Opinions on "medicine cabinet guns"

I agree with the comment about the medicine cabinet being the 1st place a druggie will go. IF you don't have small children (or small grandchildren) I'd suggest adding something like this gun clock or perhaps this picture frame and mounting it at least 5 feet from the floor. Properly hung it wouldn't look too out of place. Just be careful to not mount in a location that makes any seams look obvious. You could probably even get away with a second near your easy chair. I probably would not use one these in the bedroom.

These between studs in wall safes with quick electronic locks make lot of sense in the master bedroom closet or really anywhere you can hang a picture over it - especially if there are little ones around. I'm actually considering a Phoenix in-wall rifle locker for behind clothes in my master bedroom closet. Just for the stuff I'd like extra handy in a sudden emergency. 1x12ga, 1xMini-14, 1 shell belt and 2 magazines for the mini, extra spares for the 1911 under my pillow. I like the idea of in-walls because I don't want to come home only to find a thief and get shot with one of my own guns. That would seriously suck!

I've owned a 44 spl Bulldog and it was a great little revolver. Perhaps a bit thick for many concealed stashes but a reliable and manageable trouble stopper. I'd want at least one reload at each location. There is something to be said for consistency, but I'm like you. If I can come up with an excuse for more I'll jump on it. For those narrow stashes the little officers sized Charles Daly 1911 A-1 ECS in stainless is pretty affordable and bathroom/couch friendly. This might even be a good excuse to add a Kahr K-40 and/or a Taurus PT745 to your collection.
 
"Maybe the medicine cabinet is not the greatest idea. The theory is to have the guns in places where you might be most vulnerable, since a break-in is not normally scheduled ahead of time. "

In the bathroom, the shelf in the cabinet reserved for feminine products. Seriously. Probably would not be discovered in the back, buy burglars on a clock or company snooping around, and would allow for something bigger. Definately get stainless, chrome, electroless nickel, or one of the new anti-corrosive finishes/coatings. Is an NFA peice out of the question? Those Serbu AOW's are only like 600, and the 5. tax. Come in 12 or 20, Mossberg or Maverick. 2+1 capacity. (IIRC 8"bbl/mag tube) Get the 20 gauge and some Dura coat so years of hot shower steam don't have it looking like a railroad spike. You could stash that in a lot of places, have something cool and exotic, maneuverable in close quarters, and quite more effective than a normal handgun including Taurus and other previous .410 revovers.

A Glock 36 or 19 inside a hollowed out book on the toilet tank. Police trade in 3rd gen. S&W autos can be had for dirt cheap and will hang with Sigs and USP's all day, with a simple trigger job maybe better. Berettas, Sigs, and Glocks too. Get them already broken in for ya, smoothed out, cosmetic blemishes already there so you don't have this urge to use it but somehow keep it NIB.

Gunbroker and GunsAmerica always have Steyr M- series 9's and 40's well under 400. I want the 9 myself and would purchase today if I could find a local (handgun) FFL that would do the transaction. It's kind of radical looking, spacegunish, especially if your preference is a big bore snub, but I swear you might never want to use anything else after trying it. Grip angle and feel (of a Olympic .22 rapidfire pistol) and lowest ever bore axis really make this gun shoot like a rimfire. Best factory sights ever, too. Triangular/trapezoidal. Take a while to get use to, but for me offered the acquisition of XS big Dots with the precision of Bomars, at once, probably sounds like an exaggeration, but the system really worked for me and these are standard. Worth 2 bills if you could get them on other pistols but I think it's just an uncopied, proprietary design. I always talk about this gun on here, nobody knows about it or won't give it a try. This is the one I knew was out there and finally discovered (well it and a GM 1911). Give it a try.

CDNN have/had Taurus Trackers in .45 ACP 4" and 6.5", incl. Ti models NIB for 3 bills not too long ago. I think this would be a good way for you to go, as it and your Bulldog use the slow, heavy, low pressure rounds (good choice for indoors, as is choosing a roscoe for HD-you get the death and taxes reliability without the burden of how crappy a wheelie is to pack vs. an auto of comparable weight and dimensions). It's on their medium frame so, you are already familiar with having 5rd. capacity; in that way, that might be better than having 6. And being an auto round you get to use moon clips instead of speedloaders. Plus, you can use all .45 auto rounds-including loads people like but cannot get to cycle reliably in a automatic. Or dutch load all the way around- 230 Hydra Shok's, 185+p Golden Sabre, 165 Premium Personal Defense, Aguila 117 gr. JHP, Magsafes, "fang face' Extreme Shock's, whatever. That wouldn't fly in a magazine fed weapon 100% of the time. The 200 gr. Gold Dot 'Flying Ashtray' a few years ago was desirable in performance but caused a lot of jams regardless of feed ramp or throat condition. If you reload I bet you could make up some killer multi-ball loads with 000 buck. I'm not sure if it's possible (safe for you or healthy for the gun over time) but maybe you could even use .45 super rounds? Worth finding out (in print). Personally in .45 Hydra shok is all i touch but the revolver gives you a lot of versatility. I think this might be your best bet. Not a Bulldog, but similar in all important areas (weight, size, manual of arms, capacity, action, cartridge charecteristics), with improvements such as faster reloads, and a more common chambering (giving you a greater selection of ammo, and a fresh supply of 230 fmj wherever you can buy any type of ammo). And I read something about 9mm and .45 auto bullets not losing much velocity thru the flash gap, something about freebore overcompensating in a revolver so a 4" gives similar performance to a 5" 1911. That was just one article but the consensus is they don't dump speed like a .22 mag wheelgun does.

Only downside is, it;s ported. Which is not so bad on a .45 really or a medium sized gun (now a .357 2" j-frame could be a serious liability). Not too long ago carry comp and bybrid porting/compensator combos were a big thing in the 1911 world. Not sure if the .45 ACP Tracker is still in production in any bbl. length, but check CDNN and the auction sites, cause it would probably be a choice you'll be happy with, more of the same but a little better. CDNN has great deals on stuff like that so don't expect to get it for 300./shipping/ffl transfer, but you might. Which should come up about the same as a new Charter. If you gotta go used, might as well get the 2" if you see one, but you might like the extra punch of the 4". You get a lot more for that extra 2"-sight radius, shot to shot recovery time, ballistic performance, etc.
good luck.
 
We keep a .38 or .44 in every room of the house. Subject to theft while we're gone? You bet. Are the guns in the safe subject to theft? Absolutely.
If someone comes in while we are gone, it's pretty much between him and the dog.
My objective with house guns is to protect us from any gremlin that tries to come in while we are there. No tricky hiding places- they know them all anyway. Just ready accessability to my wife and me.
 
I think what you're doing is a great idea, I'm on a meager budget but I am attempting to do the same thing. Here's my setup.

12g pumps, 18.5 inch barrels in the front closet and bedroom closet.

a S&W .357 next to my bed.

A S&W .38 held to the underside of a coffee table with a plastic coated magnet in the living room.

A hi-point 9mm in a shaving kit in the bathroom.

and a medium framed Star 9mm with a magnet held under my desk in the office.

Those magnets are a great way to hold extra clips and mags out of sight.
 
Don't forget the toilet tank guns, the shower head guns, the vacuum clearer guns, the microwave oven guns, the TV remote control guns, the pickle jar guns, and the washer/dryer guns...
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That tumble dry might tip off the intruder... :p
 
If I was serious about what you want (but I'm not), I would choose a Smith J-frame snubbie. You choose the caliber. I wouldn't put a gun in the medicine cabinet, but I have other hiding places in the bathroom too.

Hard to beat a Glock for reliability. Gun in every room might get expensive. But then, you have to keep them somewhere, right? Doesn't sound like you have any kids running around.

Sometimes I just think you all go a bit overboard on the guns and their locations. If you are that worried about an intruder, I'd carry one on my person all the time.

I keep my doors locked. No one is just going to walk in. Had that happen once at 3:00AM... it won't happen ever again.
 
sholling said:
I'd want at least one reload at each location.
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I have several revolvers stashed around my house.
I also have extra ammo with them.
I use prescription pill bottles. You just need to find the right diameter bottle that's best for your size of loader.
I have found that really tall prescription medicine bottles (PM-60) will hold three N-Frame HKS or Safariland Comp 1 speedloaders and the medium tall (PM-40) will hold two.
The medium ones (PM-20) will hold two J-Frame Safariland loaders.
When you grab your gun, they make it very easy to grab extra ammo to go with it.
 
I have found that really tall prescription medicine bottles (PM-60) will hold three N-Frame HKS or Safariland Comp 1 speedloaders and the medium tall (PM-40) will hold two.
The medium ones (PM-20) will hold two J-Frame Safariland loaders.
When you grab your gun, they make it very easy to grab extra ammo to go with it.
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Wow, thats deep, and I dont mean that in a funny way. I'm really impressed by that one, I never would have thought to use a perscription bottle.
 
Here you can see two J-Frame loaders in a PM-20 bottle, 2 N-Frame loaders in a PM-40 and 3 N's in a PM-60. - - Here's how they are stacked.
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The PM-20 will only work with a Safariland in the top position. - There is a taller version available but I don't have any... yet.

Here you can see that you need a domed screw top (PM-60) bottle (on right) for HKS loaders.
But the flush fit, push down and turn (T-60) bottle (on left) will work very well with the Safariland Comp-1 loaders.
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You can't use Safariland Comp-2 or Dade loaders (except on top) since the cartridges won't spread open enough to clear the knob.


I'm also still looking for just the right diameter bottle to fit medium frame loaders for miminal rattling around.
However for medicine cabinet use the larger ones would still be okay.
I strongly suggest adding a silica get pack if you're actually going to use them in your medicine cabinet.
The bottles are watertight but you have to be aware of condensdation.
 

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What's the problem with "on your person"?
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I have to confess, I do keep a Smith J-frame in one of those "clocks-that-also-hold-a-gun" near my bed. Hey, it tells the time of day as well! Double duty!

In the event that I feel threatened (it's happened a couple of times with BGs loose in the neighborhood), I'll grab the M60 and either drop it in a pocket or one of the IWB holsters. Usually, it's just in a pocket, because it takes a while to get the gun in the holster and then the holster into my pants. Oh, how I like the versatility of snubbies.
 
My wife keeps a Taurus 44 special in a kitchen drawer and one in her night stand because those are the two places she spends the most time when she is at home alone. She is comfortable with revolvers. I keep a couple autos around since I'm comfortable with an auto. I find that a commander size 1911 is not hard to stash because it is thin, and 8 rounds of 45 fits my idea as proper for close encounters of an unwanted kind.
 
Great question!

I keep a Springfield 1911 in my nightstand, my Kahr PM9 (my regular carry gun) in the top drawer of my dresser, which is in a closet separate from the bedroom. My favorite .. I keep a Bond Texas Defender 9mm derringer in the cabinet above the toilet. I don't ever want to be caught on the can with only my ... well, you know ... in my hand. My wife, incidently, knows where they all are and can shoot them very well.

-----<

Liberty, once lost, is lost forever .... John Adams
 
You might also take a look at the “Lady Smith” in .357. Nice little compact gun with a lot of stopping power. My mother actually has one of these and they really are a small package for what they are.

BTW my mother is 5’ tall and 70 years old or somewhere there about.
 
Got a couple of small carry guns, but for around the house stash guns I keep pretty much full size since I don't have to lug them around. Not to mention I shoot them better. Keep a S&W 625 in the top dresser drawer with a bunch of full moon clips, and a Springfield full size in a holster in a backpack thats usually pretty close to wherever I am. It sits in an outside pocket of the pack in an uncle mikes holster that's sewn to the fabric. It's very quick into action and there's room for 8 magazines in the even smaller pocket outside that. Once my ccw is approved I'm thinking of just taking the backpack with me along with the regular carry guns. I also keep a Ruger GP100 in a hollowed out book on the bookshelf, even have a hole for 4 speed strips. (Big book) Kinda corny, but it works. When I leave it doesn't take very long to grab everything and shove it into the safe.
 
I don't keep one in the medicine cabinet, but there is a .357 cleverly concealed in the throne room. ;). Ya never know when you will be caught with your pants down. :eek:
 
Could always check out milsurps like the CZ82's and such that's on the market now. Should be inexpensive enough to get a couple and spread them around. Read a thread on another forum where some guy and his wife got'em for vehicle weapons. Always there just in case.



Kevin in Pa
 
I keep my doors locked. No one is just going to walk in. Had that happen once at 3:00AM... it won't happen ever again.
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I second that. I'm 24, but before I was born, my mom woke up in the middle of the night to see some nekked dude standing at the side of the bed. She woke up my dad and "calmly" explained the situation. They lived out in the sticks, and my dad ended up driving him to the police station in town.

I would have never had the door unlocked, and he likely would have had the air let out of him if he busted in. Twas a a drunk, drugged up hippie that wrecked his van down the road. Scary!
 
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