A cocked & locked 1911 .45 on my side, a 3" Smith .32 mag on my wife's side, and my old 20 gauge quail gun loaded with #3 buck within easy reach. The kids are grown and gone long ago, so I'm OK with having loaded guns around at night.
I used to keep a 2-1/2" mod. 66 on the bedside table, but a short barrel .357 makes way too much muzzle flash for night work. Anyway, the handguns are just there in case I don't have time to grab the pumpgun. I don't ever want to have to say "I wish I had had a bigger gun that night." Nobody ever had too big a gun when push came to shove.
Way back in the summer of 1963 I got myself out of a couple of tight spots (once in Miami, once in AZ desert) by just bluffing it out with a little Czech P-27 (.32acp). (actually I wasn't bluffing, I was ready to shoot if I had to) That night in Miami just the threat of that little pistol was enough to back off 5 young would-be muggers armed with knives and rebar, but I was awfully lucky to get out of that one alive. The 2nd incident involved an attempted carjacking, actually a pickup-jacking, by 2 guys and 1 very attractive girl in AZ. (take a tip, don't ever stop for a cute hitchhiker on a desert road late at night) After that I began carrying a real gun, a 1917 Smith .45acp revolver, but I never had to draw it in SD.
I was carrying illegally as I bounced all around the U.S. back then before "shall issue" CCW was a reality. Oh well, nobody's perfect. I didn't get caught, and at least I'm still here instead of in an urn on the mantlepiece.
Sorry to get off topic. I readily admit to being a tiresome OF windbag when I get started.
