One in the chamber for your shotgun?

[svauto-erotic855]

There are benefits to each.

One in the chamber does offer the element of surprise, however the sound of the slide is a great deterrant.

I keep one in the chamber, but it's in the safe.

Deterrent???? The only deterrent/warning anyone will get from me is the locked door that they had to come through for me to shoot them if they are up to no good.

I keep a rifle within reach with one in the chamber.

[Mike]

Guys like my with a 2 year old boy are in a predicament. While I would love to be able to keep a chambered gun by the bed like I used to I just can not anymore. I still keep a loaded gun by the bed but just out of his sight. It is not chambered. At this point my boy could not get a firearm ready to fire but that will not last much longer. Since he was barely 1 he will pick up random objects and point them like guns at us or the dogs and go "BOOM BOOM BOOM". He knows what guns are although he has no clue as to the repercussions that one could cause. At this point he does not seem to interested in going after mine. The wife really hates it when I get them out in front of him just because we do not want to spark his curiosity any more at this point.

Funny, I'm in this exact situation!

[SS Junk]

Racking for surprise is nothing more than a Hollywood type move. If you are going to face a threat then your best recourse is to be 100% ready for what is to come. It takes one less possible error out of the equation.

[Denny]

Racking for surprise is nothing more than a Hollywood type move. If you are going to face a threat then your best recourse is to be 100% ready for what is to come. It takes one less possible error out of the equation.

Racking = allowing the entrant knowledge that you're armed and for him to take the appropriate measures.

[Mr_Fiux]

I like you CJ have also an 870 leaning against the wall next to my bed, chambered as well, WITH the safety ON. WTF some people leave it on.

[slow06]

I don't keep my shotgun chambered, but I do keep others chambered.

I don't know why but I am in the habit of cocking the shotgun every time I pick it up, it is completely natural, so it being chambered would eject a round. I do check my other guns too but I slide them back just enough to see brass, I don't rack them all the way.

It is my hope that an intruder would hear the sound and leave but obviously that won't always happen, maybe it never will. Depending on the situation I always have a pistol handy if needed. If I can get them to walk away without firing I consider that a a good thing.

[SS Junk]

Racking = allowing the entrant knowledge that you're armed and for him to take the appropriate measures.

If you want to be glamorous about it, whistle like Clint Eastwood while you have a bead center mass ready to fire.
So many things can go wrong if you wait to put a round in the chamber once you happen upon a bad person...

[Cooter]

I don't keep my shotgun chambered, but I do keep others chambered.

I don't know why but I am in the habit of cocking the shotgun every time I pick it up, it is completely natural, so it being chambered would eject a round. I do check my other guns too but I slide them back just enough to see brass, I don't rack them all the way.

if you are in the habit of cocking the shotgun every time, it won't let you without holding the release, so no worries. leave it chambered

[Denny]

If you want to be glamorous about it, whistle like Clint Eastwood while you have a bead center mass ready to fire.
So many things can go wrong if you wait to put a round in the chamber once you happen upon a bad person...

Exactly

[bjtheman1]

Both my 9MM's, .40Cal, & .22Cal are all loaded and chambered(Within reaching distance). I'm considering a shotgun as well and I would definitely have one in the chamber.

[LANTIRN]

I have a 870 by the bed and do not leave one in the chamber. But like said above there are pros and cons to both and you will never be able to do the exact right thing unless you know in advance what will happen. Careful with the 00 buckshot; that will go through drywall.

My wife is pregnant now so I will be investing in a wall locker for the shotgun to keep it locked up when I am not home. I want a shotgun near the bed, but with a kid it needs to be locked up so the best solution I can find is a wall locker that I remember to unlock when I get home.

[Saleen781]

I put my .45 CCW on top of my 5' tall safe towards the back where my 4 yr old can't reach it and my LCP as well for my wife if I'm gone. Both are always chambered and no safety. my kid knows I carry and he always reminds me that daddy has real guns and kids have play guns, never once has touched any of my firearms. I let him fire a .22 revolver a few months ago and he still does not touch my guns. Everything else is locked up in the safe.....loaded. I think kids should be taught gunsafety early on to get the curiosity out of their system.

[Chili]

I'm coming into this thread late, and did not read all of the responses, but you can still "rack the slide" if the shotgun is chambered. You lose a round, but since it was chambered you were +1 already.

That way, if you don't have time to "rack the slide" as a deterrent, you still have a shot to stop the bad guy. If you do have the time, rack away.

[dsrtuckteezy]

no brainer, chambered...cant give off your position.

[bottlerocket]

I'm coming into this thread late, and did not read all of the responses, but you can still "rack the slide" if the shotgun is chambered. You lose a round, but since it was chambered you were +1 already.

That way, if you don't have time to "rack the slide" as a deterrent, you still have a shot to stop the bad guy. If you do have the time, rack away.

Mine wont let you rack it when its loaded