Thoughts on "nightstand" guns

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armoredman said:
When you chose the firearm you keep for ready service next to your bed, what were the specific points that motivated you to choose it?
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If you carry a pistol, put that next to you. You are most used to it. And a small caliber like a 380 or a 9 may be good. Also at night sounds are louder and small calibers are quieter, and you would not want to blast through them and the walls, and what not.
Night lights are good for a different reason. It helps you see what your pointing at. House alarms wake you up. :) night stand guns, or right by the bed guns are handy in a good way. But safety is a must.
 
3 Bedrooms in my house, mine has a SRH in 454 with a really soft 325 HP moving at about 900. My little sister has a 10-22 with CCI's, a surefire (mine from afghan) and a holographic sight. Then the guest room has my 1911 with 225 gr JHP (Dad and mom stay there when they visit).
 
Nothing less than a .357 magnun or .44 magnun with a 4 inch barrel to sleep next to the bed. Remember if they return fire, you will only be using the nightstand gun long enough to get to your gun safe where the high capacity semi's and AR 15s are located. It needs to be A) imposing to the person you are pointing it at B) powerful C) Loud D) Effective E) 100% dead bolts reliable. It does not have to be high capacity.

Again, nothing less than a full size .357magnun or .44 magnum with a 4 inch barrell.
 
Again, nothing less than a full size .357magnun or .44 magnum with a 4 inch barrell.
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I realize this is personal preference, but I don't want a magnum round for HD if I have something else serviceable. For one, if you have to touch that thing off indoors, hearing damage is going to be an issue. Also, I don't want a 240 grain bullet going 1,600 fps in my home with my daughter in the house. There's no telling how many walls that would penetrate. I realize that if your life is in danger hearing damage is not your #1 priority, but I'd much rather have a .40, 9mm or .38 Spcl in that particular instance.

That's just my take on it though. Not trying to convert anyone who sees it differently.
 
Home invasion by grizzly bears?

ALLENTOWN,

Allen, I can understand the choice of a .357 magnum for home defense gun, expecially if that is what you are familiar with, but a .44 MAGNUM?

You will have just failed on two of your criteria (C) LOUD and (E) EFFECTIVE.

The loud part is obvious, either magnum will be loud, way too loud. The more noise, the less useable hearing YOU WILL HAVE AFTERWARDS. If you blast off a really heavy load in either, the noise will be deafening. Your hearing may return, provided you are not dead.
In the dark, your hearing may be your primary sensor, not your eyes. This is the reason so many here have listed a light of some kind as part of their preperations.

As for effectiveness. Is there even one law enforcement organization that issues a .44 magnum. None that I know of and for good reason.
Can you actually fire a second aimed shot at a second target in the same or less time than you can fire a .357 magnum, .40 S&W or 45ACP?
I own several .44's and if I used one as a house gun, I would load it with a strong, holllow point .44 Special load. You would get a round that is JUST AS EFFECTIVE and quieter and much easier to bring onto target again for a quick second shot.

Jim the wimp!
 
I have to disagree with this one,
Remember if they return fire, you will only be using the nightstand gun long enough to get to your gun safe where the high capacity semi's and AR 15s are located
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There is no time. It's 3AM, people are shooting in your home, you and your family is in immediate danger- there is no time to be running to and fooling with a safe. You "run with what you brung", as it were. I've been given grief about keeping armor next to the bed, a plate carrier with spare rifle and pistol magazines, as "taking too long to put on" - my safe takes longer to open than it does to grab that and slip it on. :)
Now I don't think the idea of a rifle out in the bedroom for SD is a bad idea at all - heck, my rifle is shorter than my shotgun! If the neighborhood is bad, (mine is), and you have one available, and can use it in your home, (M1 Garand or a Mossberg Goose Gun might be poorer choices), go for it. :) I have and will again in the future.
vz58556againstwall.gif
 
Why chose one? I have a 870 bedside loaded with 5rds 00buck 2rds slugs, side saddle 3 00buck 2 slugs. Also have a 1911 8+1 with a extra 8rd ma a sp101 5rds + a extra speedloader. And the safe and ammo stockpile are near by if that isn't enough.
 
When I go to sleep I have a handgun on a nightstand, and my safe is kept unlocked with the door closed. The first gun in the door is an AR kept cruiser ready, the next is a 12 ga kept cruiser ready, and the third is a winchester 94 kept cruiser ready. There is also another pistol kept with a loaded mag on the top shelf.

If I have to get to a gun in the safe it is easy. And there are plenty of other security layers in place to keep am intruder from getting to them before I am fully awake and ready to defend them (my safe is in my bedroom).
 
Thoughts on "nightstand" guns

When you chose the firearm you keep for ready service next to your bed, what were the specific points that motivated you to choose it?
Click to expand...

Optics won't get in the way since I sleep with my NVG on. :D
 
Both of mine are secured in V-Line vaults:

Walther PPQ-9 with Surefire X400 light/laser:
DSC00116.jpg

Benelli M1S90 with Insight M3X light:
X-Mas060958.jpg

About my only prerequisites in addition to the normal reliability and effective caliber are:

1. Rail for light/laser
2. Higher capacity
3. A caliber that my wife can/will shoot

I bought 2 of the PPQ-9s for that reason, one remains a dedicated nightstand gun, and the other is used for practice/carried. This way If I’m out with one, the other remains at home for my wife.

Chuck
 
Friend had the Glock 22 in the nightstand, had a dream he was being assaulted, pulled the gun and managed to put one thru his knee. Almost lost the leg.

Have the gun and the ammo away from each other. So you have to be a little more "in the moment" before you start doing mag dumps. I have mine on a shelf in the closet, ammo is in the night stand. I'd like to see the sh*thole neighborhoods some of you live in; that you're convinced you need all that weaponry, I'd move....
 
Ken70 said:
Friend had the Glock 22 in the nightstand, had a dream he was being assaulted, pulled the gun and managed to put one thru his knee. Almost lost the leg.

Have the gun and the ammo away from each other. So you have to be a little more "in the moment" before you start doing mag dumps. I have mine on a shelf in the closet, ammo is in the night stand. I'd like to see the sh*thole neighborhoods some of you live in; that you're convinced you need all that weaponry, I'd move....
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Or just store it loaded in a quick access safe on the nightstand....
 
I had a bear walk up on me the other day. I did have a 9 in my pocket but I was doing some dry fire and had the mag out. Dude, it wasn't easy to get that mag out of my other pocket and in the well under stress, I'll tell ya that.

Imagine if you are half asleep. And facing a threat worse than a little bear who is already running the other way on account of my manly voice....

-Dan
 
Ken70 said:
Friend had the Glock 22 in the nightstand, had a dream he was being assaulted, pulled the gun and managed to put one thru his knee. Almost lost the leg.

Have the gun and the ammo away from each other. So you have to be a little more "in the moment" before you start doing mag dumps. I have mine on a shelf in the closet, ammo is in the night stand. I'd like to see the sh*thole neighborhoods some of you live in; that you're convinced you need all that weaponry, I'd move....
Click to expand...

OR go with the more logical step of having a firearm that doesn't have a 5.5 pound trigger. I have had plenty of times where I thought I needed my firearm out of my quick access bedside safe. I leave it loaded and chambered. I have yet (knock on wood) to have a negligent discharge. The differences? 12 pound DA trigger pull on the first shot, and I keep my booger digger out of the trigger.
 
1 It must be 100% reliable.
2 No manual safety. Although all my edc guns have manual safeties, I don't want to have to fumble with one if someone is entering my bedroom/house with intent to harm me or mine.
3 Must be capable of being used by my wife. This rules out large shotguns and heavy DAO triggers.
My nightstand gun is a XD-45
 
armoredman said:
When you chose the firearm you keep for ready service next to your bed, what were the specific points that motivated you to choose it?
Click to expand...

Ease of deployment and use, reliability, capacity, my familiarity with the platform and ability to teach it to my wife (in that order). Glock 23 was the answer, for reference, and it was not a preordained conclusion.

Posted from my car phone.
 
armoredman said:
When you chose the firearm you keep for ready service next to your bed, what were the specific points that motivated you to choose it?
Click to expand...

I used to keep a revolver. Now I keep a Taurus PT92, with a PS90 as a backup.

Overkill?

Last year one of my neighbors had their house broken in to by *5* armed intruders, specifically looking for guns.

5, 6, out of a revolver, 7 or 8 out of a 1911, even 12 shots in a Glock 21 might not be enough when it's 5 on 1 odds.

So now, it's high cap 9mm's strategically positioned, with the 50 round PS90 as backup. If I can't do it with 16/17 rounds + 50 more, it isn't getting done.

My advice, examine the threat profile in your area and plan accordingly. Talk to the cops, watch the news, get an idea of how many bad guys you are likely to face.

Here, it's large groups hitting isolated country homes in the middle of the night. Police response time is slow (20-30 minutes). Bad guys know it.
 
(I even mow the grass and do gardening with a 9mm; in case the bad guys change up tactics and start doing daytime burglaries.)

Key point, always be aware, and armed. Bad guys get to pick when and where. You can only respond.
 
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