Bedside 1911 Guidelines?

[dantesgate]

I am thinking of getting a 1911. It will be my first one. I have no plans on carrying it but I am thinking of getting one with an accesory rail for a light mount. I would most likely keep this bedisde since my EDC is downstairs in my safe.

I do know people do not recommend clearing your house with a lighted hand gun if you suspect any trouble. But this is my preference. I have no kids, so if I hear someone and it is not my wife or dog that sleep in the same room as me, I will be picking up the 1911.

With that said: I was curious for bedside 1911 owners.

1. Do you keep it in ready one condition ( cocked with safety on)?

2. Do you ever keep it with a round in the chamber and the hammer released?

3. If you keep it cocked with the safety on...how often do you clear the gun and realease the hammer to take tension off the spring?

Thanks

 

[Smaug]

I think to answer this for yourself, you need to do an analysis of how you are likely to react if woken from a deep sleep in the middle of the night. Will your dog make sure you're good and awake, or is it pretty useless as a guard dog?

I guess I would tend to suspect a 1911 is not a good nightstand gun for most of us. In order not to screw up in the moment of truth, one would really need to have it ingrained through lots of training and repetition to sweep the safety off or chamber a round.

Round chambered and hammer down is a bad idea, I think. If you're cocking the hammer and your thumb slips > BAM.

I know for a bedside gun I like one that I can have a round in the chamber and safety off, like a revolver or DA/SA pistol. I prefer revolvers, because they can be shot more reliably from compromising positions and with a limp wrist. (this is more likely to happen if I'm drowsy and don't wake up until the last second)

I think you should consider a CZ 97 instead of a 1911. They're just as accurate, can be cocked & locked, or hammer at half-cock on a live chamber.





If its got to be a 1911 > cocked & locked would be my choice, and I would practice getting to it from bed along with removing the safety enough that I would remember to do it in case of the worst.

 

[Shmackey]

1. Do you keep it in ready one condition ( cocked with safety on)?

Of course.

2. Do you ever keep it with a round in the chamber and the hammer released?

No. If there's a round in the chamber and I'm "releasing" the hammer, that's because I want the hammer to hit the firing pin and make a bullet come out the front.

3. If you keep it cocked with the safety on...how often do you clear the gun and realease the hammer to take tension off the spring?

Forget tension on the spring. It's a non-issue.

 

[Mick_W]

I used one as my bedside gun for a while, I kept a round chambered and the hammer decocked, I got good at quickly grabbing and cocking the gun.

 

[CDW4ME]

I kept my 1911 cocked for a couple of months then checked to see if primers were still getting an authorative whack, they were.

I don't worry about the mainspring, if it needs replacement they are about $7 for a new one.

I believe the mainspring can be removed from the list of considerations as to whether this is your best option.

 

[WC145]

I carry 1911's on and off duty and use my duty gun as my nightstand gun.
It stays in condition one.
Personally, I don't like pistol mounted lights, they screw up the balance. I keep a 200 lumen Surefire next to my pistol.

 

[earplug]

Whats your EDC?

Why not just use your EDC next to the bed? Or buy another one just like it. Nice to have a matching spare.

 

[dantesgate]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

My EDC is a Sig P225. I have my safe next to my personal cupboard which gets my keys, wallet, light, knife...etc.

So i do not like to carry my gun upstairs every night.

I really want a 1911 to expand my collection.

I have practiced sweeping the house when I am home alone and honestly. I find it difficult some times with a handgun in one hand the light in the other, especially opening doors.

I have felt 1911's with lights on them and I don't notice the balance issue much. But like i said, I do not have a current 1911 to notice any difference to start. I have only used rental 1911's

 

[WinThePennant]

I know that you want a 1911, but I think the best gun for your needs is the S&W SD40.

S&W has a great home defense package that includes a light for your gun. The price is right at around $400 retail.

 

[David E]

A "first 1911" is a poor choice for a bedside gun.

Any gun carried or kept "cocked and locked" requires a fairly high degree of dedication to the system to be safe. Keeping a cocked and locked gun next to the bed requires an even higher degree of dedication, to the point of intimate familiarity in an instant, since you'd suddenly be coming out of deep sleep.

Don't be the guy that answered his gun when his phone rang. That's a mistake he'll never make again.

A Condition One 1911 is a fine gun fir those willing to dedicate to the system. It's very dangerous choice for those who are not.

 

[Butter]

I guess I am curious, why a 1911 in the first place? I'll preface and say that I use a 1911 since this is what I mostly shoot, at least for the last several years. I just seem to shoot these better than the plastic I own and the trigger is the nicest I know of for any pistol.

For someone else, it might be a different pistol. And as per clearing the house, just me, but I wouldn't do that unless I absolutely needed to. Better to stay safe and cloistured in one room if you don't have to venture out. Let the cops deal with what they are trained to deal with. Makes you less of a target and keeps you with the wife.

Per the light, nothging wrong with having additional lights besides one mounted on a rail.

And as stated for the round in the chamber, no go on hammer down and one chambered. Condition one or condition three. This is a single action auto, after all.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

I just picked up a Colt Rail Gun for poops and giggles- I like it A LOT though

 

[Zerodefect]

I am thinking of getting a 1911.

With that said: I was curious for bedside 1911 owners.

1. Do you keep it in ready one condition ( cocked with safety on)?
Yes, cocked and locked.

2. Do you ever keep it with a round in the chamber and the hammer released?
No, never.

3. If you keep it cocked with the safety on...how often do you clear the gun and realease the hammer to take tension off the spring?
Never.

Or more actually when I clean the gun, and your cleaning intervals rely on how much lint gets in your gun. Mines a CCW. Or each range trip. Generally I shoot the ammo that I've been carrying in my pistols at the range and then put fresh JHP ammo in when I get home. That way I'm shooting enough JHP to ensure reliability with that ammo, and allways carrying fresh ammo.


Thanks

"The cool thing about 1911's is they're so thin I never notice them cocked and locked under my pillow at night."

 

[Water-Man]

Yes
No
No

 

[il_10]

This thread is thoroughly confusing me. 1911's are best carried condition 1. It's the only logical place to start from in a SAO auto. Further, they have, even in the original configuration, three safeties. The half cock to prevent an accidental sear bump from setting it off, the grip safety which acts as a trigger block, and the thumb safety, which acts as a sear block. Two of those safeties must be actively engaged by the shooter for the gun to fire, and one prevents the gun from going "BAM" when you cock the hammer and slip. And that's not to mention the different types of firing pin safeties from colt series 80s on up to present day kimbers!

I fail to see how a gun that requires two forms of positive manipulation, plus a trigger pull, to fire is any less safe than a DA or DAO semi which requires only a trigger pull.

It is vital that one train with a SAO if you aren't used to them. If you're not good with it, your grip may not fully depress the grip safety, and you may fumble or miss when you go to take the thumb safety off. That would be dangerous for the shooter only insofar as it will slow down his ability to get his weapon ready to fire. However, just because there's a "scary" hammer back what doesn't mean the firearm is any less safe in terms of accidental or negligent discharge than a comparable DAO or DA semi.

The same rules apply to a SAO as to a DAO or DA. Keep your finger off the trigger and it won't go off. The 1911 just has more levers to push before that even becomes an option.

 

[Skylerbone]

Don't give a burglar access to your wallet, house, vehicles, knife and a light to blind you with. They'll be gone before you're out of bed.

There is no good reason to sweep the house in your situation, it only endangers you and your wife. If trouble comes, give her the phone, keep the lights from silhouetting you and wait where you are, preferably behind the bed.

Pick an HD firearm that will stop trouble as quickly as possible in your hands. For many that's a scatter gun or a lever action. Both come in reasonably short configurations if the need ever arises to sweep a house.

If it must be a 1911, condition 1 unless you're firing it.

 

[Cards81fan]

1. Do you keep it in ready one condition ( cocked with safety on)?

Of course.

2. Do you ever keep it with a round in the chamber and the hammer released?

No. If there's a round in the chamber and I'm "releasing" the hammer, that's because I want the hammer to hit the firing pin and make a bullet come out the front.

3. If you keep it cocked with the safety on...how often do you clear the gun and realease the hammer to take tension off the spring?

Forget tension on the spring. It's a non-issue.

Why post for myself? This man said it all perfectly.

 

[Greg528iT]

Don't be the guy that answered his gun when his phone rang. That's a mistake he'll never make again.

I wake up pretty groggy sometimes. I have NEVER pointed a phone at my head. If a hand gun and a phone were side by side and I grabbed the wrong one, I might deafen myself, if the gun went off slab sided against my head. Plus abraided from a slide recoil and hot brass flinging against my cheek (semi auto). I do not want a trigger pull only gun just for that situation. Though I would still suggest a trigger guarded holster. I DO like a 1911 in such a situation, that, as I crouch beside my bed, clearing the cob webs, so I don't shoot the dog or my wife returning from the bathroom.. I have time to properly grip the pistol, depressing the grip safety, then sweep the safety off.

 

[Shmackey]

Why post for myself? This man said it all perfectly.

Thanks. I'll be here all week.

 

[Skylerbone]

Let's hope you stick around longer than that!

 

[KAS1981]

A 1911 cocked & locked in the nightstand is just fine. That's what I do, and I do not ever worry about the spring tension. It's kinda like concerns over leaving magazines loaded.....no big deal.

I've never been a fan of the idea of using a light (on or off the gun) to go clear the house. For one, if there is an intruder I don't want the them to know that I'm up and looking for them, and second, now they know exactly where I'm at from watching the flashlight beam sweep around. If you're going to give yourself away by using a light, why not just....um.....turn the lights on in the house? I guess that wouldn't be very tactical......LOL.

Kinda off on a tangent, but a couple people have mentioned being groggy & sleepy should you be awakened by an intruder. I'm not sure I buy in to that, either. I've been awaken by the neighbors banging around, my air compressor in the garage kicking on, somebody ringing my doorbell in the middle of the night (kids prank?), even plain old creaky house noises. Each time I've snapped wide awake, heart thumping. Maybe I'm wrong in thinking somebody breaking in to my home would illicit the same response, but I'm betting it would.

 

[Greg528iT]

Kinda off on a tangent, but a couple people have mentioned being groggy & sleepy should you be awakened by an intruder. I'm not sure I buy in to that, either

I awoke one evening, about 10:30 PM to the sound of gun fire outside my home. I rolled over, grabbed my phone, dialed 911. (I didn't point it at my head ) I gave them my name, reported how many shots I thought I heard etc. (from the safety of my bedroom). I hung up. Laid there trying to decide if it was over, what was going on. My wife came upstairs and announced, "I guess the ballgame is over." OH! yeah there is a minor league team's stadium 5-6 blocks away and during the summer they set off fireworks at the end of the game. I called 911 back to redact my earlier call, and admit my haze induced call.

I am sure if I thought it was someone trying to break into my home, the adreniline rush would wake me up quite quickly. Heart thumping, blood rushing.. but I also know well enough to try and collect myself from that rush.

 

[Robert101]

I think the 1911 platform is a great choice. Condition 1 (locked and safety on) is perfectly fine. I leave mine with and empty chamber requiring that I rack the slide.

As to staying in my bedroom - not going to happen. I will get up and find out what that "sound" was, as I'm not hiding behind my bed when I hear a sound in the house. To each his own here.

Also, I've never awakened to place a gun to my head or shot my alarm clock. I know when I'm picking up my gun or turning the alarm clock off in the morning.

I will also go out on a limb here and say that, in my opion, there isn't a better fighting platform than my 1911. I'm more accurate and have better follow up with this style gun than any of my other firearms.

 

[merlinfire]

Me? cocked and locked. 1911 is one of the safest guns there are. Trigger, hammer, thumb safety, grip safety. Even cocked and locked it takes 3 deliberate actions to fire, though they can be done in half a second.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

[GDW]

My bedside gun is an 870 Police.

I do have a 1911 and a .38 nearby but I don't keep it condition 1. I used to but I had a dream one night that there was a home invasion going on and I started yelling, "Get the gun, get the gun". Then I hopped out of bed and proceeded to grab my 1911. About this time my wife asks me, "What are you doing"? The kids and my wife find it amusing now but it bothered me a bit. I also keep a 200 lumen Fenix handy. I guess just be comfortable with whatever you do.