to dry fire drills. Then when done, unload Snap Caps and reload with my carry ammo. Each time follow a slow methodical process of reloading and holster the gun knowing the state the gun is in each time.
why not just learn to touch the EJECTOR feel it, learn it, know it. each of the guns you showed has an ejector that raises aka LOADED ROUND INDICATOR, I could use some analogy but raised it is loaded depressed NOT. can be done 100% dark, rain, snow, desert etc. it never fails. (1911 has none nor can you shine a light on a tight barrel)
Thats an excellent way!! So much easier & simplified, esp. if no/low light. Never heard someone mention that way. I was just trying that out on my G17 & its beyond obvious how much you can "feel" the difference on the ejector. I also practice taking apart/putting together my pistols in the dark, just in case so this is a major addition to that (obviously before hand I was clearing pistol first). Thanks again.
Also, words sometimes help me (my ruger safety off was red, so red is dead in my mind). With this ejector I will think, low is NO & High means ready to FLY!!
@@firearmsinfilm561 Ok you must be real OLD schools like myself, served when 1911 were in use, I was in before there was a Delta, but guess back then memory and round counting was a must have! Yes this is before Winders or Smart phones, where memory meant you remembered sumptin. LOL No not a readneck but just sounded better saying you should remember and only carry in condition 1. Holstered, loaded, chambered and hammer cocked. When in your hands always in a safe direction (for your team mates)
@@markdittell tell me about it! I love the 1911 platforms for the the nostalgia. Some folks run single-stack in the IDPA and to be fair, some of the newer ones have got the external extractors. I think obsessive press-checks are ridiculous. So there's that! It's all about preference. I do agree with this video, though. You can hear a difference when you let the slide fall and can see it run up the feed ramp.
My Glock 19 doesn’t have front slide serrations, I would never buy a Glock that had them, Navy seals say to not put hand near business end of gun...my Gen 4 I can look and see a round chambered. If I had to press check I’ll grab from back never front front that’s gay and tacticool crap
Outstanding video. Almost humorous how easy it is to tell if the weapon is loaded and yet people still insist on that unnecessary manipulation of a loaded firearm to do a press check. You have far more patience in explaining this to those press checkers then I ever could have. I would simply tell these people if they don't know the condition of their firearm without having to do that press check they probably shouldn't own it.
I appreciate this video. Although I DO press-check, I can see your points. I think the majority of "checkers" are those that have half a dozens of gadgets an gear hanging off their rigs, you know, the "tactic-cool" guys that think throwing money at the defense/hobby/sport will improve their status in some ways. Saw a LOT of that through the years. The smaller percentive of checkers is simply muscle-memory an/or training, which it is for me, an I feel more comfortable. Either way, whatever is SAFE, comfortable, an is muscle-memory (correctly), is the way to go for individuals. In no way would I endorse anything that wasn't comfortable for the shooter, as long as their preferred method is safe. Thanks again.
I agree. I don't do press checks either. You are not going to be thinking about press checking before you clear a room or when shit hits the fan. Also most guns do have a loaded indicator. Like the Shield. It has a hole on the top and you can see the cartridge. Same wit the VP9. With my Glock I can already see the cartridge in the chamber to. Nothing against press checkers. I just don't do it.
I don't usually comment on slide pistol vids..hell I rarely comment on gun vids at all, but I do agree this is a good alternative method to a press check from the looks of things. I'm kinda wimpy strength wise and the very few slide pistols I've used I couldn't pull the slide back without a whole lot of trouble..I have a cousin with the same issue but he still carries a small slide pistol for safety, me? On top of the strength issue I have with slide guns I have a love of the old west I got from my family as we all used to watch westerns when I was growing up..some more than others, but due to these two factors my go to guns of choice are revolvers, I'm also proponent of the cowboy load even with a transfer safety bar..I'd rather know for sure it's not gonna go off on accident. If I were to ever seriously consider a slide pistol like a Glock I'd probably use this method since I already have enough trouble with the slide.
I agree with you. Some of the “Hollywood Press-Checks, appears bogus because with hammer guns there’s too much spring to overcome, recoil plus hammer spring. I like your method better Thanks!
I agree. Routinely having your hand loiter around the business end of your pistol is a good way to shoot yourself in the hand. If you must press check (w/o attached light) try to come in from the underside of your pistol's dustcover/rail, go no further forward of the trigger guard than necessary and "pinch" press the weapon. Or don't, I hate to see people hurting themselves and potentially others by being foolish but, it's not my hand and it's not my choice.
I agree completely. That said, we must be congnisant that ND's or ignorant gun owners doing silly / dangerous things in general only serves as an additional fodder by those attempting to dismantle the 2A as the incidents are cited by gunophobes who already believe guns will magically come to life and kill / injure people.
Please, continue. I've done it this way for quite a while and I've never once been wrong about the chamber status of my weapon. Curious to hear how I could improve my method.
I was focusing on the comment most weapons. I get it, you know what works for you, and your weapon. I would say what you’re demonstrating is a modified press check. You’re still checking the status of your firearm.
I guess I'm confused. This is not a tutorial, I simply clarified why I don't press check and use other means to verify a loaded chamber. I made a comment once about not press checking in a video and the keyboard tacticians lost their minds. Secondly, if it works (there are multiple fail-safes in this method) I don't know why it shouldn't be replicated other than just standard fare institutional inbreeding. In reality, there is statistically much higher chance of shooting yourself doing administrative tasks than having a chamber status kill you in an actual gunfight. I'd argue this is especially relevant for new shooters. I don't devalue those that want to go through the full theatrics of press checks, but it is not the method I use to verify a loaded chamber. There are several methods to skin a cat, and this is a method I picked up from some fairly serious pipe hitters who also don't press check. You are correct in that I absolutely verify my weapon status and I hope this video doesn't come off in the regard that I believe anyone should skip that process.
@@dachiefofficial I see what you're saying. Disregard my last comment as I wrote it before you clarified. Yes, there are some that this method doesn't work well with.
J Helmsing I agree with the press checks at the range, that’s a bad habit most observed online , but pulling it from the safe if you haven’t handled it for awhile would be a great time to press check it
Lol dont worry, if you said you liked press checks, you would have gotten just as many negative comments. The things people get bent out of shape about.
INformative explanation. Thanks for not being condescending. I would like to point out that seeing the "glint" is fine for you "young eyes guys" ... but us older folk with less perfect vision feel more comfortable with a bit more to look at. I think I will stick with "press check" exposing a little more brass.
Great topic. I’ve been saying the same all alone. Press checks are nonsense, just eyeball the round in the chamber unless you really can’t see it. Even then it’s kinda stupid to do it for all the reasons mentioned in this video. I have a P320 and it’s as clear as day to see.
I'm not a fan of press checks either. I will take an empty mag and load one round into it. Chamber that round and take the empty mag out. If the mag is empty then you know that the round is in the chamber. Good to go and no press checks needed.
The press check is 1000% useless, it must have been invented by someone who isn't familiar and/or comfortable with handguns. Almost all carry/duty pistols have a loaded chamber indicator.
I don't agree. Press check is works. You need to be consistent in your training. Press check is consistent and done fast. Your method depends on the gun brand. If i pick up gun, i need to make sure, that it is loaded fast, even if i don't know that particular brand. Do i gonna be scientifically exploring a gun for a peek hole or something? No. Press check works. Every time, no matter SA, DA/SA, Striker. In my training i look for general method, that works every time, even with a gun that i don't know or never shot before, or just picked up during fight.
Do you really need to be making sure it's loaded fast? How many times are you picking up a random make of gun and using said scavenged gun to hunt down an enemy? Sounds like videogame theory unless you are preparing for WW3 guerilla street fighting, and even then I'd strongly advise against it. I know for sure on the guns that I carry daily where to get a witness hole. I don't fish around for it, and I don't press check in anything but an administrative setting (I.e. not the middle of a gunfight). If I get in a full out gun battle and go Winchester, I'm either going to grab the gun off a zombie corpse and start yanking the trigger / doing immediate action or I'm going to get my rear end out of there if I have time to even consider repurposing a gun. I'm not saying press checking isn't more universal, but I can't even begin to fathom a real life situation where I'd need to grab random weapon I found yet still have time or even desire to press check and/or top it off before reinserting myself in a gunbattle. If my situation is anywhere near that dire I'm either racking the gun and yanking the trigger or running away 🏃.
@@jhelmsing Well, i certainly don't want to get in the dispute how much likely it is i get into a street fight :-). It was just a example, but my point is, that the press check works on any gun, any time and you don't have to be familiar with it, which i see as benefiting me. If your method works for you, than i'm the last guy to be trying to talk to you out of using it and i respect it. Just wanted to say, i have my reasons (imho logical), that work for me. Anyway, thank you for the video, shoot straight, stay safe.
Walter Miner - bullshit. After you sleep and next handle your firearm you have no idea what has happened to it in between then especially if you don’t live alone. Plus, humans have a habit of forgetting things, you are no different.You show your ignorance and amateurish attitude and are therefore an irresponsible gun owner. Get some training. You are a bad example of a 2A representative.
5:44 for the method I use
THANK YOU! I’ve been saying this for years! If your gun doesn’t reliably load a round such that you need to check, get a new pistol.
I never press check, it seems silly to me when most of my pistols have ways to see a bit of the chambered round. Good info sir, your videos are always well thought out and easy to "get" . I do however like front serrations for the aesthetics except on 1911s.
If you aren't doing 5 press checks between rounds then you aren't Operator Certified Tacticool.
i verify my guns are hot by shining my light down the muzzle and looking at the chambered cartridge.
That is an interesting method.
@@jhelmsing i learned it in special ops
@@carl-ok9gn those sound like some very special ops.
@@jhelmsing those in the unit refer to it as speshal ops
That’s special alright.Special Needs.
I agree, it’s safer. I’ve seen videos of people press checking multiple times one after the other. I think they have a compulsion to do this.
Compulsion, fad, cosplaying what they believe a "real warrior" does. Many of the folks so enamored of the press check don't even take a good look at the status of the chamber they're just parroting the motions. As always, opinions vary.
First person on youtube I've seen done this. Thank you! This is the same method I use and cannot understand why people press check when all you have to do is turn your pistol and look at the visual indication! Keep it simple
Smart and safe practices always overcomes stupidity and negligence. Great topic , to educate is always a great and unselfish act .K
Thank you for the video. This was actually educational. All I'd found before this on the topic was people calling each other lovely names for disagreeing, and not actually explaining the pros/cons of press checking. Your video was thorough and respectful to both schools of thought, and did a great job explaining the processes involved.
This is the exact process I use. Loved the video and your well thought out explanation. 👏 👏 👏 well done
As always, great video! Love the APX hat, by the way... but especially the appearance of the PX4 at the end :)
This 100% has changed my method man works great thanks for this, my wife hates when I press check pistols lmao
Awesome 👊👍
I've been doing that with my Beretta Pico .380 since I first got it. If I could see brass in that little slot after I chambered a round, I knew the round was truly chambered. I also smile when you use the slide release lever on some of those guns, knowing it will send some viewers into an apoplectic fit.
You do a really good job explaining things. I hope you are an instructor at one of your jobs. Thanks
I was actually a teacher for 8 years, but I serve as an instructor on the LEO and military side of the house as well.
Glad I’m not the only one who checks load condition this way. So easy to see the cartridge rim from the side on Sigs.
Great video. I always like to hear from people who have a well thought out rationale even if it's not my preference. I don't avoid press checks altogether, but I make sure they're rare. For me, every once in a while I get distracted, and that's when they may be useful. Moreover, I like practicing press checks for the rare situation I need to do one (to make sure I get a good purchase on all the different handguns I own), but I do this while dry practicing and the pistol is unloaded. Generally speaking, however, I try to fully lock back the slide while dry practicing (when I'm actually checking the chamber and not just practicing), and I do this repeatedly throughout my session (always consciously looking for an empty chamber to make sure its unloaded even when I just did it). Of course press checks are never part of my unloading process, they're just part of my dry practice or that rare occasion when I somehow get distracted while loading my weapon (to in ensure I charged it).
Awesome points and a very valid process!
Well said, well thought out.
What if there is no light and you have no source of light on you?
Nice video and information . 👍
Good info man. Thanks for being in law enforcement.
I agree with you and I do the exact same thing except I skip watching it go up into the chamber. I haven’t found a gun yet where you couldn’t get a glimpse of a loaded round in the chamber. Never understood press checking. The only thing front serrations are good for is it’s faster to reload the gun using those from a table start in competition.
Whole time I shot in the military I never press check. Never heard of it until RUclips
This is due to the fact that you’re not ejecting the mag beforehand.I was trained to always eject the magazine,put it between my pinky and ring finger,press check,hammer fist the back of the slide to ensure battery,send home the magazine and holster safely.Taught this way in Special Forces,and I learned from the best SF operators in the world.All our instructors were former CAG guys who aged out.
Sorry, I don’t agree with your point about the extractor. The extractor only starts to kick the round out when the rear of the case starts to make contact with the ejector. You could argue that the extractor is under tension and could technically start pulling the round outwards, but the round stays on a straight plane as long as majority of the case is still in the chamber, thus countering the possibility of ejection. I was taught to press check “Hollywood” over the top style in the military, and it works for me every time. I pull the slide back about 5mm every time, and have never had a single problem. Might not work for everyone.
I see your point. The extractor doesn't ever kick the round out, the ejector does. Some guns have ejectors that begin that side-loaded pressure very early and I've actually seen people get sloppy and induce a malfunction this way when trying to press check. On my Beretta 92 guns, I can pull back a good distance without worrying about it but on some other guns it happens fairly early in the stroke. Either wait the chief point was that the possibility exists if you get a little to zealous working the slide and in my opinion there are easier ways to verify a loaded chamber without running that risk at all. I've seen people who not only visually verify but put a finger on the round and feel for it. In these cases, the chamber must be opened to a greater degree which is where these issues may be more obvious.
@@jhelmsing yup. I literally did a search for "press check" to see if I'm the only one who relies on a brass visual - to see what all the noise was about. The first video simply showed a dozen different ways to press check a hot rod G19 and the second video was yours. Refreshing all the way through. I'm now a new subscriber.
I can confirm that you can add the P365 to your list. Both a nice witness hole up top and a gap on the side. That's all I need.
Usually I know exactly which guns are loaded and with exactly how many rounds since I don't like to keep my bedside guns fully loaded for more than a week, I'll empty, let the spring relax for a month while I rotate through three other guns, weekly. I have a system and when you develop good habits around that system, mostly good things can happen. (Sorry to hear about your DQ. I did the same thing in a tactical class a month ago that I completely missed but the instructor didn't.)
Side note, the only exception to my spring relax program is with my Glocks. I have a Gen 2.5 G27 (yup, they made it for a few months in the 90s) that has three mags loaded to the top for almost 25 years and the mags still function like new. They have about the same tension as a six months old HK VP9 magazines that had been kept loaded to break in the springs. Who would have guessed that the plastic mags we l that freaked us out back in the 90s would turn out to be the most reliable.
Good info. Thanks for your time and your service.
@@bradbowhunts thank you, Sir.
Interesting topic. I've got visual and tactile loaded chamber indicators on my Springfield XD Mod.2 sc, so I'm with you. Perhaps the press check is the 6-gun spin of the 21st century? If nothing else, I certainly now understand why you have more magazines than Gun Mag Warehouse. Nice job and thank you for your service!
Good stuff! Thanks.
J Helmsing, where did you have your laser engraving on the top of that Sigs' slide done? Shopping around for a quality engraver for my P30L. Decent prices? Is it just somewhat customizable flash, or full custom?
I used to have an old artist that did fantastic work on my S&W .44mag, but sadly passed. He was a legend, in my book, but since then, looking for another.
Thx.
Most pistols you can even feel the difference between dropping on an empty chamber and it properly feeding.
I’ve never preformed press checks using the slide, I’ve always just looked inside (like you’re doing) or relied on the slide notch (CZ PCR or Sig P320x)
Been doing it this for years, worked so far.
Some may use front slide serrations for slide manipulation.
Older video, but great. Couldn’t agree more.
Love that gun in your hand look beautiful 😎👍
Front creations are good for clearing malfunctions or reloads when the pistol needs to be close to your body; against a wall, in a car.
I noticed the 509 has the new apex trigger in it. Did you install it yourself? If so, was that pin in front of the trigger guard giving you any problems?
Excellent video, thanks for uploading!
The front pin can be difficult, but I just placed my gun block on concrete and gave it a healthy wack with a stubby pilot pin and it came out without much of an issue. I think Apex released a video on removing that specific pin because I can be a pain.
I load one round in an empty magazine, insert the magazine and release the slide. Yuen simply remove the magazines down if the round loaded the magazine will be empty. Then seat fully loaded magazine and your good to go.
Why so complicated
@@jagerthedog4378 +1 capacity but agreed it’s a bit tedious
Ignore the Tactical Timmy's. :)
Interesting, you make very good points. I think that any safe method to do a chamber check is critical. I do do press checks, and if I do cause a malfunction (which I have not) I can always clear and redo.
Here's the issue I have with press checking in the Dogma that it is. Grant you a question do you do press checks whenever you do a combat reload AKA tactical reload or do you just do it when you start shooting or when you first holster the weapon? Because if you doing press text you need to do a press check every single time or else it's just theater. I don't do a press check I don't look at the chamber I don't do anything the gun makes a very distinct sound and feel when a round is chambered been shooting for 40 plus years have never had a single issue I don't unloaded my guns at night I simply take the holster off set it on my nightstand how wake up next day when I get ready put the gun back on.
RED S7VN Press checks, or chamber checks, are administrative by definition. They are done only in a non-threat situation. You are either unloading, or loading your pistol administratively. Prepping the gun for possible action. It is not only “theater”, but it is a guarantee that your gun is in the condition it needs to be in for any future action. By “listening” to the gun to determine if a round went into the chamber, you are just doing a chamber check of sorts - just a much less reliable one...
@@ephrammaker3153 I have to disagree on your point that by sound and feel is unreliable. It has been one hundred percent reliable for me and everyone I know that does the same. I can be blindfolded and given a firearm in simply load the weapon and I will tell you whether or not it was properly loaded or not. I'm not trying to be some kind of tacticool fool or boastful but proving a point it is very easy to determine dropping the slide on an empty chamber makes a very distinct sound and feel wow dropping the slide and a round is chambered also has a very distinct sound and feel. You yourself just proved my point in that you say press checks and Hammer checks which there is no such thing as a hammer check because if you pull the slide to the rear and released it the hammer goes to the rear and if you have a Striker Fired weapon or a hammerless firearm than it is impossible cuz it is internal but back to my point you proved it when you said that they were administrative that you don't do them in a "tactical" environment. If they aren't conducted in a tactical environment than they are pointless to a certain extent. Unfortunately too many people mimic what they see and take his gospel what some people they perceive as experts and they do this and it is theater that's all it is. You get guys that mostly do this that shoot competitively. And I get it you want to make sure everything is perfect and everybody's got their little ticks did they do just before they do something if you watch these guys that shoot 3 gun or USPSA you'll see all the little ticks they go through pulling their house or the same way every time checking their mags pulling their pistol out press checking it three times and then putting it back in the holster filling their holster again checking the mags. This is all done is habit and I understand why because they are competing against the clock and this is their livelihood. But as someone who retired for the military and SOF and as 14 years of law enforcement experience I can honestly tell you I've never press check the weapon or witnessed anyone in my company do it other than at the range of people I did not know.
RED S7VN really don’t know what you mean by “hammer check”. Actually, I am AD Navy, train and have trained with Law Enforcement and other military Special Forces, to include prior SEAL and DELTA trainers, and none have very said “listen to your gun to see it it is chambered.” None have ever said doing a press check is not useful or should not be done. Don’t know how you were trained, but you may wish to update your training...
I’ve always viewed press checks as some tacti-cool thing that somebody did and everybody decided to follow. You never really heard about press checks much until a few years ago. Also, I always think that the excuse of “the gun went off while I was cleaning it” is a cover for “I was actually being stupid and not following gun safety rules, the gun went off and I need an excuse to explain what happened”...that could just be me, though.
All I do when loading my pistol is load a full mag, rack the slide to load a round, pull the mag and top it off with another round. If I can load another round into the mag, the missing round MUST be chambered.
#truth
Why I don't press check? Because I have the presence of mind to know that I chambered a round.
Press checks are for movies, as a responsible gun owner you should always know when your gun is either loaded or unloaded.
Does ur dept issue the sig
Some good points and info. Every time I have done a press check there's a little bit of my brain that's like "wonder if the extractor is still seated right on the case? Nah it should be fine". I think I'll be going with your method from now on.
That’s a wonderful hat. Does the APX stand for Always Press Chexk. Lol
I'm not real sure. I got it from a goober at my LGS.
Goober?! No, that guy is legit
Not sure if we are talking about the same guy.
Lololololol
I unfortunately cannot see the gap on my Canik Mete SFT Pro..
Every Pistol i've ever fired has a way to determine if there is a round in the chamber or not. I've never seen a reason to do a press check.
The only thing front serrations are good for is dry-firing a striker fired gun.
This guy definitely does not like Springfield.
I wouldn't want to press check a P320 either 🤣
On my mp shield I can look on top of my shield and see the round
I’m gonna watch but my first thought is how is this going to be a 14 min video
Dude you don’t press check?have a nice time having your Kimber 1911 jamming on first bullet 👍
I press checked 8 times while watching this video
at least you have admitted you have a problem. next step is getting help.
just kidding! >> How can I press check my revolver?
I concur entirely. I hear everyone saying how they need front serrations for press checks and even chambering rounds faster, but I have yet to take a class where that’s employed. It seems like poor habits to commit to muscle memory. Safety, especially under stress just doesn’t jive with dinking around with the muzzle end to me. Stay safe.
Let me preface by saying I’m new to guns so I hope this is not a stupid question. What I saw in this video makes sense to me when confirming if a round loaded properly. My question is would the same logic apply for ensuring a barrel is empty? Seems to me like this method is great for ensuring proper loading but a press check would be great for ensuring a properly unloaded barrel. Thanks for your help.
Me too, I never press check. Obviously!
I agree that press checks are frivolous and add to the percentage chance that you're going to add a malfunction - I don't do them. Not only do most modern guns have a loaded chamber 'gap' where you can see your round in the chamber, your extractor on your glock (and looks like your sig as well) stand out proud and wider than the slide itself and give you a tactile loaded chamber indicator too. That said... I love and use front serrations on all my guns for slide manipulation. This is might be due the fact that I usually have wide, sharp, pokey rear target sights on most of my competition gun though. I think it's faster but also because running the front serrations on 'unload and show clear' keeps my muzzle down range vs more up angle and I'm trying to keep my muzzle from pointing over the berm..
Good insightful video. I agree with you regarding press checking. I follow the same loading procedure each time so I know what state my gun is in when holstered. I always have a chambered round and full magazine. I always start my range time with my carry ammo in the state I carry it as I want to rotate my carry ammo anyway. Then finish my range time with FMJ stuff. Then reload following the same process and holster my gun. Then stopping at my local gun shop on the way home, pick up a fresh box of carry ammo then home to unload and clean the gun. Then, the same reload procedure with the clean gun and holster until I hit the range next week. Because I dry fire frequently between range times, I have to follow the same unload process and reload with Snap Caps to dry fire drills. Then when done, unload Snap Caps and reload with my carry ammo. Each time follow a slow methodical process of reloading and holster the gun knowing the state the gun is in each time.
Sup bro 💪🏼
I love your movies, MaXX. Good Day Mate
Good day to you sir!
why not just learn to touch the EJECTOR feel it, learn it, know it. each of the guns you showed has an ejector that raises aka LOADED ROUND INDICATOR, I could use some analogy but raised it is loaded depressed NOT. can be done 100% dark, rain, snow, desert etc. it never fails. (1911 has none nor can you shine a light on a tight barrel)
Thats an excellent way!! So much easier & simplified, esp. if no/low light. Never heard someone mention that way. I was just trying that out on my G17 & its beyond obvious how much you can "feel" the difference on the ejector. I also practice taking apart/putting together my pistols in the dark, just in case so this is a major addition to that (obviously before hand I was clearing pistol first). Thanks again.
Also, words sometimes help me (my ruger safety off was red, so red is dead in my mind). With this ejector I will think, low is NO & High means ready to FLY!!
Unless it doesn't have an external extractor
@@firearmsinfilm561 Ok you must be real OLD schools like myself, served when 1911 were in use, I was in before there was a Delta, but guess back then memory and round counting was a must have! Yes this is before Winders or Smart phones, where memory meant you remembered sumptin. LOL No not a readneck but just sounded better saying you should remember and only carry in condition 1. Holstered, loaded, chambered and hammer cocked. When in your hands always in a safe direction (for your team mates)
@@markdittell tell me about it! I love the 1911 platforms for the the nostalgia. Some folks run single-stack in the IDPA and to be fair, some of the newer ones have got the external extractors. I think obsessive press-checks are ridiculous. So there's that! It's all about preference. I do agree with this video, though. You can hear a difference when you let the slide fall and can see it run up the feed ramp.
i jan 6 back the badge 🙌🏾 .
Took me 10 seconds to say why I dont do press checks... Good job doing it in 14.00
press checks are unneccassary. never do them myself.
My Glock 19 doesn’t have front slide serrations, I would never buy a Glock that had them, Navy seals say to not put hand near business end of gun...my Gen 4 I can look and see a round chambered. If I had to press check I’ll grab from back never front front that’s gay and tacticool crap
Outstanding video. Almost humorous how easy it is to tell if the weapon is loaded and yet people still insist on that unnecessary manipulation of a loaded firearm to do a press check. You have far more patience in explaining this to those press checkers then I ever could have. I would simply tell these people if they don't know the condition of their firearm without having to do that press check they probably shouldn't own it.
I appreciate this video. Although I DO press-check, I can see your points. I think the majority of "checkers" are those that have half a dozens of gadgets an gear hanging off their rigs, you know, the "tactic-cool" guys that think throwing money at the defense/hobby/sport will improve their status in some ways. Saw a LOT of that through the years.
The smaller percentive of checkers is simply muscle-memory an/or training, which it is for me, an I feel more comfortable. Either way, whatever is SAFE, comfortable, an is muscle-memory (correctly), is the way to go for individuals. In no way would I endorse anything that wasn't comfortable for the shooter, as long as their preferred method is safe. Thanks again.
Press checking violates rule 1 of gun safety.
All guns are always loaded.
I agree. I don't do press checks either. You are not going to be thinking about press checking before you clear a room or when shit hits the fan. Also most guns do have a loaded indicator. Like the Shield. It has a hole on the top and you can see the cartridge. Same wit the VP9. With my Glock I can already see the cartridge in the chamber to. Nothing against press checkers. I just don't do it.
The gun community has way too many strong opinions. Do ur thing . Be respectful. Play it safe . End of story.
Checks are just stupid. All guns are loaded all the time, unless they’re being cleaned or transported. What’s the sense of an unloaded gun?
I don't usually comment on slide pistol vids..hell I rarely comment on gun vids at all, but I do agree this is a good alternative method to a press check from the looks of things. I'm kinda wimpy strength wise and the very few slide pistols I've used I couldn't pull the slide back without a whole lot of trouble..I have a cousin with the same issue but he still carries a small slide pistol for safety, me? On top of the strength issue I have with slide guns I have a love of the old west I got from my family as we all used to watch westerns when I was growing up..some more than others, but due to these two factors my go to guns of choice are revolvers, I'm also proponent of the cowboy load even with a transfer safety bar..I'd rather know for sure it's not gonna go off on accident. If I were to ever seriously consider a slide pistol like a Glock I'd probably use this method since I already have enough trouble with the slide.
I agree with you. Some of the “Hollywood Press-Checks, appears bogus because with hammer guns there’s too much spring to overcome, recoil plus hammer spring. I like your method better
Thanks!
I agree. Routinely having your hand loiter around the business end of your pistol is a good way to shoot yourself in the hand. If you must press check (w/o attached light) try to come in from the underside of your pistol's dustcover/rail, go no further forward of the trigger guard than necessary and "pinch" press the weapon. Or don't, I hate to see people hurting themselves and potentially others by being foolish but, it's not my hand and it's not my choice.
I agree completely. That said, we must be congnisant that ND's or ignorant gun owners doing silly / dangerous things in general only serves as an additional fodder by those attempting to dismantle the 2A as the incidents are cited by gunophobes who already believe guns will magically come to life and kill / injure people.
Most guns, wow. Seriously. You’re going to risk your life and others with that method. 🤦♂️
Please, continue. I've done it this way for quite a while and I've never once been wrong about the chamber status of my weapon. Curious to hear how I could improve my method.
I was focusing on the comment most weapons. I get it, you know what works for you, and your weapon. I would say what you’re demonstrating is a modified press check. You’re still checking the status of your firearm.
I guess I'm confused. This is not a tutorial, I simply clarified why I don't press check and use other means to verify a loaded chamber. I made a comment once about not press checking in a video and the keyboard tacticians lost their minds. Secondly, if it works (there are multiple fail-safes in this method) I don't know why it shouldn't be replicated other than just standard fare institutional inbreeding. In reality, there is statistically much higher chance of shooting yourself doing administrative tasks than having a chamber status kill you in an actual gunfight. I'd argue this is especially relevant for new shooters. I don't devalue those that want to go through the full theatrics of press checks, but it is not the method I use to verify a loaded chamber. There are several methods to skin a cat, and this is a method I picked up from some fairly serious pipe hitters who also don't press check. You are correct in that I absolutely verify my weapon status and I hope this video doesn't come off in the regard that I believe anyone should skip that process.
@@dachiefofficial I see what you're saying. Disregard my last comment as I wrote it before you clarified. Yes, there are some that this method doesn't work well with.
J Helmsing I agree with the press checks at the range, that’s a bad habit most observed online , but pulling it from the safe if you haven’t handled it for awhile would be a great time to press check it
Lol dont worry, if you said you liked press checks, you would have gotten just as many negative comments. The things people get bent out of shape about.
INformative explanation. Thanks for not being condescending. I would like to point out that seeing the "glint" is fine for you "young eyes guys" ... but us older folk with less perfect vision feel more comfortable with a bit more to look at. I think I will stick with "press check" exposing a little more brass.
Great topic. I’ve been saying the same all alone. Press checks are nonsense, just eyeball the round in the chamber unless you really can’t see it. Even then it’s kinda stupid to do it for all the reasons mentioned in this video. I have a P320 and it’s as clear as day to see.
I'm not a fan of press checks either. I will take an empty mag and load one round into it. Chamber that round and take the empty mag out. If the mag is empty then you know that the round is in the chamber. Good to go and no press checks needed.
The press check is 1000% useless, it must have been invented by someone who isn't familiar and/or comfortable with handguns. Almost all carry/duty pistols have a loaded chamber indicator.
I feel like press checking, for the most part, is the sign of an amateur who is trying to look cool.
I don't agree. Press check is works. You need to be consistent in your training. Press check is consistent and done fast.
Your method depends on the gun brand.
If i pick up gun, i need to make sure, that it is loaded fast, even if i don't know that particular brand. Do i gonna be scientifically exploring a gun for a peek hole or something? No. Press check works. Every time, no matter SA, DA/SA, Striker.
In my training i look for general method, that works every time, even with a gun that i don't know or never shot before, or just picked up during fight.
Do you really need to be making sure it's loaded fast? How many times are you picking up a random make of gun and using said scavenged gun to hunt down an enemy? Sounds like videogame theory unless you are preparing for WW3 guerilla street fighting, and even then I'd strongly advise against it. I know for sure on the guns that I carry daily where to get a witness hole. I don't fish around for it, and I don't press check in anything but an administrative setting (I.e. not the middle of a gunfight). If I get in a full out gun battle and go Winchester, I'm either going to grab the gun off a zombie corpse and start yanking the trigger / doing immediate action or I'm going to get my rear end out of there if I have time to even consider repurposing a gun. I'm not saying press checking isn't more universal, but I can't even begin to fathom a real life situation where I'd need to grab random weapon I found yet still have time or even desire to press check and/or top it off before reinserting myself in a gunbattle. If my situation is anywhere near that dire I'm either racking the gun and yanking the trigger or running away 🏃.
@@jhelmsing Well, i certainly don't want to get in the dispute how much likely it is i get into a street fight :-). It was just a example, but my point is, that the press check works on any gun, any time and you don't have to be familiar with it, which i see as benefiting me.
If your method works for you, than i'm the last guy to be trying to talk to you out of using it and i respect it.
Just wanted to say, i have my reasons (imho logical), that work for me.
Anyway, thank you for the video, shoot straight, stay safe.
@@t4t4s0l same back at you, thanks for the response!
Dont carry your firearm unchambered... problem solved..
I don't press check! I know what condition my firearm is in!
Walter Miner - bullshit. After you sleep and next handle your firearm you have no idea what has happened to it in between then especially if you don’t live alone. Plus, humans have a habit of forgetting things, you are no different.You show your ignorance and amateurish attitude and are therefore an irresponsible gun owner. Get some training. You are a bad example of a 2A representative.
So well stated...
@@sqwk2559 I just seen your reply! Well, Sir I have "Walked the walk", have you????
If you have a firearm that unloads itself get a new one!