Home defense...

[dxkj21]

For those who have a bedside autoloader, so you keep a round chambered? I have a CZ 75B and I leave it un-chambered with the safety off...

If I was woken up in the night and had to grab my gun, if I didnt have time to chamber a round, then I probably wouldnt have time to wake up enough to use the gun anyway.... let alone get the safety off :)

Plus Id imagine if someone stumbled onto the gun (no kids around but lets say one was visiting and ran off and found it somehow) it would be much harder for a child to chamber a round than to click the safety off


comments?

[junyo]

IMHO, a weapon that you intend to use should be ready to use at all times. On the street, in the den, in the bedroom. It's not a game, where the clock only starts once you've chambered a round.

That said, I don't have kids, so I'm not sure how much safety/edge one would sacrifice for their welfare.

[dxkj21]

IMHO, a weapon that you intend to use should be ready to use at all times. On the street, in the den, in the bedroom. It's not a game, where the clock only starts once you've chambered a round.

That said, I don't have kids, so I'm not sure how much safety/edge one would sacrifice for their welfare.


I understand that... but you would consider chambering a round to take signficantly longer than clicking off a safety?

[Lupinus]

I keep a semi auto loaded on my lamp (have onea them lamps with a table type things for a nightstand) with a round chambered and the safty on.

On a high risk night (been a sudden increase in breakins latly, halloween, after a bad storm, etc) I also keep my winchester 30-30 loaded and on the wall next to my bed.

[Biker]

Actually, a Glock 23 is close to my bed and there is nothing in the chamber. If it is on my person, it is always 'cocked and locked'. As soon as I take it off, the chamber is cleared. Other weapons are nearby also, including revolvers. However, having fired both auto loaders and revolvers indoors without ear protection, I will reach for my Glock everytime. A short-barreled revolver, when touched off indoors, is so loud as to feel like you've just been punched. It's very disorienting. The auto loader is, in comparison, manageable.
Biker

[mr.trooper]

Ditto.

.357 HD ammo, fired indoors, makes my ears ring even WITH shooting muffs.

That being said, untill youv actualy fired your gun indoors with no hearing prtection, youl have no clue how loud it will be when the time comes.

[junyo]

I understand that... but you would consider chambering a round to take signficantly longer than clicking off a safety?
Personally yes. The act of racking the slide, no. But racking the slide is a two handed operation, versus the onehanded operation of grasp-flick off safety-aim, which means you need to include the time required to get both hands free. So I'd guess that extricating both hands from sheets/blankets/bedclothes/significant other would take longer, and every bit of time you can give yourself helps.

[Can'thavenuthingood]

Get a revolver and keep it loaded forever next to the bed, it will always be ready.

Then you could fight your way to the semi-auto and rifle.

Always loaded (hic),

Vick

[el44vaquero]

I have an old Colt 1911 that I keep near me. I do not keep one chambered. I want to be awake enough to rack the slide. Nothing like a bad dream that you swear is real and end up shooting the dog. Besides, racking the slide get me into a "lock and load" mind set.

[f4t9r]

Auto with nothing in the chamber everything in the clip
I will take my chances with that for now

revolver is a good way to go , My next purchase prob

[Alex45ACP]

I don't, I move around a lot when I'm asleep and worried about NDs. If you feel that half a second it takes to chamber a round might not be available if you need it, maybe you should beef up your perimeter defenses :)

[dxkj21]

I have an old Colt 1911 that I keep near me. I do not keep one chambered. I want to be awake enough to rack the slide. Nothing like a bad dream that you swear is real and end up shooting the dog. Besides, racking the slide get me into a "lock and load" mind set.

My point exactly! I understand it might take two hands... but if Im not able to do that, I shoudlnt be allowed to operate the gun anyway....

I do understand there is a chance that they could already be in the room with you, but Im a heavy sleeper, only way i wake up is if my wife wakes me up :)

[jpIII]

The biggest danger I see about leaving chamber empty is if in the heat of the moment with adrenalin pumpin etc, you "short stroke" and don't actually chamber a round. (or it jams etc)
If that happens, and you do need to use that weapon, it will be the loudest "click" you've ever heard. (and possibly the last sound you hear as well)

I suggest getting comfortable/proficient enough with your firearm so that this worry is mitigated.

[Sinsaba]

... If you feel that half a second it takes to chamber a round might not be available if you need it, maybe you should beef up your perimeter defenses :)

You have a point, I should, I will. However, I'll all the half seconds I can get. I've got a Glock, ready to go.

[Zundfolge]

If there's a magazine in any one of my guns the magazine is loaded full.

If there's a magazine in any one of my guns the chamber is loaded.

You see a gun in my house with a magazine in it you KNOW its loaded +1


Consistancy helps to prevent mistakes. So no matter whether your bedside gun has a loaded chamber or not, pick a way and stick with it.



Aside from the time it takes to rack the slide, you also give up your position when you rack the slide. BG breaks into house ... you hear the breakin and hear him sneeking around the house. You rack the slide and now he knows exactly where you are (may even fire at the noise).

[Hardware]

If you're worried about it get an auto with a grip safety. I'm too tired right now to think straight but NJ troopers used to use a Sig I think that had a grip coker on the front of the grip.

Bleh! Too tired to check on it now. Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

[browningguy]

EAA Witness PS, cocked and locked, the way Mr. Browning intended it.

[Mauserguy]

I keep the pipe empty as well, thought I use a 1911. I like the 75Bs, I have two, but my one criticism of them is that the slide serations are so narrow that it is easy to allow them to slip from under your grasp. It would be very easy to short stroke the slide.
Mauserguy

[sm]

My firearms used for CCW and Home/ Office defense are loaded with one in the chambler - always.

Revolvers have full cylinders. Shotguns have one in the Chamber and if using a Lever action 30-30 - yep that one has one chambered as well. Did the same with a model 70 in '06.

Semis? I shot my first 1911 at age 6. I was taught Cocked & Locked and when there was a 1911 at the house, it was cocked and locked. I was that young and yes many times that gun stayed in my room.

I had my own ,22 revolver, it was waiting for me to be born, It was always kept loaded.

I know for a fact how quick a situation can occur and the need to use a firearm can happen. I have used my .22 revolver as a kid to stop an immediate threat. When brick bats are breaking in your front door and the BGs are gaining entry, and you have younger sibs to be responsible for...is not the time to be fiddlin' with getting a gun up and running.

I have grabbed that 1911, or K frame revolver, even a 30-30 in times of 'immediate need'. I was yet a teenager.

Training. I was taught and trained young. 4Rules of Safety, NO mechanical device is to be depended on.

Kids in the house? Wear the gun on your hip , with one in the chamber. When in bed, and kids prone to come into your room, use a Simplex handgun safe. Have the long guns behind a key locked something - easiley accesssible and loaded - ready to go.

The most dangerous thing in a house is an unloaded gun- Mark Twain.

[jashobeam]

Aside from the time it takes to rack the slide, you also give up your position when you rack the slide. BG breaks into house ... you hear the breakin and hear him sneeking around the house. You rack the slide and now he knows exactly where you are (may even fire at the noise).
This is a very good point!!

Aside from both the noise and the time involved to rack the slide is the visible movement. Imagine waking up with a stranger's silhouette in your bedroom doorway. I want to be able to ease one hand, still under the covers, over to my loaded Glock, which I keep tucked-in next to me, and get it pointed at the BG before he even knows I'm awake. My Glock 17 is kept fully loaded in a Bianchi soft leather holster so that I can't accidentally stick my finger inside the trigger guard. I would have to undo a single snap in order to gain access to the trigger. I think from now on I will leave the snap undone. I'm glad this thread brought this oversight to my attention.

[Biker]

Good God. I thought that I had lived a comparatively dangerous life to most, but apparantly, I've been sheltered and tactically, I am, as they say, 'lacking'.
Someday, sleeping without my G23 under the pillow, cocked and locked and with my finger on the trigger, is gonna result in the death of me and my loved ones.
I must re-evaluate my defensive posture....
:evil:
Biker

[benEzra]

For those who have a bedside autoloader, so you keep a round chambered? I have a CZ 75B and I leave it un-chambered with the safety off...

If I was woken up in the night and had to grab my gun, if I didnt have time to chamber a round, then I probably wouldnt have time to wake up enough to use the gun anyway.... let alone get the safety off

Plus Id imagine if someone stumbled onto the gun (no kids around but lets say one was visiting and ran off and found it somehow) it would be much harder for a child to chamber a round than to click the safety off

Junyo nailed it, IMO. The main drawback to not having a round chambered isn't time, it's the fact that it takes two hands. When the other hand might need to be holding a flashlight, helping you get out of bed, or (worst hypothetical case) grappling with the guy who just jumped you. Though the likelihood of not being able to use both hands is actually low, I'm sure.

As far as unsecured access--if that's even a worry, I'd get a $19.95 pistol lockbox from Wal-mart and bolt it to your headboard or nightstand to keep the gun in when it's not within your arm's reach. Maybe an unauthorized person handling a loaded pistol in Condition Three is slightly less dangerous than handling same pistol in Condition Two, but the main danger in this scenario comes from the fact that the unauthorized person in question is handling your LOADED GUN to start with. Personally, I keep a round chambered and lock it away securely when it's not in use or on my person, but your situation may vary.

[38SnubFan]

I usually keep the autoloader unloaded at night (to keep the mag spring from premature wear-out).

When it is kept loaded, though, the magazine is full and a round is in the chamber.

Either way, a loaded .38 revolver is always at ready underneath the bed. It's as simple as reach over, slip hand under bed, and gun is at hand.

Then again, it's just me, myself, and I these days in my "bachelor pad".

When I'm not in bed, it's on the hip or within arms' reach.

-38SnubFan

[raghorn]

I have three dogs in the house, so surprise is not an issue; if anybody comes to visit after bedtime we'll be wide awake. At night the BHP is kept condition 3 and the 20 gauge is unloaded and easily accessible.

[Fido]

There are limitless scenerios to train for in the defence of your home. One of the most important to train for is the one you are talking about.

Waking up from a deep sleep, to a stranger standing over your bed.

First, some assumptions are made. There is no early warning system in your house, no alarm, no dog, just you. Maybe more like a hotel room scenario.
Now lets start with weapons placement when you are asleep.
The nightstand is NOT the place for your firearm and flashlight. Too exposed and too accessable to the offender. Instead keep your handgun and flashlight on the FLOOR right next to or just under the bed and covered with a newspaper or magazine.
Now if you wake up to the offender next to your bed, and havent already been knifed, clubbed or shot roll off the side of the bed toward the offender and retreive your weapon. If its not your drunken neighbor or your youngest son, FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE.

[Carl N. Brown]

Loaded .38 (snub barrel, handful grips) behind a 2 cell Maglight,
in the headboard instantly accessible but not visible to an intruder;
cell phone charging on the night stand; fire extinguisher on the
floor beside the bed. Better'n'a teddy bear for security.

[Dave Markowitz]

My HD gun is a Ruger P90DC with loaded mag and a round in the chamber, hammer down with the safety off. Right next to the Ruger is a Surefire G2 for positive target identification, which will also temporarily blind anyone who's eyes are adapted to the dark.

I don't want to have to make any noise to ready the gun to fire.

[45+]

I keep a Glock 27 (with mepros, easy to see when in bed but not otherwise) with full mag and loaded chamber, G2 or 6P, and spare mag on headboard. Cell phone charging next to above.

I trained my 13-year-old son so that he has known for years how to handle (and use) a loaded weapon, and if it is on me, on wifey, or on the headboard, it is loaded and ready for use.

If I were not comfortable with a semi with a round in the chamber, I personally would change to a revolver, but I want it ready to use. YMMV.

Good shootin'....

[ka50]

Round chambered always. Bedside, carry, going to/from range.

Basically 24/7, except when I clean it or rotate ammo. Keep in mind though that my pistol is double-action only with 8lb trigger (kel-tec p11), so it's made to have round chambered.

If you ever have to use your gun, you will NOT have the time to chamber a round. When adrinealine is high and your hands are shaking, racking a slide might prove to be challenging. And each split second you spend racking the slide, is a split second given to whoever is trying to kill you.

[one45auto]

Provided you have good perimeter security there should be ample time to chamber a round, so leaving the pistol in Condition Three shouldn't pose a problem.

I keep my Glock 19 ready to rock and roll at all times. Same goes for my Smith & Wesson snub.

[Dick Dart]

I agree with Vick on the revolver. You can leave it loaded forever without worry of magazine spring fatigue and it is ready to go. I have my H&K on the dresser and the other weapons are within easy access. Of course I have no children in the house so the child/loaded weapon combination isn't a factor.

[RiverwinoIA]

there is no such thing as "magazine spring fatigue" with modern springs. the only thing that fatigues them is loading/unloading them. keep them loaded and they are fine.

i keep cellphone on charger, streamlight scorpion, and fire extingisher on nightstand. rifle behind bed, unloaded with 2 mags attached to stock. once i get a handgun, it will be kept in a bedside holster with the flashlight. loaded, no safety (glock or kahr).

[308win]

An unloaded gun is merely an expensive and not very utilitarian club. What are you going to do with it, throw it at'm to gain time?

[The-Fly]

my glock 17 is loaded and chambered 24/7. Otherwise its a useless club.

[ReadyontheRight]

IMHO, a weapon that you intend to use should be ready to use at all times. On the street, in the den, in the bedroom. It's not a game, where the clock only starts once you've chambered a round.


I've never understood the concept of "a pistol should always have a round in the chamber" argument. I think it all comes down to training, situation and expectations.

Why is "cruiser-ready" OK for shotguns? What's the difference?

[Mulliga]

Why is "cruiser-ready" OK for shotguns? What's the difference?

I asked this same question.

Shotguns, ARs, AKs, etc. usually do not have any kind of firing pin or drop safeties, so that's one argument against having one in the pipe, I suppose. Additionally, using a shotgun or a carbine for HD assumes you have two hands available anyway, so the whole "need two hands to rack a slide" issue goes out the window. Finally, unless you find a way to keep your long gun within arms' reach when you sleep in your bed, you probably will have to get up to get it anyway (from your closet, or your safe, or the place where you propped it up or set it down, etc.).

[Tokugawa]

Buy time. Reinforce your bedroom door. I have woken up to four drunk armed intruders beside my bed.. I have learned this lesson. Reinforce your bedroom door. Reinforce your bedroom door. Rei.............

[TOADMAN]

S&W 640 or 60 - Crimson Trace Laser grips loaded with Winchester 145 grain 357 magnum silvertips - my answer the door at night gun. Wilson Scattergun BoarderPatrol 870 loaded with #1 buck or 00 buck hangs out around the house 100% of the time.

[Podster]

My vote is be consistent. A shooter will always revert to training under stress, if you carry cocked and locked in daytime conditions, sleep ~ cocked and locked too. If you drill with chamber empty ~ sleep the same.

[Pilot]

Auto with nothing in the chamber everything in the clip
I will take my chances with that for now

revolver is a good way to go , My next purchase prob

I don't see the difference between a loaded revolver and a loaded DA semi-auto. The first trigger pull is the same on the DA semi-auto and the revolver.

I keep a loaded (one in the Chamber, hammer down) CZ-75B next to my bed. If I hear a bump in the night, I get the flashlight first, gun second.

[cxm]

Aside from the actual time to chamber a round, you also face the question of what happens if you ride the slide (easy to do half asleep) and jam the gun?

Most guns were designed to be cocked and locked... why mess with success?

V/r

Chuck


I understand that... but you would consider chambering a round to take signficantly longer than clicking off a safety?

[loose cannon]

ive heard of incidences of nd's caused by fumbleing a chambered glock and hitting the trigger.i keep my chamber loaded glock17 in a kydex holster on the floor by the bed.

with the perimiter defenses in my home ill have plenty of time to shuck a holster off and grab my 6p.

[Nematocyst]

9 mm K9 sleeps under the pillow, wedged between mattress & headboard, bottom of pistol grip sticking out by 1/2".

It's got 1 in the pipe & 6 more in the mag.

I'm a light sleeper. Several times per night, when rolling over,
I fondle...er, check to make sure it's still there.

There are multiple locked doors between me and 'outside'.

Soon, an 870P will be just above me, with ... see above, only with less in the mag.

If I wake to the sound of someone in my sleeping space,
I trust myself implicitly (because I know myself well) to know if it's a lover or a bg.
And, I'm not interested in having to chamber one. That's why DAO is relevant.

Remember: I'm a light sleeper,
and I trust myself implicitly.
I've done it that way for many years.

Your mileage may vary.

Nem

[benEzra]

I usually keep the autoloader unloaded at night (to keep the mag spring from premature wear-out).
Actually, it's cycling the springs from long to short to long to short that causes metal fatigue, not storing them compressed, unless the metal is stored at a high enough temperature to anneal the metal (i.e., don't put a loaded magazine in a 550-degree oven).

Once the spring is compressed, any fatigue that's going to happen has happened; it doesn't matter how long the spring "sits" in the compressed state, it's the act of compressing it that fatigues it.

SO, unloading your magazines every night and reloading them the next morning is arguably harder on the springs than leaving them loaded. Though neither should wear out a quality spring.

[DirksterG30]

If I have a gun on me, either as a CCW or for home defense, it is fully loaded. As Podster said, be consistent. Plus, I can't guarantee that I will have 2 hands available to rack the slide.

[Nicky Santoro]

For those who have a bedside autoloader, so you keep a round chambered?


I keep a 1911 in the night table, mag in, unchambered. I have motion detectors on the outside lights and an alarm on the doors and windows. I believe I have sufficient warning to chamber a round prior to any possible confrontation.
FWIW
YMMV

[Erinyes]

I keep all of my HD weapons loaded and chambered. The BHP and M14 are both cocked & locked, and the Walther is chambered, hammer down, and safety off. I can bring any one them into play quickly.

[No_Brakes23]

I keep my 1911 in a retention holster like so:

http://tinypic.com/i1yav7.jpg

10+1 ready to go within arms reach.

I can vary the tension with the allen screw. I can get the pistol out, but my wife cannot, and neither can my kids. First thing in the morning, it goes back into the safe. It is never in the holster without me right next to it.

I know I can thumb off the safety as I pull it out, and I can do it one handed. Working the slide while in a daze would be more of a challenge.

Besides, external safety SA autoloaders are meant to be carried cocked and locked.

Perhaps a Gun Vault would be a better solution for you?

[No_Brakes23]

I keep all of my HD weapons loaded and chambered. It is my understanding that some weapons have trigger safeties instead of firing pin safeties, and this increases the risk of a ND. So I keep the 870 with a full mag and round on the lifter with the pump back. If I pick it up by the pump it will be 7+1.

(And yes I realize that for the trigger safety to fail I would have to drop the weapon on its muzzle, pretty much.)

[Curare]

Why are people using pistols for HD over a shotgun? A relatively weak pistol over the most devastating CQB weapon where concealment is not an issue?

[GoBrush]

Didnt read entire tread but here are my thought.

Tactics:
Awakened because of a loud noise or whatever you are already at a huge disadvantage.

1. The less noise you make the better tactical advantage you have so racking one in makes no sense keep it ready.

2. Its your house and you know every nook and cranny dont blow this advantage by breaking #1

3. During your investigation use light sparingly as to not expose yourself (from a tatical stand point I like to flash on and flash off if you leave it on the bad guy will know exactly where you are) remember #2 use these nook's and crannies to your advantage and for my southern friends I am not refering to a cranny as the place you go to releave yourself when you have had too much Coke to drink the night before.:rolleyes:

[loose cannon]

Why are people using pistols for HD over a shotgun? A relatively weak pistol over the most devastating CQB weapon where concealment is not an issue?

some dont have shottys or dont want them,another reason is a handgun leaves a hand free for using a light or calling 911.

shotguns are excelent weapons for hd if used from a fixed position like ones bedroom otherwise id stick with my glock.

[dasmi]

Get a revolver and keep it loaded forever next to the bed, it will always be ready.
+1
I have a Service Six loaded with .38 special ready to go at all times. Easy to reach from the bed, can't be seen unless you're laying on the bed. Also in the corner next to my head is my Mosin-Nagant 91/30, five rounds in the magazine, bolt open. To make ready, close bolt. I like to have options.

[Cousin Mike]

Tactics:
Awakened because of a loud noise or whatever you are already at a huge disadvantage.

1. The less noise you make the better tactical advantage you have so racking one in makes no sense keep it ready.

2. Its your house and you know every nook and cranny dont blow this advantage by breaking #1


+1!!!

My 1911 stays in condition one, right next to the bed while I sleep. I'll also join the chorus with "slide operation while half-awake could be very difficult." If you don't have any kids to worry about (like myself), I say keep it cocked and locked, especially while you're asleep... You could remove the thumb safety in the time it takes to point the weapon if someone was standing over you. Also, it barely makes any noise, so you wont be compromising your position if this is not the case.. More importantly than simply being loud, chambering a round has a very distinct sound that is not likely to be mistaken by a bad guy... You might as well call out and tell him to get himself ready for a confrontation. :scrutiny:

[No_Brakes23]

Why are people using pistols for HD over a shotgun? A relatively weak pistol over the most devastating CQB weapon where concealment is not an issue?

I was given a 1911 as a coming-of-age gift, I eventually bought a shotgun about 10 years later. I handled 1911s or replicas thereof from the age of 3 on, but I have less than 500 rounds of total 12ga experience. So I am far more familiar and comfy with my pistol than my shotgun.

I also don't have $235 sitting around for a Surefire fore-end, and light is a necessity. A long gun means two hands, so a weapon light is needed for night time stuff.

A pistol mounts in more places than a long gun.

And a pistol as stated above frees a hand for dialing the phone operating flashlight, moving kids out of the way, etc.

Now the Shotty has a lot of advantages over the pistol, but until I get it set up right and have a good spot to mount it, (And a lot more practice with it,) I will probably use it.

Although, the SU-16CA with 1913 fore-end is starting to look good, too.

[Too Many Choices!?]

1.Short enough to do clearing a house with, check!

2.Enough stopping power to end the fight, quickly and decissivley(30 rounds .223 soft points), DOUBLE CHECK!!

3.Will accept a flash suppressor, flashlight, laser, or optic for night-time/outdoor use, tripple check!!!

4.Even with LED light, 30 rounder, and 10 1/2" H-BAR, still lite enough to aim/fire one handed, enabling you to hold a suspect at gun point to call authorities, check!

5.Multi use bare buffer tube/ receiver extesion(bare save for the ACE neopreen sleeve), to be used for whatever eveil purpose one could imagine, check:evil:!

6.Ability to penetrate soft armor, walls, barriers like furniture, and anything else in your home B/G jumps behind(including the Kitchen sink:evil),effectively changing everything in home to concealment not COVER, super check!

Can be used to good effect from home defense ranges(across room distance), out to SHTF ranges(muzzle to 200yds/m), and COULD be used for TEOTWAWKI ranges, to a lesser effectiveness(muzzle - beyond 200m/yds), gets a super check for that!!!!

Finally, IT"S AN AR MAN!! B/G's and ANTIS see it, assume it is a,"Gasp, A Machine GUn", drops their weapon(if a B/G) and surrenders, which is where #4 comes in above, and if it is an ANTI that sees it, they immediately drop into the Fetul position, insert thumb in mouth rocking back and forth, while saying," This can't be real, This can't be real", over and over again, check:evil:!!!!!

[Caliburn]

My bedside pistol has a full mag but nothing chambered. The dog will give enough warning of an intruder for me to rack it and I have also practiced doing it one handed (much easier for a 9mm or while wearing jeans).

Someone said that a guy heard the phone ring in the middle of the night, fumbled around for it, and mumbled "hello" into his gun before blowing his brains out. That may not have ever happened, but it certainly sounds possible, so I don't want to take any chances. The 2 second delay to rack it is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

[Dr_Pain]

I am of the opinion that a good loaded revolver is the way to go but guess what I have an auto loaded with one in a chamber. Gun is also out of the reach of the kids and the wife. I'm 6'6" and the gun resides at 7'8" on top of a ledge.

[old4x4]

I keep my USP 45 auto locked and loaded. Don't know why you'd keep the chamber empty. Fortunately, I have no kids. That's probably why it's loaded, safety on.

[grnzbra]

Since I live in one of the People's Republics, my defense gun is strictly a house gun. When I leave, it goes in the safe. I don't know if the wall of my gunsafe will stop bullets and I am not about to test it. Therefore, the gun goes into the safe with a loaded mag and an empty chamber; I don't want some fireman shot by a round that cooked off. When I am home, I do not chamber a round because that would involve excessive handling. If I need the gun in a hurry, I also have a .357 revolver that I can just grab and start shooting. However, it too has no live round behind the barrel for the same reason.

[HadEmAll]

I can't conceive the notion of having a pistol that's not instantly ready to fire 100% of the time. I mean no other motion necessary but to grab it and fire. Maybe wiping a safety off if it's my 1911 or HP. Knowing that all my pistols are always loaded leaves no doubt in my mind at anytime that they're ready to go. If I had to worry about others access to them, I'd get a quick access safe rather than leave the chamber empty. Chambering a round isn't 100% surefire if you fumble during the motion.

[jbear6]

For those who have a bedside autoloader, so you keep a round chambered? I have a CZ 75B and I leave it un-chambered with the safety off...

If I was woken up in the night and had to grab my gun, if I didnt have time to chamber a round, then I probably wouldnt have time to wake up enough to use the gun anyway.... let alone get the safety off :)

Plus Id imagine if someone stumbled onto the gun (no kids around but lets say one was visiting and ran off and found it somehow) it would be much harder for a child to chamber a round than to click the safety off


comments?

Since we have no children, I keep my pistol grip 410 loaded, unlocked, and ready, leaning against my night table. I can always repair the sheetrock and paneling damage.

Jbear6

[grimjaw]

I keep a 9x19 DAO semi-auto with a round chambered, next to the bed under some covers. I pretty bewildered when I first wake up, so the less I have to think about when reacting (safeties, racking slide, etc) the better. There's a rifle in a closet nearby ready to go, as well as a revolver with some speedloaders handy in a different closet. Both of those are out of sight, but you'd have to cross my FOV to find them.

jmm

[david_the_greek]

chambered or not I don't think that it is a large issue. Having the gun and the training and instinct to use it is what matters. Personally I have 2 dogs. One a 100lbs+ rott and the other a sheperd mix. alarm system check. second I doubt someone is breaking into my house with the sole intent to kill me so chances are I don't have to be that tactical. My gun racking would most likely be a deterent. Not saying that I would run down the stairs screaming (hhmm well maybe actually....), but who ever just broke into my house is not a spec ops trained attacker. they are probably an untrained thug without a gun and without the mindset to face my 9, 12, or a 30-06 HP (yeah yeah i know "over penetration", its not the first choice but I love my garand anyways). I live on the second story of my house and even if I was on the first, a perp would have to find me and unlock my door. I'm a light sleeper to begin with but even if i werent my adrenaline would cause me to be pretty alert. even if it takes my two hands to cock my gun so what I shoot with two hands, it takes only one moment to do and it is more a sure way to stop accidental discharge (even if my finger is the only safety I need, someone else may not be as smart). I'm comfortable to travel through my house with a firearm in very low light and with a flashlight (I get bored and do weird stuff like that) and an untrained perp who might have a firearm is at a great disadvantage when the cops are called, the rott is upset and my browning is cocked (loudy so they know whats up) with me behind it slinking through the dark house.

[Archangel]

If you're in a situation where you need to use a gun, something has already gone horribly wrong. And since we all know how Murphy loves an opportunity like that...

Potential problems with condition 3:
1. More time to bring gun into action.
2. Short stroke the slide and fail to chamber a round.
3. Ride the slide and gun jams.
4. Plain forget to chamber a round.
5. Off hand occupied with child / attacker / flashlight / sheets / sucking chest wound.
6. Mag not fully seated. Racking the gun produces mag on the floor and completely empty gun. (could happen in condition 1 too, but then at least you get that first shot off)
7. Grab gun and flashlight. Remember that the gun needs to be chambered. Trying to chamber with flashlight in hand produces 2 or 3 above. Or
7B. Trying to chamber with flashlight in hand results in dropped flashlight, which rolls under bed. Or
7C. Trying to chamber with flashlight in hand results in dropped gun. Or
7D. Pick up gun and flashlight. Set down flashlight. Chamber round. Pick flashlight up again. Do this on the clock, in the dark, and tell me how fast it is.
8. The top round in the magazine is out of spec and won't chamber period.
9. Slam fire. You now have an empty gun, a lacerated off-hand, 9 or so holes in the floor / wall / ceiling, and a bad guy who wants to steal your machine gun.
10. In the excitement of the moment, you forget rule 3. The forward inertia of the slide closing bumps the trigger into your finger. ND

Shall I continue?


Potential problems with condition 1:
1. The perception that a toddler playing with a condition 3 gun is somehow safer than playing with a condition 1 gun.

[cz75bdneos22]

but me, i don't have children yet :uhoh: ...so, anyone in my house other than myself, especially while i'm in my bedroom and at night:eek: ...will be considered an enemy/trespasser (sp) :mad: . Time/timing will be all important..i take no chances, it may be the only chance i have to defend my life in case of a surprise (possibly) deadly attack.:what: bad guys tend to be the sneaky type..you know..:D keep it simple, under attack primary instincts take over...you may not be able to perform as practiced/trained..Fear is a Biatch!! don't ask me how i know that!!:o all i know is "YMMV" and i hope all that you know will help you during a crisis...best regards..