My nightstand gun is the same as my personal defense gun, and it is kept in a small quick-access safe (due to having a toddler in the house) beside my bed in Condition 0, with a full magazine inserted and +1 in the chamber--ready to fire simply by aiming and squeezing the trigger. The safe also contains two additional loaded magazines, two "tactical" (i.e. high-output) flashlights, and a loaded revolver for backup or somebody else in my household to use at the same time. I used to keep a can of OC spray in there, as well, since that is customarily my first option, but I figure that given the kind of emergency I could expect at home and the conditions I'd be under--probably in the dark at first and with the assumption of an immediate deadly threat (that's what Castle laws address)--it would be best to limit the number of items packed in there, especially since I'm not going to be reaching for certain items anyway; if I need to temporarily blind somebody, then I'll use a flashlight instead.
GregInAtl said:
Where can I get a safe like this with a push button lock? How many guns does it hold? How much are they?
I use this one and like it a lot:
http://www.ftknox.com/redesign/pistolboxes/
I got it for about $50 cheaper, though, during a long-running promotion last year. I don't know whether or when they'll do that again, but I think that even the regular price is pretty fair when considering its design and construction versus other pistol safes that are currently on the market. The lock is a five-button all-mechanical Simplex, which I trust over electronic locks both in terms of reliability and sturdiness--some of the most popular ones have rather fragile mechanisms and more potential points of failure (including batteries), requiring you to keep a manual key handy for backup. This safe, while still fairly compact, also has just enough room for multiple handguns if desired (depending on their size), as well as any other small items you may consider useful in an emergency (I keep my emergency flashlights in there too so that I can be assured that nobody has moved them elsewhere).
By the way, for those who rely on children being unable to operate a handgun, please don't do that or else you may be unpleasantly surprised at what they're capable of.
Nothing can be completely safe, but I'd rather rely on a decent lock than just the force of a spring.
C0untZer0 said:
Shotguns are a little different aren't they?
I guess each one has different safety setups but I remember someone saying they would have a Mossberg 930 with one in the chamber because of the possibility of a bump fire (I really don't know if that's valid)
It is generally true that shotguns are not as safe as handguns when dropped or otherwise subjected to impacts, even with their manual safeties engaged, which is why most people keep their chambers empty.
C0untZer0 said:
A 12 ga would be the first thing I arm myself with if my house got broken into - pistol would be second only after I'd expended 9 rounds of #1 Buck (experts pick it as the best HD load despite the TFL poll which shows most people use #00 Buck for their HD Shotguns).
While #1 buck does appear to offer an optimal combination of penetration and number of pellets, #00 buck is generally easier to find and there is a greater variety of loads to choose from for enhanced patterning, reduced recoil, and such. Additionally, a few people may actually prefer #00 buck for its greater penetration margin anyway. If #1 buck works well for you, then I think it's a great choice (perhaps the best overall), but there are reasons #00 buck is so popular.