Condition three

Gene L · May 2016

Every video I've seen of the Israeli Defense Forces using handguns shows them drawing, chambering, and firing. Anyone else notice this? I'm led to believe it must be IDI s.o.p. but don't know why. I'm not talking about 1911s, either. IDI are not to be dismissed lightly, they see action.

Could be I'm wrong and watching the wrong videos.

Diver43 · May 2016

I believe that has always been SOP for Israeli forces

breamfisher · May 2016

Diver43 wrote: »

I believe that has always been SOP for Israeli forces

Yep. Comes from when they had multiple sidearms issued. Easier to teach everyone to rack the slide than to manipulate a safety/decocker that may or may not be there.

Jay · May 2016

We had a "higher up" a few years ago who wanted our guys to carry like this and wanted me to start training it. I have no idea what his background was, other than military, which is what he used as his reasoning for wanting this done. Maybe he was exposed to this type of tactic at some time and thought it was the best way to go. I don't know. I politely declined and told him he could find another person to teach that if he wanted that implemented. I never heard anything about it again.

Teach · May 2016

Sounds more like "condition dead" to me. Why add a step to those that are essential to getting into action? A C&L 1911, or any of the double action first round autos would be a lot quicker with a round up the pipe. Revolvers- - - -"the original point and click interface!"
Jerry

Eli · May 2016

This is ubiquitous to the IDF. As a matter of fact, the unofficial name for condition 3 is "Israeli carry".

Bigslug · May 2016

My understanding - and I may just be regurgitating urban legend on this - was that it stemmed at least in part from a lot of early generation P-35 Hi Powers. Somebody decided it was easier to run the slide vs. find the tiny safety.

But yeah, Bream's post #3 makes a lot of sense - if you're starting up your military with every WWI and WWII leftover you can get your hands on, you need a training doctrine that transfers across as many different platforms as possible. When you've got P35's and 1911's with safeties that disengage downward, various Walthers that disengage upward, Tokarevs that have no safety at all, SAO and DA/SA platforms, AAAAAAAND you have to teach a bunch of recent Holocaust survivors whose only prior firearm experience was getting shot at, the K.I.S.S. Principle would tend to take over pretty fast.

Gene L · May 2016

I don't know if the Israeli cops do it or not. When I was in the army, long ago, that was the way we carried 1911s. Though being by the time you needed a pistol, you had enough warning to be able to work the slide. Back then, the 1911 was looked upon like a snake; viewed with suspicion by just about everyone and dangerous. We didn't train with them very much. They were prone to ADs. People got shot with 1911s who were not intended to be shot. They were inaccurate (for the average grunt) and almost never carried as they were heavy and for the weight of a 1911, you could carry another 150 rounds of 5.56. Some medics carried them; mine who had joined as a C.O. carried an M 16.

Times have changed a lot since back then, of course. The 1911 has become mainstream, and the worn out 1911s we had have been replaced with Berettas, which are about worn out, if the rumors have any truth to them.

Red Horse · May 2016

Need to keep in perspective that we are talking about soldiers/military units. Everything boils down to training and muscle memory. The antecdote that I heard had to do with battlefield pickups. Basically, if a soldier is required to "salvage" a weapon from the battlefield then IDF training wants them to immediately and automatically cycle the weapon and get it in action.

19 year old soldiers are still 19 years old regardless of the uniform. They will only reliably do those things that their sergeants compel them to do in training. Doing the same thing every time is fairly good reinforcement.

gator · May 2016

When I was corporal of the guard we carried empty chamber. That was the rule and you dare not break it.

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