Home defense... how do you keep your gun?

Drawnad said:

How do you all keep your home defense gun?

Click to expand...

Submerged.

JMB45 said:

My 1st round to chamber is a FIOCCHI Law Enforcement Rubber Buckshot. That's meant for a warning shot. The following rounds are 00. If you can't knock sense out of a perp with that 1st shot, I'll take that as their full consent for me to send them to their maker.

Click to expand...

I subscribe to the belief that if I'm going to fire a firearm at someone then I must feel that my life or a loved one's life is in danger. Which warrants a lethal response.

No warning shots. No racking slide for the sake of intimidation (action is only kept open due to gun pixies... working on that). Only warning would be verbal.

To load a purposefully ineffective round on top of effective rounds for a defensive weapon is like planning to toss a glass of water on a house fire before grabbing an extinguisher. At best it's pointless, at worst it will allow the threat more time to shoot at you, jam up an auto, or serve as a crutch for poor or non-existent training. Plenty seem insistent that a round in the chamber is not needed, so starting out an average pump gun has 4 in the tube, -1 for a LNL round to clear the conscience, so down to 3 rounds capable of stopping a threat. Doubt folks advocating for this have a reload available, or practice to load a shotgun quickly, in the dark. Statistically about 2/3 of shots fired will miss, so you are down to a single round that you are planning to bet your life on, possibly against multiple intruders. Then plenty insist of that round being birdshot that lacks penetration to stop a determined attacker.

All this assuming a person lacking training can get up from a dead sleep, retrieve the shotgun from a safe somewhere else in the house, get it into action, and fire all 4 rapidly at a threat. All in the little bit of time it takes someone to breech an unsecured house and get to their position, possibly firing their own weapon in your general direction. I might not be an expert, but I've been through enough training, FNF and competition to know how inept my abilities are, especially when woken up in the middle of the night with seconds to defend my life. I would rather have 30 rounds ready to go in a reliable rifle, and 10-15 in my EDC pistol as accessible as they can be, and a good light with the training to use it and identify a target. I also work to secure my house to slow fored entry, help alert me to trouble and gain as much time to react as I can get. Even then I'm sure if I am faced with defending my family from an intruder I will be wishing that I put even more into security, training, and effective weapons than I have now, doubt I will wish I had given them more chances to kill me, or had gone easy on them.

I keep a handgun in a quick access safe that is bolted to my bed frame and sits right next to my pillow. I am right handed and sleep on my left side so the gun is easy for me to grab from a resting position. It is easy to open in complete darkness and presents my gun in the same exact place and orientation every time making it easy at night to get. Since the gun is holstered it's impossible to grab the trigger. I keep my gun chambered (no manual safety) and to gain access and fire the weapon only one hand is needed.

For me, I think the idea of keeping a HD gun without a round in the chamber stems from just leaving it on the nightstand in case your child grabs it. Since I don't believe in leaving my guns laying around the house, I don't prescribe to keeping my HD guns this way. If I am awake at home I am always pocket carrying a .380 that is also chambered with no safety.

Drawnad said:

I have a Glock 19 and keep it in a safe with a full magazine, but no round in the chamber. It is in a safe that I can get in in about 5 seconds. How do you all keep your home defense gun? I understand that, if the worst happens, I'll be using precious time racking the slide to chamber a round, but as a relative neophyte gun owner, keeping the chamber empty is a matter of comfort/safety (mostly my wife's comfort). Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

If in the safe, can't think of a reason not to have it ready with one action (pull trigger). Consider guns are always loaded regardless what you believe you left it in. My Glock brand Glock 19 trigger isn't going anywhere without positive persuasion. I think of it no different than leaving a all chambers in a modern double action revolver filled and ready.

It is a personal decision. What is right for you and your situation is not necessarily right for me. And the most important thing is to THINK it through, and PRACTICE so you can deal with what you decide.

Personally, I have a 1911 in Condition 1 (round in chamber, cocked, safety on) and a pump shotgun with loaded tube, no round in chamber. This works for ME. No kids, only others in the house are trained and knowledgeable.

One thing to consider, at night, asleep, and waking up, how functional will you be? My concern with Condition 3 is that I do not fully rack the slide, leaving me thinking I have a round chambered, but not having one. Or creating a malfunction in progress (partially fed round).

M&P 45 loaded with an extra mag next to it. Girlfriend has 1911 on her side con 3. 12 gauge under the bed, full tube empty chamber.

Glock 17 with tlr-1 in holster with a g code wheel drilled into the side of my night stand and an 11.5in AR about three feet away

OPSEC violation to tell where guns are, if I even have them.

Iron sighted AR carbine by the bed with 2 mags in the sock drawer. I figure whatever I need to light off inside is going to be extremely loud and the AR is quieter than both the 9mm and 12 ga. Controls are also simpler to use and less confusing for a semi dyslexic guy.

Well, up until this morning, I kept the Glock 17 loaded with 19 rnds of Hydra Shock (empty chamber) in my nightstand with a Fenix PD35. But, since I sold the Glock to a forum member, the AR will pull HD duties for the foreseeable future (WML and 30 rnds of 5.56, empty chamber, extra full mags within arms reach). I'll probably have to store it in the closet (2 steps from the bed) so the GF doesn't freak out about having a 'scary' rifle next to the bed. No kids in the house, so not locked up in a safe, but easily accessible if needed. Two large dogs act as early warnings for anyone trying to enter the house unlawfully. The last thing I want to do is shoot someone, but I sleep better at night knowing I have the option if it ever came to it. I'll def need to do some drills/training to be confident clearing the house with a rifle.

Chris

You'd be served better off learning where to keep your position of advantage holed up in your bedroom, using the fatal funnel of a bedroom door.
Why try to clear a house all alone while leaving the other half in another part by herself? That's silly.
If there is a shooting in my house, I'd prefer the cops to be the ones to do it, and not me. Let all the bad stuff happen "out there" while you are tucked away safe in your room. Until someone comes crashing through that door and you will have the advantage.

j_h_smith said:

Teach those young'uns as early as possible. I did. When they became inquisitive, I'd use that as a teaching moment. My youngest, starting shooting at the age of 4 years old. The others didn't start until they were 7. But he also rode his bike without training wheels just after he turned 3 years old.

During this entire time, if they wanted to see any of my firearms, I'd make time to have a one on one teaching experience with whatever firearm they wanted to see. So for them, a firearm wasn't some mystical, magical toy for them. It was not to be taken lightly. Not one of my kids ever tried to get a firearm out of the safe on their own.

Look at the recent news stories where a young person was home alone and they knew what to do with a firearm. That's the type of teaching we need for our children. Then having a loaded firearm in and around the house is not a big deal to them.

Just one man's opinion.

Click to expand...

Yes, this!

My night time go to is a Glock 21 Gen 4, ready to go, with a Streamlight TLR-2 HL in a Gunvault SpeedVault SV500 attached to my nightstand. Entry is very quick and easily done in the dark and while still laying in bed. During the day while home, I always carry my SA XD9 Mod.2 subcompact. Plus having security cameras that alert my cellphone, I feel that we're adequately prepared.

mumfrey said:

My night time go to is a Glock 21 Gen 4, ready to go, with a Streamlight TLR-2 HL in a Gunvault SpeedVault SV500 attached to my nightstand. Entry is very quick and easily done in the dark and while still laying in bed. During the day while home, I always carry my SA XD9 Mod.2 subcompact. Plus having security cameras that alert my cellphone, I feel that we're adequately prepared.

Click to expand...

Perfect. Now we know your whole plan.

Blaster229 said:

Perfect. Now we know your whole plan.

Click to expand...

Ha! Well, you don't really know the plan, just the means to execute the plan...

Blaster229 said:

You'd be served better off learning where to keep your position of advantage holed up in your bedroom, using the fatal funnel of a bedroom door.
Why try to clear a house all alone while leaving the other half in another part by herself? That's silly.
If there is a shooting in my house, I'd prefer the cops to be the ones to do it, and not me. Let all the bad stuff happen "out there" while you are tucked away safe in your room. Until someone comes crashing through that door and you will have the advantage.

Click to expand...

Solid advice!

I have my Glock 27 with one in the chamber ready to go. Its right next to my side of bed with JHP rounds. I have 2 mags right next to it with a led light that has a strobe setting on it as well. The ar is in my closet 2 feet away from where i keep my Glock and have 5 mags of 5.56 rounds. I agree with Blaster close the bedroom door and let 911 clear the home. Stay on the phone with dispatch while the police are clearing the home so they can be warned by dispatch not to come into the bedroom unannounced and its safe for me to open the door after they clear the home.

mumfrey said:

Ha! Well, you don't really know the plan, just the means to execute the plan...

Click to expand...

Of course. I was just funnin' with ya.

I have a Doberman named chainsaw............gun are dangerous.