a) The act of carrying a firearm with a loaded magazine inserted but no round in the chamber.
b) If using an open bolt design, the act of carrying a firearm with the bolt closed and a loaded magazine inserted.
Using this method, if the
user wishes to fire the weapon, they must first actuate the
slide/ charging handle.
This technique was made
popular by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF used this technique to insure there pistols wouldn't go off after being
dropped or hit. However, most modern pistols are designed to be
drop safe, making Israeli carry for modern pistols obsolete.
Israeli carry is useful when carrying a firearm that has an open bolt design. To prevent failures it is imperative to keep the bolt closed. When the bolt is left open for extended periods of time,
dust and other particles can accumulate causing the weapon to fail.
a) I always Israeli carry my Uzi to keep the
dust from entering the chamber.
b) I always see him Israeli carrying his
Glock, doesn't he know it's
drop safe?