In the gigantic Beretta 1301 thread - the topic of drop safety in long-guns came up - https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....actical/page99 - This is about the fourteenth time I've seen this particular discussion pop-up in the various long-gun fora and discussions. As a result, I figured it would be good to just hit the go button on creating a 'best practices' thread and asking @TCinVA @Giving Back and anyone else to give us their thoughts on how they store long arms.
First just a few notes: The vast majority of long-guns are NOT drop-safe. ARs have floating firing pins, shotguns have hammers that are held in place by relatively small springs. The weight of a loaded shotgun or AR is sufficient that if dropped a discharge can occur, either by the firing pin moving forward or the hammer slipping the sear and striking the firing pin. How serious you treat it, is ultimately up to you, but there is a reason why shotguns are often carried in the field without rounds in the chamber or the actions broken open.
For me, because drop-safety is a concern, I do not keep long-guns with rounds chambered in my home, nor travel with them that way. I keep two long(er) guns ready - an AR-platform pistol and a 12-gauge pump.
For the AR, I have the bolt locked back and a full magazine inserted and locked into place. All I have to do is pick the gun up, slap the bolt release, flip the safety, and go to work.
For the shotgun, I have the bolt (and slide) back and a shell on the elevator, with five more loaded in the tube, safety is off, because my wife is left handed and the gun has a right handed safety. Pick the gun up, slam the slide forward, go to work.
It's that simple for me. The only additional thing - when I'm out moving about and have a weapon out to use, I try to use a sling. I don't think anyone should really consider carrying a shotgun, in particular, any significant distance without a sling. If your battle plan may involve you grabbing a long-gun and moving from a stationary position with it - sling it.