Friday, November 4, 2016

Nightstand Gun

Ok, your sleek alloy frame commander sized melt-job bobtail 1911 you carry IWB is always in condition 1.  Safety on, cocked, round in the chamber.

What about the heavy double stack race gun with a light on the rail you keep in the nightstand for the bumps in the night?  Do you keep that in condition 1, too, because that is what you are used to?  Or maybe condition 3 for some reason?  You know, hammer down, full magazine, nothing in the chamber.  Do you keep it in a holster?

And if not in Condition 1 for some reason what is your reason?

And your other guns in the gun vault that aren't even a possible go-to in an emergency?  Do you keep them loaded with a round in the chamber or loaded no round or just flat unloaded?

If you just had one gun and it was on your belt when you were awake and on your nightstand in the holster when you are asleep.  This might be the best way.  Just one gun, just one way, and don't mess with it.  But lots of folks I know have a secondary gun around.  They have the holstered carry gun right that and another gun in the nightstand and sometimes others in other places.  A carbine in a quick access area with a loaded magazine of 5.56, way.  Uncharged, on safe. 

There are pros and cons for keeping them all in the same condition or just keeping the holstered primary in condition 1 only.  I wish the pros and cons were more obviously weighted one way or the other.

So what is my answer?  Everything in Condition 1, primary and secondary.  If a body isn't comfortable with that one might want to get more comfortable or get fewer guns around to worry about.

I'm just trying to work this out in my head.

5 comments:

Sdv1949 said...

No matter what the nightstand gun is you need to keep some ear protection sitting there with it...unless, of course, you want to burst both your eardrums letting off a centerfire indoors.

.45ACP+P said...

A semi auto without a round in the chamber is a "ROCK". I do not count on throwing rocks as a valid means of self protection. I do however, like old school SA/DA semis. My hammer can be down.

Lewis SEO Company said...

You should have a nightstand gun, a end table gun, a kitchen gun and a carry gun and all in condition 1.

We had a rash of armed home invasions and they ended when they ran into a guy who had all of the above and then some!

phred said...

Sticking with revolvers, we don't have this problem at our house.

Wolfman said...

I have kids, and those kids are inquisitive. We are getting VERY good at Eddie Eagle's 'What to do if you find a gun' steps, but there are steps to be taken. I have two regular carry pistols, both of which are stored in my bedroom in inaccessible places for a four year old. One is in a holster on top of the safe, C1, and it goes on and off the belt in just that manner. The other is stored in a locked box, attached to the bedframe and tucked in the drawer, also C1. Before the lockbox was purchased (which happened as soon as kids were imminent) the nightstand gun was C3, because I want a conscious thought and action that separates sleep and 'bang'. The lockbox satisfies that for me, so C1.