Pump Shotgun Question
For purposes of home protection at night, is it better to load the shotgun shells and NOT chamber one unless needed - OR - have one in the chamber ready-to-fire?
I read where the need to chamber a shell in a pump action shotgun creates an unmistakable sound that burglars and bad guys immediately pick up on. And then head for the hills.
Also, I've read where it's much safer, especially if one is roused from their sleep.
Your opinions? Suggestions? Advice? Much appreciated.
I read where the need to chamber a shell in a pump action shotgun creates an unmistakable sound that burglars and bad guys immediately pick up on. And then head for the hills.
Also, I've read where it's much safer, especially if one is roused from their sleep.
Your opinions? Suggestions? Advice? Much appreciated.
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And then head for the hills.
Or fire in the direction of the noise that they just heard. Why give away your location????0 -
quote:Originally posted by kristov
And then head for the hills.
Or fire in the direction of the noise that they just heard. Why give away your location????
I agree. I keep one chambered, safety on.0 -
I don't keep one in the chamber personally. I have kids at home for one and even though it is high and out of reach of them better safe then sorry. I personally want them to hear that action due to the way my house is they can't just "shoot in the direction of the sound". 0 -
I keep my Sig in my nightstand chambered and ready to go. My 8 year old daughter has been taught to leave it alone. I keep a Mossberg pump loaded but without a shell in the chamber. 0 -
There is never a gun in my house with a round in the chamber. 0 -
If you want to keep a loaded pump shotgun get a shortened 1897 or 1887 Winchester,No saftey issues or stressed hammer springs.If you have kids I move that you reconsider one in the tube. 0 -
I keep a loaded shotgun hidden on every floor of the house, with an empty chamber and safety off. If I have to load and fire quickly my plan is to pull the trigger to release the slide lock, pump it, and pull the trigger again in less than 2 seconds. Pistols on the other hand I keep loaded and chambered.
No kids in the house.
Just an FYI, most law enforcement agencies keep their vehicle stored shotguns loaded with an empty closed chamber. The condition is called "car-safe".0 -
empty chamber. the sound of a pump racking alone should be enough to scare the intruder and give you a huge morale boost if it ever comes to that. 0 -
I believe I heard it here that no matter what gun you hear shotgun/rifle/pistol cocking it will produces the same fear. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Kaos
I believe I heard it here that no matter what gun you hear shotgun/rifle/pistol cocking it will produces the same fear.
the report of a shotgun chambering that first round is loud and one of the most distinct and universally recognized sounds in the world.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nemesisenforcer
quote:Originally posted by Kaos
I believe I heard it here that no matter what gun you hear shotgun/rifle/pistol cocking it will produces the same fear.
the report of a shotgun chambering that first round is loud and one of the most distinct and universally recognized sounds in the world.
nemesis is correct on this. Keep the chamber empty - racking the shotgun gives you a first and non-lethal response that most people will run from as well as confirming in the heat of the moment that you are ready for action.
Most criminals rely upon surprise to get their work done - getting into a gunfight is the last thing they want. The sound of that shotgun racking represents an unacceptable escalation in the situation to them and they will most likely beat feet rather than go toe to toe with someone with that much firepower.0 -
Empty chamber with the trigger pulled so I don't have to find the slide release. Although the intimidation factor is there I keep mine that way because IMO coming out of a dead sleep it is much easier to rack a slide than to find a safety. 0 -
I'm no physcologist, but if someone has enough nerve or is deranged enough to enter an occupied house I don't think he will be spooked real easy. Yeah racking the slide on a shotgun will probably scare off most people, but probably not the before metioned type. Keep one in the tube with the safety on. My boys are grown up now but they were raised with loaded guns in the house and never thought twice about them. I let them shoot all the time so guns were not the "forbidden fruit" enticing them. 0 -
I will fumble around for my keys to the truck, go to Walmart for shells, return load the shotgun and exterminate the intruder..[:o)][:o)][:o)] But first I will ask the intruder if they need anything from WallyWorld..[:D][:D][:D] 0 -
The sound of a 870 pump action chambering a round has ended 99% of all resistance that I have encountered in twenty years of law enforcement. The other 1% was ended when the suspect was shot.
Also hammer springs can break. So my recommendation is tube filled, with #8 shot shells, empty chamber, hammer down.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Alpine
The sound of a 870 pump action chambering a round has ended 99% of all resistance that I have encountered in twenty years of law enforcement. The other 1% was ended when the suspect was shot.
Also hammer springs can break. So my recommendation is tube filled, with #8 shot shells, empty chamber, hammer down.
Law enforcement is a toatlly different scenario.
I will leave mine loaded, be quiet, and go to a dark corner. This is what I learned and this is what I taught my kids. An unloaded gun is a stick.0 -
Looks like there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Just a matter of which you would rather do. If somebody I don't know enters my house without an invitation, I don't feel any obligation to be polite or considerate. I keep a Remington 1100 handy with seven in the magazine and one in the chamber with the safety on.
If the criminal is considerate enough to let me know the date and time he intends to burglarize my house, I'll take the one out of the chamber before he gets here.0 -
I keep two loaded firearm's in my house at all time's. I also have no children. If a burgular was to gain entry in my home, he'd never know what hit him. 0 -
my wife and I both have a loaded handgun in our nightstands,I have an 870 20ga loaded with #4's with one in the chamber placed in a spot easy for me to get too but impossable for anyone to see if they dont know its there,I keep a loaded rife in the gun safe plus I keep several extra loaded 45auto mags in there also 0 -
Except for when I was a teenager, every weapon I have owned has a chambered round in it, and safety on if it has one.
"an unloaded firearm is a stick" is a good observation.
Kids were trained from birth that every firearm is loaded.
Doug0 -
I keep an 870 (12 ga. of course) 18" w/ extended mag loaded with 2 3/4" 00 buck at my bedside, round unchambered. I also keep my 9mm loaded at all times, and only unload my 38 spcl. carry gun at night. 0 -
I keep an 870 within 4 feet of the bed, 7 rounds in the mag, one in the chamber, safety on. Then there's a .357 on my side of the bed and a .22 on hers, both are loaded. 0 -
If there is an intruder in your home you have all the advantages.
You can probably get a good idea of his location just by the squeaks in the floor as he passes by certain areas.
The intruder doesn't know your location or even if you're aware of his presence in your home.
In short, you hold all the cards!
Why would a thinking person give up ANY advantage to the intruder by "racking the slide" on your weapon counting on that to deter any aggression.
Any intuder in my home will know of my willingness to protect my family and myself with deadly force when that first charge of 00 buck takes him center of mass.
Till then I'll keep my location and intentions to myself.0 -
If the perp is already in my house, I'm not giving him a "sound" to aim at. He will have no idea, that he is being taken out of the gene pool. 0 -
I will hear the intruder. So will my dog. I also have a carpet cleaner for the blood. 0 -
The sound of a pump-action shotgun racking one into the chamber.
I don't know where the notion started but it sounds a bit "Hollywood" for me. I wouldn't count on it nor would I give away my location in my home.
There was a man who used to post here. He passed away a few years ago. He was called upon by the courts to testify as a subject matter expert in the area of defensive shootings. He worked for "Plus-P Industries" in the Twin Cities. Plus-P Industries taught the practical portion of their CCW classes at the indoor range in Burnsville, MN where I occasionally shoot with my father when I visit. The man whose name I do not remember came off as a bit arrogant but he took exception to the notion that this "unmistakeable sound" had any noticable effect on "bad guys". I seriously doubt that it would hold up in any court as a positive defense against a prosecution for a defensive shooting. It sounds rather thin to me. It sounds like something Ayoob and his silly ilk would say.
Do you know how much ground a determined attacker with a pocket knife can cover in the time that it would take you to fumble with a safety and a pump in the dark while still partially clouded by sound sleep? I wouldn't risk it. I'd keep one in the chamber if my living situation permitted it. Everyone's situation is different and everyone has a different comfort zone when it comes to having loaded unlocked weapons in the house. Given any particular tactic or defensive method, I would not incorporate it if it did not expediate the delivery of a lethal blow to a potential attacker. Sounds don't stop heartbeats. Remember "fight or flight"? How much more adrenaline do you want to feed someone before they decide to act one way or the other? Maybe they'll run. Maybe they'll cover even more ground between you and them even faster.
Are you willing to take that bet?0 -
I leave the chamber empty. My Winchester 1300 is something that I've been hunting with for years (and, I assure you that unlike Mitt Romney, I've hunted a lot more than twice). I've sinced replaced it as far as a hunting shotgun goes, but it is still an awesome gun.
I know this gun like the back of my hand. I don't worry about fiddling around, trying to find the slide release. I know where it is almost instictively.
I keep the chamber empty. I've got the plug pulled. The choke is set at cylinder. First shot is #7.5 birdshot.
You essentially get two warnings from me:
Warning #1: Kachunk.
Warning #2: KA-BOOM! and then peppered with the birdshot.
The next three shots carry no warning. They're 00-buck and they will kill. So, if you're stupid enough to hang around beyond the first two warnings, hopefully you've made it good with God, because you're going to meet Him very quickly.0 -
(when I had a pump shotgun) I had the slide in the rear position, left a shell in the action ready to go.
when needed, pick up the shotgun by the slide and complete the forward cycling action in one movement. (I tried it, the shell wouldn't fall out)
walla. safe during storage, cocked/loaded/rtf in a split second (just pick it up), and still gets the obvious gun-action noise.0 -
I keep my bedroom shotgun (Mossberg 500) stoked with 5 #5 pheasant loads, empty chamber, trigger pulled so I can just rack it.
Spanielsells--with all due respect, I suspect that your warning #2 would be a fatal warning, especially if fired at most inside the home distances; try shooting a pile of wet newspaper (or soaked phone book) at 20 feet with a 18" cylinder barrel and a #8 trap load; you'll dig a 4" crater, about 3.5" deep...not that there would be anything wrong with doing that to an intruder. It's your shotgun, your home, and your call. Just pointing out something you may not have considered (but probably did).0 -
00 Buck in the tube, chamber empty, safety off.
I know one should be so intimately familiar that the location and direction to push the safety should be second nature in the dark, under stress, and half asleep. I am not 100% confident that that would be the case. In my mind, racking the slide is the simplest, fastest, and most idiot-proof means to prepare. If the sound makes a difference, more the better.0
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