How do you safely unload your firearm at home?

[BradMacc82]

If not, you can have my ex-wife!

A ND never sounded so appealing huh?

 

[Mike4Maryland]

As someone who has used firearms for 40 years, I have never chambered a weapon in my home or in a car. The only time I load a firearm is at a range or in a tree stand. For security at home, my Ruger and its loaded magazine sit side by side.

 

[Robert1955]

Is this something you would do on a daily basis, or only once in awhile?

Only once in awhile. The pistols normally sit in the small safe in my bedroom with a full mag installed but without a round chambered. When there is a reason to chamber a round it is only a slide rack away from being loaded and I just got to thinking about my current practice of unloading a chambered round. I have seen the bucket of sand before and just wanted to see what everyone else was using.

I also tend to swap out the loaded mags every couple of weeks and load up a couple of others so the same round only has a 1 in 17 or 1 in 8 chance of being loaded again.

And there is no ex-wife currently available.

 

[Robert1955]

As someone who has used firearms for 40 years, I have never chambered a weapon in my home or in a car. The only time I load a firearm is at a range or in a tree stand. For security at home, my Ruger and its loaded magazine sit side by side.

I am usually the same way and the mag is in the pistol but I don't keep a round chambered. There has only been a time or two I felt like a round needed to be chambered at home, and each time the round was ejected and reloaded into the mag after the event was over.

 

[Naptown34]

Pop in a clip and rack the magazine a few times...

 

[rseymorejr]

I always just keep my finger off the trigger

 

[foodpoison]

I usually point it at my bed at an angle beyond the bed is utility room, block wall.
now that I think about it would suck to replace bed and water heater

 

[Gryphon]

I never thought about it too much. I usually keep it loaded, in a holster, and either on my hip, somewhere out of sight but accessible (we don't have kids), or in the safe. When I have to drop the mag and un-chamber a round (if that's the pistol I am taking to the range), I usually stand outside the safe, point it at the floor, and carefully unload it. Of course, you guys now have me thinking and realizing that my wife's car is in the garage below - right under the safe! So if I have an on sh*t moment its going to be accompanied by a "dear, I can explain the hole in the roof of your car!"

 

[BlackBart]

In the air, towards Salisbury.

 

[alzoom85]

Use a revolver and always have the chambers loaded?

 

[somddude]

I can only carry when traveling (utah permit), so I'm not chambering a round in my carry gun that often. When I'm home, it's loaded, but no round in the chamber, just a slide rack away. If you don't have time in a HD situation to rack a slide, you're probably done anyway.

 

[lsw]

A 5 gallon bucket and a 50# bag of sand. About $7 at your favorite home improvement store.

I never realized sand was so effective at stopping bullets. I would have guessed they'd penetrate at 2 or 3 times further than what the video shows. So how heavy would a sand-lined jacket be compared to body armor?

 

[Sprta]

I place a snap cap in the chamber and a loaded mag in the pistol.

 

[PapiBarcelona]

I think keeping the pipe clear of a round and saying one will rack one in when it's time is easier said than done, but I really don't know much. Not trying to get a "How do you store your pistol" debate going either.

 

[outrider58]

I just take the boolit out.

 

[rbird7282]

I can only carry when traveling (utah permit), so I'm not chambering a round in my carry gun that often. When I'm home, it's loaded, but no round in the chamber, just a slide rack away. If you don't have time in a HD situation to rack a slide, you're probably done anyway.

If you think you will have time to rack the slide in a HD situation, you're probably done.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Mark75H]

What this is about

This isn't about the 999,999 times everything goes right, its about that ONE other time


(Not to pick out anyone in particular, but to all who aren't on the page yet)

I just take the boolit out.

If the slide slips out of your hand before the cartridge is ejected and the trigger malfunctions (its a mechanical device, just like software, subject to random malfunction) ... what happens?


Flamesuit on ... show how you think and feel

 

[Blaster229]

Aim it into a lower corner of a room. This is a place where 2x4's meet and afford a decent amount of "cushion".

That ejected round? Put it into a box of ammo and replace it with a fresh one from that box. Not that this is a BIG deal if done occasionally.
There is really only 1(I know of) documented situation of a ND where they "think" this was an issue. It was a federal cop about 8 years ago and he would explain(his ritual) how he always emptied his pistol when in his house.
Otherwise, just take that round and put it a mag a few round under the top. This is a negligible worry though.

 

[timothyphutchison]

Great idea!

 

[sgt23preston]

I have honestly never given this question much thought. I usually just drop the mag, keep finger outside for trigger and rack it. I never considered a ND, since I place a premium on safety at all times.

Good answer, me too..!

Step #1: Do NOT put your Booger Finger on the Bang Switch...

Step #2: Turn on the Safety...