Bedside Firearm

[Dark Star]

Since this is truly just bedside, not overall home defense, my edc Canik tp9sf is in a... Ummm... "Low ready bedside" spot, hidden to someone in the room but right where my right hand hits it given my fav sleeping position. That'd be the obvious choice for the previously mentioned "someone just smashed the window at 1am and is in the room 3 feet away from me."

For the most part though the way my place is aligned I figure 9 of 10 intruders will be coming in from the other end. I'm at the end of a long hallway I keep dead dark. The other end with the all the doors, kitchen windows, garage, etc. I have nightlights everywhere.

No flashlights for me. I know my person visually, and if she's not in the bed then my number one thought during sounds is her. Otherwise, I've taken two home defense classes here in Indiana that talked about the legalities and having a plan. Even if you don't talk to 911 at least have it running to record you to see that you're not chasing a fleeing suspect up the stairs (no stairs here), etc.

Carbines I am an AK guy first and foremost but for the nighttime home defense rifle I've made myself into my AR build guy because the Romeo 5 red-dot down my hallway becomes a poor-man's night vision. It's alot cheaper on the AR since I don't have to buy the AK side mount. Well, I built the AR just because I wanted to and I knew I should have and be capable with the most common gun and ammo in the country.

Down that dark hallway with the JP Enterprises flash hider, no one is seeing me if I have to shoot.

Open to recommendations or criticisms.

 

[Dark Star]

Oh as for dead-of-night hearing protection, my thought has always been, given my above-mentioned situation, I'll deal with it if I ever have to pull the trigger. All the literature says the indoor gunfire is so disorienting I figure okay let the intruder be disoriented. Down that hallway, unlike on a sidewalk, grocery store shooter, etc. I actually have the upper hand since I know the people and layout in the dark.

They're probably not figuring to get shot at out of darkness they can't see. Let them freak out over the sound too.

 

[IndyBeerman]

I would think it's still situationally dependant for the people who listed electronic hearing protection. If the intruder just smashed their bedroom window open 3 feet from where they're sleeping, no ears and eyes.

If it's the famed mysterious bump in the night from downstairs or down the hall, I figure that's when it'd go on.

Be honest to yourself and family, walk from your front door to either your bedroom or child's door at a leisurely pace.
With the exception of two story house's like yours it will be under 20 seconds. You got that much time to:

Wake up from a deep sleep.
Get coherent enough to grab your firearm-roll out of bed.
Focus on the threat and make sure one of your kids/family members have not gotten in the pathway then engage.

Me and a friend had a opportunity to try this at an abandoned two story house YEARS ago that I didn't know the layout that we had permission to do this.

He slept on a cot, I busted the door in and was at the bedroom door on the 2nd floor in under 45 seconds, and this was after a quick gander looking
in the living room/den/kitchen/dining room and two downstairs bedrooms.

This wasn't a 2-3am thing, it was 11pm and he had been asleep maybe for 30-40 minutes. I had a baseball bat and could have incapacitated
anyone asleep in the two downstairs bedrooms.

We had this argument for years where he consistently told me there would be no problem. When I tapped the cot with the bat, I said you're dead.

The next day he went out and got a dog and bought something similar to this for his doors for all 3 of his down stair doors..

It's called the Door club.

People have way less time than they perceive, anything you can do to make it harder to get in and take longer for them to get within distance
to cause harm is vitally important. Especially the intruders who want to be as quiet as possible.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Be honest to yourself and family, walk from your front door to either your bedroom or child's door at a leisurely pace.
With the exception of two story house's like yours it will be under 20 seconds. You got that much time to:

Wake up from a deep sleep.
Get coherent enough to grab your firearm-roll out of bed.
Focus on the threat and make sure one of your kids/family members have not gotten in the pathway then engage.

Me and a friend had a opportunity to try this at an abandoned two story house YEARS ago that I didn't know the layout that we had permission to do this.

He slept on a cot, I busted the door in and was at the bedroom door on the 2nd floor in under 45 seconds, and this was after a quick gander looking
in the living room/den/kitchen/dining room and two downstairs bedrooms.

This wasn't a 2-3am thing, it was 11pm and he had been asleep maybe for 30-40 minutes. I had a baseball bat and could have incapacitated
anyone asleep in the two downstairs bedrooms.

We had this argument for years where he consistently told me there would be no problem. When I tapped the cot with the bat, I said you're dead.

The next day he went out and got a dog and bought something similar to this for his doors for all 3 of his down stair doors..

It's called the Door club.

People have way less time than they perceive, anything you can do to make it harder to get in and take longer for them to get within distance
to cause harm is vitally important. Especially the intruders who want to be as quiet as possible.

Yep to this. Even less time for one to shoot high caps to slide lock.

 

[Slonsteady]

EDC within arms reach. Often times fall asleep on the couch. Starts on the coffee table and moves to the nightstand. Both tables have lights handy.

Shotgun under the bed.

See post #49 for proper shotgun placement. Happy you have other protection. Bending over to retrieve a shotgun under the bed is like bending over before the proverbial kiss it goodbye. Especially with an dad guy near by. Back when that was my only weapon I found this out the hard way. Kept my wits and survived without a scratch to my body but lost some money and a motorbike that was later found. Moral of the story, I bought a S&W 357 model 13 and got real good at shooting it.

 

[Slonsteady]

Fast is slo, slo is fast. Just saying if you have them handy you have options. Just like body armor, you may not be able to use it but don't you feel better once it is on in certain situations. Good eye pro doesn't take up much space in the drawer.
Regards slo guy.

 

[Dark Star]

Be honest to yourself and family, walk from your front door to either your bedroom or child's door at a leisurely pace.
With the exception of two story house's like yours it will be under 20 seconds. You got that much time to:

Wake up from a deep sleep.
Get coherent enough to grab your firearm-roll out of bed.
Focus on the threat and make sure one of your kids/family members have not gotten in the pathway then engage.

Me and a friend had a opportunity to try this at an abandoned two story house YEARS ago that I didn't know the layout that we had permission to do this.

He slept on a cot, I busted the door in and was at the bedroom door on the 2nd floor in under 45 seconds, and this was after a quick gander looking
in the living room/den/kitchen/dining room and two downstairs bedrooms.

This wasn't a 2-3am thing, it was 11pm and he had been asleep maybe for 30-40 minutes. I had a baseball bat and could have incapacitated
anyone asleep in the two downstairs bedrooms.

We had this argument for years where he consistently told me there would be no problem. When I tapped the cot with the bat, I said you're dead.

The next day he went out and got a dog and bought something similar to this for his doors for all 3 of his down stair doors..

It's called the Door club.

People have way less time than they perceive, anything you can do to make it harder to get in and take longer for them to get within distance
to cause harm is vitally important. Especially the intruders who want to be as quiet as possible.

And that could absolutely be true for them. I don't know. I do not have any electronic-or-otherwise ear protection ready to go, as stated in my previous post. I've chosen flash suppression over sound suppresssion. I was just saying I can understand someone hoping to opt for it in certain circumstances.

 

[Dewidmt]

Sig 220 Compact with a Surefire 300 on the headboard. Old Police 870 Wingmaster with #4 buck on the other side of the bed. I live ay out in the boonies with no police response within 20 minutes at least, so the AR stays loaded in the closet for any "group" of home invaders that pulls up. Security lights on the telephone pole out front, over the garage and over the back porch.

Every room of the house has a J-frame or Charter Arms snubby in a drawer. I have no kids or pets running around.

 

[BLindzy]

Mine is usually my 9MM shield or my Glock 26.

 

[Methane Herder]

Since this is truly just bedside, not overall home defense, my edc Canik tp9sf is in a... Ummm... "Low ready bedside" spot, hidden to someone in the room but right where my right hand hits it given my fav sleeping position. That'd be the obvious choice for the previously mentioned "someone just smashed the window at 1am and is in the room 3 feet away from me."

For the most part though the way my place is aligned I figure 9 of 10 intruders will be coming in from the other end. I'm at the end of a long hallway I keep dead dark. The other end with the all the doors, kitchen windows, garage, etc. I have nightlights everywhere.

No flashlights for me. I know my person visually, and if she's not in the bed then my number one thought during sounds is her. Otherwise, I've taken two home defense classes here in Indiana that talked about the legalities and having a plan. Even if you don't talk to 911 at least have it running to record you to see that you're not chasing a fleeing suspect up the stairs (no stairs here), etc.

Carbines I am an AK guy first and foremost but for the nighttime home defense rifle I've made myself into my AR build guy because the Romeo 5 red-dot down my hallway becomes a poor-man's night vision. It's alot cheaper on the AR since I don't have to buy the AK side mount. Well, I built the AR just because I wanted to and I knew I should have and be capable with the most common gun and ammo in the country.

Down that dark hallway with the JP Enterprises flash hider, no one is seeing me if I have to shoot.

Open to recommendations or criticisms.

Bedside, Walther PPS 9 W/ Solid soft Cu hollow points.
Then there is my ARS AK74 w/bayonet hanging from my closet door knob.
One will visibly convince an intruder that they choose unwisely, booth will drive the point home.

MH

 

[cbhausen]

Remember when Gary Thrapp got shot in a home invasion? How NOT to do home security, posted for educational value:

https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-and-culture/circle-city/my-gun-story-the-victim-gary-thrapp

 

[Pepi]

Shockwave and S&W Airweight

 

[klausm]

Ruger 357 and big mag lite

 

[Nazgul]

 

[videodon]

Glock 21-SF with TLR-1 HL

 

[Amishman44]

Might wake up the neighbors with that!

 

[Somemedic]

Me?

A cpap machine is what's on my nightstand. Lost all my weapons in a boating accident you see...

 

[zachcz]

Never thought too much about it but the big mag lite is there too. Obviously a pretty good club if needed

 

[Amishman44]

In all honesty, how many of you think you're going to have time to put on/in ear & eye protection after being awaken in the middle of the night?

Seconds lost doing that could result in all advantages you have lost, and the intruder gaining the upper hand.

I'm not wasting time and losing a tactical advantage that could result in the loss of my life.

Life is more precious than one's temporary hearing loss... besides, until the SHTF, I want to be able to hear what's going on...and one never sees cops puttin' in ear plugs.

 

[therewolf]

Might wake up the neighbors with that!

What type of bed do you keep next to your gun?