AR For Home Defense--Where Do You Store Yours?

If you rely on an AR 15 for home defense, where do you put yours? Do you put it under your bed? Hanging in the closet of your bedroom? Where? Loaded? Does this actually replace a handgun for home defense?

I keep my AR where I can access it from my bedside, but it out of sight. It is loaded, safety engaged.

When you ask “does it replace the handgun?” What are you meaning? Would you choose the handgun sometimes and choose the rifle sometimes? Of course the rifle is the primary, the handgun the secondary.

The rifle is suppressed, has a bigger and brighter light, has more ammunition, more effective ammunition, and penetrates less. I can’t think of any reason to choose the handgun as the primary.

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Not that this hasn’t been discussed a gajillion times before but… Everyone is going to have a different life situation that is going to impact how this will occur. What works in my house may not work for the next guy and so on.

In my current situation my gun safe is located in my room. I have a handgun around and all times and I have a loaded rifle around at all times. When I am not home stuff is locked up. When I am home the safe is also generally open. I also have ankle snappers that are starting to come around more so I have to be more aware of that and keep stuff locked up.

Everyone with a magazine has an empty chamber, on fire and hammer forward.

At the ready when I’m at home empty chamber loaded mag (used to keep it chambered but I dryfire with snap caps daily and I dont want to be rechambering the same live rounds over and over) locked up when I’m not. I dont have any kids and my wife is a pretty avid shooter herself so safe handling is the norm here.

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Pretty much where I am at, except when I am home my safes are always open.

Leaning on the nightstand when I’m home. I’m damned sure not grabbing a pistol on my home court.

12 gauge, locked in my safe in my closet, chamber empty, buckshot shells in a holder on the buttstock and several mini slugs in a holder on the sling. I also have a 92 with a mag at the ready and a few more loaded and ready to go on the same shelf. I have small kids and a big dog. My house has a fair degree of distance between the closest neighbors, but is still within overpentration range of a 223. I like my neighbors and they would help if needed so shooting them is something I would prefer to avoid.

Thankfully, my house is laid out so that it is eminently defensible: only one staircase up to the bedrooms and that staircase is in the center of the house. The dog may or may not scare off or even stop an attacker, but he will buy me a little bit of time. I camp on the landing at the top of the stairs, while my wife calls 911 from behind the exterior thickness (1.75") solid wood door with reinforced jamb of my daughter’s room. She knows that she is to shout “don’t come in I have a gun” and not to open the door - even for me - unless the 911 dispatcher confirms with her that the officer on scene has cleared the house except for that room.

The muzzle flash and sound of my 14.5" AR is something that would be shock inducing in a small area.

You realize buckshot and slugs penetrate walls MORE than 5.56/.223 right? Even your standard pistol calibers will penetrate more.

Leaning against a dresser beside the bed with a Carhart vest draped over it to conceal it and protect against dust. Magazine inserted with empty chamber. No kids, visitors are rare. Two large indoor dogs protect the house when we are gone. If the dogs go with us the guns are locked up in a safe.

I have my M4 stuffed into an IWB holster disguised as a colostomy bag. The buttstock sticks out considerably, so I put a blonde wig and a styrofoam head on it that I painted to look like a real face. It works for a darkened room. It makes it look like I have a person backing me up in case the shit gets real.

J/K :jester:

All I will say is that it’s within arm’s reach.

I’m shooting downward and a light “recoil managed” load of #4 lead isn’t going to bounce around like a 2700fps FMJ ball round.

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Are you saying #4 shot or #4 buck?

Either way there are better home defense loads for the shotgun. Most gunshot wound guys say that #1 buck hits the sweet spot.

Between my nightstand and the headboard of my bed, very hard to notice but always in reach. One in the chamber, safety on.

It leaves one hand available to manipulate door knobs, security panels, cell phone, pick up a child, et al. and typically will not over penetrate while utilizing reputable HP ammo (assuming 9mm). YMMV.

:lol:

double tap.

The 9mm penetrate more than my 5.56. I have a sling if I need to operate a security panel. I can hold the rifle one handed if need be. I keep all doors open 45 degrees except for the room I’m in.

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“You’re living on a tax farm as free range humans . . .”

The whole thread was worth it just to see the above. I am going to steal this from you Moose-Knuckle and probably not give you credit. My attorney accept papers when you sue me.

More importantly the sling if deployed correctly will negate a disarm by an intruder(s). Something that happens when one rounds corners with a longarm.

Yes but can you fire it accurately at a moving target that does not wish to be shot while also activating your WML with said one hand?

I’ll assume your speaking of interior doors. You may find yourself in a situation where you will have to bail and unlock and manipulate exterior doors, possibly while taking fire and or shooting.

The scenarios are infinite and there are no wrong answers to what a homeowner chooses be it handgun, shotgun, or rifle.

No worries as I stole it from someone else. :stuck_out_tongue:

Where it’s readily accessible?

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