Question: how to stage guns for home defense?

[cc-hangfire]

Hello, I'm cchangfire, and I'm a firearms enthusiast. (as my support group, the forum answers back, "Hello, cchangfire!")

I have a couple of guns I've accumulated that I'd like to stage in my home for defense purposes, & I'm asking for suggestions and thoughts. The guns are: a 20" single barrel 12 gage with a 5 shot stock saddle, and a little .25acp 6 shot Spanish Vest Pocket semi-auto. And before the objections come about their suitability, let my explain the home firearms defense layers.

First layer: at home I always carry in the house or around the yard - either a 5 shot .38 snubbie or a 6 shot .380acp pocket gun
Second layer: the two guns mentioned in the 1st paragraph.
Third layer: safe room with 20" 12ga pump shotgun in locked case w/ 5 shells 00 in the mag, & .22lr semi-auto (wife's choice... what can I say?).
Fourth layer: safe room closet inside a locked safe, hi cap 9mm semiauto with multiple magazines, second 5 shot .38 snubbie
(Hypothetical fifth layer for world without rule of law: the firearms safe and ammo room)

One more bit of info, three adults in the house, no small children (occasionally children will visit though).

So the second layer would be backups to what I carry and would be used in a surprise nasty situation when I'm not in the safe room. Where/how do I stage them? closet? bookshelf? China cabinet? in a drawer or vase? Mag & gun separate, single barrel broken down into components? Locked up tight, or just hidden?

Admittedly, this is overkill for my neighborhood but I gotta put my guns somewhere; might as well have some available just in case. I understand that practically all home invasions happen at home ! Your thoughts?

 

[wgp]

I keep my home-defense guns like this: there is a pistol in a bedside drawer. There is another in the adjacent bedroom closet where I could put another locked door between me and trouble. There is another in my office closet at the other end of the house. There is one more in a work room in the basement, handy to the living space in the basement. All are Glocks so everything works the same way and all are loaded, with a spare mag as well. All of these pistols are in quick-access safes because there are children in the house during the day. It's not perfect but I don't carry around the house so I want a gun relatively close, no matter where I am in the house.

 

[dogtown tom]

Your carry guns are fine....everything you wrote after that is a nightmare of planning. A single shot shotgun and Spanish .25 auto are comically bad choices for a "second layer".......and seriously "....Mag & gun separate, single barrel broken down into components?...." I cannot imagine a scenario where you would need a firearm for self protection, yet would have the time to assemble a firearm from parts. In a stressful situation the simple act of reloading requires considerable practice.

Why on earth would you consider a Spanish .25 vest pocket pistol as a better choice than the 9mm double stack sitting in your safe? As a matter of fact it's probably the worst choice for a self defense firearm anyone could choose.

As to your 3rd, 4th, 5th- 8th layers............you'll likely never get that far 'cause you will be out of the fight. Guns in locked cases inside a safe room? How much time do you think you will have?

Staging firearms around the house in drawers, closets, bookcases sounds like a good idea in theory......but very impractical. A gun in a safe is unusable.

One centrally located 12ga pump shotgun secured with a quick access lock (that you can open in the dark by touch, no key) beats ten guns hidden around the house. Similarly, a nightstand box with a 9mm pistol inside is preferable to one hidden in your underwear drawer.

 

[hso]

If you have a real concern you should look to harden your home against entry to give you time to get you and your family to a secure part of the house and call the cops. You also need to carry on your person to have some way to answer the knock on the door ruse instead of fumbling with a drawer while someone tries to batter your door down in response to you're refusal to open it (you do have some way to communicate with someone at the locked door without unlocking it we'd presume).

The fantasy of a running gunfight in the home might be fine for crack dealers, but it makes no sense for us.

 

[Turftech1]

If you have children who visit the house (which you said you did) I would use simple lock-boxes. They are more versatile than most think, and can easily be mounted vertically in a book shelf, or even upside down.
I use the Stack-on PC 650. It isn't a real aggressive safe, more of a lock-box, but very good for keeping a firearm safe from kids. If you look, you can often find them for under $50.
Stack On PC 650 review

We keep a firearm (in a lock box) on each level of the home. This is probably overkill as we also have 2 large dogs, a St Bernard and a Great Pyrenees mix. But it is easy to keep, and all I really do with the one in the basement is check the batteries once/yr.

 

[Jeff White]

My solution: A S&W Model 36 in my pocket all the time. In the master bedroom (doubles as safe room) my old patrol rifle Colt R6920 LE Carbine stored cruiser ready (loaded magazine in the well, chamber empty, selector on safe).

I could stash firearms all over the house, but why? The doors have good locks, no one is going to force entry in just a few seconds.

 

[huntsman]

If I wanted to keep a long gun stashed I'd use one of those magnets that attaches to a wall and hide it above my closet door. I don't though because I'm concerned about coming home and getting shot with my own gun so I pocket carry at all times and take the gun I have stashed(P-11) with me when I leave.

 

[Sunray]

A running gunfight in the home might be fine for crack dealers on TV.
"...comically bad choices for a "second layer"..." Or any "layer". Sounds like you should by a gun cabinet and/or move to me. Especially because occasionally children will visit.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I just carry like I normally would that is good enough to be a "stash" choice.

There is an AR in the closet but that's for all kinds of things including home defense and varmints.

What HSO said about hardening your home would go a lot further than stashing guns all over the place.

Especially if you have yougin's running around.

 

[Hangingrock]

Its basically KISS (Keep IT Simple Stupid). Yes we have firearms as part of the plan but we also have a in-depth perimeter deterrents.

 

[cdk8]

The challenge I have always noticed is that it is very difficult to have a system where a firearm is available for fast access and is secured from burglary.

Most fast-access gun vaults are unsafe pieces of garbage, and even the finest fast-access gun vaults only provides a minimum amount of protection from theft. So I have a loaded firearm in each of my Fort Knox Pistol Boxes. When I am going to be away for an extended period, those firearms are locked in my security safe. These boxes are located in the kitchen and the sitting room, where I spend the bulk of my waking time when home. They are hidden in plain sight so they are hard to find as I do not want visitors knowing I own firearms. They are also easily accessible from the area where I sit/stand the most. Thanks to a mechanical lock and a hydraulic hinge, it only takes about 3-5 seconds for me to unlock the pistol box and retrieve the firearm from the two referenced locations.

In the bedroom I have a hidden handgun within reach of where I sleep, along with several other weapons designed for use in close quarters. These get locked up when I am away for extended periods, but they are hidden so well that I do not think most criminals could locate them to begin with.

 

[geologist]

In Canada our firearms have to be unloaded in our homes and when stored the long guns have to be rendered inoperable so I use a combination trigger lock 1 digit off of open and the handgun is stored unloaded, not trigger locked in a small digital safe with loaded magazines beside.

All of this is compliant with the regs.

These are my house guns.

 

[Twiki357]

You didn’t say where you live and state or local laws may impact what your “Legal” options are. I don’t carry at home, but I do have handguns placed in convenient to get to locations in every room. No kids to worry about so they are concealed, not locked. An old cigar box works great as do inexpensive nylon holsters or magnetic retainers attached to the underside of a low shelf or table. If you have Bi-fold closet doors, a holster inside the “fold” is a good place, even for that shottie. You just have to look around and see what works for you. Just be sure to remove any low hanging fruit before any kids visit.

 

[cc-hangfire]

Thanks for the responses. Always helpful & entertaining to read.

With a little more consideration, in my situation firearms will be either on my person or locked. The two I mentioned were project guns I found cheap that needed some repairs, & I was trying to find a use for them. Their use is "hobby"; they'll stay in the safe other than their trips to the range.

 

[FAS1]

I always pocket carry around the home whether I have my normal CCW (G26) on me or not so I don't have a need to stage guns personally. I do keep a HD gun in my quick access safe mounted to my bed for at night.

I do see people that do some staging along with moderate security around their homes. Here's a couple ideas that have been shared with me.

This is a fake A/C register and bolted through the bottom.

Under kitchen sink and bolted through side with carriage bolts.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by cc-hangfire:

I have a couple of guns I've accumulated that I'd like to stage in my home for defense purposes, ....

What do you mean?

 

[BLB68]

I think he had the idea of stashing guns around the house for home defense. Looks like as of post 14, he's abandoned that idea, though.

 

[krimmie]

Keep in mind that bad guys break into your homes when you are not there too. Anything you leave unlocked could be in their hands before they leave.

 

[BLB68]

More like "will be" if it's not locked up. Career thieves are far better at finding hiding places than most people are of thinking them up.

 

[jeepnik]

No staging. If it isn't out for the night it's in the safe.

I've take a lot of steps to keep anyone out. I'd rather keep them out then deal with them inside. If they do manage to get inside I will hear it.

Besides six 230 grn. .45 ACP JHP's are plenty for whatever should arise. If I need more I have a couple of moon clips ready.

I've seen what 230 grn FMJ will do, so a JHP will be that much better.

 

[USAF_Vet]

The problem I find with your layered defensive approach in the OP (I did not read the whole thread so this may have been covered) is that all your layers involve various firearms, but no real physical security.

Motion sensors, good doors, windows and locks, well lit exterior, alarm system connected to local law enforcement, a dog...

While home invasions have a tendency to happen at home they also have a tendency to happen when the home is unoccupied. A bunch of guns laid about strategically don't do much other than let the burglar go on a scavenger hunt.


The grab guns and shoot while retreating to a safe room with more guns is very Hollywood cool, but lacks a lot of practicality which would prevent the Hollywood style shootout to begin with.

 

[JTHunter]

On the gunrack on the wall of my bedroom is a 12 ga. SxS w/double triggers (can fire both barrels simultaneously), an AK with a 40 rd. magazine, and hanging on a hook is a .357 Magnum in its holster & belt. There is also a gun cabinet with 4 rifles, a pump shotgun, and 2 handguns.
In my "office" is a .25 ACP and Keltec PMR-30 in .22 Magnum.
I also have a .380 in a hidden pocket next to my chair in the family room.

No wife anymore and no kids so no problems there.