If you've never carried a BHP or 1911 before, the whole "cocked and locked" thing will take some time to get comfortable with.
Some deal with it by leaving chamber empty and hammer down. If you want to look like Hollywood (rack the slide and say something "cool" before putting rounds downrange), I guess that would be acceptable. As for a defense posture, it's not terribly useful to carry this way.
The other weird part is how you empty a loaded firearm. Step 1, drop the mag. Step 2, drop the safety (while hammer is cocked). Step 3, rack the slide.
Clearly you should firmly obey the fundamental rules during this process -- having it pointed at something precious and having a booger hook on the bang switch can present an ugly situation.
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Rob