[ScareyH22A]

Part 1 . Do you keep it chambered, only mag tube filled, nothing at all inside the shotgun with ammo only on a side saddle, nothing on or around the shotgun with ammo kept somewhere else like a dresser, lock on the trigger, etc?

Part 2. Do you keep your shotgun in a safe, under the bed, in the corner of your room, hung up on the wall like a trophy fish, on top of your closet, etc?

I don't keep a trigger lock on it but I do leave my shells out and sitting in the side saddle. I have a belt with a pouch with a dozen extra shells. And I keep mine in the corner of my room inside a partly opened shotgun bag so I can quickly pull it out. I'm a new owner and haven't warmed up to keeping ammo in the mag tube incase an idiot friend runs across it without me and wants to play around with it.

[wrs840]

Full tube, unchambered, in a steathy close-by lockup... But that's for a threat that's not yet IN the house. For inside, I'd probably to pick up a handgun first.

Les

[oneounceload]

In a closet, mag loaded, chamber unloaded........handgun on the nightstand

[KevinAbbeyTech]

Normally it's got a tube full of 00 buck.

This is for outside only, if there was someone inside, I would grab different gun or in the event that it had an empty tube load up some #4 buck.

I was cursing myself for not having any slugs in the tube the other day when I failed to take a coyote at 70 yards because all I had was buckshot :cuss:.

[thunder173]

cruiser ready, 5 in the tube chamber empty slide locked and safety on,...3-00 buck an 2 slugs on the side of the stock,...within arms reach of the bunk.

[AcceptableUserName]

imo, Leaving a round chambered is a good way to either be scraped off the carpet or to scrape off one (or hell, it's a 12 gauge shotgun, so SOME) of your loved ones. I leave my gun with a fully loaded tube of 00 buck, on safety, next to a nightstand as i do not live with small children. If I did I'd probably be more inclined to go for a well hidden handgun with the mag from another location as opposed to the shotgun. Just my .02 cents

[Hungry Seagull]

Both guns in quick grabs in two places. Handgun for inside the home or CCW.

No chambers. Only magazine, one rack away from solving a problem.

[AKElroy]

My 1300 defender is the only HD weapon that is always available, the rest are locked up when I take them off & lock them away. I keep a full mag of 3" shells, two in a speedfeed stock, 6 more in a side-saddle. Chamber empty, action cocked to fix the slide, safety off. If I need to get into action quickly, I can press the slide release button or the trigger (as a last resort; muzzle in a safe direction) to release the slide. I practice quite a bit with getting into battery. We have an alarm system w/ every door & window wired; if someone is coming in I am going to know about it & should have the cushion to get prepped.

[Dirty Bob]

870 with mag loaded with three rounds 20ga. buckshot (#3). Chamber empty, safety off.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

[wyocarp]

It seems that most don't have a round in the chamber. Are people thinking that they want to work the action for sound effects?

[Hungry Seagull]

Sound effects? :what:

Hell no... :fire:

Are you kidding? Let me say this. If the damn shotgun is loaded and someone trips over it in the morning and it fires .... it's going to be tragic.

Sound effects? There will be plenty of profanity laced yelling with much volume against the BG.

One effect that they will never hear...

Weeping and begging to be spared while on knees.

[sm]

Since moving...
I have a youth single shot shotgun around here somewhere, and maybe I stuck the slugs for it, with it as well.

Dunno, I have the front door open as it is nice outside, and this fresh air coming into the house is nice.

Don't worry, I got a 8" cast iron skillet in the kitchen if for some unknown reason I need something...

[AcceptableUserName]

It seems that most don't have a round in the chamber. Are people thinking that they want to work the action for sound effects?



No, I think they just have common sense.

[sm]

Are people thinking that they want to work the action for sound effects?

I have already had BGs rack that slide, and I hope like hell if I ever face BGs again, they rack that slide.

Not only did they give themselves away, they told me exactly where they were.
Heck I could tell by the sound what kind of shotguns they had.

I get yelled at for the way I do/ have keep/ kept a shotgun; including shotguns that had the safety removed on purpose, which I competed with.

I assure you, with a Youth Single shot, many folks cannot tell I have that shotgun in hand, you ain't gonna hear anything before the shot is fired.

While I hate timers, I have been timed getting first slug onto coffee can about 0.8 and two coffee cans felled in 1.5 seconds.

I have also cleared a plate rack of 5, and 8 before someone else even got their shotgun loaded.

It does not matter how one keeps a shotgun.
It does not matter what kind of shotgun.

What matters is knowing your shotgun and being able to make quick effective hits, and keep the gun running.


For information, I have dropped more shells than some have fired, so shotguns are normal sounds to me...meaning they do not scare me, just part of my world.


So yeah, come on in and rack that slide and I will own you.
I'll have a 8" cast iron up the side of your head so fast you will see Tweety Bird flying around your noggin.

[JImbothefiveth]

It does not matter how one keeps a shotgun.
I'm going to disagree here.
It doesn't matter if you can shoot world records without even trying if you can't get to it before an attacker gets you.

[Mike U.]

Six in the tube, one in the chamber, safety on. Since I live alone there is zero-point-no-problems there. Family and friends that do come over know if they see a firearm, it is loaded and as live as can be. When younger nieces and nephews come over, the house is rendered child safe. No one comes by without calling first.

How's that silly-ass saying go? Oh yeah, "dat's how I roll".:rolleyes:

[Hungry Seagull]

There were People I always called first before visiting. If I forgot, I got held at gunpoint, my fault. And they usually did it quickly before I realized my mistake... about 3 steps from the doorway.

Dont forget call in advance and tell em yer on the way for a nice visit.

[wnycollector]

My shotgun is kept tube full, safe off, chamber empty. ALL my guns are locked up since I have kids in the house!

[chuckusaret]

Presently BB chambered, 7 rifled slugs in tube locked under bed with XD40 sub compact with round chambered. I don't plan on giving my position away by jacking the shotgun or the handgun.

[Guns and more]

There were People I always called first before visiting. If I forgot, I got held at gunpoint
I think I'd find some different people.
What happened to "Don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot"?

[FireInCairo]

Tube loaded, under the bed, easily accessible as soon as I climb out of bed.

[mgkdrgn]

Loaded with #1 buckshot, nothing in the pipe, 00 buck in the side saddle, in a storage compartment in the bed headboard.

[Hungry Seagull]

Guns and More, These folks I talked about are the kind of Friends that will cross hell and high water should you call on them for help. Knowing thier backgrounds, I have no problem with it.

Remember, thier house rule was to ALWAYS call in advance prior to arriving onto thier property. It was MY fault for forgetting a few times.

I leave it here.

[LSCurrier]

I keep my Remington 870 20" 12 gauge in my bedroom unloaded with #7, Double-00, and slugs close to it.

My Springfield Loaded .45ACP is my HD gun with the 870 available if needed.

Luke

[JImbothefiveth]

Remember, thier house rule was to ALWAYS call in advance prior to arriving onto thier property. It was MY fault for forgetting a few times. That's still probably a bad rule.

[captainamerica]

In a bedroom corner or in the closet fully loaded with one in the chamber on safety.

[Cap'n Jack Burntbeard]

I keep my mossy 500 cruiser in the closet, 5 in the tube and the safety on.

[sm]

Remember, thier house rule was to ALWAYS call in advance prior to arriving onto thier property.

Folks,
Communication is the key.

Now I am not the only one familiar with hi-risk industries. WE take prudent steps in all areas of our lives. Preventative measures include a lot of things many folks never consider.

No disrespect, still there are some models of criminals those in hi-risk industries have to concern themselves with, that many J.Q.Public never will.
Point blank, they are not going to waste their time on you for what they get in return.

Yes, besides common courtesy, one calls ahead. Upon arrival, there may be codewords exchanged, especially if one arrives with a guest unknown to whom is being visited.
Is this person visiting under duress? Meaning is their wife and kids being held at gunpoint as hostages while they are visiting you , to lure you away?

You damn straight I and mine had a shotgun loaded with one in the chamber and I admit some of my personal guns either had the safety off, or the safety was removed on purpose.

Some professional thugs had me as their number one pick, but I had a reputation for being hard to peg.
So their number two pick was some folks I knew.
While they had the husband/dad, his wife was raped repeatedly by some less professional thugs "babysitting" her and the kid. Thank goodness that kid was sick, and the medicine made him sleepy.

I am speaking of some serious dollar value, on what they forced the husband /dad to get out of his business.


Security Dawgs are another darn good reason to call ahead.

1. Some punks tried to break into the house of a person I dealt with, with his wife and kids at home.
One left parts of his hand and fingers on the front porch and just inside the house.
Easy to find this guy, and he gave up his friends. Their game plan was to use the wife and kid to get this guy to give them money.
They had no idea what industry this guy was in, they just saw him get a ride home in a Limo one time, (not a funeral situation), and noticed he had gotten a ride home in some "nice rides".

2. Buddy of mine was between a structure and his vehicle. He had his security dawg in his vehicle.
I had just pulled up as we had made plans when two thugs decided to take down my buddy.

That German Shepard came out of his vehicle and was doing some serious damage fast to protect my Buddy.
Now this dawg knew me, still I stayed in my vehicle, keeping tabs on threats and being mobile.
That dawg was doing what it was trained to do, and I was not getting too close, or out of my vehicle.

Threat stopped, police called, and the dawg escorted him back to his vehicle. I used my vehicle to watch six.

Then I told Police about the Security Dawg. You do not make a sudden move, or one the dawg perceives as threatening.
Yes, there is training with master and dawg, and some special words used...


When I was married, with a teenage stepson, we had preventative measures and plans.
Yes, guns were part of what we did.

Wife and her son might go for a walk, when they returned, there were codewords.

Doorbell rang, and the wife in the bathroom, there was codewords when the boy or I answered that door. The way this house was built, new construction and some things I did, the wife had long guns, and handguns accessible to her.

Texas Style, master bedroom, then enter master bath, and off the master bath were two huge walk in closets.
Once in the master bedroom, one layer of defense. Enter the bathroom and multiple layers of defense.
One was fortified to be a safe room. There was also access to attic, with a way to evade two ways, through the attic.

She and I often worked different hours, so we called before we left, or were about to come home.
We had all sorts of communications.

One shotgun "handy" was a Citori 20 O/U, bone stock, and I do mean handy.
You could look for that shotgun, and not find it.


When we built the house, some "tweaks" were built into the house.
The wife and I carried on person handguns around the house. There were guns accessible, even if we were outside, messing with the dawg, or I was mowing, or she was doing flower stuff...we had a long gun, "accessible".

MY deal has always been exiting and entering a structure, or answering the door.
I cannot go around with a shotgun, or rifle slung.


Full tilt boogie is when I was standing on the courthouse steps and the Judge, and Baliff heard my life being threatened.

Trust me, security was immediate for me and my family.
I had to tell the Judge, in private, I had practiced plans and my people (work associates) had security too.

Meaning, do not have some undercover cop just running up to the house or my wife is going to go in to full tilt boogie practiced plans.
Once I called the wife, and my people, then matters were easier to deal with.


Hey, even where I parked, or others parked in visiting each other was a code.
I mean even before we exited a vehicle, we had that much of a "early signal" , which gives one "distance" and "distance" includes time, to take prudent steps.

So if we showed up unannounced, just "parking vehicles" was a code.
Either everything was fine, or something seriously wrong.


Software, not hardware.

You do realize a Remington 1100 in 20 ga, loaded with slugs, including one in the chamber is not going to go off all by itself.

That is one set up in a business...the shotgun was sitting on a table, behind a wall that would stop a 30-06 or 12 ga slug.
There was a couple of one way mirrors, and some "mesh" that reminds one of air vents.

Serious shows up, mount gun to face and shoot through the glass or mess.
Shooting lanes with backstop to again stop a 30-06 or 12 ga Brenneke slug.

This is my world over too many decades.

A Model 70 in '06 , and Model 94 in 30-30 are two more pcs of hardware that supplemented Software.

Nobody knew this upstairs area was even up there, still it did. It looked down onto the downstairs.
Actually there were 4 of these areas, looking down...

On private property this was set up using scaffolds and there was live fire, and plans practiced.

Don't ask me about the newest shotguns, or accessories...
Now I might be able to assist with Software...


-s

[Hungry Seagull]

Great Post SM.

Wife and I uses Code Words every day and night and constantly communicate to update the day's Plan of Day as Life throws changes at our plan. Nothing complicated. Just simple words easy to hear and understand.

The people I referred to years ago were people who have done this nation a great service at a price and as necessary, they require order. Order as in peace, tranquility and orderly living with NO surprises. As far as I know they are doing quite well and life is good to them.

There is a saying in the Good Book. Iron strikes Iron to sharpen and make better. I may have been a young man that knew nothing, but with very good friends as these alot of the... fluff has been removed so that I wont be so stupid as a adult.

You can never put a price on those lessons learned.

[Cannonball888]

Converted Saiga-12 in the armoir now locked gun cabinet. Empty chamber. Bolt open. 10rd mag of 00 buck in place.

[freeborn]

Interesting question...

On returning from range, empty SG is cleaned. After cleaning, I perform a function check with a snapcap, including 'firing' the snap cap. I then leave the snapcap in chamber. Fully load tube, safety off, and store in handy location.

To deploy, grab the weapon, do not rack the slide, until ready to fire, in my house the sound of a 12 ga. racking is not a warning sound, but the sound that will immediately precede a discharge.

My reasoning for the snapcap, is so that I can store the SG with the action closed, and without a live round in the chamber, but be able to chamber and fire a round without having to find the action release button/lever. The amount of time required to rack the slide and fire on the first shot, rather than just snap the safety off and fire, is a trade-off I've decided to make, rather than storing the SG with a loaded chamber.

FWIW, the shotgun is not our primary home defense weapon, it is a backup. Both my wife and I train with our primary weapons, and the SG; we both consider the SG to be a secondary (or in some cases tertiary) choice, and we practice deploying it in this manner.

[Mike U.]

I'm very happy to see so many practicing common sense with regard to loaded chambers and children.
If I had little ones, my shotgun (and ALL guns) would be stored like those of you with children store yours.
Looking out for the little ones is what it's all about, after all.;) Good on ya!:)

[inSight-NEO]

For my Mossberg 590 (8+1) I keep 5 rounds of 00 Low-Recoil ammo in the magazine tube (I prefer to download by 2 or 3 rounds as its easier on the spring and ammo) and in addition, sometimes will keep 2 slug rounds in the speedfeed stock. I also tend to swap the ammo placement/order roughly every 2 to 3 months as I believe this would help in minimizing/equally distributing pressure and/or wear on the tube-stored rounds. All rounds stored within the tube are fired every 6 months and then replaced. Absolutely no round is ever stored in the chamber and the safety remains engaged.

During the day, the weapon stays locked up. At night, it comes out of the lock.

[1-cavediver]

My Remington 870 HD with extended magazine is in my closet with an empty (unlocked) chamber with the magazine filled with 2-3/4 00buck and a 4-round side saddle filled with 00buck.

Of course I have my Ruger P97DC .45 acp loaded with Remington Golden Saber's including one in the tube in my nightstand. And then there is that Ruger P95DC 9mm in a small stand beside my living room chair loaded with Gold Dots with one in the tube as well.

BTW, all the children are grown and out of the house.

[stiletto raggio]

Bolt locked to the rear, 10 round AGP magazine full of #4 buck. Keep it next to the bed. If I have guests, the room is locked. I take the mag out and put it elsewhere if need be. Saigas rule. Reloading quickly is only half the story. Unloading quickly and superior capacity are other advantages to a mag-fed gun.

[mljdeckard]

Inside the closet door, magazine loaded with #4, chamber empty, slide locked. I don't leave the chamber empty to be able to scare someone when racking the slide, I do it because I have small kids in the house, and that is a safety level that makes sense.

[Deltaboy]

Loaded with one in the barrel and 9 more in the tube. I keep it handy on my side of the bed.

[MCgunner]

Laying next to the bed, both barrels loaded, safety on, butt cuff with 3 buckshot, 2 slugs.

[jakemccoy]

muzzle down, hammer down, empty chamber, magazine full with 00 buck, safety on, propped in corner next to bed

[jojo200517]

While I do realize that accidents can happen I think it is better to teach kids, and heck even half wit adults and friends to treat EVERY GUN like it is loaded. If they think it is loaded as soon as they spot it they won't dick around carelessly.

I also think its odd how people flip about a shotgun having a round chambered but not a handgun. Are these the same people who keep there revolver chambers empty?

Now for me I keep (in shooting order) 1 bb shot load in the chamber, three 00 buckshots and 2 rifled slugs in the tube. Mossy 88 hanging on the headboard bedpost muzzle up safety on by the sling. Just across the room in the gun cabinet lies approximately 75 rounds of buckshot, 30 slugs, a flat (250) of 7.5 birdshot, 2 boxes of turkeyshot. Thats not just the shotgun stuff.

[MCgunner]

Quote:
I also think its odd how people flip about a shotgun having a round chambered but not a handgun.






Shotguns are not handguns. Handguns are made to be carried with a round in the chamber (at least the modern ones are - don't try this with a German Luger). Shotguns aren't. You can drop a handgun on concrete and there's not much chance at all that it will fire. Don't try that with a shotgun. There's a good chance it will fire.

Handguns sometimes have multiple blocks to prevent them from firing. They have hammer blocks and firing pin blocks and trigger blocks etc. depending on the gun. Shotguns usually don't have these things. For example my Taurus PT-145 has a firing pin block and a trigger block in addition to a key operated lock (which I've never used). All 3 of my shotguns have a safety and safeties can get turned off by accident and they can fail to prevent a gun from firing if it's dropped.

One reason handguns are so much safer is that California mandated that all handguns sold there be able to withstand a drop of a certain height without firing. Gun makers put a lot of effort into developing better blocks against firing from being dropped because of that.

But even my Sig P220, which is fairly old now, came with a hammer block which essentially makes it impossible for it to fire just from being dropped.
__________________

I have been bird hunting, dove and waterfowl, for 47 years, started at age 9. I have carried shotguns all that time locked and loaded, safety on, round(s) in the chamber(s) and I've never had a gun go off in the field unless I was baring down on a bird and wanted it to go off. There are two safeties on my shotguns, the one on the gun and the fact that I don't put my finger on the trigger until it's time to shoot. Now, I've never dropped one off a 10 story building to see if it'd fire, just don't seem right and not something I care about.

[jojo200517]

Shotguns are not handguns. Handguns are made to be carried with a round in the chamber (at least the modern ones are - don't try this with a German Luger). Shotguns aren't. You can drop a handgun on concrete and there's not much chance at all that it will fire. Don't try that with a shotgun. There's a good chance it will fire.

Handguns sometimes have multiple blocks to prevent them from firing. They have hammer blocks and firing pin blocks and trigger blocks etc. depending on the gun. Shotguns usually don't have these things. For example my Taurus PT-145 has a firing pin block and a trigger block in addition to a key operated lock (which I've never used). All 3 of my shotguns have a safety and safeties can get turned off by accident and they can fail to prevent a gun from firing if it's dropped.

One reason handguns are so much safer is that California mandated that all handguns sold there be able to withstand a drop of a certain height without firing. Gun makers put a lot of effort into developing better blocks against firing from being dropped because of that.

But even my Sig P220, which is fairly old now, came with a hammer block which essentially makes it impossible for it to fire just from being dropped.

The Taurus key lock is very effective at keeping it from firing, heck its as effective as a cable lock thru the slide. Go ahead and fumble around with that in the dark in the middle of the night when someone had already kicked in the door or crashed thru the window. You might as well not even have a gun.

I have never experimented with throwing a loaded gun down on cement but I did accidentally knock the very same shotgun off a sporting clay tower handrail approximately 35 feet into onto the dirt and then it tumbled another 15 feet down the hillside loaded with the safety off. I got a couple light scratches in it and a lot of dirt all over it. Cleaned it up and good to go. I wouldn't recommend trying it but it didn't fire then with the safety off and a round chambered. I think I'm ok with safety on and hanging securely by the sling.

[withdrawn34]

Also, keep in mind that most shotgun safeties only physically block the actual trigger from moving. That's it. There are no additional safeties, such as with handguns, physically blocking the pin or such. So that is why there's a much higher risk when dropping shotguns. They are not drop safe. No one knows for sure how much a shotgun can take, though.

I wonder if a rifle is a similar situation?

[Big_E]

I have my 535 w/ 22'' turkey barrel close to the bedside. It is unchambered w/ #5 shot, 00,00, slug. An 870 tactical is in the closet but its not really mine so I don't mess with it. If I was able to purchase a pistol yet I would keep the hunting gun locked up and use the pistol.

I like to keep the chamber empty so if I acidentally set it off during a normal day my mom won't get mad I destroyed her nicely painted drywall or expensive carpet :D. My dad also taught me that the sound of racking a pump shotgun is one of the scariest sounds an intruder can hear.