Nightstand gun question

I'm a heavy sleeper, and I move around in my sleep. I have kids, too. I keep a couple of revolvers in a pushbutton safe next to the bed. That way the kids can't get to them, but it doesn't take that long for me to get to them when I am awake.

I spend a lot of time in hotels. I don't like leaving the glock on the nightstand next to me with a loaded chamber. I leave it with the mag loaded and an empty chamber.
 
1911 in condition 1 on the nightstand. extra mag beside it. Pile of mags in the drawer. Long-guns 3 steps away, dog. Night-sites on the gun, I sleep very light. 7.5" Ruger Redhawk on the Wife's side with manageable flat point loads in it. (What can I say? she's good with it) and it has night-sights too.
 
Do you folks that don't have any kids in the house that keep your gun loaded with a round in the chamber at night, do you remove the round in the chamber every morning and then load it again at night or do you just keep it "ready to go" at all times.

Obviously, if you have kids, it's a no brainer. My wife and I live alone and I usually keep the gun in the nightstand unloaded with the magazine right next to it or sometimes I have the magazine in the gun but no round in the chamber and then all I have to do is rack the slide. I would keep a round in the chamber at night but I find it a hassle in the morning to have to drop the magazine out and eject the round in the chamber and put it back in the magazine.

Just curious.
 
My carry pistol goes from nightstand to holster to nightstand without being cleared, unloaded, or otherwise manipulated.

Since you and your wife live alone, why do you not want a round chambered during the day?
 
TailGator said:
Since you and your wife live alone, why do you not want a round chambered during the day?
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I do want to. It's my wife that is uneasy about it. However, if I convince her that it's not just me that wants to do it that way, others do as well, she may relent.
 
Under most "normal" situations, . . . I will know if someone is approaching my house. A determined, resourceful, and observant rascal could get to my front or side door without my knowing until he attempts to enter.

That is the reason I have one in the pipe, . . . in the handgun, . . . and in the long gun.

The long gun goes back in the safe when not needed, . . . handguns can get swapped out, . . . but many of them have one in the pipe, . . . none of them have ever gone bang by themselves, . . . they are all good little guys. I do not unload them just to put them in the safe, . . . it is my safe, my house, and my life that may be on the line when I need it.

And the only "child" in the house is my 30 year old son who has full access to my safe any time he comes over. He knows about the safe, the guns, and gun safety, . . .

May God bless,
Dwight
 
I do want to. It's my wife that is uneasy about it. However, if I convince her that it's not just me that wants to do it that way, others do as well, she may relent.
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Has your wife fired your gun at the range, or dry fired it at home? She needs to do so to understand that it takes a fairly deliberate act to pull the trigger. Explain that modern pistols have multiple safeties, and that they do not not not not "go off" by themselves. (I even hate the phrase "go off.")

Personally, I would consider the repetitive manipulation of the gun to be more of a safety issue than having it loaded, chambered and undisturbed. I still don't get why chambering a round at night and clearing in the morning is desirable.
 
I do want to. It's my wife that is uneasy about it. However, if I convince her that it's not just me that wants to do it that way, others do as well, she may relent.
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Why not use a handgun safe? I find that most women aren't as comfortable as most men are with guns laying around. Women are becoming a larger segment of my business every day. My kids are grown and gone and I still use my handgun safe for my HD gun. Here's what I do: My EDC (G26) stays chambered and holstered and is put in the big safe at night and put back on in the morning. My HD gun (G17) stays in my handgun safe bolted to my bed frame chambered. It has a holster mounted in it as well so if I have to grab it at night the trigger is covered and the draw is the same as any holster. You could leave it open at night if that made you a little more comfortable on retrieving your gun if needed and then simply close the door in the morning and there's no need to unload your weapon. Also reducing the risk of an ND by reducing the number of times that you load and unload your gun and there's not a loaded gun laying around when no one is home in case of a break in. This works well for me and there are a lot of different ways you can store your handgun close by.
 
I have a 5 and 2 yrs old at home and I'm a LEO. I keep the following in my GunVault gun safe under my nightstand: my duty 9mm Sig P226R with a round in the chamber/full mag, a .40S&W Glock 27 (no round in chamber, but full mag in), and fully loaded 2.5 inch .357 Mag Ruger SP101 and 2 inch .38 Spl Taurus M85.

The GunVault has a combination finger/key pad and a key that will override that pad. I have the larger version with 2 shelves. I can fit all 4 of the above handguns on the top shelf and store extra ammo and mags/speedloaders with a Gerber LMF 6" knife (that has seen combat) on the lower shelf.

I also always have a Surefire flashlight on top of the nightstand. If you keep a firearm for Home Defense readily available, a handheld or weapon-mounted light is an absolute necessity. You need to be able to positively identify your potential target(s) in order to prevent a tragedy (ie: a family member coming home late). Properly used, a light could also give you the tactical advantage and element of surprise.

Additionally, I have my 14" 12ga Mossberg 590A1 with Surefire 621FA Weaponlight mounted over the inside of our double-slider closet in the bedroom closest to my side of the bed with 5 rds in the mag and 7 on the side saddle ready to go.
 
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TailGator said:
I still don't get why chambering a round at night and clearing in the morning is desirable.
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I agree, it's a hassle. That's why I'm asking everyone's input so my wife won't think I'm absurd for leaving the gun laying around loaded.

Yes, she has fired my guns at the range. She's a better shot than I am.
 
nightstand gun

I don't have young children in the house, I keep my USP compact loaded all of the time, round in the chamber, the USP also has night sights which in low light condition can help find your nightstand weapon, If I had young children I would have it in a quick access safe, but keep it in the same condition. Isn't that the point to have it ready quickly when you need it. ;)
 
FAS1 said:
Why not use a handgun safe?
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That's probably what I'll end up doing. Don't have any grandkids yet, so I got some time. I have 4 guns, a Sig 226, GLock 23, Kahr PM9 and Bersa .380. Do you have or know where I can get a safe that I can get all those in without having to haul it in on a two wheel dolly.
 
drew332 said:
I keep the following in my GunVault gun safe under my nightstand
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Which model of GunVault http://www.gunvault.com/ do you have? Would it hold my 4 guns: Sig 226, Glock 23, Kahr PM9, Bersa .380, or at leat 3 of them? Maybe I could get one vault for the bedside that would hold 1 gun and keep the other 3 in a separate vault in the closet.
 
i'm moving to a gated community of old geezers in south carolina. 24/7 patrolled and the only marauders are armadillos and deer.:eek:
 
In a quick access vault I have an S&W 29. In another quick access vault in the ROOM ZINCWARRIOR HIDES IN WHEN THE DOGS/KIDS/WIFE GET TOO LOUD is the Kimber and a Beretta 92 (not cocked but loaded). Now the bedrooms are all upstairs so this is an advantage.

If it were me, the misses, and the wiener dog legions it would be different, but safety from unwanted handling is a concern. Further, fumbling for a pistol due to a figure in the room would be bad, as its likely a child of some sort.

The wiener dogs alert us if there's trouble (or if they've decided I'm sleeping too well ;) ), and have the added bonus of "preducking" due to their height of 6-8 inches depending on dog ;).


Quote:
Originally Posted by 10Ringmagic
I have one of those little handgun safes that hold just one pistol sitting on my dresser, the lock is operated by a five button Simplex lock. I have had this for over twenty years.

Whatever gun resides in that box is fully loaded, if it is a semi auto then it has a full magazine and one chambered, revolver have a cylinder full.

I like this idea. Where can I get a safe like this with a push button lock? How many guns does it hold? How much are they?
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Academy, Walmart/Target, probably your FLGS, and online. Sportsman guide and cheaperthandirt have them online.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_29489_-1?N=329211197

We have this one for one vault. It holds two pistols plus spares comfortably and three uncomfortably.
http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_29459_-1?N=329211197
 
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I have 4 guns, a Sig 226, GLock 23, Kahr PM9 and Bersa .380. Do you have or know where I can get a safe that I can get all those in without having to haul it in on a two wheel dolly.
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My safe is only designed to store your HD handgun. There are several kinds of small safes avail. You need to decide what you are looking for in a safe. Some people don't like electronic locks. Some people don't like biometric scanners. Some people don't like mechanical locks. You will find most of the handgun safes made of pretty light gauge steel regardless of what type lock they use. My preference is stronger steel and a mechanical pushbutton lock (Simplex). I like the Ft. Knox for holding a couple of handguns (not sure it will hold all 4) because it is 11 gauge body and 7 gauge door. If you decide to buy something make sure you bolt it down to something solid.


Maybe I could get one vault for the bedside that would hold 1 gun and keep the other 3 in a separate vault in the closet.
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If I went this route it would be the Ft. Knox in the closet and FAS1 Safe next to my bed.

No Long guns? Maybe a real safe (RSC) in the closet.
 
GregInAtl said:
Which model of GunVault http://www.gunvault.com/ do you have? Would it hold my 4 guns: Sig 226, Glock 23, Kahr PM9, Bersa .380, or at leat 3 of them? Maybe I could get one vault for the bedside that would hold 1 gun and keep the other 3 in a separate vault in the closet.
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GregInAtl - the GunVault model I have is here:

http://www.gunvault.com/handgun-safes/multi-multi-deluxe.html

Our police union got a deal on these about 10 years ago and a bunch of us purchased them. Never had an issue with it and it's served me well thus far. You can easily fit 2 handguns on each shelf if you angle them properly.

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All of these handguns, as mentioned in my previous post, were removed from this safe for the photo and are normally stored in this manner. It is kind of a tight to fit them all on the same shelf, but I think 3 would be no problem. As you can also see, I can still fit more ammo/mags or whatever on the bottom shelf in back. (my Gerber LMF knife has been attached to my chest rig in preparation for a training class next weekend)
 
I would use a safe regardless. The Gunvaults with the hand print buttons are great for opening in the dark, and they fit IN the nightstand in many cases. I'd also use a revolver, but that's my personal preference. I like sidestepping the whether to keep it chambered or not discussion, and I don't like single action for high stress situations.

I would add, delicately, that if your wife is uncomfortable with a loaded, chambered, gun on the nightstand, to hell with what everyone else thinks. Genuinely changing her mind is one thing, but saying "we're doing this because everyone says its ok" isn't fair. I hope I'm not overstepping the boundaries here, but if I were in her position I would probably resent this thread. She's the one who has to live there after all.
 
I keep my 'bedside' gun loaded with one in the chamber. But my 'bedside' gun isn't on/in the nightstand. It's in a small gun safe on my nightstand, one of those easy to open push button ones.

I don't like the idea of leaving a gun outside of the safe in my house unless I'm carrying it.

Edit: I should have read the above posts. My gunvault is similar to drew332's as shown in his picture. It's secure and quick to get in hand at a moment's notice.
 
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