Okay...given that window of time I could retrieve the AR, chamber a round and be on station to cover the main entry and the doorway of the bedroom with time to spare.Originally Posted by JHC
Oh say 20-30 seconds access away. I know well that's a specialization. I see no reason not to have arty on call.
Stats are less interesting to me than scenarios. I've had time before but no big gun option. Big is better.
There's nothing civil about this war.
If an intruder can break in and reach you in less than 30 seconds, I would think stronger doors/windows, an alarm, and/or a dog would be the first priority. Gary Roberts, a few years back, explained to me the virtue of leaving your pistol in the holster, on your pants, rather than on/in a nightstand. Whether in your home, a hotel, or elsewhere, this allows you to put your pants on and be geared up with pistol, spare mag, pocket flashlight, etc.
Last year, Gabe told me about a guy that came home to meet a burglar, with the burglar pointing the homeowner's long gun at him. That would really suck, and after we got broken in a few years back, and lost AR, 870 and a handful of pistols that were out, I secure firearms whenever possible.
Inside your own house, I see no reason to fight fair. A shotgun or carbine and mounted white light, with the handgun on your pants as a BUG, would seem to tilt the odds in your favor. Find a way to secure it so it is safe and quickly accessible. All this is predicated on training regularly with your long gun, so startled and sleepy, it is second nature to run it.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
While I'd love to be dressed to meet the threat, the fully outfitted pair of pants method just doesn't resonate with me. (Unless a second handgun was available on the nightstand for immediate deployment.)
In my home setup, the only way that a bad guy is coming at me with my long gun is if he already has passed my location and gotten behind me. Not likely given my four legged early warning system and my own sensitivity to changes in my home environment.
Whether or not I'll ever have a long gun within arm's reach once retired for the night...well, that's something worthy of consideration but which has not been on the radar up until now...though if it could be done in subtle and tasteful fashion, might be worth looking into.
Last edited by blues; 07-22-2017 at 10:36 PM.
There's nothing civil about this war.
I keep handguns and long guns secured in quick access Simplex mechanical locked safes in the bedroom.
Either would take 10-20 seconds to access. Given the time, the carbine would be grabbed first.
Which reminds me I need to train more with it.
The light equipped 870 with 8 pellet OO flite-control buckshot (Thanks, Tom for showing why 8 is better than 9) is part of the plan. From the context of waking up to the alarm/forced entry etc, if time allows, the SG is the primary IF I have the time to access it. The time needed can be situational in nature as in the bad guy(s) breach is slow or the GF hears a noise and wakes me up in the early stages of the breach. If the GF is there, she can also get a handgun on the locked bedroom door while I grab the 870. Otherwise, my handgun with a co located hand light is the go to.
Last edited by Jason M; 07-23-2017 at 12:16 AM.
Yes, but it isn't plan A.
I have a three year old. All the guns are locked up if they aren't within arms reach. Plan A is to respond to a threat with either the Upstairs Pistol or the Downstairs Pistol, depending on which is close. They are in the quickest opening safe I can find, and each has a WML.
If we can make it into my office upstairs, which is our preferred defensive position, the shotgun comes out. We are more likely to be involved in a scenario that lasts a while, because we live in an isolated location. Our SO is squared away, but the first deputy that arrives at the bottom of my tactical nightmare of a driveway will likely wait down there for at least one more car, and I won't blame him or her a bit.
And while I'm not a fan of getting out of the boat , our rural reality has some realistic scenarios that involve me leaving the house. The shotgun is also for four legged predator control. For example I've arrived home to the sound of the coyote that was putting a hurting on my neighbors chickens getting it on with another coyote behind my house, and run up the hill in office attire with the gauge to settle his hash.
We had one potential shooting situation here that started with my wife finding a creepy asshole in the open garage, and ended with me pointing the 12 gauge at him and telling him to leave.
I've also got a "General Purpose" .308 bolt rifle with detachable box magazines that is in ready service status as well. There are fewer realistic scenarios where that would come into play, but it's not out of the question either.
What I don't own, however, is an AR pattern or similar rifle. I sold my last one in the post-divorce sell off ten years ago, and ever since, whenever there's been an extra $2k in the shooting/home security budget, it's gone somewhere else. Just like Tom Given's students, my most likely locale ofr a use of force is away from home, with a handgun, and if I can get to the shotty here at the house, I'm perfectly fine with it being the go-to long gun.
I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.
Each night before bed (or whenever we are home) AR and the shotgun come out of the safe and are placed on either side of the nightstand with my EDC handgun w/light on said nightstand. I like to have the option either of the 3 guns present me. We have no children so my primary plan is shelter in place with with the shotgun. But if I dont hear said bad guy break open my door and/or my dog does not alert the handgun is gonna be what I reach for in that limited time circumstance.
Long gun for home defense? Absolutely! A Benelli M2 assumed that role, either late last year, or around the first part of 2017, relegating my 870P to reserve status. This Benelli, like the 870P before it, doubles as my police patrol duty shotgun, and general utility long gun, unless a rifle is specifically anticipated for the task.
One nice feature of this Benelli is that the barrel-mounted sights have bold dimensions, and a wide rear notch, so they are usable if my eyeglasses are not in place. In the home, on the street, or in the fields/woods, these are the best iron sights for my unaided eyes, at present.
I am not nearly anonymous enough, here, to want to say exactly where my primary long gun is located while I am at home, but my Benelli M2 is normally positioned much handier than inside a closet. (Actually, there are no firearms, at all, inside my bedroom closet.) While inside my bedroom, the M2 is not visible to someone just stepping into the room, or even well inside the room, but is visible from the bed, and while not a "bedside" gun, is not far away, actually being nearer another spot where I am more likely to be while awake.
If I am spending much time elsewhere in the house, the shotgun changes position.
Early warning systems, including canine, will normally give me time to act, and the primary weapon of choice is the shotgun. "Clearing" the tight quarters of a house might be better done with a handgun.
To follow-up on my above post, when clearing houses and other buildings with my LE colleagues, they are generally using handguns, so I will often use the shotgun. It is nice to have a shotgunner as part of a search team.
It is not that the long gun makes it impossible to search tight spaces, but a handgun is handier, no pun intended.
I have an in-wall unit installed near the head of my bed. At night, I put the key in and open the door. My shotgun is extremely accessible.
I also keep a shoulder holster slung over my headboard. It always has mags in it, and if I'm not wearing my carry pistol it is holstered there. If I'm not yet dressed to go out, I carry an LCR around in my pajama pocket.
I do have an AR close to hand since we had an officer's house shot up, but that's a different sort of home defense.
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