How best to keep shotgun at the ready

B

borneoboomstick

Inactive
Hi, I've been lurking here for quite a while but now have to ask all your opinion. I have a Benelli M2 with a +2 extended magazine. I keep it loaded in my gunsafe for HD purposes. My questions are:

How many rounds can i load into the magazine and for how long before it begins to effect the spring?Right now I load three shells and have 4 on the butt-stock Mesa Tactical shell holder

Should I dry fire it also so that the trigger in no longer cocked and also by doing so releasing a shell from the magazine to the feeding ramp? Or is it safe to leave the trigger cocked for extended periods? If so, how long of an extended period?

Appreciate any advice and opinions on this..

Thanks
 
Springs only "wear out" from cycles or over compression. You can leave a mag tube loaded to capacity for 30 years if you wish.

If the gun is modern and designed to be dry fired... that is up to your preference but once again the springs are fine.

The up side to a gun that has been dry fired is you do not need to remember the action release when time to puit the gun to work in an HD situation.
Brent
 
i got a mossberg in my closet i keep filled to the gills, sidesaddle filled, one in the chamber and safety is on. If i have to go grab that gun, i dont want to have to think about anything.
 
I'm in full agreement with hogdogs. A fully loaded magazine can be maintained for years without the spring "taking a set." My HD Rem. 870 is equipped with a Tac Star magazine extension and Side Saddle. Both are fully charged and the chamber is empty. Trigger is pulled, safety is off. In police circles this is known as "cruiser ready."
 
i keep a mossberg 500 right next to my bed unloaded and shells nearby. if i ever need it in an emergency i plan to load one round and chamber it. if i think i have time to load more i will
 
I'll agree with most the other posters.
I have to wonder why your HD weapon is in the safe, not handy in case of emergency, it would seem.
I keep my Mossberg loaded fully with one in the chamber too, all I need to do is flip the safety and pull the trigger.
 
i got a mossberg in my closet i keep filled to the gills, sidesaddle filled, one in the chamber and safety is on. If i have to go grab that gun, i dont want to have to think about anything.
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You have to think about that safety.....;)


I keep it loaded in my gunsafe for HD purposes
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Makes it hard to get to quickly if necessary, doesn't it? Now if you take it out every night and put it back during the day if you're not home, that is one thing. If you don't feel comfortable leaving the gun with a round in the chamber, fill up your magazine and have the hammer pulled on an empty chamber so all you need to do is rack the slide and go to town....(aka cruiser ready)
 
I keep the 590 hanging above the bed with shells on my night stand and i keep one shell in the stock incase i need one shot on the move
 
loaded to max w/ one in the tube and safety on.

What is the purpose of having an unloaded gun? Atleast stack the tube, but dont put one in the chamber
 
Thanks for all the opinions and suggestions. Appreciate it. What I might do now is load her up with 5 00 Buck, then drop a snapcap in the chamber and dryfire it. So when I need it in a hurry I just pull back the bolt, eject the snapcap and load in a live shell. Safety is on.

I'll agree with most the other posters.
I have to wonder why your HD weapon is in the safe, not handy in case of emergency, it would seem.
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My gun safe is locked during the day but unlocked at night and is less then three feet from my side of the bed. Without letting the cat too much out of the bag, I operate a layered system at home. I have motion perimeter sensors, sensor spotlights, CCTV cameras (normal and IR) covering all entrances and windows, heavy grills (bedroom grills can be opened in the event of a fire or other escape reasons but is also secured), ADT alarm system, deadbolts and all padlocks are high quality, anti-cut types. My wife thinks I'm a little paranoid but I figure my home is my castle and if I can't feel and be safe in my own home then there's a problem with this picture. Also when I'm out of town, I like to know that my family are as safe as they can possibly be. The object here is to make my home harder then the guy next door so the BG will go bug him and not me.

If you get into my house at the top of the landing is another steel/glass door that again buys me time to wake up, shake the cobwebs out and grab "Nelly". She's loaded with 3 00 Buck with 4 in the SureShell holder. Used to have a TacStar side saddle too but I find that the M2 will have reliability issues in cycling when she's loaded down with so many accessories (SureFire fore-end too).

I have kids but keep on educating the eldest about the dangers of firearms and why not to touch them. In fact if he's in my room and I open the gunsafe, he immediately runs out into his room! :)

This is Nelly:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/borneoboomstick/3880489491/
 
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I sleep with a Glock holstered under my pillow, to guide me to my closet, and then my shotgun... Mossberg500, 5 buckshots in the magazine, one in the stand, 6 shells on the side saddle, and 5 slugs more in the rear saddle (plus 5 slugs in the sling) Not to mention the 50 shotgun shell bandolier in the shotgun case, nobody is surviving a long shootout with me... never! ;)
 
I sleep with a Glock holstered under my pillow, to guide me to my closet, and then my shotgun... Mossberg500, 5 buckshots in the magazine, one in the stand, 6 shells on the side saddle, and 5 slugs more in the rear saddle (plus 5 slugs in the sling) Not to mention the 50 shotgun shell bandolier in the shotgun case, nobody is surviving a long shootout with me... never!
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LMAO. :D

I keep an 870 with 6 rounds of 00 buck in the mag, one up the spout and the safety on, with 6 more buck and 6 slugs on the sling, and a mix of 25 slugs and buck on a bandolier that I can throw over my shoulder in a second. It's my SHTF bug-out rig. :D
 
borneoboomstick

In answer to your questions:

How many rounds can i load into the magazine and for how long before it begins to effect the spring?
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I loaded my M-1 entry scattergun with 4 in the tube that's full up, a few in a “cold comfort” butt cuff. I did not see any spring weakness in several years of use.

Should I dry fire it also so that the trigger in no longer cocked and also by doing so releasing a shell from the magazine to the feeding ramp? Or is it safe to leave the trigger cocked for extended periods?
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No offense to Brent and others, BUT the M-1 and M-2 Benelli's are not Pump-guns! First, they have NO action bar release that must be worked. What they do have is a Shell Drop release right in front of the trigger guard, and a bolt release button on the right side of the receiver.
If you choose to leave this scattergun cocked, with rounds in the tube, then you will be forced to use the shell drop lever before you can load a round into the chamber.
This scattergun is made to operate with a shell on the carrier, it is one of the few scatterguns so made. It also has a feature which allows you to release the hammer directly against the bolt face causing no issues of damage to the firing pin.

My drill for cruiser ready is to make sure the gun is totally empty, work the bolt, this cocks the gun and engages the shell drop lever. Then load the mag tube with the appropriate amount of rounds. Next, move the cocking handle to the rear equal to the rear of the ejection port, pull the trigger and release the bolt handle.

This does three things, de-cocks the hammer directly against the bolt body, drivers the bolt into battery and then releases a shell onto the carrier. To make the gun “ready for war” simply work the bolt rearward, check the position of the safety and engage.

I used a M-1 entry scattergun for several years, it gave me flawless service provided I maintained it.

I wrote an article many years ago on the M-1, if you PM me I will forward it if you like.

Best of Luck and Be Safe
 
My drill for cruiser ready is to make sure the gun is totally empty, work the bolt, this cocks the gun and engages the shell drop lever. Then load the mag tube with the appropriate amount of rounds. Next, move the cocking handle to the rear equal to the rear of the ejection port, pull the trigger and release the bolt handle.

This does three things, de-cocks the hammer directly against the bolt body, drivers the bolt into battery and then releases a shell onto the carrier. To make the gun “ready for war” simply work the bolt rearward, check the position of the safety and engage.
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Yup this is what I'm doing right now except I'm not moving the cocking handle all the way back; just an inch or so. If moving the cocking handle all the way back helps prevent any damage to the firing pin then I will do that from now on.

Thanks for the advice all.. glad to know that I'm not the only paranoid android in the world :)
 
A home defense gun needs to be ready to use. I would suggest that you practice in the dark. Also consider your ammo your surrounding rooms who else is in the house.
 
i keep a laoded mossberg pump but i don't keep one in the chamber. in my situation i think it would be irresponsible to have one in the chamber with the safety on. i would worry more about a family member or friend getting hurt unintentionaly than the time it takes to rack the slide if i need it.
 
Everyone's home situation is different..ie..level of skill and training..kids.etc..etc. Everyone has there own comfort level of how far they will go to keeping a gun loaded and one in the chamber ready to be squeezed.

For me...I keep 2 mags loaded for my M1 carbine, so that they are ready to be slapped in, and they are next to the gun in the cabinet. I have 00 shot shells next to the 12 guage in the cabinet also. I keep the key in the door so that its ready to open in a hurry, but for me...thats as far as I can go. I hope I never have to find out just what the best method is in all this anticipation. :eek:
 
As far as leaving the magazine loaded, I worry less about the spring taking a set than I worry about the shells being deformed over time.

I had one of those super-extra-power-because-my-magazine-is-so-gosh-darn-long springs for a while. It visibly crushed the shells.

Now I use a less aggressive spring and it's fine.
 
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