Bedside storage question

[kcf]

Hey all, I'm in the waiting period to pick up my first handgun (M&P 9mm compact) which will be the primary grab & aim bedside weapon for my wife and I. Just wondering what you guys think is the best way to store the weapon for readiness. I understand preference plays a role, but curious to hear input. One in the chamber? None in the chamber with slide locked back? Are there spring fatigue issues keeping the slide in either position for a couple weeks at a time? I plan on going to the range once every 2-3 weeks or so, so it won't sit for too long.
Thanks!

 

[oldtexan]

Hey all, I'm in the waiting period to pick up my first handgun (M&P 9mm compact) which will be the primary grab & aim bedside weapon for my wife and I. Just wondering what you guys think is the best way to store the weapon for readiness. I understand preference plays a role, but curious to hear input. One in the chamber? None in the chamber with slide locked back? Are there spring fatigue issues keeping the slide in either position for a couple weeks at a time? I plan on going to the range once every 2-3 weeks or so, so it won't sit for too long.
Thanks!

My nightstand guns, like my primary carry guns, are Glocks. I keep the nightstand gun, Glock 34, with a rd in the chamber, a near-full mag in the magwell, and a spare mag next to the gun, all in the top drawer of the nightstand. Nothing else goes into that drawer.

A Glock with a rd in the chamber places some of its springs under partial tension, but I don't think that there are any spring fatigue issues associated with this. I change all the springs in these guns about every 3000 rds, though.

I believe that a defensive handgun should be able to be brought into action with only one hand. Having to rack the slide to bring the gun into action requires two hands, unless the user has worked out doing it reliably with one hand. Also having to chamber a rd under great stress introduces an additional possible point of failure. Having the slide locked back adds the possibility of a failure to feed stoppage. I don't have kids in the house so I don't have to worry about little hands getting hold of a gun and firing it.

 

[kcf]

that makes sense. We have 3 small kids, so it will be bedside in a biometric safe.

 

[Bicky Robby]

1911 in condition1 (round in chamber, safety on) with 1 spare 10 round magazine on night table as well.

Shot gun is not chambered.

 

[Lost Lake]

I bought the gunvault micro vault MV500 for $90. It fits an M&P full size with an extra magazine very easily. Pops open easily. Sleek and low design. No complaints here.

 

[flatlander1985]

This was my question too. I'm a civilian and this is my first gun. I've gone to the range a 5 or 6 times and worked with the gun and feel fairly comfortable with it. I also took beginner and advanced handgun classes. But - this gun has internal only safetys; no thumb safety. I have no children in the house so I currently keep it out, loaded and not chambered. My concern is that I may incorrectly grab the gun and it discharge if I get startled out of sleep. I'm not sure if my concern is just because I'm a newbie or if it's legitimate.....

 

[chuck s]

If you don't pull the trigger the pistol will not fire. Your training should have included a draw to low ready. Finger is not on the trigger in this case. Same with your nightstand. Drawing from the holster when you've already made the decision to shoot is different than picking up the pistol as a precaution.

Pistol should be in Condition 1 -- round in the chamber, full magazine in the well.

-- Chuck

 

[oldtexan]

This was my question too. I'm a civilian and this is my first gun. I've gone to the range a 5 or 6 times and worked with the gun and feel fairly comfortable with it. I also took beginner and advanced handgun classes. But - this gun has internal only safetys; no thumb safety. I have no children in the house so I currently keep it out, loaded and not chambered. My concern is that I may incorrectly grab the gun and it discharge if I get startled out of sleep. I'm not sure if my concern is just because I'm a newbie or if it's legitimate.....

I used to worry about this as well. Enough training on placing the trigger finger in the ejection port, or some other specific place, as opposed to inside the triggerguard, when gripping the pistol, IMO reduces the risk to an acceptable level. If a person was still concerned about the risk, then one could rig a holster inside the nightstand drawer. The holster, being attached to the interior of the drawer, stays in the drawer as you pull the gun out of the holster, and thus, out of the drawer. This gives you a one-hand draw, but prevents the possibility of an ND when reaching for the gun in the nightstand.

 

[stevenorlando]

Not Home?

What about when you're not home?

How can you safeguard it against theft. I'm sure the nightstand drawer is the first place a thief will look. They can take the whole biometric safe.

Steve

 

[Houdini1953]

I keep my M&P9 FS with one in the chamber and inside my pillow case and have done so since 1982 (NOTICE not a M&P but a S&W Model 59, now I keep the M&P) and neither weapon has fired one time since that is the way me and my now dead wife slept.

I also trained my girls at a young age about weapons and now my oldest outshoots me and they all carry firearms legally and so far no gun injuries.

They all felt secure that their father and mother carried guns or had one nearby and that was our job to protect them, but also that if they used a gun improperly (like they got mad at one of their friends and got one of our guns and actually used it that they might go to prison) they were pretty much unconcerned with our weapons and figured they didn't need them as long as they lived with us!

The oldest could not wait to get her first gun but only into her early 40's when her mother had cancer and then went into hospice even though she was with her own family.

 

[kbm6893]

Unless you live in a high crime area with a history of home invasions, I say needing to get your gun ready with one hand is highly unlikely. Before I had kids, my gun sat in a sock drawer, but now that little ones are around, my home defense gun is a Beretta 92 with a full mag, safety on, not chambered. It sits in a gunvault, NOT biometric. I've read too many reviews of the biometric vaults not working. Safe is bolted to the floor next to my bed. My son would have to get into the safe, rack the slide (he can't. he's 4), and disengage the safety. I have a solid door and an alarm. I am confident I will have the 3 seconds i need to get that gun out and get it ready. I err on the side of caution when it comes to my kids. On nights they are away, I pop the safe open before I go to bed to gt even quicker access to he gun if I needed it, even though i do not believe opening the dooris much of an impediment.

 

[walkin' trails]

M&P 45 or Glock 23/27. Round in the chamber, mag fully loaded. Pistol parked somewhere the kids can't get at it, but mostly on my person. Don't have a biometric safe at present, but thing they're a good idea. Its good to begin the kids with basic gun safety as early as possible even though they're not going to grasp the concept the first time, or even multiple times to start - stuff like ask me before you can look at it, see how I clear the weapon, see no bullet in the chamber or mag in the mag well, etc.

I would not store my pistol with the slide locked back. I don't know how much that will weaken the spring, its personally not something I'm comfortable with. As far as loaded mags, I've rotated them, down loaded them, and finally just leave them loaded. I haven't noticed any difference in longevity. Its probably the frequent compression/decompression of firing and reloading that takes away the tension. The best advise I can give is to have separate mags for training and carry. Buy three or four new carry/defense mags every three years or so. If you don't want to buy new mags that frequently, buy new springs and followers and refresh them periodically.

 

[Houdini1953]

What about when you're not home?

How can you safeguard it against theft. I'm sure the nightstand drawer is the first place a thief will look. They can take the whole biometric safe.

Steve

Of course they can but a thief first looks for easy things to pawn like jewelry then small electronics then if they don't find that first then they look for guns, but the longer in the residence the more likely the will be caught, my guns are with me at most of the time and those tha I want to keep are in a safe place!

 

[GKC]

I keep a loaded gun in the nightstand by my side of the bed, and another in a desk drawer in my home office, which is on the other end of the house. If we are both away from home, one gun goes in the safe with the rest of the guns (which are unloaded) and the other goes with us. If I am away from home and my wife is at home alone, the night stand gun stays in the night stand, and my desk gun goes with me.

I have a gun safe (not a biometric safe) that I use to store my guns as mentioned above. I also have a small safe in the car so that if I have to leave the gun in the car (if I have to go in somewhere that I can't carry a gun) then I can lock it up in the car as well.

As I said, I keep my defensive guns in a ready state...loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. Right now, my wife prefers to have a LC9 in the bedside, and I have a H&K Compact 45 in my desk. The LC9 has a sufficiently stiff trigger that I don't worry about accidental trigger pulls...and the H&K is DA/SA so I can have a round in the chamber and hammer down...both have safeties which are engaged as well.

We don't have kids at home any more, but when the grandchild comes to visit, ALL guns are unloaded and locked in the safe. I keep my ammo in a separate safe, locked as well...so I feel fairly confident that the grandbaby is not going to be able to get into any mischief...gun related, that is; there's not a force on Earth that can keep that child out of ALL mischief!

 

[Out West]

I put mine under a pair of dirty underwear next to the bed. Who is going to touch that? Perfect security. I call it the "skid lock".

Out
West

 

[Armed Babysitter]

I keep my pistol in one of these bolted to the nightstand. Fully loaded mag, one in the chamber ready to rock n roll at a moments notice.
http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-GV1000C-STD-Mini-Vault-Standard/dp/B001C601KA

I keep my 870 "cruiser ready", mag tube fully loaded, empty chamber, safety off. Just Rack-N-Go.

 

[vossman]

I keep my 40c with one in the chamber by the bed. I took an 18 inch aluminum door push plate and bent it in half. One half slides between the mattress and boxspring, the other half sits flush against the boxspring and on the mattress frame. I mounted a blackhawk serpa holster to the lower half of the plate. My wife keeps one of the those fancy mattress covers on the bed so it covers it up naturally and you cant see anything is there. In the dark I can see the glowing night sights so I know where to reach if I need it.
The rest of my guns are in the Fort Knox safe.

 

[Chevayea]

I keep my 9c in my CCW holster next to the bed in the open, fully loaded and chambered (just like I do when I carry). The only time it is there is when I'm sleeping, the rest of the time it is on me. I have 4 kids and there have been no problems.

 

[firebirdude]

Keep it within range of the bed. You shouldn't need to leave bed to get it.

If you live alone, as I do, keep a round in the chamber and a full mag. I have mine just barely under the bed. A little bed curtain thingy hangs down and covers it up. Nobody can see it unless you're looking under the bed. Quick access and no safety.

If you have kids in the house that aren't very familiar with firearms, I recommend a key-less safe of some kind. Coded lock or what have you. You've got to be able to input the code quick and in the dark.

Odds are you'll never need it. But if someone breaks in and you can't get to/fumble with your firearm, you'll be kicking yourself forever. It feels so much worse to be prepared and have the ability to protect yourself/family/possessions, but be unable to put it to use during that slim chance.

 

[Bombsaway]

For me, it's an M&P45c, 8+1, in a Wilderness SafePacker hanging off the side of the bed, right under my shoulder, three spare mags contained therein. This will hopefully buy me enough time to get to the 12ga in the corner of the room.