In what state of readiness do you keep your shotgun?

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

I have 5 pump 12 gauges that are “closet ready”.


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I keep my 870 stoked with 6 in the mag but unchambered. 00 Buck.

Tube full, chamber empty.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Mossberg 590. 8 in tube, 1 in chamber. Safety on. #1 buckshot.

If I need a gun, racking in a shell is just one more thing that I could screw up.

6 - 00 buck in the mag, hammer down on an empty chamber. Same way we carried in patrol cars. Simple, grab forend and rack it, no need to hit the slide release to work the action as you have to do if the hammer is already cocked.

At risk of getting giggles, I don't keep a loaded shotgun in the house. A revolver works for me - we don't have a huge house; our area is really rural.

I do keep an old 22 rifle loaded for varmints too close to horses or the barn. My horses truly don't like shotgun or center fire revolver noise.

Revolver for me too. All 22 shotguns are empty and locked up.

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Sag Harbor & Manhattan, N.Y.

Police safe. Start with an empty weapon. Point in a safe direction and pull the trigger to drop the hammer. Load the magazine. Mine is loaded with 6 rounds of 2 3/4 inch 00 buck.
Safety is off, chamber is empty. Just grab, rack and go. Just the way we used to carry them in the patrol units.

Revolvers first. Pistols available, too. But yes, shotguns in the closet. The pump has a loaded tube, none in the chamber. The single shot has, of course, one in the chamber, but it's a hammer gun so the hammer stays down.



This little gun can be wielded as a club, too! It's ATF legal size, too!

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Come and take it!!

Which means...?

short barrel (20 inch)870 within reach from bed . high brass #6 in chamber followed by 3 buckshot followed by 1slug .3 buckshot & 3 slugs in buttstock shell keeper .all family with access instructed in use and safe handling . kenny

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Too good

If it's in the safe, it's unloaded.

If I have it out for potential self-defense, it's fully loaded; full mag, full chamber. Otherwise it's just an expensive club.

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Freedom isn't free.

Shotgun is kept in safe, but with a full tube.

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Stay protected my friends.

So where do you generally keep it?

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Stay protected my friends.

Same as cruiser ready. Just not in the cruiser. I saw it mentioned in an article about this very subject.


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We all like pictures. This is my Ithaca M37 pump. Tube stoked, chamber empty. That shell carrier only has one round in it presently and I plan to move it to the single shot H&R Topper M88 shown above - THAT might need a reload. The Ithaca won't - my opinion, obviously. YMMV

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Come and take it!!

Being we also have large animals around (4legged) no close neighbors, no cell service and LEO help if we could call could easily be a 20 minutes to a 1/2 hour out, we are ready to go.

Have 2 large cap Mossie 12G Pumps both loaded to first fire 00 buck then slugs. One is a nine shot and the other is a 10 shot detachable mag, also a spare loaded mag handy. The nine shot model has a bandoleer by it. As we have no kids both guns are chamber loaded safety on. If a SHTF event occurs we are prepared to ''repel borders" so to speak.

I'm not one of those people that relies on the shucking sound of a chamber being loaded will stop any hostilities. Stealth is best and if it comes to it the first noise heard is going to be a very loud BOOM!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Thanks. I've heard of cruiser ready, but not closet ready.

Not a shotgun guy. My only experience with shotguns was a 2-hour familiarization course with the 870, with some range time. The instructor there, and other instructors who mentioned shotguns, recommended cruiser ready, loaded mag tube with empty chamber, because they're not drop safe, not to scare attackers by racking the slide.

In my post 18 I mentioned shucking slide, that was only for house use. I know about loaded chamber in a moving bouncing cop car.

LEO use is a totally different subject. Years back we did a lot of work for a large town force. One of their Matadors had a chamber loaded gun in a vertical rack. The driver went airborne over a RR track, there is a good reason for Cruiser ready status other than ear damage.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Sun Roof?? Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

We had a captain create a small sunroof with his Ithaca. They promoted him, of course.

I have moody teenagers around the house. Everything is in a vault of some kind.

Why not? He proved he was competent.

Locked up but "cruiser ready"

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642-1, M&P15 TS

In our area, in normal circumstances I don't keep my shotguns (nor rifles) loaded, and they're in one of the safes.

If I were to feel it prudent to keep one of my pump shotguns outside the safe in a "ready at hand" condition, it would be just like when I carried one at work (and how I was required to teach shotgun use as a LE firearms instructor). Trigger "pulled" on an EMPTY chamber, safety off & magazine full.

Yes, I have buckshot & slugs ready at hand to grab out of the safe with a shotgun, in boxes and (recently) a bandoleer. Old habits.

As a former Patrol FTO and firearms instructor (and armorer), I also have a handful of 12GA Dummy rounds. Handy to use to practice loading/unloading, replacing Buck w/Slug, etc ... to avoid using LIVE shells.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Cruiser Ready:

YouTube

Video from "Lucky Gunner"

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642-1, M&P15 TS

Cruiser ready, safety off. As much #4 Buck as will fit in the magazine.

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Only a cold warrior

Cruiser ready here! 8 00 buck ready to go!

Cruiser ready, six 00 buck in the magazine tube, six slugs in the sidesaddle. Locked in my safe in my safe room. Loaded handguns readily available.

For the past 48 years, including 24 years as a cop with a shotgun in the car with me every day, always the same way. Never any need to stop and think, when the time comes to deploy the shotgun the drill is always exactly the same.

Remington 870 pump 12-gauge. Magazine full, chamber empty, action cocked, safety engaged. Relatively safe for any routine handling. When needed, hit the slide release, cycle the slide to chamber a round, release the safety, and ready to fire. Far faster in practice than it takes me to write this, and I can easily do it in the dark without even looking at the shotgun. Never any questions, never any doubts.

Added benefit, here in Colorado anyway, is that the shotgun is perfectly legal for carry in an automobile. Fish & game laws prohibit long guns with a round chambered, but OK with empty chamber and full magazine, so if I choose to add the shotgun for a road trip it is always ready to go and in the expected condition if needed.

Four rounds of #1 Buck in the tube and One in the chamber. Someone kicks in my door they aren't going to hear Chak Chak, if they listen closely they'll hear the snick of the safety going to Fire. BTW, no kids in the home.

Two guys were discussing with me how this captain made major - one said, "Pole turtle." Neirher of us knew what that was, so he told that if you're driving on a country road with barbed-wire fence on either side of the road, then you suddenly see a turtle sat squarely on a fence pole you ask, "Well, how in Hades did he get up there??" - then you've experienced a 'pole turtle.' In policing you'll meet more than one.

Magazine full, safety off, hammer down, chamber empty

Cruiser ready behind bedroom door.

Tube and chamber full, safety on and under the bed.No kids.

Attached Images

IMG_20181109_145621447.jpg (41.7 KB, 45 views)

All hammer down, empty chamber, full magazine here as well. Doesn't matter if a Mossberg or a Remington is grabbed, rack the slide and it is ready.

As a retired LEO with over 40years on the job I carried mine cruiser ready while at work. At home it's a different story. I hunted with an 870 for many years. Still do. In my opinion that's better than any short lived training you may get. Now I keep mine by the bed and another in the other end of the house. They are fully loaded with #4 buckshot, safety on, including one in the barrel. No kids live here and when the grands come over everything gets locked up. An intruder won't hear the clack clack of me loading the barrel. In fact, they probably won't hear anything at all.

So “Cruiser Ready” is the tacti-cool way of saying Condition 3?

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I have two- Benelli M2 Tactical and a Rem 870 Police Mag. Both are fully loaded with Federal 00 Buck (Power Shok), with one in the pipe and safeties on.

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Some Might Say.

When the projectile is going over 1125 fps it's SURPRISE!! Larry

Empty and locked in the safe. I prefer the handgun.

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S&W Accumulator

Mossberg 500 with the mag and chamber empty, 3 x 00 buck and 2 #4 bird shot on the stock in a shell carrier in an open gun closet. The door gets locked when company comes.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but for those of you who are placing loaded shotguns around the house.....please consider the fact that these "cruiser ready" but unsecured weapons are readily accessible when someone breaks into the house while you are gone.....or you are asleep.

Perfect recent example.....

Burglary last night

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Remington 870 Wingmaster Police w/ extension. Police/ Cruiser mode...5 in the tube to prevent spring compression issues. Mag tube Springs should be replaced as needed and Ammo is rotated and replaced every 6 months.. ..Federal Premium OO Buck followed by Winchester Ranger LOW RECOIL 1 oz. slug.. As I get older, the Slugs seem to kick harder...Buck, Slug, Buck.

Shotgun is kept within reach and there are 5 packs of Buck and Slugs with it.

I keep a Benelli M4 in my house with a full magazine and one in the chamber, 3 RDs #2 buck and 5 00 buck

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SWHF #595

I'm an old LEO and keep my shotgun loaded along with my Winchester 30-30 loaded in the corner next to my bed.
We have prowlers now and then.
I have caught several and had our police force come pick them up.
The prowlers always thanked the the cops saying I was going to kill them if they moved. Which is true.

yup....
exactly the same


The ones outta the safe = cruiser ready / closet ready
OO X 2
followed by slugs

The ones in the safe = I think the same...need to double check as they havent seen any sunlight for a while.....

Yeah, I guess. This was the first time I either heard or used the term although I carried one like that in my cruiser most of my career but in a locked rack, except when we weren't allowed to have a visible shotgun for PR reasons and it had to be in the trunk.