In what condition do you store your gun?

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2ndAmendmentDemocrat

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I have 3 guns (XD .40, Ruger LCP, Kahr P9) that I either carry concealed or keep for home defense. The XD is in a drawer by my bed, and I keep the other 2 in a drawer by the front door for convienence. Here's my question for those more knowledgeable than myself: in what condition should I store the Kahr and LCP. Does is wear down the springs to simply keep them loaded and chambered (both are DAO, but have partially tensioned springs). It's obvioulsy safer to keep them unloaded, but there are no kids in the house and I am a devout follower of the big 3 rules. When I unload them, I dry fire them to take the tension off the spring, and some say dry firing is bad for the LCD especially. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
 
springs do not wear out simply with tension. If they did, every car over 10 years old would have worn suspension springs. They wear out by compressing and decompressing them tens of thousands of times. Keeping magazines loaded, the hammer/striker cocked, etc. does not in any way damage or wear out the springs.
 
I'd really think twice about leaving a loaded gun near the door. In the event a criminal comes through the door you just handed him a gun.

And yes, Geoff is correct but if there's no overriding reason to do so I don't leave my guns loaded. The exception being my daily carry
I'd invest in some type of safe if I were you.
 
All of my pistols are stored with loaded mag and loaded chamber with safety off. All of my long guns are stored with loaded mag and empty chamber with safety on.

I don't have children, so I don't have to take that into account. I prefer to assume that my guns are loaded and clear them before handling than to assume that they are unloaded and maybe not clear them in a moment of laziness.
 
ccw (glock 23, kahr k-40) are locked and loaded and stored, my Hd gun is mag in no round in the chamber. shotgun the same way. everything else is no mag, no round in the chamber.
 
I have a number of guns. The ones that are not used for SD/HD are stored unloaded. Those that would be called upon to help repel boarders are stored loaded and with a round chambered.
 
Er, umm, that front door spot is bad tactics. A weapon should never be left between a sleeping you and an aggressor. Burglars enter quietly and immediately look through drawers; it's a big part of their job description. Maybe find another spot?

Just the embarrassment alone of being shot with my own gun would be some major motivation for me. I can see the thread now: "Woad_yurt shot with his own weapon." And then, the dozens of posts saying how it was all avoidable. Plus, I don't want my last living thoughts to be "I f****ed up big-time...."
 
I'd really think twice about leaving a loaded gun near the door. In the event a criminal comes through the door you just handed him a gun.
Click to expand...

How about an unloaded one? (Or, better yet, one loaded with duds.) While he is fiddling with it trying to get it to work, you will have more time to get your loaded one into play. Or, at least, it should give him a false sense of security.

Of course you wouldn't be able to use the "I feared for my life" defense if you shoot, knowing his gun is no threat.:evil:
 
All of my firearms with a detacheable magazine are kept with the magazine loaded, empty chamber. Handguns kept for defensive use have one in the pipe at all times. I generally leave bolt rifles, lever rifles, shotguns, etc. empty.
 
all the personal ( not traders ) firearms i own are stored loaded . With mag fed rifles/pistols this means empty chamber and loaded mag , with revolvers this means a loaded cylinder ( all assuming i have the ammo ). my traders are stored empty and in possible in the factory box .
 
It's obvioulsy safer to keep them unloaded, but there are no kids in the house and I am a devout follower of the big 3 rules. When I unload them, I dry fire them to take the tension off the spring, and some say dry firing is bad for the LCD especially. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Why is this obvious? It is equally safe to store them loaded. I personally feel safer knowing that all of my guns are loaded and I must unload them before handling. It means I will never forget to unload them.

Big 3 Rules? What are you talking about? The standard of teaching in place right now are the 4 rules.

That is a myth. Springs do not lose tension from being compressed for long periods of time. Springs lose tension from being compressed and released multiple times.

What is an LCD? Unless you have a really old gun or a .22, you should be able to dry fire all you want without damaging the gun.
 
I have no children in the house .. so loaded is the name of the game...
Click to expand...

Quick question...............
What do you do if somebody with a kid stops by or drops in to visit??
(Just telling them to not touch anything doesn't necessarilly work or do you run around and unload or lock up everything.):uhoh:
 
I store my HD shotgun in the closet loaded, nothing in the chamber.

I store my HD pistol in the drawer next to the bed with a mag loaded nothing in the chamber

My .22 rifle is in the closet completely unloaded.

My shotgun will soon be joined by a carbine that I will keep with a loaded mag nothing in the chamber.

We have no children and live on the top floor of a 4plex. We can hear the stairs creak/floor shakes slightly when someone walks by. We would have several moments notice before an invader could get inside the house.

~Norinco
 
Quick question...............
What do you do if somebody with a kid stops by or drops in to visit??
(Just telling them to not touch anything doesn't necessarilly work or do you run around and unload or lock up everything.)
Click to expand...
I would lock the door to my bedroom, where I keep my guns, and move the pistol from under the bathroom sink to the bedroom as well. Voila! Secured!
 
Thanks everyone! I did I search before I posted, but was unable to find the thread. I appreciate all the good info. I didn't realize about the physics of springs before. After reading the responses I did some research in a physics textbook. It turns out each spring has a constant, K, and if it is not exceeded, the spring should last forever. Tension put on springs in guns are not stretched past their K-factor.

Good points were made by many about my daily carries being being right next to the door. I'm going to keep my CCs in a lockbox under my bed loaded one in the pipe and my HD in my nightstand drawer mag in empty chamber.

Thanks all
 
Four of my six handguns are loaded and ready. One of these is on me at all times, or at least within arm's reach. The others are hidden in different areas in the house. A fifth piece has one on the pipe, but holds no magazine, and cannot be fired without it. Two loaded magazines are near it. This gun is the only gun in the "common" area of the home, and it is also frequently my carry piece, wearing its mag only at those times. The sixth piece (Ruger Mk-II) is not loaded, though I guess it could be as well, with the pipe left empty.
My Ruger 10/22 has fifteen in the magazine, but none in the pipe, and it is hidden.
Two shotguns, each a single-shot (one in 12, the other in 20) also reside with me. The 20 wears on its stock three shells. The 12 is, for the time being, clear, but may become a pickup truck gun soon, and would have three shells with it as well.
I have a four month-old daughter. As her developmental abilities grow and change, the firearms storage plan will be adjusted as well.
 
I store all my firearms on the condition that they work for me again when I pull them out of the safe. Otherwise, they will go to foster care. Just kidding, I am with "expvideo", All of my arms besides the queens are stored ready. My normal routine is to clear and unload every firearm I handle. And Yes, children do come to my house. I know they are coming so everything goes into the safe and the safe remains closed and locked.
 
I personally think the habit of dry firing a gun before storing it is the cause of a majority of negligent discharges. It gets to be habit. Unload a gun, dry fire, unload a gun, dry fire, unload, dry fire, unload, dry fire, forget to unload, FIRE. I see no reason whatsoever to dry fire a gun except for practice, and that is after you have checked the chamber multiple times.
 
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