Glock, loaded chamber, HD?

[Panzerschwein]

Hey all!

Well a Glock 19 Gen 4 has served valiantly as my home defense nightstand handgun since it replaced my Ruger GP100 .357 magnum.

With the ol' revolver, I felt safe to leave the cylinder fully loaded and the gun ready to fire because of that long, heavy DA trigger pull.

With my Glock though, I'm wondering if it is kosher to keep the gun on the nightstand with a round in the chamber. I have no children, and live alone. I also live in a thin walled apartment complex so I like to be careful with loaded firearms in the house. The Glock with it's relatively light trigger gives me some pause.

Basically what I'm saying is, do you keep your Glock or other striker fired handgun loaded with a round in the chamber for HD? If not, what are the pros/cons of having the loaded gun vs. having to rack a round in the chamber first?

Looking forward to this discussion, thanks guys!

 

[Hometeached1]

Yes I do, it's on my hip since it goes on when I get up and stays on until I go to bed at which point it goes in a nano vault, only because there are children in the house. While they know better, it's better safe than sorry.

 

[mdauben]

I have a Glock 21 that I keep in my night stand for HD. I do keep one in the chamber ready to go but I then keep the pistol in am inexpensive nylon holster. This keeps the trigger covered when I'm groping I'm the dark for it, but comes off quickly and easily.

 

[TestPilot]

If I consider any pistol to be unsafe loaded, I would not use it for security purpose.

Glock trigger may be relatively lighter than most DA revolver, but it is not light.

I always had a round chambered in a Glock when it is on standby for security use, and I do the same with my M&P40 which I use now.

 

[rcmodel]

That's what holsters are for.

Keep it loaded if you want, and keep it in a holster that covers the trigger.
As all Glock holsters must do anyway.

The only problem is, in the event your house catches on fire, a chambered round will cook of with full power and the bullet will go where it is pointed.
Wherever that is?

 

[chicharrones]

Hey all!

Well a Glock 19 Gen 4 has served valiantly as my home defense nightstand handgun since it replaced my Ruger GP100 .357 magnum.

With the ol' revolver, I felt safe to leave the cylinder fully loaded and the gun ready to fire because of that long, heavy DA trigger pull.

The Glock with it's relatively light trigger gives me some pause.

If you want that trigger pull weight in the Glock to get closer to what you are accustomed to in the GP100, try replacing the Glock's trigger spring with the NY1 variant.

Courtesy of another forum:

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14502#p156580

http://www.glockmeister.com/Trigger-Parts/products/94/

http://www.glockmeister.com/TriggerSpringInstallation.asp

I put one in my G36 due to similar reasons as you mention. The downside is that removing the slide requires a continuous pull of the trigger to get the sear under the striker with the NY1 or NY2 springs.

 

[MedWheeler]

The Glock line is the one most-often issued to law enforcement agents, and they carry them with loaded chambers. If it's safe on the hip, it's certainly safe on the nightstand.

 

[riceboy72]

Your Glock is perfectly safe for home and personal defense, and keeping a round in the chamber is ideal as long as you follow the four safety rules, especially that of keeping your finger off the trigger. Also, as others have mentioned, keeping it in a sturdy holster that covers the trigger is ideal and will reduce your chances of a discharge if you were to just leave the Glock next to you or near your pillow in bed. If you've not yet, engage in some formal training where you will put your Glock through its paces and learn how safe it is, along with its limitations.

 

[Hunter2011]

Everyone knows by now that it is perfectly safe to carry a Glock. If you don't pull the trigger, then it won't go bang. And I totally believe that. But still, there are always accidental discharges, people shooting themselves etc. Yes, it is not the guns fault if its owner touched the trigger unintentionally. But since it is happening, one must assume that even a Glock with its perfect safety, can still go off.
But in your case, you are living alone, and you díd not mention that you carry. If I were you I would have surely kept a round in the chamber.
I love everything about Glock, except that it does not have a manual safety. Yes I know, Glock don't need it, but why then are there so many accidents? I feel if it had a manual safety, there would have been a lot less accidental discharges. That is a fact no matter how you feel about Glocks.

 

[packpike]

I have a different opinion on this and I'll explain. First let me say that my EDC is a Glock and it has one chambered at all times so I'm not fearful of carrying a Glock this way. That being said for HD I have another Glock in a closet safe. At night I leave that safe open so that I can get to it quickly if needed. Because I leave it open I don't have one chambered because I do have children in the home. And yes, I do spend a lot of time and energy teaching them all about safety (I even go so far as 'planting' guns out in the open occasionally to test them). My thinking is that during a 'panic situation' it will take me, or my wife, a lot less time to chamber a round than it would to open the safe. I don't leave one in the chamber just in case my kids were to somehow get to it. It's a very low probability because 1) they know better, 2) they don't even know this safe exists, 3) it would be hard for them to get to, 4)... but I feel better knowing that there's an additional level of safety (they can't physically rack the slide) on a gun that's not on my person. It's the same reason that I don't leave a chambered round in a gun sitting on the bench while at the range. If the gun is not on me and is accessible to others I don't have a round chambered. If it's on me, I always have one chambered.

The above info is how I do it. You say though that you have no children, and if you don't have other guests in the house that would have access to the Glock then I wouldn't worry about it. For me the test is always access. On my hip, no one else has access. Sitting on my bedside table they would. And either way I keep it (hip, safe, beside me) I agree with the others that it's always in a proper holster.

 

[burk]

I have a different opinion on this and I'll explain. First let me say that my EDC is a Glock and it has one chambered at all times so I'm not fearful of carrying a Glock this way. That being said for HD I have another Glock in a closet safe. At night I leave that safe open so that I can get to it quickly if needed. Because I leave it open I don't have one chambered because I do have children in the home. And yes, I do spend a lot of time and energy teaching them all about safety (I even go so far as 'planting' guns out in the open occasionally to test them). My thinking is that during a 'panic situation' it will take me, or my wife, a lot less time to chamber a round than it would to open the safe. I don't leave one in the chamber just in case my kids were to somehow get to it. It's a very low probability because 1) they know better, 2) they don't even know this safe exists, 3) it would be hard for them to get to, 4)... but I feel better knowing that there's an additional level of safety (they can't physically rack the slide) on a gun that's not on my person. It's the same reason that I don't leave a chambered round in a gun sitting on the bench while at the range. If the gun is not on me and is accessible to others I don't have a round chambered. If it's on me, I always have one chambered.

The above info is how I do it. You say though that you have no children, and if you don't have other guests in the house that would have access to the Glock then I wouldn't worry about it. For me the test is always access. On my hip, no one else has access. Sitting on my bedside table they would. And either way I keep it (hip, safe, beside me) I agree with the others that it's always in a proper holster.

I would strongly suggest that you look into some of the gun vault or other quick access night stand sized gun safes. Keeping a gun loaded without one in the chamber, even though you're confident that your kids can't rack the slide, may very well bite you someday. Also I doubt that leaving a gun safe open with a loaded firearm (even without one in the pipe) is legal in most municipalities with kids in the house. I know it sure isn't in MI. I suspect even though your home with the safe open at night, that is not a risk that is worth taking.

 

[packpike]

I don't want to turn this into my thread about guns & kids since that's not what the opening post is about, but I'll try to quickly address your concern (which I really do appreciate by the way). To my knowledge it is not illegal here in SC. After much deliberation with my wife, and a lot of research, we agreed not to have a bedside safe for several reasons. 1) If the kids can see it, no matter how well they're trained, it will be tempting for them to try and get into. 2) I don't punch numbers, scan a fingerprint, etc into a safe the first time I try to open it when my adrenaline is not pumping, in a 'panic' situation that concerns me. We have tried to balance safety and emergency accessibility (usually leaning more on the safety side) as it fits best in our home and our specific needs.

 

[What Would You Say]

I keep two Glocks each in their own nano safe in the vehicle and with loaded mags but no round chambered. Same in the house. I have two kids. It takes long enough to turn the combo wheels to get the gun out that there is no need to keep one chambered to sacrifice that safety for the one extra step. I do keep a loaded and chambered shell in a shotgun behind a touchpad safe. That's the best I can do with young children.
Story that may help decide. Went to wife's coworkers house as her son had planned to photograph my kids in his studio in another building, but she invited in. Forgot the loaded revolver was out on the nightstand. No incident as we did not let our kids run amuck in an unfamiliar house ( that's just impolite anyway, and unsafe) but she walked us back to the bathroom renovation and you could tell that she had forgotten it was out when she saw it.

Another story, some years ago a fella inthe next county was robbed at his house and beat up real bad. Bought a gun and put it on the nightstand. 6 months later he shot and killed his grandson that snuck into the house and was walking down the hallway as the man grabbed the gun from the bed. Obviously not at all the guns fault, but think about how your nerves and thought process will be changed if you are scared for your life. Our concealed class instructor greatly discourages a gun accessible from the bed without having to standing up first. In the case of no one will ever be in your apartment/house, think if you are robbed. Just gave a robber a loaded gun as you might walk into the house with him waiting for you now that he's armed with a gun instead of just leaving. I vote lock it up in something, and chamber it if you feel you must... Either way, lock it up.

 

[Agsalaska]

I keep mine with one in the chamber. It sits in its Serpa Holster which I need to replace one day. Because of kids it sits in a safe. I ouwldnt carry it chambered but thats for a different thread.

 

[rs7]

Everything loaded. Everything chambered. No kids, and nobody I know would ever dream of entering my home without me knowing. Most are locked up (the guns that is, not the people I know) , but if you see an assembled firearm in my home, it's ready to go.

 

[Lord Palmerston]

In my opinion, your problem is more the thin walls of your appartment than the weight of your Glock's trigger. 9 mm. bullets, let alone .357 Magnums, are powerful enough to kill an innocent neighbor in case you miss your target. I live in a house with external brick walls. Yet my HD weapon is a Mossberg 500 loaded with #1 buckshot.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Glock Safe Action....

Gaston Glock called it safe action for a good reason.
If you live alone or do not have kids/untrained adults close by, you can safely store your Glock pistol loaded & "ready to go"(my favorite phrase from the long running series; Cops ).
I kept my M&P compact loaded with a 10rd factory magazine filled with MagSafe SWAT .45acp, chamber empty. I also put a 8rd S&W mag in it with the round in the chamber.
MagSafe, www.Magsafeonline.com , now sells handgun rounds in 10 packs so I just loaded up a M&P magazine for home defense.
The pistol did not have the ambi safety so I liked the empty chamber format if a intruder picked it up.
Glocks have no ambi safety controls but they are safe to carry with proper training. The trigger has a safety design & the pistol can be loaded/unloaded without problems.
The important points with any firearm are to know how it works, learn how to clear or check it, keep it clean-serviced, and don't be in a rush!

 

[Strahley]

The only time my Glocks are unloaded are when I'm reloading or cleaning them. They are perfectly safe sitting at idle with a loaded chamber. The rest is up to the person holding/carrying it

 

[oneounceload]

Basically what I'm saying is, do you keep your Glock or other striker fired handgun loaded with a round in the chamber for HD? If not, what are the pros/cons of having the loaded gun vs. having to rack a round in the chamber first?

Of course - if this is giving you trepidations, then perhaps you need to go back to your revolver. You need to be able to think clearly during an attack and trying to remember to rack a slide as opposed to what Glocks are known for - "point and shoot" - can be a dangerous situation

 

[mgmorden]

The Glock will only go off if you press the trigger. Its no different than the revolver in that case. I have kids in my home so I keep my HD gun locked in a small safe next to my bed, but it stays fully loaded with a round chambered. It's not a Glock but it's a S&W SD40 which is similar in action type.

 

[Big_John1961]

That's what holsters are for.

Keep it loaded if you want, and keep it in a holster that covers the trigger.
As all Glock holsters must do anyway.

The only problem is, in the event your house catches on fire, a chambered round will cook of with full power and the bullet will go where it is pointed.
Wherever that is?

OP, this is your answer right here.

 

[FAS1]

With my Glock though, I'm wondering if it is kosher to keep the gun on the nightstand with a round in the chamber. I have no children, and live alone. I also live in a thin walled apartment complex so I like to be careful with loaded firearms in the house. The Glock with it's relatively light trigger gives me some pause.

Basically what I'm saying is, do you keep your Glock or other striker fired handgun loaded with a round in the chamber for HD? If not, what are the pros/cons of having the loaded gun vs. having to rack a round in the chamber first?

For me, I want my HD handgun locked up since it is always next to my bed and I don't want to leave it laying around. I also want quick access if needed and want to be able to grab my gun safely at night and have it ready if needed without having to manipulate anything else. I think being able to do all that with one hand is an addition plus.

Mine is chambered and holstered, but I don't need two hands to get my G17 out of the holster if needed. It is reasonable secure from family, friends or anyone else that might be in my home and about as quick as it could be to safely retrieve if needed.

 

[shooter1]

Fully loaded and chambered anytime they're out of the safe.
str1

 

[ATLDave]

I don't keep any gun that I am not in control of loaded. I have 4 dogs. I figure they can buy me the time to put in a full mag and operate the slide on my HD gun. And having to perform those actions make it less likely I will (perhaps in a sleep-interia-influenced state) make an irrevocable mistake. I have a child in the house, but I had the same practice before I had a kid.

 

[Pyro]

I would keep a chambered round due to your living situation.
Glocks are safe until you pull the trigger.
On the point of training, I would not change your procedure in weapon handling.

That being said, I live with other people. I carry a striker-fired gun. When I get home I clear my gun, chamber a snap-cap, release the striker and apply a trigger lock but leave the magazine in.