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I hope this isn't too stupid a question but when you put away your guns do you have it on safe with the trigger set, or on fire with the hammer down? I have always wondered if there is a general rule of thumb about this topic.
 
Mine is in the same as I carry it. In its holster cambered with the safety on. I feel it should be as ready as it is when you carry it. Now this applies to my EDC. My others are unloaded and locked in the safe.
 
First, when I am away I keep them locked up in a Liberty Safe. As far as how they are stored in the safe, none of my handguns have a safety, so that's out. And they are all fully loaded and ready to fire. Except for my rifles, which I normally store empty, but they are range guns for the most part, and I see no reason to have them loaded at home.
 
The AR pistol has a 30 rounder in it, safety on in the front lower part of the safe for easy access. The Colt 1911 Talo CCO has a mag in it cocked and locked on the shelf (straight reach), this is my EDC. The balance of the guns aren't loaded that are in the safe but the mags are. I keep my Colt Gold Cup 45acp 1911 cocked and locked in the middle of my coffee table that travels around the house with me (bedroom & bathroom) that gets locked in the safe when I grab the CCO to leave the house.
Had a contractor come to the house to give me a bid and I forgot about the gun in the middle of the coffee table until he was walking in the door. He sheit bricks when he noticed it... Needless to say I didn't get a bid from him.......
 
I store everything unloaded.There are loaded mags at the ready,but only my carry gun is loaded.
I used to leave the rifles open but someone told me they get more dust in them and I believed them.
 
While I don't know if it is based in fact, I also leave my "hammer's down" on any firearm put up for storage. Basically leaving as little strain on the hammer springs as possible.

I also tend to leave magazines unloaded over long periods of time. Though, again the science on that isn't super strong either way.
 
He asked a simple question and I have a hunch it went way off the deep end!
Anything that is stored away should have the hammer down, safety off. Release the tension from all the springs. Ive seen guns that have had after market springs installed and then stored, yep springs go south in a few years!

EDC guns that are not "put away" cocked and locked ready for action! If its not its just a hunk of steel that can be thrown!
 
I would have to say having the hammer down does eliminate some of the steps you would have to take in going from storage 2 ready to fire and with the hammer down you know that the chamber is clear and no 1 would be able to fire it until in the case of a Glock you racked a round in which you would have to do anyway in my case as I generally keep things in condition 3, the AR -15 would already have the safety disengaged which would save some time.:cool:
 
Stored in the gun safe with bore wet with Hoppes#9, chamber open with a patch to catch the green scum drippings. Outside metal cleaned with lighter fluid, wiped with a gun oil saturated patch.
A pair of cotton garden gloves on the shelf in the gun safe to handle stuff.

Magazines empty
The mag spring may be the latest silicone carbon steel from the planet krypton, or not.
I have seen some mags spontaneously dis-assemble. Plastic and steel.

When I want to use a gun, a squirt of lighter fluid on a bore mop and a trip down the barrel.
A squirt of lighter fluid on a .45 mop and a twist in the chamber.

How clean are my bores? Most of them no longer splooge green or grey scum. That clean.
 
My understanding is that springs wear out not from tension but from use. So "releasing the tension" on the spring each time you put it away is actually wearing it out faster. Probably not by much, so whatever you prefer is probably appropriate.
 

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