Arming & disarming - best practices

**Claminator** · February 23rd, 2024, 02:37 PM

Hoping to find a consensus here for the safest daily arm/disarm routine. Tell me your process, or a way to improve on mine.

I rotate 3 setups for daily CC depending on dress, weather, mood, etc. G43 kydex IWB, Sig P938 Mitch Rosen OWB, or a 3"1911 in a Mitch Rosen OWB.

At the end of the day I remove the holstered gun, keeping it holstered, and place the loaded and holstered gun into the safe, muzzle always pointed in a safe direction. The three CC guns live that way on the top shelf in the safe: loaded, holstered, spaced apart, and pointed away towards the back of the safe. My house rule is that if a pistol is in a holster, it's loaded. I'm the only one with access to the safe.

The morning routine is the same but in reverse. The triggers never see daylight. Loaded pistols stay holstered. Am I doing this correctly?

**JaySmith** · February 23rd, 2024, 02:48 PM

I carry one gun all the time. If i'm going out, i take it from my nightstand in holster, put it between my right leg and right testicle on the belt, pull down my shirt. Upon arriving home, it's the reverse. It's a ruger 57. It sits openly on my nightstand and has never seen a safe. It's loaded and pointed out the back window. Wednesday's i stop at the range on the way home from work and put 2 mags down range to shake off the dust.

**Zeke2A** · February 23rd, 2024, 05:59 PM

Don't overthink things ....keep your booger hook off the trigger and things will be fine . I have multiple OWB , IWB and pocket holsters for 2-4 different firearms I carry when I unholster I keep it in a safe direction and put it away , when I holster keep it safe and put it in the holster.

Not good for some firearms to stay in the holster wears off the finish .

**Carson** · February 23rd, 2024, 06:37 PM

I carry a Glock 43, loaded chamber, and stick it into my pants pocket. At night I put it in the dresser drawer next to the bed.

**red dog** · February 24th, 2024, 08:46 AM

Ditto on the 43. Mine stays in a pocket holster. I put it in my back pocket when out and on top of the hutch when home. No kids at my place btw.needless to say it gets to the range intermittently. That*s when I update the ammo and clean out the lint and dust. As far as handling it keep it pointed in a safe direction and finger off trigger just like every other firearm I handle.

**JCinPA** · February 24th, 2024, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Claminator

Hoping to find a consensus here for the safest daily arm/disarm routine. Tell me your process, or a way to improve on mine.

At the end of the day I remove the holstered gun, keeping it holstered, and place the loaded and holstered gun into the safe, muzzle always pointed in a safe direction. The three CC guns live that way on the top shelf in the safe: loaded, holstered, spaced apart, and pointed away towards the back of the safe. My house rule is that if a pistol is in a holster, it's loaded. I'm the only one with access to the safe.

The morning routine is the same but in reverse. The triggers never see daylight. Loaded pistols stay holstered. Am I doing this correctly?

I actually think you nailed it right there in the OP. I will carry a Kimber Compact CDP II, a Wilson Combat SFX9, or sometimes a little ghost gun I built, a G43 clone. All stay loaded, one in the pipe, but inside the holster at all times. Like you they go into the safe at night still holstered, muzzle to the rear. I think your practice is perfect, no need to change a thing.

If i want it out of the holster for any reason, I immediately drop the magazine and rack the round out of the chamber. It will have the slide locked back or one of those little orange safety thingys in the chamber while I'm doing whatever I'm doing with it. But once it is holstered, I think you introduce more chance of negligent discharge the more you futz with it, I believe it is safer, by far, to leave it in Condition One inside the holster rather than mess with unloading it before putting it away and loading it next day.

I like your process. It's mine, too.

**JCinPA** · February 24th, 2024, 10:43 AM

+1 to Zeke's post #3, also.

For fine, blued guns, leaving them holstered is not a good idea. I have a pistol rack in the safe for guns. I don't think it's bad practice to unholster the gun and carefully place it in the gun rack. Just be super aware of the safety and the trigger. I've done that in the past while still not unloading/loading it every day, which I still think is a bad idea.

But with my guns, they all have either steel slides, and polymer or aluminum frames and I do not mind leaving them holstered, as in the OP. If I had a high end blued gun, I'd go with Zeke's practice.

Safe gun handling is not neurosurgery. It just amazes me how many idiots there are out there. Once you start moving a gun from carry to storage or the other way, your mind should go into super awareness state, but this is not hard. Just be present and mindful and not careless, and no problem.

It's not guns that cause safety issues, it's stupid or careless gun handling.

**rkrcpa** · February 24th, 2024, 10:50 AM

When I get undressed at night I take it out of the holster and lay it on the nightstand. When I get dressed in the morning it goes back in the holster.

**Zeke2A** · February 24th, 2024, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by JCinPA

Safe gun handling is not neurosurgery. It just amazes me how many idiots there are out there. Once you start moving a gun from carry to storage or the other way, your mind should go into super awareness state, but this is not hard. Just be present and mindful and not careless, and no problem.

It's not guns that cause safety issues, it's stupid or careless gun handling.

^^^^^^^^This sums it up right here...........

**Orive 8** · February 25th, 2024, 12:02 PM

Everyone is going to have a different procedure based on their perceived needs.
What has worked for my wife and I for the last 40 years is that our EDC guns go on in the morning when we get dressed. They stay on until we get ready for bed, then they go on our respective nightstands (both go into holsters that stay on the nightstand throughout the day) alongside our handheld flashlights.

All other guns in the safe.