Keeping your 870 Loaded

[spacecowboy237]

that was the first method i was using. Can't get much easier than that. Only problem was difficulty getting the first 2 rounds out. Probably bc of the tension and the fact that my 870 isn't even close to being broken in.

I like the method ive been using only for the purpose that you have to use the action bar lock and you go through the processs of racking.

[DaveC]

I've been unloading by using the Fore end then manually keeping the carrier up so it pops right out of the bottom and not flying all over the place.

You can also unload your magazine while keeping the action closed by holding the shell carrier up, and then depressing the shell latch to let the shells out one by one. With the action closed, the shell carrier is spring-loaded, and pops the shells neatly into your palm.

Yes. I make sure the safety is on, check again, then start to ease the forend back. At this point, I push up the shell carrier/elevator and put my hand underneath the loading port. The bolt completes over-riding the hammer and so on, and the magazine deposits the first shell in the tube magazine into my hand. Then, action open, chamber empty, carrier/elevator up, I use my forefinger to depress the shell latch just as Synchronizor describes, so each shell pops out of the magazine and into my hand.

This method was really reinforced to me because an instructor had seen a "proud primer" on a 12-gauge shell cause an accidental/negligent discharge from a student who just held back the disconnector and repeatedly racked the pump so the shells cycled from the magazine, into the chamber and thence were pulled out of the chamber by the extractor and the reciprocating bolt... Not good. The über-long slide/forend on some current model Remington 870s drives me bonkers for this very reason: it impedes the aforementioned safe unloading method.

Glad to hear Philly's a little calmer and different these days... As for Camden-- Oh. my. lord. I once tried to contrive various routes from Philly with a rental car to the airport in Newark... Try as I might, I had to drive through the place. Really sad shape.

I also am a bit beerguois in my drinking tastes: my wife and I are both avid homebrewers and like to sample the current "craft brew" trend's many tasty malted beverage offerings. Cheers!

And good luck with the security of your HD piece. You can learn much here from some recent member mishaps with disobedient children and secured firearms and ammunition.

[Zachary]

I keep mine behind my bedroom door mag loaded with 00 Buck, Safety off and hammer down. With a kid around i would try something like this not recommending this exact product but one like it. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Defense-Vaul ... g+gun+safe

[DaveC]

Excellent idea. It'd fit under a futon frame with a bit of work, no?

[spacecowboy237]

bumping this.

been watching and reading up on Kids and guns because my little guy just turned 3. Got me thinking as to when is a good time to introduce the fact that there is a gun in the house. He's a smart little guy but still maybe a little too young to really comprehend the power of any gun. Boys will be boys however and soon enough he's gonna naturally be snooping.

Can anyone offer tips or stories of how their parents worked this into their life? I did not grow up around guns so I've never had the exposure. Because of this my fear of being around a weapon really reached into adulthood. I'm a safety nut first and foremost.

At night I keep my 870 in a scabbard behind the bed, full mag safety on. When I leave for work I pop the trigger lock on it. My wife stays home with my son all day and she knows where the key is.

I don't want to hide the gun from my son. I don't want him to fear it either so the only logical step IMO is to introduce it and try my best to satisfy his curiosity but at the same time instill the basics.

[sven]

I would recommend you to buy a slim lockable gun safe in your bedroom. There are models with electronic locks where you simply enter in a code. No search for keys that can be taken by someone from you.