New, and a little scared

[Sin-ster]

I guess I adhere to hdfinder47's philosophy, although not necessarily by conscious design. The EDC M&P rests bedside in a Level 2 holster, with the 870 a (literal) hop and skip away.

I have the advantage of odd (insane?) sleeping cycles in my favor. I pop out of REM sleep all of the time, fully aware after so many years of practice. (Note that I fall right back into it and pick up where I left off more often than not. My sleep study had the technicians/experts scratching their heads.) I've also had several test instances in the past few years, thanks to the azzhat phone company that feels the urge to interrupt service several times a year (in the wee hours of the morning) and inadvertently set off the house alarm.

 

[ofcmetz]

I keep a Gunvault brand safe on the ground next to my bed. Keep a loaded handgun in it and a flash light beside it. I've practiced rolling out of bed and retrieving the gun in the dark. I have a 5 and 3 year old so no unsecured weapons in the house.

BTW, I keep several of these safes in strategic locations.

IMO, doesn't make sense to own an automatic if you aren't comfortable keeping one in the pipe. Learn finger control at the range by always having your finger out of the trigger guard when you aren't actively shooting the gun.

 

[jdindadell]

Proper technique of keeping your finger off the trigger is a must.

I keep a xd45 with a powder river tigger job next to the bed in my nightstand drawer. Not the best option as that gun has zero trigger slack... But getting the drawer open should wake me up enough.

Bottom line is that you need to be comfortable and confident with your gun. I have a weapon light on mine, so I like the "ride" the switch with my trigger finger, thus keeping it off the trigger.

Do you have a light on your gun? Light is important, as you do want to be able to identify your target before committing to blasting.

And I have a 3 month old daughter, so I will looking into a drawer safe of some sort.

 

[JeffW]

Kids are gone.
I DO have a light on the rail.
I have it racked back, and under the pillow (thanks to Emperor for the suggestion).
I now will have to consciously pull down the release before engaging.
Thanks to all for the advice, understanding, & support!

 

[olivs260]

I have it racked back, and under the pillow (thanks to Emperor for the suggestion).
I now will have to consciously pull down the release before engaging.

Not sure about you, but I have serious doubts about my ability to press the release lever in the dark, when I'm 90% asleep and starting to panic. At least practice (train) racking the slide with the meat of your hand. Do not count on your ability to hit that little button that you can't see, with fingers that aren't really working yet.

On another note, I would not sleep with a firearm under my pillow. You said you're worried about fumbling around at night... you really want it right next to your face when you're doing that? I just see too much wrong with that. I like mine on the far end of my nightstand, where I can reach it without getting out of bed, but I have to WANT to get to it.

 

[Emperor]

Kids are gone.
I DO have a light on the rail.
I have it racked back, and under the pillow (thanks to Emperor for the suggestion).
I now will have to consciously pull down the release before engaging.
Thanks to all for the advice, understanding, & support!

Hey! Wait a second! I didn't say anything about putting under your pillow! That's on you, buddy!

 

[JBE]

I have it racked back, and under the pillow...

 

[Baldrik78]

I have it racked back, and under the pillow

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[JeffW]

HAHA!
Taking a beating here!
Under the pillow across the bed.
Maybe I'll just sell it, and wait for government employees to protect me.

 

[sigfan556]

I usually have 2 weapons in my bedroom, my carry gun inside its holster ON the night stand while I sleep, in the closet NOT far from my bed there is a 12G with a weapon mounted light, ALL loaded and ready to roll (no worries here) I also keep inside the closet next to the 12G a bag which has extra mags/ammo, another flashlight, this way I can be ready to roll even in my pjs hehe

+1

 

[Armed Citizens]

Why not stop by for some education? Matthew has 10+ yrs experience working in the gun world. Thanks!

 

[Emperor]

HAHA!
Taking a beating here!
Under the pillow across the bed.
Maybe I'll just sell it, and wait for government employees to protect me.

Now you're talking! Well at least you won't shoot yourself while you sleep!

Their testing your mettle! To see if you are worthy!

 

[goteron]

I dont have anything to add to this conversation, but sigfan556, I see your karma title... I am now keeping an eye on you.

 

[Hitman]

HAHA!
Taking a beating here!
Under the pillow across the bed.
Maybe I'll just sell it, and wait for government employees to protect me.

Hang in there dude it'll pass

 

[general mills]

Keep the gun chambered and accesable in a nearby closet and get a big scary dog. Now you have the extra time to fully wake up, take a shower, make some eggs and a pot of coffee, then deal with the bad guy.

 

[Hitman]

Keep the gun chambered and accesable in a nearby closet and get a big scary dog. Now you have the extra time to fully wake up, take a shower, make some eggs and a pot of coffee, then deal with the bad guy.

YES!

 

[LouisianaMan]

I use the military analogy. In nighttime perimeter (daytime too, for that matter), we have some proportion of the unit awake with weapons in their hands ready for action. The others are asleep, and counting on at least a few seconds of reaction time, provided by the guys pulling security.

For me, the guys pulling security are a rescue Greyhound, Australian Shepherd, and mixed Schnauzer, all of whom can & will bark enough to raise the dead. I sleep soundly with a revolver and speedloaders on the nightstand shelf, and two "New York reloads" in the dresser drawer 5 feet away. Soon will take time to figure out a nice way to store a shotgun handily--current location in closet is effectively 100% inaccessible, due to house layout. (Have to "retreat" thru the bathroom to get into the closet. . .layout is simply the wrong direction. We recently moved in & are still unpacking boxes, and neighborhood is nice, well-established, and very quiet, so handguns suffice for the time being.)

If I were an "active" sleeper, i.e. sleepwalking, picking up things in my sleep, etc., I would have the revolver farther away, and probably use an auto instead. As it is, I merely have to twist my arm at an odd angle from the bed (a good thing), or reach the gun naturally once I've gotten up out of bed, so I have ready access with no worries.

Personally, I would never tempt fate by sleeping with a gun under the pillow. If you feel you are faced with waking up with an intruder looming over you, you simply have to get a dog, an alarm, a better bedroom door & lock, window locks, or all of the above. To conclude with my military analogy, we don't all sleep on the perimeter at the same time. If nobody else is there to provide you warning, you simply can't go to sleep. Doesn't work well in peace or war. Layer your security.

 

[sigfan556]

i mounted a holster on my night stand works great.

 

[eman2k5]

i mounted a holster on my night stand works great.

Yeah a Serpa with Belt loops would make a great mount. Couple of screws threw the belt attachment would make a sweet set up.

 

[Nolacopusmc]

if your gonna rock the Serpa, let me recommend some of the other mounting options.