Cruiser Ready: How to Store a Home Defense Shotgun [2020 Update] 

I called my mom and explained the benefits of being cruiser ready. She asked me not to call again.

Police officers called it “Cruiser Ready” we in the military calls it, “Condition 3 weapon”. Good presentation and very informative. I just want to add and tell everyone to periodically check the stored shotgun ammunition inside the magazine tube. These shotgun rounds, if stored inside the magazine tubes for a long period of time, tends to stick to each. The plastic part of the shells gets damaged by keeping it for a long period of time inside the tube if not use. Sometimes the tube spring crimps the shells for so long that cracks the plastic part of the shotgun shells or deform it. Weather or temperature conditions can create this problem and may cause a firearm malfunction. I’ve seen this problem before and it’s good to let everyone know. MA1 USN

My home defence procedures: “Alexa, battle stations.” **Lights go on to red, Mick Gordon Doom Rip & Tear plays at max volume.”** Now they can’t hear me racking a shotgun.

Solid vid - great points on why no round in the chamber (especially with kids and animals in the house!). Oh....and get more Ammo in stock! I am running under 5K rounds!

Hey man, I just want to thank you for doing so much to discourage the kind of paranoid unrealistic fantasies that get innocent people shot because someone didn’t want to ‘give away their position’ or some nonsense like that.

I swear you guys really are some of the actual normal people making quality firearm videos that’s not doing random bullsh*t or trying to be full of memes so thank you for professionalism, you gained a subscriber 👍

This guy doesn’t age. Forget about magazine springs.

14:42 Great points. Homeowners don't harden their entry points but think having a shotgun or an AR-15 is all they need to be safe. If a home invader can kick down your door with one kick, you're already behind the curve. Also people who openly advertise they own guns by having bumper stickers with AR-15s and glock logos are just advertising they have guns to loot. The bad guys will just wait for you to leave for work and then break in and steal all your guns. Owning guns is not the be all end all for self defense of your home. It's a tool, a layer of last resort.

Slow down invaders? LIGHTS, LIGHTS, & LIGHTS. Bad guys don’t like lighted anything. Best first layer IMHO. Motion detector lights & even cameras are pretty cheap now.

I agree with all points. Another main reason I stow my 870 in cruiser ready is because I'm a police officer. I didn't want a different manual of arms for retrieving the weapon on and off duty. If I grab the gun, I know I need to charge it whether I'm at work or home.

R.I.P. Remington. Personally I'm a Mossberg guy but yeah, rest in peace.

That door you just kicked-in was Locked for Your protection ... Not mine!💥💥

Good work. While in service I carried the Mossberg 590A1. Frequent PM/CS ensures even that inexpensive model served for many years without a failure. Those that believe the noise of chambering a round will deter a felon likely believe brandishing a weapon will as well. Four large German Shepard dogs are my promary deterent, FN SLP is my back up.

In my fantasy world you Sir are Paul Harrell's son. Big fan of both you guys. I've learned a lot. I also indulge in the rants of other gun channels but you folks are a class apart. Thorough gentlemen.

That is a sweet looking Beretta semi-auto.

You showing me the ghost loading of the 1301 was pretty much what I was googling for. I have an A300 Ultima Patrol but same scenario. Thank you!

Hey guys I actually knew someone that had a shotgun go off without the trigger being pulled , so dont live paranoid but it does happen . Guy showed up at the house , he met him with the shotgun on his door, verbal debate and he slammed the but stock down hitting the ground to make his point . That's wat it took . Be safe guys

Thanks for the advice I have an old 870 wing master that's at least 50 years old. I always look forward to your content

Another nice presentation. I appreciate the inclusion of semi auto shotguns in this update. Good stuff. Thank you.

I really appreciate that you emphasize the defense aspect of home defense. Some people seem to treat the home invasion scenario like it's an active combat zone where you kill anything that moves, when really it's just about keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.

OK I actually did call my mother. Entirely because of this. No joke.

I have absolutely on at least three different shotguns that I've purchased used had to replace magazine Springs, one of them was a 410 Mossberg 500. The other two were 12 gauge, all of them were kept loaded for home defense. I am a big fan of downloading by one in most Firearms but because I'm limited by rounds in shotguns I keep them fully loaded and I swap Springs out once a year

Not gun related but what brand of jacket is that?

Hi Chris! Great stuff - I agree with most of your tips on shotguns for home defense. As a retired police officer though, this is not how I learned cruiser ready. We had the magazine tube loaded, empty chamber, action locked and the safety on. I think it is a very poor idea to train or practice with the safety off, because it creates a training scar. I train with the safety on and let's say you train with the safety off. Safeties can (and do) get knocked on or off all the time, which is why we don't rely on them and have other measures, like not touching the trigger until we are on target and decided to fire. Again, we will say that you trained to engage with the safety off. If it happens to have gotten knocked on, or you accidentally left it on, in a high stress situation where you are defending your life, you will pull the trigger and nothing happens. People think they will figure out the problem immediately and hit the safety, but the reality is you are more likely to just pull the trigger harder. Under stress, people will irrationally continue to do things that are not working. I have seen this in training, and in real life. On the other hand, having trained to always disengage the safety when going to trigger - it matters not whether the safety is engaged or not. If the safety is on, I disengage the safety. If it is already off, my motion to disengage the safety hurts nothing - I can progress to firing the weapon without hesitation. This is my approach with pistols that have safeties (1911s, my Beretta 92s) rifles (my AR) and my Remington 870. I like having the shotgun in cruiser ready, and with a reasonable amount of training, anyone can hit the action bar to release the action, rack the slide, disengage the safety and address the threat in a timely manner. This also will be advantageous should anyone grab the shotgun who should not be. They will have to figure out why the action is locked, how to unlock it, where the safety is... By that time I will have done something to incapacitate them.

Support the channel, buy ammo......ummm, small issue with that statement....lol

I agree wholeheartedly with the empty chamber storage. However, the unlocked action I believe is a poor idea outside a cruiser with the traditional locking collar that fits around the barrel/mag tube. This locking mechanism physically prevents the forend from retracting during times it is not in use. Standing in the corner of the bedroom or your gun safe that forend isn’t held in position. If the forend drops or is somehow manipulated to the rear inadvertently, a round drops from the mag tube. If you notice the forend out of position and you close it, that round is now in the chamber of a gun you believe is still in a “safe” condition. For a home defense pump, I suggest on-safe, chamber empty, loaded mag tube. This is the best way IMHO to maintain a non-drop-safe, mechanically operated gun outside of a locking rack. Thanks for the video Chris!

I live alone and I've been here for 25 years. Everyone knows me! It would take an outsider to test my abilities. OH what fun would that be. Keep in mind that the sound of a pump is very close to the sound of an AK-47 being racked.

Great job...no need to retract your position,,I totally agree with you on keeping your gun in a cruiser safe position it is the most safe way to store a shot gun..

Lucky you, I live in NYC, we are not allowed to have guns. I'm planning to move out of the city, then I will be able of buying a shotgun

Had a friend who dropped his shotgun climbing into a deer stand. The butt his the ground and went off. He must have looked down because the slug went through his face and took off the top of his head. They can go off.

A good refresher and update on one of your more important videos. I think the dog early warning system works on many levels. Thank Chris.

Good ole video. Professional, factual, and full of great advice.

I'm a correctional officer; I keep two pistols on my nightstand. One for him and one for me. The shotty (Mossberg 930), is in the closet loaded and ready, just push the safety forward.

A lot of the debate about keeping the shotgun chambered or cruiser ready is why I prefer to use my handgun for home defense. I sleep with it on my nightstand with a loaded chamber, and I feel comfortable with that because anytime I am awake, it's on my person, so it doesn't have a chance to end up in the hands of my kid or something (of course I also teach her how to treat a gun, but it's still best practice in my opinion not to invite accidents no matter how competent she is) I always just figured if I need a bigger gun, I'd use the handgun to protect myself while I retreat to my other guns

I did call my mom and she was happy to hear from me :)

I need a 1301. Ive looked everywhere, but swear Gen 2’s get bought up the second they hit at Atlantic shore. Amazing shotgun.

I don't remember ever in the past 20 year not having 20 gauge amm in my local gun store.

Another excellent video. Thank You. Many well thought out and valid points. I also agree that it is safer to keep almost any home defense firearm loaded but with an empty chamber. Many will argue that point and disagree, and that's ok. Best to you and yours.

Replace tube springs with "Piston Return Springs" from a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan.

Great video for shotgun safety. First time gun owner I needed it. Thank you.

I found some of the comments regarding spring tension to be very interesting. Thank you for the humble admissions of error or exaggeration. Not common among youtubers or commentors.

My brother one handed “drop pumped” his super nova which resulted in the firearm discharging into the attic of our house.

I called my mom she asked why I didn't just walk into the other room to talk to her

Big security measure that is overlooked. Proximity sensors. Silent, infared sensors can sound an alarm or turn on a simple light to give you advance warning of motion outside. I prefer sensors over motion activated floodlights.

I find it kind of astonishing how many complaints about firearm safety (I keep a round loaded because *I'd never put my finger in the trigger well by accident or drop it*) and storage practices (Modern springs *never lose tension*) seem to revolve around a failure to understand risk management. Even if a risk is rare, if the consequences of it happening are dire enough and the cost of minimizing it are low enough you should minimize it.

A reason why some police departments use(d) the 'cruiser ready' condition with the magazine underloaded by one round is for 'select slug' events. With this method, shotguns are loaded with four shells of buckshot in a five round magazine. If the officer determines that buckshot is the correct choice upon rolling up on an incident, a round of buck is pumped into the chamber. If the officer later determines that slug is necessary, there is room in the magazine to pull a slug off the side saddle, push it into the magazine, then pump it into the chamber utilizing the slide release (ejecting the unspent buck). If, however, the officer upon rolling up on the scene determines that slug is the right choice, a slug can be immediately pulled off the side saddle, pushed into the underloaded magazine, and pumped into the chamber. With the underloaded 'cruiser ready' shotgun, this eliminates the need to pump a round of buckshot into the chamber to create room in the magazine to load slug before pumping the shotgun again to chamber the slug (and ejecting the unspent buck). Topping off the magazine with either slug or buck can then continue as the officer sees fit, as the incident continues to evolve. It's also worth noting that some departments opted to eliminate buckshot altogether because of pattern overspreading at distance. It simultaneously eliminated the buck/slug decision branch in the officer's shotgun employment process. This coincidentally eliminates the need to underload a shotgun in 'cruiser ready' condition.

My challenge is "You broke into the wrong house fool!"

Legit scared a ghost away with the racking of my shotgun. I have a witness. Never underestimate that sound.

I can vouch for the drop fire. My dad blew a chunk of his arm off when pulling a shotty from the top shelf of his closet and it fell on the butt.

I don't know who started saying that springs do not lose stiffness from staying compressed for long periods of time, but it's not really true. "Creep" definitely occurs while under compression. It can both lower the spring stiffness and make the spring more susceptible to fatigue (failure from repeated cycling).

We call it "patrol ready" but it's the same concept. Also work on weapon retention if a bad guy grabs the weapon and mount a flashlight if you can. My Mossberg 590A1 has a storage tube on the stock but it's hard to get extra rounds out in a controlled situation. I find a shotgun shell sleeve is easier and works well at night. Good luck out there and great tips on "hardening" your home.

Lol I think that the first time I’ve seen you sign off lol but really like you videos keep up the amazing work

the mag spring will weaken from heat from firing the shotgun a lot like when you have a skeet shoot party, this problem happens mostly with older guns where the mag tube makes a lot of contact with the barrel, i have a winchester 1887 (which is now retired) and I have needed to replace the spring 3 times, my mossburg 500 has the mage tube spaced farther away from the barrel and I have yet to replace that spring.

Chris you are so well spoken, I love seeing someone who is normal and not a Operator want a be.

I learn continuously through the years. Yourself and Paul Harrell are my favorite. Your shotgun and home defense vids have shown me things That can save my loved ones lives and mine as well. Thank You for doing what you do.

Chris & Co., great work. I am always looking for 'good advice'. Fantastic content, great business to buy from.

From an engineering point of view, the only way I see for shotgun magazine tubes can be damaged from long periods of compression are: a) something other than and inferior to genuine spring steel was used; b) there is a design flaw which causes the spring to be compressed beyond what it was designed to handle without deformation; c) some other damage such as corrosion has occurred. Experts such as Jerry Miculek are on record as saying they inspect their magazine tube springs on a regular basis by comparing the length to a known new spring and they proactively replace the spring on a regular basis. That does imply that shotgun magazine tubes were not designed for the same conditions as handgun magazine springs.

I agree I don’t want to deal with shooting someone if I don’t have to. It’s not diehard I don’t think I’m giving away my position and the sound of a gun is most likely going to chase someone off that’s the every day criminal. I can’t think of many situations where someone is going to voluntarily enter into a fire fight with me for what they might gain from doing so.

How about a double barrell shotgun with the action open? Or an Ar-15? Please do more of this episodes with other weapon platforms

Good video as usual. I have a request for a future video. Any chance you could review quick access ways to store a long gun or shotgun? I'm thinking something that would be useful for home defense but keep kids safe and offer a little security. Hornady makes a wall mounted long gun lock and I'm sure there are other options too.

Thank you, Chris. Great video. During these pandemic days it's crucial to "beef up" security around your home. Our city is experiencing an inordinate amount of shootings on the streets (gun fights), killings and drive-by random indiscriminate shootings into homes. Children sleeping in bed have been shot. Back in January I began beefing up security around my home with multiple motion detector lights on all sides of the house and in nearby trees; included are porch lights that automatically come on when motion is detected ten feet away. I have automatic camp lanterns at each door just inside that both light up and sound a loud beep. My windows are high and it would take a ladder to access them. My weapons are readily accessible but secured (no children in our household, both retired); chambers are empty but I've practiced the preparation scenario at least once a week. My bedside flashlight is very high lumen and blinding. So far we've not experienced any issues of violence in our neighborhood but in less than a mile is a major thoroughfare where a lot of shootings occur.

A friend of mine had an empty house that someone was breaking into. He racked his shotgun and they didn't even respond to him until he said something. He thinks they didn't know what that sound meant, so they didn't have any fear of it. More and more people have never even seen a shotgun, so they have no clue what it sounds like. Just so everyone knows: the women breaking in were arrested and charged. There were items in that house that he had "a legal duty to protect" according to the BATF. Beyond that I don't know anymore of that story, and though I know what was in that house, I can't say what it was. He did the right thing.

Thanks

If you don't have that half a second to rack a round, then you probably shouldn't be shooting because they already have the drop on you.

I keep a round in the chamber and the chamber loaded, just as I did in the parameter patrol car I drove for years. It was inspected to see if we had it wrong each shift. We had a Remington you could combat load by cramming in an extra shell at the end. My Mossberg 500 works this just the same. My livingroom is the largest and is only 21 feet long. I will never have a sight like that to snag. It is a 26" with an 18.5" barrel. No licensing needed or wanted. It has a 2 oz load of turkey shot. It is less lethal going through a wall than other rounds. It would make a hole in your chest the size of a tennis ball at 21 feet, if I were aiming at your solar plexus. The belly button is my target. You cannot make a dead felon testify against themselves in a wrongful death suit. My weapon is concealed with fingerprint access. No pets or children get their prints registered to open it.

Loved it. Love the measured approach to thinking through a problem set and completely agree with layered defense. Also didn’t even know there was such a thing as hurricane film.

I appreciate that your explanation is objectively based and well thought out to avoid confusion. Thank you for leaving out opinion while still keeping your videos interesting, educational, and very enlightening! I’m a fan!!!

"Call your mom today," got my like!!

You can buy more time by hardening the exterior of your home than by keeping a round in your shotgun Stop making so much sense.

I have an old shotgun. Cruiser configuration appeals to me for the safety aspect. I still have four in the tube. And I've got spare shells standing by. I'm not an expert with a shotgun, but I can pretty easily land all the pellets on a human sized target at in house distance. The real downside is I have not been able to get at the tube spring because the tube itself is fully seized into the frame. Replacing that spring is not really in the cards. Gunsmiths are rather rare around here.

I am of the camp that if you have a gun solely for the purpose of self-defense, it needs to be ready to go without any precursory actions. Charging the weapon is an extra action; this extra action takes time, announces your position and intent, and also adds one more skill or " practice " that you cannot foul up. In a home defense situation, there is probably something to be said about the sound of a Mossberg clacking a shell into the chamber. It WILL instill an oh-shit factor, but the right place at the wrong time doesn't mean that the sound will be effective at making sure the intruder doesn't fire first or find cover and run. If you know you have an intruder, and you do right by the law and ensure you have a legal reason to fire ( you can see the person is armed ), then charging the weapon is a gamble on how badass the intruder actually is. Will they run when they hear the clank, or will they fire? If you are charged and ready at the drop, then saying you need to leave now indicates you know they are there, and if you see a weapon at all, then you are within every right you have to fire upon them. You are oftentimes being awoken or being disturbed from a common task when you are called to make the decision. If you yell get out and you are fired at, or the intruder presents themselves, you better have one in the chamber. You cannot have any moment in time where there is a hold on a half-second while I even the score; you are either first, or you are dead. Statistically, most average citizens only get a small percentage of shots off on target. We probably don't have the statistical data to show how many of them were pre-charged or waited until the moment of action? I do know that we can find videos that show defensive shooters who had to wait, and gave up valuable time to get a shot off because they were not charged and ready. If you don't have the drop, you are the loser. So if you can eliminate the need to charge your weapon and you can come to a point where it's YOUR TURN NOW, then you can go from last to first that quick. If you can't get that opportunity, well it's a crap shot. 99% WILL NEVER have to worry about this, but the few that do probably wish they were better trained, or ready at the drop to handle a situation. We have had the largest gun grab in American history this year. You can bet your sweet kittens booty, that not all of those purchasers are well trained, or well-intended... As a gun owner, you should strive to be proficient in the operation and safety of your weapon. The better you are at it, the less likely someone else is to get lucky. Having a round in the chamber should never be a problem for those that truly treat guns with respect, are always actively training for higher proficiency with all aspects of gun handling, situational awareness, and control.

Thank You for This Outstanding Video!!!

I think we all want to see how Manny has been handling the pandemic.

Re the storing with -1 in the tube, and you kind of touch on it. But I’ve always stored mine this way. Not because the spring, but because I heard that plastic shell ammo can quick if under the constant tension of a full spring, which may lead to feed issues. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it sounded true enough that I just run one less in the tube.

Here's something I recently did to 'harden the inside' of my home: between the main living area of the home and the bedroom area is an ordinary passage door, presumably installed because the 2 areas are on separate A/C zones. I installed a bathroom lock on that door so that I can use it to lock down the bedroom area, presumably to give better protection to the area the family is most likely to be in at night. Since the door opens outward, it can't easily be kicked in. So for the price of a simple bathroom lock, I've added another level of security. If the door opened in the direction where it could be kicked in, I might have installed a more solid door. Obviously this only works on homes that are sectionalized.

Great video as always. One of my fav gun channels on youtube. Keep it up.

I keep a handgun ready incase I need quick response the shotgun is stored with the mag loaded and chamber empty

I wish I could call my mom. But I know she hears my prayer.

It's crazy how many people overthink a scenario that's so unlikely. Your first video was already more in depth than I need to get 👌 Keep it up

Nice revision. I agree with the points made in either video. Thanks. Keep up the good work! By the way, nice looking Beretta.

*glass breaks *Racks shotgun *Plays sabaton at earrape volume

Wow... A firearm video I completely agree with. Rare! Empty chamber cause a little one cannot usually rack it. The pistols only function is to fight your way back to your shotgun. The shotguns function is to clear the house... And if you have to go outside grab the carbine not the shotgun. Great video! Subscibed!

Shout out to Wolff Gunsprings. They got my great-grandads old Ruger Blackhawk back in order after a spring busted on my dad.

I treat tube Springs like pistol mags, every time I get a new shotgun I always buy a couple extras

I'm glad you beefed up you commands. That meek and mild "who is it?" before sounded like a grandma waiting for red robin hood.

my grandpa´s shotgun a Browning Auto 5 from early 1920´s it almost 100 years and fire pretty good no spring problems ever... greetings from Chile

I’m a new gun owner this year, and in sifting through all the firearm channels I was having a lot of trouble finding somewhere with informative videos that don’t pre-assume I’m some longtime veteran. This channel is exactly what I’ve been looking for. In depth videos that a novice can still understand. And no tacticool tone. I’m not a “warrior poet,” I just want to learn more about guns. Plus I’m not a right winger, quite the opposite, and it’s been hard to find somewhere that isn’t casually sneaking in weird anti-left comments all the time. Thanks for making this channel. I‘ve watched nearly every video from the backlog and it’s been incredibly helpful to me. Once ammo is back in stock I will certainly be buying from LGA.

Nobody ever mentions this, but firefighters are infinitely safer trying to save your home if there aren't chambered rounds going off in your burning home. Springs do suffer degradation if left very near their absolute maximum tension. Whether that affects a magazine depends on how tightly the manufacturer pushes the spring's limit in their magazine design specs. Temperature changes while under tension also degrades springs.

Here's an idea. How to store a home defense AR-15.

The pistols only function is to fight back to your longgun that you shouldn't have walked away from in the first place!😂😂😂

No, what it is most can afford shotguns and your video was one of the most detailed. Thank you for your knowledge and time.

If you have kids in the house, please dont keep yours loaded and under the bed. They are much more likely to have an accident with it than you are of being home invaded. I dont care if they are tought how to use it or told never touch it: kids will be kids. There are options for quick access secure storage.

I’ve learned a lot from Lucky 🍀 Gunner vids thanks Chris for giving me training drills to practice, which ammo to choose for my needs and a page of notes for using my 870 👍🏼

Insightful and well done. Thank you.

Remington mag springs are garbage. I always replace them on my hunting and defensive shotguns. That and the follower.

The Huglu renova shotgun has a safety selector that blocks the striker, acts as a bolt hold open and a magazine cutoff which is cool. Unfortunately sometimes the recoil of a 3" shell will engage the selector which is not cool at all.

The added benefit of keeping the tube downloaded by 1 is that if you keep slugs in the saddle in addition to buck, you maintain the option of loading a slug into the tube and cycling the action to get it chambered should you need it.

Saw a video of a cop retrieving a shotgun off a roof that was left up there after the perp was arrested,he reached for it by sticking his finger in the barrel to slide it towards him and caught the trigger on something...his new nickname is lefty!

Several con’s have been interviewed through the years. The number 1 thing you can do to protect yourself is get a dog.

I had a round discharge on my semi auto 1100 when I racked the round like that