POLL: Remington 870 HD - Which 'ready' condition?

[The Deer Hunter]

Deerhunter-

I don't see any logic in not having the magazine in the gun loaded at all times. Suggest that you do that, and have the safety ON. Or do it, and have the safety OFF with action locked or with trigger tripped.

But not having that loaded mag means you have to insert cartridges in the heat of the moment-all of them, or however many you want. It's just not efficient at all from a tactical standpoint, Deerhunter.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I prefer things my way. Using my guns are all about how I operate. Just how different people prefer different types of firearms and different options for their particular gun, this is how I prefer to operate. I can load a couple shells pretty fast. I am not worried one bit. If I was worried, If I wasn't confident in how I can load my shotgun, I would have my magazine full.

I find it safer, too. What if I forget I had cartridges in the magazine? What if someone else in the house doesn't know that there are cartridges in the magazine?

 

[waterhouse]

One round down in mag. Sorry, it's just too much to do, waterhouse. You have to 'THINK' in order to do as you so persistently advocate. And manual dexterity goes out the window.

You have to DECIDE if slug is necessary, find the darn bag, find the round, insert it into mag, cycle, then shoot. You're already dead meat.

I'm in my house and ain't gonna use no slugs, anyway, even if there should be a hostage situation. I'm not that kind of shooter, nor am I in a mall with such a situation, and I ain't no SWAT sharpshooter.

It isn't too much to do if you have time to do it. If I need to shoot right away, I can do that. If I have time to switch to a slug, I can do that as well. You asked why, and I answered. If it doesn't work for you, that is fine. Shotguns are versatile like that

By the way, there is no bag to find, and no slug to find. It is attached to the side of the gun: (the gun isn't mine, but shows a sidesaddle)

With practice, which is the most important thing (whichever method of "ready condition" you choose, you need to practice) you can take a round from the sidesaddle and get it into play very quickly. Also with practice, you can learn to put a slug where you want to at HD distance. I am also not a SWAT sniper. Hitting a 5 inch circle at 15 yards will be easy with enough practice.

 

[brentfoto]

Your points are well-taken, waterhouse. Thanks for your input.

You too, Deerhunter, but I could not disagree with you more. Thanks for your contribution to the thread!

 

[41magsnub]

I'd answer but I don't want to get cross examined.

 

[brentfoto]

Ryan, you need a good dose of 'human factors' reality...

We ain't shooting at stationary targets at the range no more...

 

[brentfoto]

magsnub-

I'd answer but I don't want to get cross examined.

Sorry if I came across that way. I'm really interested in why you made your selection, and will 'back off' if I came off in the way I make my livelihood. :banghead:

Looking at the poll, however, I do NOT see your vote!

 

[RyanM]

Ryan, you need a good dose of 'human factors' reality...

If you plan to screw up, you know what will most likely happen?

The "reality" is that planning to fail does not pan out very well, and that proper training and practice should make a safety unnecessary for any defensive application.

I suppose all Glock, M&P, and XD owners also need a dose of reality-according-to-brentfoto.

 

[brentfoto]

I said 'human factors' reality. Have you ever been in a fight?

 

[brentfoto]

'Rack and roll' is presently leading over 'chambered round, safety ON', 38% to 22%.

 

[Marshall]

Anyway, assume the 870 is about 6 foot distance away from reach.

What is the best 'ready' condition to have it in and why?

By best "ready", you must mean ready to shoot. If it's any other way, the question should read the best "safety" condition. Or the best "kind-of ready but safe" condition. Or the best "what I feel comfy with the whole time it sits 6 feet away from me during times I don't have to shoot" condition. Or the best "protect me from myself" condition. Ready is to shoot. If that's what you really mean, then load it up, have it racked and have it ready. Respectfully, if you're concerned about not knowing what to do, or what your booger picker might do by accident, then I suggest you practice until you don't have those concerns. And why you're arguing with people after you ask what they feel best with, I have no idea?

Personally, mines loaded to the hilt and ready to go boom, except with the safety on.

 

[sm]

Each person must have training, quality practice and communications.

Repetition becomes faith, faith becomes habit.

Departments of all types have protocol for reasons - every one does the same thing- always.

This is how they are trained, continue to train, with not only the actual applications of guns, also communications.

In one's home or business setting, one must have a trained, practiced protocol with everyone and communicate.

Not just shotguns, any firearm in the house/business.

Snick-n-snock is what I and some trusted folks have chosen to do for us, in some settings.
A real tight knit bunch, and we trust each other.

Now...
In some business setting we do as Lee shared with shotguns.
The lever action 30-30s are mag full, and chamber empty too.
All one has to do is lever a round and shoot, easy to keep a lever action topped up.
We do revolvers as handguns, all the same platform, a K frame.


The best way honestly is Lee's way.
Reason being, if everyone did the same thing, and practiced the same thing, then folks would be more proficient in one way.

When folks get to changing methods, guns and all , all the time, especially new folks, it is harder to instill and ingrain something.
When matters get serious, one's motor skills erode, and it is not the time to try to think remember, figure out how to do something.

Learn one thing well, especially a Dept protocol.
Learn one gun platform, and learn it well too...

 

[caltek1911]

brentfoto

Yes, the safety is on. Forgot to mention that, and that I have a magazine extension, so I don't have it fully loaded.

 

[brentfoto]

What may be 'safest' may not be 'best'. And vice-versa.

I guess if you wanted a meaning for best I'd say that it might be best for tactical reasons without a serious compromise in safety.

 

[brentfoto]

Opinions most certainly DIFFER as to what constitutes 'cruiser-ready':

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=194395

Another interesting thread:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77188

 

[mljdeckard]

brentfoto,

I consider the trigger safety to be superfluous with the chamber empty and the slide locked. If I didn't have small children, I would keep a round chambered, the magazine topped off, with the safety on.

 

[Striker]

Option 3, "cruiser ready".

 

[Ceemack]

Empty chamber AND safety on makes no sense to me. With no round in the chamber, the safety is superfluous.

As for leaving the slide unlocked, that also doesn't make any sense to me. I'd want firm control of the weapon when I first grabbed it. Also, the slide release on the 870 is easy to locate and operate in a hurry--it's one of the gun's best features.

Slugs are useful for law enforcement and military applications. For home defense, it's hard to envision a scenario where they'd be needed--or even desirable. Fill you magazine to capacity with low-recoil buckshot loads.

But this discussion kind of points out one of the two reasons why a shotgun really isn't the ideal home-defense weapon--it's hard to hide away and secure. Unlike a shotgun, a handgun is easy to lock up in a nightstand.

 

[mljdeckard]

A handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the long gun you never should have put down in the first place. Handguns are backup. No handgun has sufficient stopping power.

 

[ronto]

The noise of racking the slide alerting the BG is not a bad thing...Hopefully, he'll run like hell and I won't have to spend the next 2 or 3 years in Civil Court...Although if he's stupid enough to break into an occupied house in rural Arkansas the sound probably won't scare him anyway...However, for a split second while still standing, the flash-bang certainly will.

 

[brentfoto]

I can see the advantage to cruiser-ready.

However, I chose full mag, chamber empty, safety OFF, cocked.

I feel uncomfortable with the forend gradually make its way down as I lean it against the wall. Also, it's too easy for a perp to grab my shotgun, rack it, and roll.

By having the hammer cocked, the action is locked - the forend does not slide at all without pressing the Action Bar Lock. That way the firearm is secure, and it's not easy to figure out how to rack the slide.

There's also no chance that I might rack the slide inadvertently and leave the gun chambered with the safety OFF.

It requires a decision and deliberate act to press the Action Bar Lock and simultaneously rack the slide.

 

[TimboKhan]

I have 5 guns in my house right now that are loaded with one in the chamber, although the revolver next to my bed and the one above the kitchen sink probably don't count for the purposes of this argument. I feel perfectly safe with this configuration because it is just me in my apartment, I recieve very few guests, and I never have kids over. For me, it works just fine. For others, particularly those with kiddies, probably not a very safe arrangement. I should hasten to add that everything but the revolvers are on safe, and two of them (Taurus 92 by my computer and 1911 by my TV chair) are cocked and locked. The last one, my kel-tec, stays loaded 24/7 and really isn't a "house" gun so much as it is the gun I grab to go and do errands and such. As a matter of fact, I didn't even count it, as my AR-15 that is right by my bed is also loaded and on safe. No shotguns, but if I had one, the condition would be the exact same. I probably wouldn't have the revolver and the AR by my bed if I had the shotgun, either.

 

[dasanii19]

I chose option 4 when I meant to choose 3..... oops...

 

[brentfoto]

Sorry, your vote is already counted as the fourth option. You chose the fourth because in your heart you know it's the best!

 

[Gingerbreadman]

I do things differently...

Empty chamber (more on that later), safety off, loaded magazine. I have three rounds in a four round magazine. That gives me the option of quickly chambering something different than the 00 buck that the gun is currently loaded with. In addition, there is a 5-round elastic shotgun shell holder on the stock with several goodies inside. Going front to back, there is a bottle of OC spray, one slug, one 00 buck, and two #4 buck. Then there is the box of containing the rest of the #4 buck in my nightstand, but I can't imagine a scenario where I am reloading that many times inside my own home.

Then my own little trademark: I took a used 12 guage hull and made two cuts in one side and peeled the strip back. The "demilled" hull is placed in the breech with the extractor engaged. This prevents the breech from closing and locking with the chamber empty. The bright red strip hanging out the side serves as an indicator that the gun is loaded (I wrote "loaded" on the strip). My modified shell extracts and ejects like any other shell.

 

[brentfoto]

At this time, 'cruiser-ready' still leads. But nearly tied for second place are round in chamber, safety ON, and no round in chamber, safety OFF, cocked.