In the Old West, did men carrying six-shooters leave one chamber empty as a safety measure?

In the Old West, did men carrying six-shooters leave one chamber empty as a safety measure? Bob Wood Hugo, Minnesota It’s likely that at least some men did leave the pistol’s hammer on an empty chamber as a safety measure, since plenty of guys accidentally shot themselves or somebody else when they dropped their gun. Even Wyatt Earp’s gun went off when he was a Wichita policeman in 1876 (nobody was hurt). I’ve been around pistols and rifles all my life and am a former Marine, but I dang