The_Dunedan

THERE IS ALWAYS ONE IN THE CHAMBER.

OF EVERY FIREARM

AT ANY TIME

IN ANY CONDITION OR STATE OF REPAIR

PERIOD

This, Kpax, is Rule #1, the Prime Directive, the Highest Law Of The Range. There will be a test (every time you pick up the gun), no do-overs, no make-up grades, and no extra credit. You pass the test by not negligently shooting yourself or others, and by not pointing the gun at someone. Several years ago I was on a public range with an individual who "swept" the line with his shotgun. I told him not to do that again, that it was unsafe; he replied that the gun wasn't loaded. A few minutes later, he did it again, at which time I informed him that a repeat performance would result in the gun being taken from him and used to break all his front teeth off at the gums.* Unfortunately, this individual was a guest of the person with whom my girlfriend and I had ridden to the range, so there was no way for us to simply pack up the irons and leave. A few months later, this idiot muzzle-swept someone at a different facility, and they -did- kick the crap out of him. Don't be that guy.

As for safties...psh. There are only two safeties in the world that are worth a damn; the one you pull the trigger with and the one between your ears. Mechanical safeties are a damn good thing, obviously, and should be used where possible. But relying on the safety is a good way to fail that test I mentioned. Not drilling adequately in the use of the safety is another good way to fail the test, especially in a defensive scenario. This is why so many police depts adopted Glock pistols; no manipulative safety mean less training and less chance of an officer getting the safety mixed up ("Up is fire. No! Down!") in a hairy situation where seconds matter. Less training also means less money spent thereupon...which can then be spent on -really- fun things like M-113 APCs, or MP5s for the Ossifers to leave in their cars and have stolen.


People who forget these two life-and-death rules frequently pay with their lives or the lives of others. Buffalo hunters always "pay the insurance," even on head-shot animals, because "it's the dead ones that'll kill you." Same thing here. Even if the gun is torn down, it's loaded, because it's the "unloaded" ones that'll shoot you. Look up our old buddy RastaFed for a good example of this.

Announcing I have mixed feelings on. I'm a very practiced shootist, but I don't know for certain how I'd react in a defensive scenario. I don't believe in giving my enemy any extra knowledge about my position, but I also don't like the idea of shooting someone, even a scumbag. That's why I used a SureFire flashlight; so that I could illuminate, identify, and if needed dazzle the unknown intruder. The only exception to this was my 12-bore; I kept it with the chamber empty specifically for the noise. That distinct sound has scared many a burglar into a career change, and if it gets the bad guy out of my house I'm all for it. The .44 on the bedside table, however, was Condition Zero at all times. If someone was in/entering my bedroom, I did not plan to waste time with things like loading, mounting, and cheekweld.

Storage...lock it up to prevent theft if you feel that's needed. However, don't lock up your defensive firearm. Don't unload your defensive firearm. At most, load the magazine and leave the chamber empty. If you buy a revolver with an old-fashioned fixed firing-pin, store it with the hammer down on an empty chamber to prevent drop-fires. If the bad guy is in your house or bedroom rightnow, you won't have time to find the ammunition and load the weapon, much less fiddle around with things like safes and locks. If you absolutely insist upon locking it up, I'd take heed of Greg700's suggestion. I've seen the safe he uses, and it's good iron: rock solid, unobtrusive, and easy to access.



*I don't usually go in for things of this sort, but I had my girlfriend with me at the time and we'd been present for a Negligent Discharge about 6 months before. Nobody was hurt...but those first few seconds you spend making sure there aren't any holes in you or anyone else are -not- fun.