The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Tactics and Training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 4, 2009, 01:33 AM   #1
autopilotmp
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2009
Posts: 11
Where do you keep your HD gun?

Looking for ideas on this, Best Defense says to avoid the nightstand, sock drawer is too far away, under the matress is to difficult while in the bed. Where are you guys keeping your HD guns. Was thinking of mounting a holster to the back of my nightstand. Out of sight in case of daytime (while at work) intruders, 2yr old can't get to it. Looking for a solution to the current in the gun-safe issue i have.
autopilotmp is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 01:46 AM   #2
jgcoastie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 2009
Location: Kodiak, Alaska
Posts: 2,118
Quote:
Where do you keep your HD gun?
Which one?

I keep my G22 on my nightstand at night, my wife keeps her 642CT on hers. (G20SF is in the gun cabinet with a loaded mag just waiting to be thrown in, along with the GSG-5, along with the BAR) Since I have a nosy 18 month-old I take them both and put them on top of the chest of drawers (5' tall) every morning when I wake up. This leaves them within easy reach of my wife, but also very very far out of reach of my daughter. I too have considered mounting holsters on the nightstands, seems like a viable option IMO. I'm thinking either a Blackhawk SERPA or a Safariland SLS/ALS attached via belt loop attachment using standard wood screws. Still working on the particulars... Not as much of a concern on base here in Kodiak, but when we move back down south in a couple of years... Who knows...
__________________
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." -Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.
jgcoastie is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 02:02 AM   #3
evan1293
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2007
Location: CT
Posts: 783
Nightstand at night....Hip during the day. Everyone's living situation is different. You need to access for yourself what is safe yet still accessible if the need should arise.
evan1293 is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 02:03 AM   #4
porrpk
Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 2009
Posts: 47
where to keep?

where do you spend most of your time? where do you live? (rural/urban) If you are concerned about waking up to an intruder, as close to bed as possible. you could get one of those biometric (fingerprint) handgun safes for the nightstand. I would be very careful about storing any weapon w/o a safe/lock with a 2 year old around.
porrpk is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 02:09 AM   #5
evan1293
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2007
Location: CT
Posts: 783
Quote:
I would be very careful about storing any weapon w/o a safe/lock with a 2 year old around.
+1 Never underestimate what they're capable of doing.
evan1293 is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 02:27 AM   #6
dcobler
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 30, 2008
Location: Oklahoma, America
Posts: 286
My son will be 4 months on the sixteenth, and we do have older children in the house on a usual basis. With that said, I bought a $30 plain push button combo safe from Wal-Mart that slides under the bed. Not exatcly secure, but child safe. If you do have it locked up, practice getting to it quickly and in no/low light situations. I also suggest keeping a flashlight close.
__________________
"Be kind, be courteous, and have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

Last edited by dcobler; April 4, 2009 at 03:35 AM.
dcobler is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 02:32 AM   #7
Whiteboy67
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2008
Location: California
Posts: 324
I've got a small safe in my small walkin closet which is inside my bathroom which contains my handgun. My shotgun sits underneath my bed so I can flip out of bed using my mall ninja prowess and grab it all in one motion.
Whiteboy67 is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 03:03 AM   #8
chemgirlie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 3, 2009
Location: WI
Posts: 331
Murphy's Law: If it can go wrong it will.

Toddlers are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. I thought I had put a chocolate bar (potty training motivation for my munchkin) out of reach on the back of the kitchen counter. She got to it by pulling drawers out and using them as a ladder up to the top of the counter. They can also get past "childproof" locks/pill bottle caps (they should be called adult proof locks).

For storing your HD gun during the day I would simply keep it on your hip until you go to bed. For nighttime I like those itty bitty safes that have a key code on them. Some of the keypads come in the shape of your hand so you don't have to look for numbers on a pad in the dark. You just have to remember something like "middle finger, ring ringer, middle finger, pinky, pointer finger".

Securely lock it so your kid doesn't end up discovering things he shouldn't.

Last edited by chemgirlie; April 4, 2009 at 03:39 AM. Reason: typo
chemgirlie is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 03:35 AM   #9
dcobler
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 30, 2008
Location: Oklahoma, America
Posts: 286
BTW, my nightstand is my sock drawer. But it feels funny drawing a pair of short ankle socks instead of a Glock 21SF.
__________________
"Be kind, be courteous, and have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
dcobler is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 04:04 AM   #10
Rich Miranda
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2008
Location: San Antonio, not San Antone...
Posts: 1,203
Quote:
Best Defense says to avoid the nightstand...
Did they say why?

My nightstand is the only piece of furniture close to me (other than the bed). I sleep better knowing that my .45 is safely locked away from my kids but accessible to me in about five seconds (I timed it) should the need arise. I keep other guns elsewhere but I wouldn't give up the one right next to me.

If it has to do with a burglar looking there first, they can have it. Where could I put it that would be accessible quickly in the middle of the night, but that is safe from a burglar? Furthermore, kneeling to retrieve the gun from the area between the bed and the wall affords me a tactical advantage that running across the room doesn't.
__________________
Read this!: I collect .38 Special and .357 Mag cartridges and I will PAY CASH for the headstamps I don't already have! Please PM me.
Please donate blood, plasma, and platelets - people's lives literally depend on it.
Rich Miranda is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 04:08 AM   #11
chemgirlie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 3, 2009
Location: WI
Posts: 331
The itty bitty safes can be put on your night stand, in your sock drawer, behind your headboard, and pretty much any place you can think of. It's close to you, but safely locked away.
chemgirlie is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 04:50 AM   #12
porrpk
Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 2009
Posts: 47
secret agent style

I've seen 'pillow safes', a pillow made out of tempurpedic type material with a slit in the side with a pocket for a handgun, not for your dirty harry gun (try sleeping on that), or a gun w/o a locking safety (glock/xd), but it looked like a slimline handgun would fit nicely. and when you wake up, either holster it or lock it away to keep safe from kids.

you could easily make your own pillowsafe. maybe even get a patent!
porrpk is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 08:41 AM   #13
autopilotmp
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2009
Posts: 11
Thank you so far guys, TBD says not to use the night stand or sock drawer cause that is where a BG would look during a burglary. Personnaly i don't want my guns to be taken away by anyone, let alone taken from me then used on someone else. Adding more info here, I do not have my CCW license yet so carrying on the hip the rest of the day is not an option. My HD gun is a Glock 22 with lasermax laser, i have also added a G2 surefire to the bedside, i try to remember to bring my cell phone to bed w/ at night as well.
autopilotmp is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 08:53 AM   #14
45Marlin carbine
Junior member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2007
Location: South-Western North Carolina
Posts: 1,124
I have a spare holster velcroed to my bedpost for my h-d Makarov.
I also keep a .22LR revolver loaded w/Super Max at rear door hidden in near closet and a .32acp Beretta at front door hidden in near book case.
these in addition to a SXS 12ga Mag hidden in broom closet.
45Marlin carbine is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 08:55 AM   #15
scottaschultz
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2009
Location: Missouri
Posts: 392
I think the rule would be to not put your gun in the night stand when you're not there! A well-motivated "BG" is going to take what he wants when I am not there, if he can get past the 4 dogs! After all, the whole idea of having a gun for your defense when you are are at home is to get to it as quickly as possible.

And also as others have said, do not underestimate the creativity of a child when it comes to discovering things in their universe. This comes from the father of 3 and grandfather of 7!

Scott
scottaschultz is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 09:06 AM   #16
Keltyke
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 6, 2008
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Posts: 2,933
Sorry, NOYB.
Keltyke is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 09:45 AM   #17
Dwight55
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 18, 2004
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 2,568
I'm not sure who or what this "Best Defense" is, . . . but they don't live in my house or my neighborhood, . . . and therefore are probably not very well qualified for such a blatant and sweeping generalization.

ON the nightstand, . . . IN sight, . . . WITHIN half an arm's reach is where it stays at night, . . . and most of the time when I am at home.

When I leave the house, . . . on my right hip, . . . or in unusual circumstances, maybe in the console or glove compartment.

If I have any cookie munchers around, . . . it is on my hip, . . . on top of a 7 foot tall cabinet, . . . or locked in the safe with all the others. If I had small children (read as anything under 21), . . . it would be IN the safe, ON my hip, or on the night stand if it is "sleeping time". And there would not be any exceptions.

I keep it really simple, . . . so I don't have to worry about "Did I????????, . . . Didn't I ??????????????"

May God bless,
Dwight
__________________
www.dwightsgunleather.com
If you can breathe, . . . thank God!
If you can read, . . . thank a teacher!
If you are reading this in English, . . . thank a Veteran!
Dwight55 is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:08 AM   #18
Wuchak
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 1, 2007
Location: Shawnee, KS
Posts: 1,093
Simple equation.

Children in house = gun are ALWAYS either in a locked container or a holster on the hip, no exceptions.

The small safes with an electronic combination are probably the best bet to keep your handgun safe from little fingers and quickly accessible. It doesn't need to be fancy but I would go for the electronic combo so you don't have to search for a key at night.
Wuchak is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:10 AM   #19
verti89
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 10, 2008
Posts: 157
My wife and I have our first little one in the oven right now...quite nearly done...anyhow my .45 is kept loaded and in the biometric safe in my night stand. Is it going to keep the burglar from stealing it...probably not but it will keep my little girl or nephew from finding something they shouldn't. This also requires just enough brain effort that I won't be shooting something I shouldn't be.
verti89 is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:18 AM   #20
OldMarksman
Staff
 
Join Date: June 8, 2008
Posts: 4,022
I seem to recall seeing something on PDTV a year or so ago about not keeping the gun where it can be reached from the bed. Best to ensure that one is completely awake before grabbing it, and to do that by getting up, they said, if memory serves. I have adopted that philosophy.

On a very recent episode of The Best Defense, a scenario involving a woman locking herself in the bedroom and getting a gun from a nightstand was critiqued. The issues that were raised included the woman being directly in line with the intruder's entry and the direction of her shots endangering a house across he street. The suggested relocation of the gun permitted her to shoot the intruder from the side and established the fireplace as a backstop.

My problem with the show was that the woman was in a study when the intruder broke into the house and she had to race the man to the bedroom. Having a gun in the study would have been a lot better.

Some time ago, I read a review of the Charter Arms .44 in which the writer--Sheriff Jim Wilson, if I recall correctly--mentioned having more than one so he could have ready access to a weapon from different places in the house.

That started me thinking. If someone were to break in through the front door while we were downstairs, he would be between me and the stairs to the bedroom, where the gun had always been kept.

The solution seemed to be to have more than one gun in quick combo safes.

Late last year there was a thread here or on THR about whether people "carried" their guns while at home. Allegations of paranoia were made, along with suggestions to move to a "better" neighborhood, and all that.... I was somewhat taken back myself, and thought the idea sounded ridiculous.

But--after I started using a pocket holster, and after seeing the episode of TBD the other day, I decided to do just that. I don't notice that it's there, I have ready access, and no one else can get to it.

No, I don't expect trouble. I don't expect to ever use any of the fire extinguishers we have in the house and RV. I don't expect the carbon monoxide detectors to go off either. But frankly, having an Airweight Centennial in a pocket holster isn't that big a deal, and it is now my answer to the OP's question for the time we are not in the bedroom.
OldMarksman is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:38 AM   #21
hogdogs
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 31, 2007
Location: Western Florida panhandle
Posts: 11,069

Shot gun won't fit under my pillow...
Smartest place for me to have fastest access is right where you see it...
When no one is home, they are locked away in a super duper secret hidey hole...
Brent
hogdogs is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:40 AM   #22
Wuchak
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 1, 2007
Location: Shawnee, KS
Posts: 1,093
For $50 - $60 either of these would do nicely to keep it secure and quickly available.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=7801926
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5127164
Wuchak is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 10:53 AM   #23
Chuckusaret
Junior member
 
Join Date: December 5, 2008
Location: Florida
Posts: 708
I use a Secure-It Key-Operated Handgun Storage Safe in my cars and for under my bed. Cost: $29.95 each
Chuckusaret is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 11:38 AM   #24
autopilotmp
Junior Member
 
Join Date: March 4, 2009
Posts: 11
Think i may use a combo of several of these ideas, holster in a position not in plain sight but easily accessible, 2yr old has a tendency to wake up at night and come to the bedroom not looking for her to gain access while i'm sleeping. A smaller key/combo safe for the bedroom for daytime storage (i do have a larger safe located elswhere in the house for rifles and pistols).

Just a couple notes about some of the comments:
anyone who says to solve your worries by moving to a better neighborhood is an idiot...hmm nicer stuff to steal? doesn't seem to solve the problem.

Best Defense is a new program put on by a group of professionals that know defense and tactics used. I understand it's just a guidline and situation dictates, in this case it makes since to me.

Thank you all again for the suggestions thus far, keep em comin.
autopilotmp is offline  
Old April 4, 2009, 12:22 PM   #25
scorpion_tyr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 10, 2008
Location: East Texas
Posts: 1,326
Quote:
2yr old can't get to it.
That's not correct at all. With a 2 year old running around you should keep it locked up somewhere at ALL times.
__________________
“Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight.” - Thomas Jefferson
scorpion_tyr is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09967 seconds with 10 queries