OK this is kinda one of those things i need advice on so I am going to see what everyone else has to get my advice..
I was wondering two things, first off I am a heavy sleeper i mean i dont wake up for anything most of the time, is there any way to become a lighter sleeper..
Second thing is what all do you have by your bed or readily accessible if SHTF in the middle of the night, as of now i have
HK USPC .40 with a 10rnd mag + 1 in pipe and 2 extra 10 rnd mags
SureFire 6P Flashlight
And a Kershaw easy open blade, what else should i have..
I am a heavy sleeper too, but my wife has real sharp elbows that can wake me real quick.
For the middle of night I keep my 12 GA Winchester Defender real close without one in the pipe because racking the shell into the chamber is a very loud noise when the house is quiet.
The Kimber is also on the nightstand but I still take the 12 GA
Hello. I'd have a cell phone in the room as well and if not impractical for whatever reasons, my first choice as the ensconced defender would be a shotgun. With regard to handguns, my current bedside guns are a Ruger GP100/3" bbl loaded with Corbon .357 DPX and a Glock 17 loaded with Winchester 127-gr. +P+.
If you can "buy" enough time (and noise to awaken you), you can deal with the problem but if the "problem" is able to get to you quickly through an unlocked bedroom door or a door that can be easily and quickly defeated, things could go downhill in a hurry.
In my opinion, don't skimp on making the bedroom door tough as can be to get through. I also use a burglar alarm religiously. I have two "watch dogs"; you wake them up and they'll watch and watch and watch, but the alarm doesn't sleep and my wife hears everything and she will rouse me if scared.
I am also a heavy sleeper but my wife is a much lighter sleeper than I am. She tends to wake up when she hears one of the kids make an odd sound or she hears something not quite right in the middle of the night.
We have an alarm system for the house that monitors the windows and doors and sets off one hell of a shrill alarm if a window or door is opened / broken after the alarm is armed.
But by far, the best early warning system we have is our Basenji named "Shep". He's a good watch dog and good with kids. For a small dog he has a lot of heart and will bark and raise all kids of ruckus if someone or something that isn't supposed to be there shows up.
I have the Mossberg 500A 12 gauge close by in the safe, loaded with #1 buck shot.
But, mounted right on the bed I have a holster for the PT-99. It is mounted to the box spring, right where my arm would hang over the edge of the bed if I was to roll over onto my stomach. It is very easy to get that gun. In the gun sits an extended 32 round magazine stoked with Gold Dot hollow points. On the night stand is a Surefire G2 flashlight, a cell phone (something everyone should have on the nightstand. If the bad guy is coming in while you and your family are asleep, they are going to cut the phone lines.) and just under the edge of the bed, a Kevlar vest already straped closed on one side so I can just slide it on from the side and close the velcro straps on one side. If I have time to get up and arm myself after Shep alerts us, I have time to slip on the vest. Might just save my life or my families lives.
We also have a good, fully stocked first aid kit in the master bedroom. If I every do have to shoot someone, God forbid, I want to be able to render first aid if it is at all possible. I do not want to give the scum any ammo for a civil suit after everything settles down. How can the bad guy claim I was just out to kill him when I rendered first aid until the EMT's arrived. And, if one of us is injured in the fight, then we have the kit. If it is a choice between one of my family and the bad guy getting first aid he is going to loose there.
Now, I would of course only render first aid if the bad guy stopped all aggresive acts and then only while the wife still holds him at gun point while I administer first aid.
Maybe that is over kill so to speak but that is what we have at the ready.
I am a rather light sleeper. I do not know how I got o be this way, just born with it I guess. I have a military Riot gun in 12 ga pump Mossburg, eight 00 bucks in the magazine. Something about the noise of racking a 12 ga pump in the quiet of the evening that seems to turn the hardest of hearts into prayer time converts.
Rangerman, I have the exact same set-up, minus the knife, sitting next to my bed every night. Excellent choices. haha
I'm a heavy sleeper, too. My roommate jokes that I would sleep right through a robbery. In fact, I have slept through 4.5+ mag earthquakes. BUT ANYHOW.... I would suggest getting a dog or a house alarm. Those members lucky enough to have a light-sleeping spouse are probably the luckiest. After that, I think your next best bet would be to string up a line of trip flares across your perimeter. j/k
Though I actually know a guy who supposedly HAS trip flares across certain parts of his property. The reality is questionable and may be something closer to the idea of an assualt wheelbarrow.
Rangerman
I am a very lite sleeper and believe me you don't want to become one. Every little sound wakes me. Always been this way. Ever body has pretty much covered what we need to keep close by. The only thing I would add is if you need glasses keep them handy at night also. I have 911 as a voice tag on my cell so I can call and keep my eye open and not on the phone.
Mike
I have the Mossberg 500A 12 gauge close by in the safe, loaded with #1 buck shot.
<SNIP>
Now, I would of course only render first aid if the bad guy stopped all aggresive acts and then only while the wife still holds him at gun point while I administer first aid.
I'd get the scattergun out of the safe, and keep it handier than the pistol. After trying out some 3.5" magnum 00 at the range this weekend, all I can say about the other part is that if the bad guy doesn't stop all aggressive acts upon being hit with one of those monsters, he can give himself first aid, 'cuz I'm using the rest of them to make a new back door and leave.
First, the wife and I sleep with the door locked because I would just hate to wake up with my pistol in my face. However, I keep my light, pistol, knife, and cell phone nearby. I am in the process of getting a shot gun and better light.
It doesn't really make you a lighter sleeper, but one interesting method that I've heard is to set an alarm in the middle of the night so you know how you react when you wake up from a deep sleep....the recommendation was to unload your bedside weapon, set an alarm for 1:30am (or a few hours after you fall asleep if that is a different time for you). Upon hearing the alarm you see how long it take you to get up, ready your weapon, etc.... I never did this but it does remind me of something that happened last week...
OK so we just moved into a new house (well not NEW but new to us...you know what I mean)...anyway we're in this new house with our new alarm that we aren't quite used to using yet (see where this is going?). So we go to bed at around 8:30pm because my wife has to get up early the next morning. At 1:15am the alarm starts blaring..man this thing is LOUD. I bolt up in bed, wife's light goes on, grab 870, rack, grab flashlight, hop over bed on the way to the door. This took me much less time than I had figured on before. I'll say 5 seconds until I was armed and another 5 seconds until I was on the other side of the bed. I've never woken up that fast in my life...or so I thought...once I got to the other side of the bed got dizzy and almost fell over because I got up so fast. Lucky for me my wife grabbed me and held me up :redface: ...another couple seconds later I was good and ready to go out the door. Now I'm usually of the mindset of don't "clear" your house if you think someone is in it BUT I had to make my way to my baby's room and by the time I'm there I've seen 90% of our small house so off to the baby's room....sleeping soundly through the 130dB alarm...figures :smile: ...anyway, I look around and see that the back door is open. I check the door and shut off the alarm. It seems that I had locked the door but not closed it all the way...I also left a window open a crack for a breeze...seems the door got sucked open by the window. Tripple checked everything and went back to bed...BUT not before the batteries in my flashlight died...lucky for me I had a few 123As right next to the bed.
That one big shot of adrenaline lasted me for the rest of the night...which meant that I didn't really sleep all that well...which meant that I was really tired the next day :tired:
Things I learned:
-Put a cellphone next to the bed. (we didn't have one there)
-Make sure your flashlight has GOOD batteries in it
-Take your time, even when in a potentially "urgent" situation, to make sure you are fully awake before trying to walk so you don't fall over
-Double check all of the doors/windows before going to bed and/or arming your alarm
Things I keep next to the bed:
-Good quality flashlight
-Spare batteries
-Cellphone
-Remington 870
so there's my dumb move for the week :theyareontome: heh heh
raysheen, Thanks for posting the deal with getting up too quick. I have that sometimes as well but it would suck tro remember that from the floor after falling down while trying to respond too fast.
PIstol grip Remington 870 with "00"buck and 1 slug. Jeans close by, set with empty holster and extra mag for the G27 which is very close at hand. Stinger rechargable flashlight and cell phone come along when I check the house, should something go bump in the night. I leave the 12 g in the bedroom with my wife.
I am a fairly light sleeper, but I have a German Shepherd that hears EVERYTHING and would wake me if I didn't get up on my own.
For the middle of night I keep my 12 GA Winchester Defender real close without one in the pipe because racking the shell into the chamber is a very loud noise when the house is quiet.
Another heavy sleeper - but that said I have noticed a tendency to wake with ''odd'' noises - so I imagine ''normal'' sounds get ignored.
My only consistent and regular system is carry SIG (with CT's), on floor just where my arm dropped down to floor will find it instinctively. Flashlight near that too, and another under pillow.
Shottie is under the bed but would take significantly more time to access than handgun. Outside front and rear are motion lights which light things up before any prowler gets in too close.
Electronic hearing protection. I have enough hearing damage and my ears are very sensitive to loud percussive sounds. If I fired a gun in my house, I fear that I would probably be deaf for the rest of my life. Anyway, I don't want to take that chance. Besides, elec. muffs another significant advantage, they amplify small sounds, which would make it easier to hear a BG moving around.
When I was younger I actually slept through a home invasion. Fortunately all they were after was small, easy to resell items. But that lucky incident for me has changed home life. We have an alarm now, with window breaks. Also dog that likes to bark. I think this alone deters 99% of all would be intruders. They are looking for an easy target most of the time I would guess. But if for some strange reason someone entered the home, I think all the noise would wake me up long before they got to the bedroom.
Oh, important note. If you are going to have a firearm in the bedroom. Make sure you are fully awake before you go walking through the house in the dark.
I made a little contraption that slides between the mattress and box spring to which I attached a nylon holster for my Glock 20, 10mm. It is set up so the gun is held at a 45 degree angle just below the top of the mattress; there is a mag holder on the holster where I keep a Surefire. I use a dresser for a night stand, it is 1 foot out from the wall and the 1100 with short slug barrel, pistol grip stock, side saddle and mag extension loaded with 6 000 buck and the last 2 are slugs is in the corner behind it and a magazine holder (the reading type magazine) so it is completely hidden. I keep the cell phone in a charger on top of the dresser and there is a 2 million candle power rechargeable spot light behind the dresser on the floor. The wife has an M-1 carbine, 30 round mag loaded with hollow points on her side to back me up.
Guys, cocking your shotgun only gives away your position. You need to maintain an element of surprise just like you would during an encounter on the street. Just because you have a pump shotgun doesn't mean that a criminal is going to wet his pants and run away in fear. Keep one in the pipe and keep it quiet!!!!
Wow! I pity the fool that breaks into your house...awesome amount of firepower, there!
Right now, I've just got a Smith and Wesson Model 12 .38 Special in my nightstand. Eventually I hope to get a Mossberg 590 with a folding stock and tactical light to be the "bedroom gun". I have a 1911 hidden downstairs (I live in a two story house) in case of a daytime attempted break-in when we are downstairs.
Guys, cocking your shotgun only gives away your position. You need to maintain an element of surprise just like you would during an encounter on the street. Just because you have a pump shotgun doesn't mean that a criminal is going to wet his pants and run away in fear. Keep one in the pipe and keep it quiet!!!!
I'll have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. My house is 2 stories and very easy to see that my master bedroom is not on the first floor. So, in my situation, I would rather rack the slide and let the BG know if he is brave enough to come up the stairs, he is going to be full of lead once he gets to the top. There is no cover for him going up the stairs or even once he gets to the top, so if he knew there was a waiting shotgun for him at the top, I highly bet that he won't take the chance.
Now, this would be different with a ranch or maybe a 2 story that isn't easily identifiable.
Anyways, I have two good sized watch dogs that alert us to any and every thing that goes on and an alarm system that we religiously use.
I have my Glock G19, knife, cell phone, house phone, flashlight and soon to be shotgun all on/in my nightstand.
I personally think an alarm or dogs are your best bet for early warning detection. They will let you know instantly, giving you maximum time for preparation.
I personally am aganist racking the slide to scare off a bad guy. I am with Doc, why give up the element of suprise. All you have done in essence, is told the BG where you are. I have read all kinds of things on the internet about racking a slide makes someone pass out, to it will make them deficate. This is all BS in my opinion.
For you guys that like to rack your shotguns in the middle of the night, do you also rack the slide of your pistol so that a BG can hear that, or do you keep one in the tube, ready to go?
I have a great home alarm system & a barking dog.
A great combination.
Also. QKShooter Hint. Take Natural Bilberry Supplements.
It will increase your night vision capability.
I have a very large home. I have trained to negotiate the entire interior of my home in total darkness.
Darkness is your best friend in your own home. Learn your home.
I personally am aganist racking the slide to scare off a bad guy. I am with Doc, why give up the element of suprise. All you have done in essence, is told the BG where you are. I have read all kinds of things on the internet about racking a slide makes someone pass out, to it will make them deficate. This is all BS in my opinion.
I don't think that it will make the BG pass out or make him stain my hardwood floors but I think it will give him pause. Maybe it depends why the BG is there.
My biggest concern is someone who is after a quick buck trying to grab what he can. I don't live out in BFE so whoever breaks in doesn't really have a lot of time and realization that someone is there and is ready for them might make the BG leave. On the other hand if the BG is there cause he has a score to settle, then yeah, he'll probably be happy to hear that sound.
For you guys that like to rack your shotguns in the middle of the night, do you also rack the slide of your pistol so that a BG can hear that, or do you keep one in the tube, ready to go?
Heck.... I barely can hear it when I rack it, so why would I assume that the BG would hear it?
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