Help me decide: Round in the chamber or not when storing HD shotgun?

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Everyone is totally ignoring the word "stored" in the OP

He's not going to load it and then leave it on the kitchen table

Those who keep bringing up "dropping and firing", how many times in your life have you seen that happen?

We can all construct fantasy scenarios to fit our stance, but some are just silly
 
I think I'm now more confused than before :D

In all seriousness... Why won't shotgun manufacturers just install the damn firing pin block (standard on all modern pistols), to make it drop safe?! That, plus having a quick-access pass-code or biometric safe would sway most folks here to putting round into the chamber and living happy lives! Are manufacturers actually trying to make shotgun design obsolete, and discourage ownership of shotguns for HD?

I guess I have more thinking to do. Given the variety of opinions on this, has anyone actually call Mossberg, and ask what their tech people recommend regarding this storage issue: Chamber empty or full? They should at least know if 500s are drop safe or not... Of course, they would have no idea about other individual factors like having kids around, having a safe, one's storage SOPs, having visitors, etc....
 
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I have a Mossberg 500 and it is set-up for HD (have sporting barrel as well). I had originally bought it as a HD gun and it was my first firearm.

But, truthfully... it really isn't a viable HD gun in my opinion.
Reasons as follows:

I have three children in the house.
Which means I can not leave it out.
Has anyone with kids ever woke up in the middle of the night to their kids standing next to the bed due to a bad dream or something? I have and it would make me nervous having a gun out next to the bed at night.

Don't give me that "train your kids" line either. Kids will be kids and they are curious. No matter how many times you tell them not to do something, there is no guarantee they will not do it (I have a scar on my hand from touching the lawn mower muffler.. after my dad told me not to touch it several times).

So, I ended up having to put the shotgun in a small 5-gun safe in my master closet in order for me to sleep at night. That's the thing, I wasn't losing sleep over someone getting in my house and having to deploy a HD firearm. I was losing sleep over someone in my house with little hands getting a hold of the gun instead. So, now my big cannon is across the room, in the closet and in the safe that requires a multi-digit code to get at. Not so great for a fast deploying HD gun, huh?

Ever fire a shotgun in the dark, indoors? I have. This was at the 12 lane firing lane I go to, they also do training there as well. They were doing low light/no light training with mounted lights and false walls set up on the range. Between the bright flash and huge noise (even with wearing ears), it was really disorienting. I would not want to roll out of bed and fire that cannon in the middle of the night in my house.

Now, I just use my EDC snub as a bedside HD gun. It sits in an easy to get at and fast deploying pistol safe on the side of my bed. The gun is secure from little hands, yet easy to get to and more manageable if it had to be brought into play in a HD scenario.

So, for me.. being a parent of small children...the Shotgun became a range toy. Only time I could see it come into play as a self defense firearm, would be if it was a SHTF scenario where I had forewarning. Basically a "don't come into my Castle and move along" firearm.
 
Everyone is totally ignoring the word "stored" in the OP

He's not going to load it and then leave it on the kitchen table

Those who keep bringing up "dropping and firing", how many times in your life have you seen that happen?
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Then WHERE is it being stored? In a rack in a closet, then it doesn't matter. Storing it standing up and between the bed and nightstand? Not so good.

And yes, I have seen it happen, once was enough; and not worth the risk to leave a round in the chamber.
 
Yeah can you explain the STORED to us?

The way I store something vs how you do could be miles apart. It could range from two pegs on the wall to the intro of Get Smart.
 
I mean seriously, who walks through a door then looks over their shoulder and above the door frame of the room they just entered?!
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Not many. Be pretty hard not to notice once you turned around to walk out of the room though.

Over the frame in the closet sounds like a better idea.
 
Yeah can you explain the STORED to us?
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"Stored" can have lots of variations but many are insinuating that someone with kids wouldn't have the common sense to store the gun in a place not accessable to them

I'd have it in a closet or cabinet in my bedroom which would be locked if I wasn't at home

I also think its lame to insinuate anyone is going to shoot their own kid just because a gun is kept loaded and ready.
 
"Stored" can have lots of variations but many are insinuating that someone with kids wouldn't have the common sense to store the gun in a place not accessable to them
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Hey I'm not insulting anyone and not intending to. There are millions of options that people call stored and I just want to know the way he's leaning.
 
I haven't finalized the method of "storing" my gun yet. But, my set-up will most likely be a safe with a passcode or fingerprint scanner for times when I'm away or when I have kids/guests over; and shotgun laying on the floor/shelf within arms reach of my bed at all other times.
 
I go with likelihood -

More likely to have an accident on a loaded shotgun, than need to call it into duty.

So, for a shotgun, I keep mine chamber empty, safety off, magazine full. Rack and ready if/when needed (probably never). Trigger is pulled so it's not under tension on an empty chamber for long periods of time. I store it this way because they are not drop safe and it can literally be racked in an instant.
 
Mostly this ^^^. Magazine full, chamber empty, safety on. I can rack a shell and click the safety off in the same motion. My "stored" is a hidden safe in a closet.

I don't think ammo and gun should be together within access of children. My oldest is 4 and we already work on gun safety already (toy guns). I want both of them knowledgeable and not afraid even if they chose not to enjoy guns as a hobby.
 
I don't believe there is such a think as being inaccessible of kids, even if you are home, as long as a gun is unlocked The possible exception being if it is on your person and you are awake.
 
ammo stored SEPERATELY?!?! please don't run for office. how in the bleeping bleep am I going to protect myself with ammo not, at the very least, next to the gun. I keep mine ready to roll....but in the sfae. my shotgun is not my go-to. my wife and I both have "loaded" and "chambered" pistols next to us and a 300blk pistol "loaded" and "chambered" on top of entertainment center.

ammo stored separately......I still can't get over that one.....what's the freaking point of having a gun to protect your family if you have no ammo?
 
My opinion is that your firearm should be ready to go when you pick it up. Those extra seconds it takes you to get your ammo, load enough to help confront your threat (what if there are 5 people breaking in instead of 1?) might make the difference between life and death.

I don't have kids so my restrictions are a little easier, but when I have company that has kids, I secure everything in my safe.

I do remember being a kid and knowing where my dads weapons around the house were, I just didn't care because they were demystified at an early age, and I knew enough to keep my mouth shut when friends were over.
 
The reason I don't keep any longguns loaded is that when retrieving it (for instance from the safe - barrel up), it is dangerously close to pointing at you and the safe is full of little "fingers" (bolt handles, slings, etc.) that can catch on a loaded shotgun trigger. Having any long gun go off near your head in an enclosed safe would be tragic...

I've also read and seen stories of loaded shotguns leaned up against trees, falling over and discharging.

My handgun is drop-safe, loaded, one in the pipe, and in a holster that protects the trigger. It's always within reach, and is my immediate go to weapon. It takes 1 second to remove it from the holster.

If I were to go to my longgun, shotgun, AK, AR, whatever, I keep these chambers empty, mag full, safety off. It takes the SAME amount of time to rack that loaded as it does to remove my pistol from the holster. Both actions are necessary to bring the weapon to combat ready.

I'll also add I have no kids in the house. I would re-evaluate if I had little ones...
 
Unique situation as I live in one city and work in another.

At home (with family):
Always empty in my opinion. Ammo stored separately. Too many injuries and deaths from careless miss use of firearms as around the world.
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While one has gone off to college we still have one teenager, and I will occasionally enter an estrogen rich house full of screaming/talking teenage girls.
Shotgun is there, but its for fun and at worst, riot control. We have fast opening vaults in two rooms with pistols, but frankly someone is always moving around there.

At work city (small residence):
Wingmaster loaded but empty chamber. Its right next to my bed and I have kicked it before and my dog has slept on it before (yea he doesn't care). I can pump it quickly. But again I think of it more of as something if a riot situation broke out (or the few days after a bad hurricane).
 
ammo stored SEPERATELY?!?! please don't run for office. how in the bleeping bleep am I going to protect myself with ammo not, at the very least, next to the gun. I keep mine ready to roll....but in the sfae. my shotgun is not my go-to. my wife and I both have "loaded" and "chambered" pistols next to us and a 300blk pistol "loaded" and "chambered" on top of entertainment center.

ammo stored separately......I still can't get over that one.....what's the freaking point of having a gun to protect your family if you have no ammo?
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You should calm down. People are having a polite discussion. No need for hostility.

The real issue is children isn't it. If you have kids, that security is a real concern. Some will feel safe with teaching the kids to be safe. Others will feel safe only if the weapon is locked. Others are safe only if the ammo is stored separately. Frankly there are many who feel a shotgun is not a good HD item with children (others the opposite, that you can hang a light on it).

If you don't have kids, and some one with kids is raising this as a concern, its a real paramount issue and frankly your (or my) comments aren't going to matter much.
 
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i have a kid. and I understand that people will have different concerns on keeping firearms in the house, I totally respect that. but this wasn't a thread about how to store firearms used for hunting. this was about firearms for home defense. but please explain how ammo stored separately from a firearm could be beneficial in a home defense scenario. I just can't wrap my head around how that works in the real world. I apologize for being rude.
 
i have a kid. and I understand that people will have different concerns on keeping firearms in the house, I totally respect that. but this wasn't a thread about how to store firearms used for hunting. this was about firearms for home defense. but please explain how ammo stored separately from a firearm could be beneficial in a home defense scenario. I just can't wrap my head around how that works in the real world. I apologize for being rude.
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To be more precise, this is a thread about whether to keep a round chambered in a HD shotgun. While a chambered round is more quickly brought into action, one with a full magazine and an empty chamber is almost as readily used. Storing ammo in a separate place can mean that a firearm takes just a bit more time (as when shotshells are kept in a drawer by the shotgun and in such a case I can accept why a parent would make such a choice) or a great deal more time (when the shells are kept in a locked safe on another floor of the house and in that instance I doubt that a HD gun would be of much use).
 
My HD shotgun is loaded, but in an accessible safe. My ARs and handguns have loaded mags ready to go also...in my safe. I stand by my statement that a shotgun or any gun and a box of shells/ammo shouldn't be left out sitting around. That is a statistic waiting to happen no matter how well you teach your kids.
 
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