I’m just wondering how everyone handles this. Do you keep your home defense AK chambered at all times, or do you leave it with an empty chamber? Personally, I prefer to keep mine chambered, but I’d like to hear thoughts from people who are more experienced with AKs.
Keep your mags loaded and your self-defense guns chambered. If you have kids, just make sure they can’t get to them.
Greer said:
Keep your mags loaded and your self-defense guns chambered. If you have kids, just make sure they can’t get to them.
Yeah, that’s what I do. Luckily, I don’t have kids to worry about.
I don’t understand why anyone would have a self-defense firearm and not keep it chambered. Guns don’t just fire on their own. If you have kids, the gun should already be somewhere they can’t access. Everything else I’m not using is locked in a safe and unloaded.
@Fionn
Exactly my thoughts.
Safety off, mag in, but empty chamber. My AK is secondary to my pistol, which is chambered and always nearby.
Carter said:
Safety off, mag in, but empty chamber. My AK is secondary to my pistol, which is chambered and always nearby.
For me, the pistol is just to buy time to get to my rifle. Why do you prioritize the pistol over the AK?
@Zion
Same idea here, but the pistol is quicker to access in an emergency. I keep a few spare mags around the house. If I have time to get to the rifle, I’ll have time to chamber a round.
There was a story just last week about a father and son who died because the dad didn’t carry with one in the chamber. When bad guys show up, their weapons are ready. Yours should be too.
Bex said:
There was a story just last week about a father and son who died because the dad didn’t carry with one in the chamber. When bad guys show up, their weapons are ready. Yours should be too.
Couldn’t agree more.
@Zion
Do you have more details on that story? I want to explain this to my wife.
Blaise said:
@Zion
Do you have more details on that story? I want to explain this to my wife.
Check out the YouTube channel ‘Active Self Protection.’ They’ve got plenty of videos showing why you should carry with a round in the chamber. A good example is the ‘21-foot rule.’ Someone within that range can close the gap faster than you can rack your gun. Just search online for similar stories, too.
I tend to keep my home defense guns unchambered. With proper warning systems like alarms or dogs, you should have time to chamber a round before engaging.
Jin said:
I tend to keep my home defense guns unchambered. With proper warning systems like alarms or dogs, you should have time to chamber a round before engaging.
I get that, and I do have dogs that would give me a heads-up. My Glock stays loaded all the time, but only my main rifle is chambered.
@Zion
It’s all about risk assessment. If you’ve got an early warning system, the chances of not having time to chamber are low. I keep my shotgun on ‘cruiser carry’ for the same reason.
Jin said:
@Zion
It’s all about risk assessment. If you’ve got an early warning system, the chances of not having time to chamber are low. I keep my shotgun on ‘cruiser carry’ for the same reason.
I trust handling my firearms to prevent any accidental discharges. But yeah, I don’t keep shotguns chambered because I feel like they’re more prone to going off if dropped.
I’ve always heard that the sound of racking a pump shotgun is enough to scare off intruders. But imagine racking your AK and hearing a second racking sound in the living room. I keep one in the chamber so I can stay quiet.
@Orion
Yeah, I’m not into the whole ‘scare them off’ idea. If I’m drawing a weapon, I’m prepared to use it.
I keep a revolver ready by my bed. That’s enough to buy me time to get to my rifles, which are stored with mags in but unchambered.
Atlas said:
I keep a revolver ready by my bed. That’s enough to buy me time to get to my rifles, which are stored with mags in but unchambered.
That feels like relying too much on everything going perfectly. I don’t like to plan that way.