On your HD shotgun - Do you have a live round in chamber?

It is all about risk management.

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Originally Posted by Moga

...empty gun. Apparently his wife has thought better of her requirement that the weapon be stored this way in light of their ordeal...what would happen if some of you guys were similarly surprised by an intruder and didn't have time to "clack-clack" your scatter gun to scare him off...

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I think you make a good point, however, I have always felt this statement, that the sound of a pump being racked, was not a valid SD tool. It might work, but could just as easily be exploited.

My revolver, my most common carry, my go to firearm for part of my home, is secured, and always chambered and ready to go. It is the only firearm I own that is always chambered.

My Glocks on the other hand are not chambered unless they are being carried. Mistakes happen, maybe it goes back to my parents thoughts on how a hunting rifle should not be chambered when it enters a house. I have been conditioned. I see the logic on both sides of the argument, but in the end I would rather have the BG kill me or my family then have my choice of keeping one in the chamber accidentally injure someone I love.

Sounds graphic, like I don't trust myself to responsibily secure a firearm, but that was the desiding factor. Sure it can be argued the other way. That I could take an action to safeguard my family if it were chambered. I just don't feel I'm responsible for the evil other might do because I took this minor choice concerning a critical safety issue.

I do keep the Glocks with a full mag and the trigger pulled back. I would have to rack the slide to put one in the chamber and get trigger into the forward position.

I am concerned how I would react in the middle of a SD situation. Would I have the state of mind to rack one in. Would I have time.

I wrestled with this a bit, and desided that the odds favored not having one in the chamber unless I was actually carrying. If someone breaks into my home, and I did not have time to put one in the chamber, then the odds were already stacked against me. However, walking on the street, the balance shifts, and that moment may make more of a difference.

I voted: No - but I can quickly rack a round in from the loaded magazine.
That's just the way it is with me....safety off. I've done this with my previous shotguns and my current. Ithaca 37, Mossberg 500, and Rem 870.

You know what? The comment about the decision of how to keep the 12GA being a function of risk management is probably one of the most intelligent remarks of this entire post.

I live within the city limits of Atlanta. There is no one but my wife and I and my dogs. We have an open floor plan with LOTS of glass, plus it features a first floor master. Home invasions are pervasive here, as it is in many metro areas. When you live in a better area, it is targeted by criminals for easy marks. If I lived someplace else where the threat level is not as high AND I wasn't sure of what my response would be in a critical defense incident, and further, if the layout and design of my home were different, perhaps I could see how one may consider to store arms with a empty chamber.

Different strokes for different folks, indeed.

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Originally Posted by David in FL

I'm sorry, but that strikes me as a TERRIBLE idea. Getting into the habit of pulling the trigger and expecting anything other than "bang" sounds like a great way to surprise yourself with an ND at some point.

Treat every gun as if it's loaded.........always.

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And here I thought the very purpose of snap caps was to safely dry fire a firearm?

mine is in my closet. the frame of the door protrudes into the closet and forms a little lip. that lip is rite next to the wall, and theres a little pocket there, just big enough for a shotgun. i normally keep it with a full mag, empty chamber, and the trigger pulled. i have cheap snap caps that came with the gun, but i don't like to leave them in the chamber because i have had a few times they don't eject properly.

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Originally Posted by Monkeytown

And here I thought the very purpose of snap caps was to safely dry fire a firearm?

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It is......but in this case, we're not talking about dry fire for the sake of practice, we're talking about "pulling the trigger" in order to allow the action to be operated to chamber a round....... That's what the slide release is for.

Actually, I don't keep my shotgun loaded at all. I keep four rounds of OO Buck on the sidesaddle, but nothing in the gun. Not because I think a loaded shotgun is bad, but because my bedroom is on the first floor and the safe with my long guns is on the second, and I have three loaded handguns in a safe on my floor.

When I lived by myself in an apartment, I went with cruiser ready, loaded tube, empty chamber, safety off, and four spares in the sidesaddle.

FYI, I live with my parents at the moment. If it was my own house, the shotgun would be ready as I described above, and set on a shelf in a closet. But it was either live with them and their rules for now, or the street.

Full mag. empty chamber. safety on. in the safe. I have kids, little boy with no fear "except for green veggies" so its a no brainer

my primary defense gun will be my pistol. But the shotgun is a backup in case things get really hairy, with magazine tube loaded and an empty chamber.

+1 to what Jeephipwr said.

SY