In what condition do you store your HD shotgun?

[TonyDedo]

In what condition do you store your HD shotgun?

I have a Mossberg 590A1 which I keep as my primary home defense firearm. The question is, "HOW should I keep it?"

The Mossberg has a release tab that must be depressed before you can cycle the action. The tab is small and could easily be missed in a stressful situation, so I'm exploring conditions in which I can keep the shotgun which don't require the tab to be pressed.

I don't know if I want to keep the shotgun locked & loaded. I realize that this would optimize the speed of use and maximize capacity, but I'm still a little weary of the loaded chamber. Should I be? I'm also not thrilled with the tab safety on the Mossberg, and in any situation where I had to use the gun, I'd likely habitually cycle the action first anyway.

I could leave the action open, but that would require some finagling to get a full tube with the action open, which I don’t want to do every time I store the gun. Plus that would require the action to be closed, opened, then close again before the gun is ready to fire.

The condition that seems to work the best would be to keep the action closed on an empty chamber with the hammer back. The tab in question would be recessed in this condition, and a quick cycle of the action would confirm the gun is loaded and ready for use. Would keeping the gun in this condition present any problems (stress on the hammer, perhaps)?

Any thoughts? How do you store your HD shotgun?

 

[Lamina]

round in the chamber. an unloaded gun is like tits on a boar.

and the "noise of a shotgun being racked is the scariest in the world" argument (which I'm sure someone will advocate here) is silly. you just broadcasted your position to the bad guy.

keep it ready, otherwise you aren't.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

How about if you load the tube, fire one round, add a round, leave the safety off, leave the empty in the chamber. When the time comes, you just pump in a round and fire at will. Where you fire the round and how you get the loaded gun home is up to you. Jack.

 

[MXD]

I have an 18" 870 Express with factory mag extension. I rack the forend with the gun empty to lock it in the forward position then I put 6 in the mag, flip the safety on then hang it in my bedroom closet above the door. The reason I do that is because if someone gets to it by accident (not a bad guy), not only is the safety on but it would be tough for someone to figure out how to override the forend lock.

The way my house is set up, there is no chance of someone making their way to my bedroom unnoticed. I have an alarm wired to central station, motion in the basement and first floor, and door and window contacts. I also have a dog that my motion sensors are programmed not to pick up. The stairway to the 2nd and 3rd floors where the bedrooms are is narrow and enclosed and my bedroom is the first one they would come across. If the SHTF, my wife knows to grab the phone and the baby and get in his closet which is the furthest point from the stairs and not in line with them either.

I think that equally as important is going over the plan with your family just in case it happens so everyone knows where to go and what to do. The last thing I want to do is try to round them up with someone in the house. My wife will do that while I lay prone at the top of the stairs and wait. They can have my TV, I am not going hunting for them in my house.

 

[M1911]

If I was going to use my shotgun for home defense, I'd leave it cruiser-ready: empty chamber, full tubular magazine. If you are worried about not remembering to hit the release tab prior to pumping, you can simply dry fire the shotgun prior to filling the magazine

Make absolutely sure that your chamber is empty prior to dry firing, of course.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I have an 870 Marine Magnum that I keep with the action open and a full mag (6). I keep it in the closet in the living room. I keep a pistol by my bed as the primary HD weapon but I like have the SG ready and in an alternate room in case I need more convincing firepower or in case I'm cut off from the bedroom.

Frankly though, I use a sidearm primarily because my interior doors and hallways are tight and an enterprising/talented home invader could pull it out of my hands in a tight spot/corner...yes, he could pull it out of your hands too.

 

[MasterShinken]

round in the chamber. an unloaded gun is like tits on a boar.

and the "noise of a shotgun being racked is the scariest in the world" argument (which I'm sure someone will advocate here) is silly. you just broadcasted your position to the bad guy.

keep it ready, otherwise you aren't.

I completely agree with this, stealth is your friend, if they dont know where you are, they will be more nervous going thru the house, and more likely to mess up.

Also, if I heard that sound on the other side of a wall, and i'm a bad guy, I would shoot thru the wall till I heard a thud.

 

[thisguyrighthere]

I have a 590A1 as well. I keep it in the corner on my side of the bed, arms length, loaded with #4. I used to leave it with one in but there's a paranoid dog in the house now who will notice anything funny long before I do and I expect the sound of a growling dog and a pumping shotgun will deter just about any petty thug. If not, well, I just pumped one in.

 

[jar]

If I used a shotgun for HD, cruiser ready. Action closed with hammer down on an empty chamber, full tube.

 

[andrew]

Full tube, action closed, empty chamber. Just habit, I guess.

 

[FalArAk]

Unloaded and in my safe to comply with MA storage laws.

 

[KMM696]

Also a full tube, empty chamber, bolt forward, hammer down.

It's not my primary HD, my pistol is. If I have time to get to it, great, but until then 45ACP will just have to do.

 

[M1911]

Unloaded and in my safe to comply with MA storage laws.

You can keep it loaded in your safe and still comply with MA storage laws.

 

[Rockrivr1]

I have a Mossy 500A with the extended tube. I keep the tube loaded but the chamber empty. If needed I just need to rack the slide and I'm ready. To me the sound of racking the slide is such a univerally recognized sound that any intruder will know what it is and make a hasty retreat out of the house.

 

[tele_mark]

It's a surprise.

 

[hardy]

Loaded chamber, saftey on, hidden, but in easy reach. I have to use a shotgun with bird shot because of the way the houses are set up where i live, I am just afraid that if god forbid I ever have to use my gun in defense, I don't want to kill my neighbor too. Birdshot will not exit, but will still do plenty of damage at close range.