Cocked or not cocked?
- Thread starter Freeloader Reloader
- Start date
"I was keeping my Ruger P89 slide locked in the rear position with a loaded mag"
I question the logic there. Load the darned thing, drop the hammer, and put it close enough to reach. I see no reason to alert the intruder as to my position. Having a round chambered in an idle pistol is neither a crime nor a safety hazard.
I question the logic there. Load the darned thing, drop the hammer, and put it close enough to reach. I see no reason to alert the intruder as to my position. Having a round chambered in an idle pistol is neither a crime nor a safety hazard.
Been keeping my guns cocked for over 40 years. Although I do not own a gun longer than 11 years old, I never experienced any problems. In fact, even my safe kept guns are loaded and cocked. I like to treat each gun knowing it is loaded rather than like it is loaded. Ask yourself if you treat a gun you believe is unloaded the same as knowing for sure it is loaded, all the time. Someone is having all those AD's. 
This right here is not a good idea.
Soft cases, depending on their physical make-up, can be a problem. Especially the common low-cost zippered gun cases with an interior of soft foam. These are hygroscopic. These inherently attract moisture when they can and zippering a handgun up inside them for long term is NOT a good idea.
For transport? Sure. For a day? If you need to.
To be stored in your safe for many days... or weeks... or even months at a time?
This is giving your Hi-Power a chance to develop rust.
If the case has no chance to draw any moisture and it's in a dry environment, maybe no harm. But if you get in to the habit of storing the handgun in this manner, maybe after one range trip... it gets zippered up in to a case that was used that day in some very humid environment. OR if you were outdoors and got an unexpected downpour, the inside of that case may very well be a WET environment.
Locking the pistol up in that same case & left over time will have bad results.
This is the reason I believe in DA revolvers for home defense.
As far as cocked and locked, I think it's dangerous to have a loaded, chambered round, safety off, hammer drawn back, ready to fire, when you jump up from a deep sleep because of a crashing noise.
If you are in a state of even mild disorientation, a three pound trigger pull is chancy. Cocking a revolver and walking through the house with it is dangerous as well. Trip in the dark? Bad situation if your finger is in the trigger guard.
Just my thoughts. a handgun for night time defense is safest if you have a heavy and long trigger pull, and when you have a safe trigger pull, of course, keep the thing loaded, chamber ready, and safety off, because a DA revolver pull or a long pull on a striker fired handgun are very unlikely to cause accidental shooting.
Hope this is useful to you. I know it's not exactly what you were asking to hear. Myself, I use a pair of DA revolvers, a .357 lever carbine, a coach gun, and now, a glock as home defense weapons. All of them are pretty safe from accidental discharge. the two long guns require further actions to use. I keep the rifle loaded, chambered, but hammer down. Cocking it is needed. The coach gun is empty but shells are on the stock. I don't keep them where I sleep, so there isn't much chance that I'll stumble to the closet and shoot one of my cats.
BTW, the times that I have been awakened by a crash were usually tree limbs. Once it was a kid who drove down my street at 80+ mph and literally destroyed everything in his path and killed himself when he ran into a stone wall at the end of a cul de sac.
I sure as hell didn't need to be wandering around with a cocked revolver, right?
As far as cocked and locked, I think it's dangerous to have a loaded, chambered round, safety off, hammer drawn back, ready to fire, when you jump up from a deep sleep because of a crashing noise.
If you are in a state of even mild disorientation, a three pound trigger pull is chancy. Cocking a revolver and walking through the house with it is dangerous as well. Trip in the dark? Bad situation if your finger is in the trigger guard.
Just my thoughts. a handgun for night time defense is safest if you have a heavy and long trigger pull, and when you have a safe trigger pull, of course, keep the thing loaded, chamber ready, and safety off, because a DA revolver pull or a long pull on a striker fired handgun are very unlikely to cause accidental shooting.
Hope this is useful to you. I know it's not exactly what you were asking to hear. Myself, I use a pair of DA revolvers, a .357 lever carbine, a coach gun, and now, a glock as home defense weapons. All of them are pretty safe from accidental discharge. the two long guns require further actions to use. I keep the rifle loaded, chambered, but hammer down. Cocking it is needed. The coach gun is empty but shells are on the stock. I don't keep them where I sleep, so there isn't much chance that I'll stumble to the closet and shoot one of my cats.
BTW, the times that I have been awakened by a crash were usually tree limbs. Once it was a kid who drove down my street at 80+ mph and literally destroyed everything in his path and killed himself when he ran into a stone wall at the end of a cul de sac.
I sure as hell didn't need to be wandering around with a cocked revolver, right?
I switched to the GP100 for a nightstand gun for the simplicity of operation when groggy and in the dark.
Before that I had a 439 S&W 9mm, and every time I picked it up to go outside and investigate a noise I would drop the mag out, rack it open to see if I had a round in the chmaber, and see whether the safety was on or off because I could never remember what state I left it in. Yes, a chambered round with safety off, and uncocked (since it was double action) was the best way to leave it, but I was never confident of that when I picked it up.
Now, its a matter of picking it up and pulling the trigger. I carry a .38 snubbie for the same reason.
Before that I had a 439 S&W 9mm, and every time I picked it up to go outside and investigate a noise I would drop the mag out, rack it open to see if I had a round in the chmaber, and see whether the safety was on or off because I could never remember what state I left it in. Yes, a chambered round with safety off, and uncocked (since it was double action) was the best way to leave it, but I was never confident of that when I picked it up.
Now, its a matter of picking it up and pulling the trigger. I carry a .38 snubbie for the same reason.
I would see that as a sensible precautions if someone is concerned that someone could get into your house, before I started worrying what to do if they get in. I suppose you could call it what if, I would call it common sense. One of the favourite methods of murdering people here was to come trough your door using a sledge hammer, so putting measures in place to stop that happening was the sensible thing to do.
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serf 'rett
New member
Will the firearm be damaged?
I don't think so. If a spring were to get weak, I should know this since I shoot what I carry and any firearm which might be used for defense. A spring is cheap and easily replaced.
If you're shooting what you might be using, then you should know if a problem develops.
I don't think so. If a spring were to get weak, I should know this since I shoot what I carry and any firearm which might be used for defense. A spring is cheap and easily replaced.
If you're shooting what you might be using, then you should know if a problem develops.