Defensive Storage

[Yawn]

I was over in the CC forum of rugerforum.com and was reading a thread about how people carry their 1911 gun, whether they carry Cocked and Locked or not. One person in the thread mentioned that some don't carry Cocked and Locked, remarking that some can work a slide real quick.

Then I read another thread about if people CC 2 guns at a time. Someone mentioned that they don't because most CC gun fights happen close and fast.

And that all got me to thinking about this question: How do most people(well, at least those of us on this site) "store"(Not CC) a defense/home defense semi-auto gun and why "store" it in that fashion? Do you "store" the gun, in that condition, in a locked box or with the gun "locked"?

 

[toolman]

revolver loaded

 

[Big Stu]

night stand, point and shoot! no kids, no worries.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

Like Big Stu, my P90 is in the nightstand. Since it is a DA/SA pistol, the best response from me is Trigger Pull Away From a Bang. I live alone so that is not a problem.

 

[sargents1]

I voted "A trigger pull away from bang..." but I should qualify that. The P85 is stored with a round chambered, full mag and safety off. BUT I keep it in a locked pistol safe (the kind with the quick push-button combination).

I have a two-yr old boy that is getting bigger and better at getting into whatever he wants. The little bugger is fast! I doubt very much that he has the hand strength to pull the trigger much less rack the slide, but there are some things you just don't test.

This is about the best compromise I have come up with between keeping the gun loaded and accessible but still controlling access to it and preventing little hands from getting into dangerous things.

I have tested it and it takes about two or three seconds to get into the safe and retrieve the gun. A month or so back my dog was tangling with a rabid raccoon and it took me two tries to get the safe open...that took about 6 seconds total. It seemed a little slow at the time (I was in a pretty big hurry) but it was fast enough. BTW, the dog is fine, he was up to date on his shots.

 

[Mandan]

Dresser by the bed. Double action revolver. Fully loaded. Wife is good with it too. Also like my P345, 1 in the pipe and a full mag. Flip off the safety and go bang. As I have stated several times, the revolver is my first choice. Pull trigger and it go bang. If it don't, pull trigger again.
Dan

 

[Verndog]

Looks like no contest...6 for 6 1 pull 1 bang.

 

[bennettfam]

My semi-auto is unloaded in safe with ammo in another location. BUT...my revolver(s) are loaded and one pull away from the loud noise.

 

[Greg F.]

My semi auto has a loaded mag, round in the chamber and safety off and in a holster, just in case it accidently gets knocked on the ground.

My revolver has a loaded cylinder and is also kept in a holster.

 

[chrislind2]

Well not quite in EVERY room. Carry one around the house most of the time. Have one on my reloading bench all the time. Only goes in safe when I leave home. Live alone. Never found a woman that would tolerate excessive weapons around the house. I guess they exist, not enough time left to take the time to search for one.
Life is great, if only I could reload shells as fast as I shoot them!

 

[Yawn]

Ok, many people are answering the poll, but only the trigger pull folks are leaving comments... this makes me even more interested in the comments of the other folk. I will come clean a little... I have been wondering how to "store" my SR9. I currently am among the loaded mag but no round in the chamber and not cocked. I store it in a touch pad handgun safe. I have not voted as I have not decided if I will keep storing it in this fashion. Ok, non trigger pull away folks, I want to hear from you as well... though keep it coming trigger pull folks as well.

My initial though was that I can, as someone else said, get my gun out in about 3 seconds. 3 more seconds to rack the slide and I am in business. That sounded ok to me and this allowed me to be able to easily switch the loaded mag with the unloaded mag so that I could rack and dry fire and continue to break in my SR9. Anyway... this is great feedback! I must admit that I was somewhat surprised that as many people who store their gun as I do, are out there. Thanks all!

 

[Verndog]

...I currently am among the loaded mag but no round in the chamber and not cocked. I store it in a touch pad handgun safe....

I have mine in the same type 4 button gun safe. Mine is 1 pull away. We have 2 teenagers and I trust them but even so myself and the wife are the only 2 that know the combo to the safe. I just wasted 5 seconds getting into safe, and gun is unaccessable to others why wouldn't I have it ready to go?? :wink:

 

[PAVTXER]

Rem 870 Home Defense w/pistol grips loaded to max with safety on, in BR between Night Stand and Bed. Otherwise I usually have a small carry on me (unless in Pj's).

 

[bspitt]

semi-auto...full mag in...nuttin in chamber...

Revolver - trigger pull away from BANG.Bang.Bang.Bang. Bang!!!!

 

[axisofoil]

loaded mag, empty chamber.

GF is gun-shy... I'm all for self-defense... it's a compromise to keep the two most important things (her, and our safety) within arm's reach, even if one of them doesn't like the other.

They sleep on opposite sides...

 

[kstoneking]

All of my handguns, both revolver and semi-auto are loaded and just a trigger pull away from firing. FWIW it's just the missus and I in our home and all weapons are safely stored away when company is around.

Kenny

 

[NixieTube]

Loaded, chambered, safety if I am on the premises or gun is on/near my person.

No children. All adults are gun-aware and trained in the manual of arms.

When leaving premises, esp. for extended periods, if not taking gun I unload, separate mags. and pistol, lock through the breech and put each in a separate, undisclosed location.

 

[bub]

Depends on which gun you are talking about. I keep my Mossy 590 in the bedroom closet, kept "cruiser ready" or Condition 3- mag tube loaded, chamber empty, trigger pulled. All you have to do is grab it and rack the action and you are ready to go.

For pistol, the ONLY gun that is currently kept loaded and accessible is my Glock 26. When I sleep, it is holstered, ready to go (full mag, round chambered) in my nightstand. As soon as I get up, it goes on me so that I have control of the gun at all times. Although I'm not worried at all about our kids (daughters 10 and 6), they do have friends over all the time. Also, although I don't worry about my daughters, there's no sense in taking chances. They know better, but curiosity may still get the best of them, so no loaded guns out of my control or out of the safe. The LAST thing I want to have to live with is a kid getting their hands on a loaded gun at my house and shooting themselves/another kid.

I hope, when our income tax return comes back, to be able to get one of the bedside quick open types of safe to keep both my Glock 21 and Glock 26 in. That way, I won't have to worry about opening the big gun safe every day when I come home from work to put the G21 away. It will also be there in the bedroom, safe and secured but ready to go.

Bub

 

[Fishslayer]

semi-auto...full mag in...nuttin in chamber...

Revolver - trigger pull away from BANG.Bang.Bang.Bang. Bang!!!!

Same. I can't leave 'em laying around. I have a double four legged security system that pretty much guarantees I'll never be taken by surprise.

...or get a full day's sleep, but that's OK. ;)

 

[jlottmc]

Mine is part lazy, I rotate my carry guns frequently, and don't like the idea of loading/unloading all the time (it's hell in the bullet set back dept. that way). I do keep all but the one(s) that are on me or otherwise in use or under my control locked in my closet. The only long gun that I have loaded is my pump shotgun, I have ammo for everything but my black powder pistol. My MKII stays unloaded as well. My other rifles the ammo is stored near the weapons (just turn around). I do have other ammo for my pistols as well, boxed and stored with the rifle and shotgun ammo.

 

[dacaur]

All of my pistols, even in the safe are loaded mag, empty chamber. The one outside the safe is only that way because I have kids. one 11 and one 2, the 11 year old knows not to touch it, and the 2 year old couldn't rack the slide (the 11 year old can only with great difficulty)

When the kids are gone, it will be full mag full chamber safety on, but for now i feel safe enough, as my two dogs take the place of the full chamber giving me plenty of warning and time to chamber a round...

My CC gun btw is full mag+one in the chamber, no external safty, DAO, because in a self defense situation you may not always have two hands free to rack the slide, one hand may be fending off the BG while the other draws, and even if thats not the case, you may not always have the few seconds you need to chamber a round....

 

[GhosT]

I voted for..."Loaded mag inserted into the gun, with a round in the chamber, but not cocked?"

Cocked implies a single action...all my guns are double actions...lol


Maybe I shoulda voted "A trigger pull away from bang(well, maybe switching a safety off or something too)? "
That would apply too ;)


No one with kids should have an unsecured loaded hand gun...
Back when had kids in the house...all guns were locked up.

Now, I keep a couple of unsecured guns in house...WAY FASTER ACCESS! :)

 

[sargents1]

Depends on which gun you are talking about. I keep my Mossy 590 in the bedroom closet, kept "cruiser ready" or Condition 3- mag tube loaded, chamber empty, trigger pulled. All you have to do is grab it and rack the action and you are ready to go...

...I hope, when our income tax return comes back, to be able to get one of the bedside quick open types of safe to keep both my Glock 21 and Glock 26 in. That way, I won't have to worry about opening the big gun safe every day when I come home from work to put the G21 away. It will also be there in the bedroom, safe and secured but ready to go.

Bub

Why wait until the tax return comes in? You can get a single-pistol safe with the four-button touch pad from Cabelas for ~99$. This is why God created credit cards.

As far as your mossberg goes, it would seem to me that that gun is "unsecured" as you describe your storage method. Call me cautious but I would not store a gun in that fashion with a 10 and 6yr old in the house.

I would probably be more worried about their friends than them, but either way I would add some other measure to secure that gun. You already stated you have your glock ready to go. With that being the case, the shotgun could be stored with a trigger lock or some other lock as a supplement to your primary H.D. gun.

My Dad used to store his guns in a locked closet. My brother and I thought that was fine because we would take the hinges off the closet door whenever we wanted to get in to our guns.

Dad never knew until we told him years later. Speaking from my own experience, Kids are a heck of a lot smarter that some folks give them credit for.

 

[aragornelessar86]

Hmm, for me, the last two are the same thing. I use a Beretta Px4 Model G, which is a double action semi w/decocker only (no safety). I get it out of the safe at night before going to bed (or when I get home if I feel like wearing it around the house), and I put it away before leaving for work. That way it's right there if I need it at night, but it's not laying around the house for the kiddos to get at.

 

[Rodney72]

Having worked the cop beat as a reporter for many years I saw many, many cases of armed homeowners being surprised by burglars at their bedroom doors and not being able to react in time. Some ended okay, some didn't. While it may normally take so many seconds to rack your weapon that simply doesn't apply when the lights are out, you're not sure what you heard and your heart is pounding. I keep mine cocked and locked after hanging out in the cop shop.

 

[Strange]

Purchased first firearm ago about a year ago. Started with loaded mag next to weapon until wife felt comfortable with idea of a loaded gun in the house. Now keep SR9 at one end of house loaded and ready to fire and LCP at other end of house unless I'm going out then LCP is on my hip.

 

[RICHGCOOP]

I all ways have lcp on my side in the house with one in the pipe. Wen out LCP and some times LCP + BERSA UCP 9mm IWB with one in pipe safty off.

TWO GUNS IS ALL WAYS BETTER THEN ONE !!!!!!

 

[toysoldier]

Which one?
My LCP is always loaded and chambered, in the pocket of my "going out" pants. The revolver in the drawer near the front door, and the one in the cabinet by the jon, are loaded. The Mossy in the bedroom is loaded with OO, but not chambered. The 28 double in the other bedroom is loaded with #4, outside hammers not cocked.
Various edged and percussion weapons, including T-ball bats (a personal favorite) are scattered about the property. Then there's my pitchfork collection..... :twisted:

 

[Sonnytoo]

Semi's are spread around the house. Always have a few revolvers by my bedside, ready to go.
sonnytoo

 

[flyers76]

SR9 loaded, round in chamber, safety on, in pistol safe w/4-button combination lock under bed directly under my head..can iopen and have finger on trigger in less than 5 seconds..and I'm a VERY light sleeper!