What condition to keep a bedside 1911 in?

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Balrog

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I think 1911s that are being carried should be carried cocked and locked... but what about 1911s that are dedicated bedside guns, but never carried? It would seem like there would almost certainly be time to rack the slide if I heard a bump in the night.

What do people think?
 
The last one isn't over, yet.

I carry C1 and I sleep C1. Someone will be along shortly to tell you why I shouldn't.
 
Condition 1

Hell, even if I have my 1911 in my safe unloaded, it sits cocked & locked. That's just how they should be!
 
I'd keep it in top notch condition:D


Alright, I'd keep it cocked and locked, one in the tube, with a topped off mag.
 
It would seem like there would almost certainly be time to rack the slide if I heard a bump in the night.
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Under most circumstances, probably so. I kind of like the idea of an ear-shattering sling-shot rack. Give away my position? More concerned letting the BG know that I'm armed....Jeff Cooper remarked about a slide rack in the middle of the night for the same reasons; but in that case was referring to a shot-gun....To each their own....
 
Any reason you couldn't rack the slide with a round already chambered? You end up with eight rounds either way.
 
When I had young kids I always kept a Colt Combat Commander with loaded mag inserted but no round in the chamber. I also had an alarm system in the house so I knew if someone broke in I would have time to rack the slide.
 
Here is one situation where there is nothing wrong with keeping it chamber empty. Condition One (loaded, cocked and locked) is for situations that have little or no warning. Hopefully, your home is not such a soft target that just anybody can walk up on you while you're sleeping. In that case it would not matter what readiness condition your gun was in. Having an empty chamber also forces you to perform a sequence of tasks to help ensure that you are fully awake before you start handling the gun. If you are a slow waker or even a somnambulist (sleepwalker), it might prevent a AD.
 
One thing that has not been discussed is your training level. If you train in C1 you should stay in C1. If you switch between C1 and C3 you are going to make a mistake when the situation is critical. Your best safety is always your finger.
 
I train and carry it C1, so it's what I know & how I use it; when I'm CCWing the 1911, it comes out of the holster and goes on the nightstand, and when I wake up in the morning it comes off of the nightstand and goes into the holster. However, if it's not the "gun of the month" that I CCW, I will either make certain that the chamber's empty (but mag loaded), or completely empty the thing, depending on what seems prudent at the time.

To each their own.
 
Cocked, locked, and safety on. Really shouldn't matter what gun it is... unless it doesn't have an actual safety (or one on the trigger), but should still be cocked and locked.
 
C1 always, and as for having time to rack the slide if you need to, all I can relate to folks on that, is what happened to some friends of mine years ago. Guy climbed through a window in their house in the kitchen, and their FIRST clue he was in their home, was when he jumped in bed with them and woke them up......tell me you could grab a gun AND get a slide racked while struggling with an intruder that close.

C1...always!
 
One thing that has not been discussed is your training level. If you train in C1 you should stay in C1. If you switch between C1 and C3 you are going to make a mistake when the situation is critical. Your best safety is always your finger.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was going to say.
The real question is, how do you train? Remember that you may not be 100% with it when you are roused from a deep REM sleep at 2:30AM. You are going to be, effectively, at your worst. This is where training comes in. If you are accustomed to drawing the pistol and sliding the safety off with your thumb, then that is the way the pistol should be set up. Muscle memory is going to be critical here. Do you really want to have RELY on your ability to be startled from a deep sleep and immediately be able to remember whether or not there is a round in the chamber?

I don't own a 1911 yet. All my carry and bedside guns are either DA revolvers or striker-fired guns. That way, all I have to do is point and pull the trigger. That's what my training tells me to do.

So keep your 1911 in whatever condition you are most trained to deploy it effectively. that's my answer.
 
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