Strikers on the Nightstand

[red rick]

Why would that be any different than a double-action single-action gun like a Beretta 92?

I guess I should ask if folks would consider a chambered and decocked DA/SA gun as safe to leave in the open on a nightstand, much like a revolver. Unauthorized access is not a problem for me, and I feel as if a safe would just be too slow to access, especially when just coming out of a deep sleep.

It's not on the first shot .

 

[cslinger]

For what it's worth I have no more problem with a Glock Chamberd and unholstered then I do a Colt Single Action Army or a Beretta 92.

If I was the kind of person who felt there was absolutely no issues with leaving an unsecured weapon then I could throw a Glock 17 on the nightstand without a second thought. I am, however not the kind of person who has no issues leaving an unsecured weapon hence my lockbox/quick access safe suggestion even if you unlock it before bed or whatever.

Point is the weapon type makes basically no difference to me.

As an aside.......A TOMAHAWK!!!! Jesus that's a sobering thought. You break into some house and the next thing you see is the crazed naked man coming at you with a tomahawk. I guess if you make it out that is a bit of introspective moment as far as your career choices go.

You know honestly if you ever stop an intruder with the Tomahawk, I say run with it. Screw with them. Something like "your pants boy.....take em off."

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Waiting on my friend to make me one with a head like this. May make it my living room defense weapon.

 

[VThillman]

I have to sleep on my back with the head (and foot) of the bed raised enough to make "turning over" extremely unlikely. An S&W Shield 45 sleeps beside me, cartridge chambered and thumb safety engaged.. Before she came a Ruger SR40c was my bedmate. She snored too loud.

 

[scaatylobo]

For those of you using striker-fired pistols for home defense, how do you keep them at the ready?

I am not personally comfortable leaving a chambered Glock etc. on the open nightstand. I prefer a DA/SA auto like a Beretta 92, just less chance of inadvertently pulling the trigger when you first wake up and are in a daze possibly, and also when it is just up there and things are getting moved around.

Thoughts?

My Glock 23 has sat at my bedside in no holster for about 25 years.
NEVER had an issue,but I wake up FAST and then am wide awake.
If you don't act the same,or have any issues about a bedside gun in that mode,do otherwise and make yourself comfortable.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I keep an HK USPf9 on the nightstand with a loaded mag but empty chamber. As others have said I don't want the sidearm to be ready instantly due to the risk that I might not be fully aware and alert when I grab it.

 

[psyopspec]

Chambered, holstered, sitting on the night stand.

 

[FAS1]

Chambered and holstered as well as secured. Available very quickly and single-handedly.

 

[pa350z]

Daily Carry Smith Wesson Shield 9 with 124g HST rounds, XS Big Dot Tritium sight, fully loaded, chambered, safety on in the holster as how it is carried daily. The spare mag in its holder is clipped to the holster. All on the floor with a 3D cell Mag light with an LED bulb. For my situation, this is appropriate.

 

[armoredman]

CZ P-10C works for me when I use it for nightstand work. No holster.

 

[9MMare]

On the nightstand shelf, round chambered, no holster. Full size S&W M&P (striker fired) 9mm lives there.

No other people living in the house.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

For those of you using striker-fired pistols for home defense, how do you keep them at the ready?

I am not personally comfortable leaving a chambered Glock etc. on the open nightstand. I prefer a DA/SA auto like a Beretta 92, just less chance of inadvertently pulling the trigger when you first wake up and are in a daze possibly, and also when it is just up there and things are getting moved around.

Thoughts?

This is ridiculous.

I always keep my Glock in holster designed for it and safely covering the entire trigger and trigger guard. But yes, it is fully loaded, with a round in the chamber, next to a 999 lumen Fenix white light and a cell phone.

When I kept a V1 HK USP 45 it too was kept loaded, in a holster. And the SIG P220SAO that replaced it? Also had a holster! A handgun should have a holster, just like a long gun should have a sling and a fixed bladed knife should have a sheath!

 

[Panzerschwein]

You think what I said is ridiculous Militia Man? Why don't you be more polite and show some more respect cuz??

 

[Polar Express]

Good question from the OP...
I'll share a story. This did NOT happen to me, but I know the guy personally, and while I consider him a friend, it would be misleading to imply we were/are super close. Still have his number in my phone. I will NOT share names.

One night, a number of years ago, this guy and his wife were sound asleep in their beds. No kids, they did have dogs, and they lived in a rural setting NE of Seattle. This guy was a good guy, hard working guy, never had kids, built a few businesses and was semi-retired at this point. He had reached out to a guy he met at church. So... a few weeks (or so) into knowing this guy from church, my friend and his wife are awakened by a lone guy standing over them in their bedroom, with a flashlight and gun pointing at them. (at this time, my friend was friendly towards guns, but not educated, skilled or prepared with one). They were ordered out of bed, and to start tying each other up (in some way). When the badguy hesitated, my friend lunged at him and my tackled him, and began a wrestling match. The wife grabbed a bat, and beat the BG pretty badly. Quick thinking for a couple of folks with no personal defense training. They lived, those are the details that apply to my answer to the OP.

I have also personally conducted the 21-foot rule with a well-trained instructor and well-practiced shooter, drawing from open carry and from concealed carry. He'd get cut EVERY time when I'm covering the 21'.

I put those pieces of info together, and I don't want to waste time to rack a slide....

PE

 

[cslinger]

Totally agree a non chambered firearm is a really expensive really crappy club.

That being said based on the story above I doubt it would have played much differently with any arm at the ready as they were already completely behind the eightball.

 

[bc38]

... less chance of inadvertently pulling the trigger when you first wake up and are in a daze possibly, and also when it is just up there and things are getting moved around.

Thoughts?

keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot no need of a holster....then my bed side gun leans between the bed and the night stand. a 12 ga pump

 

[Rexster]

My personal comfort level:

1. True long-stroke DA seems safe enough if left in the open, but a holster or container is a best practice, especially if the weapon is cached very near the bed.

2. Single-action auto, Condition One, seems better if holstered.

3. Striker-fired autos NEED to be holstered. The trendy plastic trigger guard covers are considered "holsters" for this purpose.

I am not trying to persuade/convert anyone. This is just my take on this topic.

 

[goldpelican]

Ruger 9E, condition 1 in handgun lockbox. We have young kids in the house and leaving a gun out while sleeping is a far greater risk than the threats it protects against.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

So... a few weeks (or so) into knowing this guy from church, my friend and his wife are awakened by a lone guy standing over them in their bedroom, with a flashlight and gun pointing at them. (at this time, my friend was friendly towards guns, but not educated, skilled or prepared with one). They were ordered out of bed, and to start tying each other up (in some way). When the badguy hesitated, my friend lunged at him and my tackled him, and began a wrestling match. The wife grabbed a bat, and beat the BG pretty badly. Quick thinking for a couple of folks with no personal defense training. They lived, those are the details that apply to my answer to the OP.

I have also personally conducted the 21-foot rule with a well-trained instructor and well-practiced shooter, drawing from open carry and from concealed carry. He'd get cut EVERY time when I'm covering the 21'.

I put those pieces of info together, and I don't want to waste time to rack a slide....

PE

I can 100% appreciate what you're saying, and when CCWing I absolutely always carry my sidearm ready to go. On the nightstand I do not. I can fully appreciate that it's slower, no argument from me. So I can only explain why I do what I do and what's right for me might not be right for you. You may sleep like a ninja with one eye open, or perhaps you're one of those folks blessed by the ability to go from a dead sleep to fully awake in an instant. For my own part I have not been so blessed. Generally I sleep relatively light and wake up pretty functional but that's not always the case. As an Exec Chef my schedule isn't set in stone so sometimes I wake up having not slept all that much, other times I get a good night's sleep. Usually I possess my faculties to a good degree upon waking but sometimes I do not; I can report a few instances of waking up from a dream not at all sure if I was still asleep or awake. When I am out and about with my CCW sidearm I'm alert and awake so I trust my senses. While waking up I do not fully trust them though.

That being said based on the story above I doubt it would have played much differently with any arm at the ready as they were already completely behind the eightball.

+1 to this. It's easy to be surprised in a crowded public space but if you're surprised in you home and wake up with a man pointing a gun at you then you have probably made some serious mistakes. Waking from a deep sleep and drawing against a gun already trained on you is a recipe for death even if you have a striker gun ready to go (the possible exception might be if it was secreted beneath the covers where the intruder may not see it before you fire).

I have taken steps to harden my residence a bit. It's not impregnable by any means but no one can get in without breaking down two doors- that won't happen quietly. That would probably give me time to rack a slide.

 

[coloradokevin]

For those of you using striker-fired pistols for home defense, how do you keep them at the ready?

I am not personally comfortable leaving a chambered Glock etc. on the open nightstand. I prefer a DA/SA auto like a Beretta 92, just less chance of inadvertently pulling the trigger when you first wake up and are in a daze possibly, and also when it is just up there and things are getting moved around.

Thoughts?

All of my carry guns are Glocks (including a duty weapon, an off-duty CCW weapon, and several that are located in my house). I keep all of them in a holster, and all of them are chambered. In my opinion an unholstered pistol should never be chambered (Glock or not), and a holstered pistol is perfectly safe that way.

 

[bnolsen]

At the moment I have a drawer safe in my night stand and in the closet one of those speed vault safes. I used to keep pistols in both safes unchambered. At the moment they both house candidate conceal/carry pistols and both are chambered (the night stand one is holstered as well). For now I like the speedvault and wish I'd bought another when they were on sale + rebate for 50usd at costco last spring. I have a 7yro boy, 10yro and 14yro girls. All these pistols have manual safeties that are engaged.

 

[MidRoad]

As an aside.......A TOMAHAWK!!!! Jesus that's a sobering thought. You break into some house and the next thing you see is the crazed naked man coming at you with a tomahawk.

Don't know if I'd be more afraid of the gun,the tomahawk or the P shooter in that situation.

As for the op's topic. I'd say holstered with a round in the chamber, with some sort of light source. But I opted out of my Glock for a gp100. Shoot it way better. Rather have 6 rounds of 38 special hit my target than 10 (ny cap limit) rounds not go where they should. And that go is loaded with a speed loader next to it in my night stand.

 

[jmorris]

I am not personally comfortable leaving a chambered Glock etc. on the open nightstand.

When you take it off your belt, leave it in the holster. You can't fumble it any more at that point than you could if it were in your pants.

Less chance of an AD with that method than lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber in a 1911.

 

[danez71]

delete

 

[JO JO]

chambered , holstered on my nightstand and its a scary striker fired one
I never understood the unloaded defensive firearm idea ?
I always felt that if someone is not comfortable with their firearm being loaded they need more training or should get a baseball bat for home protection,
if my family or myself is in danger in our own house I sure do not want to be fumbling around trying to load a firearm , but this is just my opinion to each their own