I have two Beretta 92's. one is a g model with decocker only, no safety,. My other one is a M-9 and it has a decoker safety meaning the lever stays down until you flip it back up. I flip it back up as soon as I decock which leaves it the same as the G model which is ready for a double action shot by just pulling the trigger. Don't want to forget to flip if i need quick and for sure do not want to have to chamber a round. Keep one in the chamber and treat it as a loaded gun and you will be safe.
This would be known as condition 2 carry (hammer down, loaded chamber). It is a viable alternative to condition 1 (cocked and locked) carry and does bear a slightly better margin of safety against AD. Most striker fired designs like Glocks, XDs, S&W M&Ps, etc are technically Cond 2 carry when loaded because the striker is actually cocked as you pull the trigger, but most folks, myself included, refer to a round chambered generally as Cond 1, unless your sidearm is equipped with an external hammer, as your M9, then it would be referred to as Condition 2.
Condition 3 (Loaded magazine, empty chamber), is a no no IMO, and provides a false sense of safety to the user. The extra second or two for you to draw, rack, present the weapon and fire on the bad guy can get you or someone you intend to protect killed. Trust me, I used to be of the same school of thought. For the longest I just knew I could draw my weapon, rack, present and accurately fire just as quickly as anyone carrying condition 1 could, but I was VERY wrong.
I didn't realize it until I started training at VX. Cond 3 carry is AT LEAST a full second, sometimes 2, slower getting rounds on target than Cond 1 carry. Most of the guys that were cond 1 already had 2 aimed shots on target by the time I had mine chambered and ready to fire. Then theres the odd possibility that in the moment of panic when you draw your weapon and rack it, that it jams while chambering, it happens to all of us, luckily though it usually happens on the practice range. But suppose it happened when you most needed to use your handgun.. What to do now, not only have you given a bad guy or group thereof the extra second or 2 drop on you, but now you've got a jammed weapon that wont even fire. itll take you a minimum of .2 seconds to realize the problem and another 2-5 seconds to clear it. All for the sake of an extra margin of safety. Potentially worst case scenario you've given a bad guy or group thereof a full 3-7 seconds to kill you before you can react...
3 seconds is a long ass time when bullets are flying. Do you remember qualifying for your CHL? 2 rounds, 3 seconds, FIRE.. BOOM. . . BOOM. . . BOOM.
Now consider you had been carrying cond 1, your draw, you fire, first round strikes badguy high center mass, but your gun jammed, you immediately take the 2-5 seconds to clear the jam and get back on target to realize the bad guy is twitching in a pool of blood and his gun a 3 feet away because it came out of his had when your first round struck him in the sternum. You carried cond 1, and only got off 1 quick shot, but it was enough, even though your gun jammed.
think about it guys..
Sorry for the rant.