RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF banner

SAFETY HELP: Bedside Benelli

6K views 47 replies 30 participants last post by  Bill Watson 
G
#1 ·
So... not sure if this is a good thing to post here or not. If not, let's have Chris or Vicky trash this thread asap...

Give me some safety tips for having a benelli super black eagle at my bedside.

I have the action open, the safety is OFF. I have shells in the nightstand.

The gun is standing upright between the nightstand and the bed. It is EMPTY.

I need to make sure of the "buttons" for the action... I can pull the action open with the traditional lever.

I see I can make the gun safe, apparently, by pushing the safety near the trigger back up into the gun.

It APPEARS that the round button that's near your hand when you open the action EITHER closes the action or makes the gun unsafe?? This is my question.

I want to make sure that I can make it unsafe as quickly as possible if and when I would need it.

So if you could please decipher the various buttons. And anything else I need to know about gun safety in a house (no kids, just dogs). I think the action open, gun empty and safety off is adequately safe for HERE and would allow me to put it to quick use with minimal fuss if needed.

Let me know what you think and any advise you have.

Thanks.

-Kristie
 
See less See more
#3 ·
OK, I am not going to tell you what is the best way to leave the gun you are old enough and can decide that on your own.

1. The triangle shape button at the rear of the trigger would be the safety. If it is a right hand gun meaning the shells eject out of the right, the Safety is on when the lever is pushed to the side the shells eject from the right side of the gun. vice verse for left handed gun.

2. the silver button in the front of the trigger guard is the bolt switch, this button when pushed up will lock the bolt in the rear position. Which will allow you to see inside the gun at all times. If there is a sell in in the mag. and this button is pushed it will do nothing, actually it will it will let a shell out of the magazine to come back and float below the bolt. but if it is pushed it it will do nothing until the bold is manually pulled back and at that time it will lock it in the rear position.

3. The black button on the right side of the gun if it is right handed does nothing except close the bolt. watch your fingers.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I would say that the way you described having the gun for your situation is safe and would let you put it to use the in the least amount of time.. Throw a shell in and hit the action button and fire but... If it were me in a house with no kids or any potential for kids and was using it for protection I would have the action open and have the magazine full with the safety on then all you would have to do is hit the feed button on the bottom of the gun by the trigger guard to put a shell in the chamber and push the safty off to fire, then you wouldn't be fumbling for shells in the dark.

This is kind of like trying to explain how to tie your shoes over the internet, sorry if it doesn't make sence.
________
Cliff Allison
 
#5 ·
I agree with Browndog, I live alone during the week out in the country, no kids, keep the shotgun pretty much like he describes, on the top shelf of the closet, or else on top of the entertainment center if the wildlife is really active, out of dog reach but handy and fast, looking for shells and loading the thing takes me too long as I don't use it often but do want it very quick when needed, because if I need it, I need it ready. Maybe not the best or most wise gun safety but I feel better for it being there.
 
#6 ·
while i don't use an auto loader for home security- i have a old BPS, there some thing about the sound of a pump shot gun racking in the dark- i would say in your situation to keep the shells in the magazine so you are not fumbling for shell if you need them, best of luck and be safe
Jason
 
#7 ·
The universal language of an intruder is the action of a shotgun being racked, either by pump or by bolt of an automatic, especially a Benelli. They make a loud noise for sure.

I have one by our bedside that is completely empty. No chance of a kid getting ahold of it and shooting. I keep shells near the bed in the dresser that can easily be placed in the open chamber and the button pushed to load it into the chamber. This will take a little more time, but it also keeps the gun much safer in case children come into the house.

Our kids are gone to college but the guilt I would have if some visitor's kids some day got ahold of it outweighs to me the time saved with shells already in the gun.

You can make this decision, but I think if you rack that gun anybody in the house is going to think twice about coming into your room unless they are whacked out on drugs, and then you better shoot to kill cause they will have lost pain sensories as well as the ability to reason.

Take the gun out tomorrow in the light of day and practice the whole process until it's second nature. Then you can feel confident that you can handle the gun in any situation.

I hope this helps, Kristie.
 
#8 ·
Pros and cons both ways, but in watching people handle guns, I would tell you that if you NEED it for personal safety it would be too late if you had to load shells etc. when most people get frightened/nervous they have 5 thumbs on both hands. As far as unloaded and shells in a drawer, if a kid will wander back to your bedroom"uninvited" they wouldn't hesitate to look in drawers. Only "absolute" safety with a kid around is gun locked up, shells in a different locked location and the keys on you. I opt for what I term reasonable safety; gun out of reach action open, additionally there is a lock on door where guns are and it is locked before kids arrive. Most important keep an eye on kid, even if a guest's child, if they start to wander thru the house they are told politely but firmly to stay where we are or in what you feel is a secure location, but where if they start to wander toward where the gun/guns are you have a clear view.
Rick
 
G
#10 ·
Thanks, everyone... I am afraid if the dogs knocked it over or something. It's in a relatively safe place, standing on the stock, barrel facing up, in between a big nightstand and the bed.

Although it would be pure *******, I'm not opposed to getting a gun rack that hangs over my bed or something. I'm not really afraid of this, never have been, and spent plenty of time alone while Joie was out of school... but one thing that folks reminded me of is that there was an obituary in the local paper and that kind of frayed my nerves a little...

I don't want to be stupid and I have a gun here -- Joie recently got it after I sold his original to get some cash when he left for school, right here on rtf actually four years ago. I feel that gun was bought for a purpose. It was bought just a couple of months ago...

I can get a sidearm at some point. I just figured that it's a gun that stays in the house... I also have another pump (remington 1187 I think???) from my grampy... It's in the dog truck. Think it may come live inside for a while. LOL

I'm also going to talk to the neighbors today because they're out on their porch a lot (they smoke and do it all outside the house). So I wanted to request that if they see people coming and going after dark, or anything suspicious, to just call over and make sure I'm ok...

We have NEVER had any problems with anything down here, but you never know...

Thanks, everyone. I do have a friend that teaches shooting instruction (not self defense, but competition shooting). I'm sure he would meet me at the range and go over it. I'm fine with guns I know and understand, but I think a lesson is in order to make it second nature...

The morbid things you have to worry about after you lose your husband... :(

-K
 
#11 ·
Thanks, everyone. I do have a friend that teaches shooting instruction (not self defense, but competition shooting). I'm sure he would meet me at the range and go over it. I'm fine with guns I know and understand, but I think a lesson is in order to make it second nature...

You gave yourself the best advice anyone could give ya right there.

Go to a range with that instructor and learn all the buttons, and the way the action works ect. Learn it so well that it will be second nature to you as to how to load , and operate it.

I agree with others above,, IF no kids around ,, then fill the Magazine with shells,, and keep the chamber unloaded, proped up on a corner, or between the night stand as you described is fine.

Gooser
 
G
#12 ·
My sister's fiance is in special forces and can kill a man 100 ways with his bare hands... I'm going to have HIM teach me some stuff too... LOL

He may be coming down for thanksgiving, so I'm going to have him teach me some stuff.
 
G
#14 ·
Do you have a house alarm? Great for peace of mind.
Yes, but recently had it checked out bc were having problems. Rodents had chewed through wires in crawlspace. So I just, for now, had them make sure fire alarms were working (because fire is most important to me bc of dogs). They had quoted me on the repairs just before I started travelling to master national, etc. So I figured I'd get it done when I got back, and here we are today!!

-K
 
#15 ·
kristi, your best bet would be to find a concealed to carry class at a local shooting club. they will go over gun safety and certify you to carry which would be with a pistol which in my opion is a better self protection weapon that a shotgun. surely not as likely to be taken away from you as a long barreled gun in the dark and can be taken on the road or put in a purse. if you buy go for a 38 revolver, they can be had for the $200.00-$300.00 range used and the best place to look is any indoor shooting range. let me know if this is the way you want to go, my brothers' sales territory includes south Ga. and he would be glad to help you out.
Best Regards, Ramond
 
#16 ·
It's good to have a gun around for protection.Also,the self defence training can possibly help too(You'll need alot of training/practice for that to really be of much use).To me,I always felt the most secure when my Malamutes prowled the hallways at night.They wouldn't hurt a soul but they sure looked big and scary.A big dog I think is really the best thing to have around even with a gun. The problem with a gun is, you can sleep right through an intruder sneaking around in the house.You would probably just be arming your intruder while you slept.I like it when the dog has a nice scary bark to hopefully intimidate anybody trying to get in and also wake me up.I keep the gun available but not in an easy to see spot for someone else to get to it.Hopefully,we are all just wasting our time being ready for the worst.
 
G
#19 ·
I feel 99% safe with a house and kennels with 30+ dogs. All kinds of things come back that just "work out". One of these is that the kennels literally surround half of our house. So it's near impossible for someone to approach without my knowing. It's only happened once or twice, normally after the end of a long training day, always in daylight... At night, they let me know every car, every person, but quiet down when I tell them.

In the house I have a JRT that barks at ANY entry... She actually barks at the door chime, which works when people come in the back doors. So that's good... I then have 3-4 of the labs in here with me and they pop up when they hear stuff. So I'm NOT saying it's foolproof, but I feel pretty safe.

I've just never thought of a gun in terms of self defense as far as being READY when I need to.

A sidearm will be great when I get trained and get one. Until then, I'll blow their brains out with a shotgun... :) Plus, isn't the rule that you don't have to have as good of aim with a shotgun... Geesh, always talking about the propert choke for shooting flyers, now want to know which choke will do maximum damage... (full???)

Thanks, all.
 
#18 ·
Our dog is a 70 lb. golden. He is friendly as heck but has quite a bark. He's in the backyard so you can't see him right away - but you can hear him!

Also, we used to have a cheapeake who would keep strangers right by their car until we went outside to greet them. He weighed 100 lb. He was friendly - but the strangers didn't know that. Was great with family.

Carrie
 
#21 ·
What size shot?

And how to avoid shooting dogs that might also be in the room?

Jeff
 
G
#24 ·
Well... I guess a couple of things work in my favor.

Dogs sleep in bedroom with me, door closed. They do not wander the house at night.

I don't know what size shot, right now I have 8oz 1 1/4 or something. It was from dove hunting, so it's probably not very heavy, but I do have some goose shells and high velocity pheasant shells, too. And I suppose I could get some buckshot or something??

But the dogs would be with me and I sleep with tv on, so there's always some light in the room, not total darkness. When I wake up, i can wake up easily and quickly. I not a groggy riser... I'm used to it with the dogs, puppies, etc. I can bounce right up and get going.

I have practiced controlling myself and emotions when I'm frightened or stressed -- as I've watched a lot of survival stuff on tv and always wondered if I could keep calm. So when stuff happens, I literally practice breathing, slowing my heart rate, calming down, as corny as it sounds.

When I was performing cpr on Joie, I was screaming the whole time, but maintaining my ability to do compressions, etc. The lady at 911 thought I was losing it (in a way I had, but knew what I had to do). She said to calm down so I could do what I needed and I screamed that I was doing it, I just needed to scream. Wow, what an awful thing to relive in my head, but sure does put life in perspective.

Anyway, my point is this... I think the way I'm "set up" would work as well as possible for nobody to get hurt besides the bad guy.

And one thing I've always remembered in caring for dogs is that "if we get hurt, there's nobody to take care of them"... so unfortunately, we have to come first, and while I wouldn't want any of my dogs to get hurt, it would have to come second to something happening to me. Hate to admit it, but it's just the way it is...

-K
 
#28 ·
Kristie,

As far as loads go what you have is about right. Small shot size, 8 or 7.5, will be devastating if it hits someone in the room with you. But, those pellets will not retain lethal energy when traveling through walls.

Getting help and spending time on the range is great. You can also practice loading and loading with an empty hull at home. You want to be able to to get a shell in the chamber and safety off without having to look at the gun. Repetition will build this skill. My 17 yo daughter just started competitive trap shooting this spring. Most nights she practices 100 mounts. This includes loading and unloading an empty hull. She can load and unload her gun without looking at the shell or gun.

Doing the CCL class and having more than 1 gun quickly available to you is the best. An ounce of prevention!

God bless,

Tom
 
#29 · (Edited)
You are wise to prepare yourself. But I doubt that you will ever be bothered, you have such a great early warning system in the dogs. Nobody could possibly sneak up to your house without you knowing something was up.

Kristie, back when I got divorced - years ago in Georgia - I felt the need to buy a gun for protection. I purchased a handgun and took shooting lessons from a bounty hunter, big ol' southern boy. He set up man type targets at his range in the country and told me to not worry about hitting anything at first just get comfortable with emptying the gun. So I did.

When the gun stopped firing he walked out there brought my first target back with a tight spread in the south left quadrant of the silouette's torso and said "That man's dead." I still chuckle at his drawl as he said it in about 10 syllables.

Anyway, at the end of our session, he suggested that I take my targets and casually leave them near each point of entry at my house. So I did that. I place them on my kitchen counter where I usually dropped my purse after coming in from the garage. I had one in the entry hall on a shelf under the table top with a flower arrangement, and a couple of more at the back door.

I forgot all about them. As I started to date, guys would get quiet as they came in and I noticed that they saw the targets. Occasionally they would ask, who shoots? and I said I do. and that would be all they said about that. So it had the desired effect.... that of putting anyone on notice that I could and would protect myself.

You'll be fine and good for you for preparing yourself.
 
#30 ·
I operate on the assumption that someone looking for things to steal is more likely to enter my house when I'm not there than when I am. I have no desire to arm them. For that reason, I keep my weapons in an easy-to-access but not obvious location in a gun safe that I can open by feel. Once open, my defensive weapon of choice (a Sig Saur .40 caliber semi with laser sights) is ready to go. It's a weapon I practice with on a regular basis. Since I lock my house at night and sleep in the bedroom with the door closed and the dogs in the room with me, I figure I will have more than enough time to wake up and have a functioning brain as well as a weapon should anyone decide to disturb me. My problem with a loaded weapon next to the bed is that the odds are too high that it will either be used against me or that I will use it before my brain is in gear.
 
G
#31 ·
I went ahead and ordered the rack and will start practicing to loading without looking. I have plenty of safe places to do it. Is there a way to pull a plug from the gun? Or are they all automatically in there?

I do NOT feel comfortable with it loaded and with the amount of dogs getting on and off the bed. Regardless of opened or closed or whatever. Too many buttons that could be hit accidentally. Unless someone convinces me otherwise, my downfall may be that it will take me a second to load...

Now... My next question is this. If a dog were to chew on a shell, it would explode in their mouth, right??? So I don't want shells laying around, either. Right now they're in the nightstand, very close.

-K
 
#33 ·
Kristie-

I have no advice on the loading or unloading of this weapon. I'm just sorry you have to think of all this. Oh, to be back in the days when the only worry we had was getting in trouble for whispering at Mike's seminar....



If you have to shoot an intruder, make sure they fall forwards regards-
 
#34 ·
Kristie

I agree with Justic dog
Its a shame you have to concern yourself with this!

I think its great you learn to protect yourself. A concealed carry class is a great recomendation.

Odds are however, if you really wanna take the steps to protect yourself and be proactive and prepared,, then regular trips to the doctor,, and fastening that seat belt( Some advice I need to practice) will go far.

Gooser
 
#35 ·
Kristie,

Until you are 100% comfortable and familiar with loading and unloading the gun, without looking and in the dark. I'd suggest that you put the gun away in a safe place. Put some pepper spray and a baseball bat next to your bed. (make sure the pepper spray is in a place where puppy jaws won't pierce the can).

Until you are so familiar and confident in and with the gun that it is like tying your shoe in the dark, it is more of a danger to you and yours than it is a security device. The same thing with firing it. Please go out and put a coulpe boxes of shells through it busting clays, shooting pumpkins, plinking cans, whatever.... YOu need to operate that gun quite a bit. Then and only then, it is time to have it near the bed for the "what if" safety thing.

Please, put that gun away until you and that gun are smooth dancing partners in the dark, with your eyes closed.

And don't leave ANY shells in the gun on purpose. Think of how easy it is to burn breakfast because a dog pukes on the floor and you get distracted. This is how easy it is to wind up with a round in the chamber of an "unloaded" gun. (I know some folks like to keep rounds in the magazine and keep the chamber open....that's Russian Roulette and is just begging for an accidental discharge)

The only way to insure that your gun is safe and unloaded is to keep it SAFE AND UNLOADED until you are ready to shoot it.

Sincerely,

Chris
 
#36 ·
Kristie,

Until you are 100% comfortable and familiar with loading and unloading the gun, without looking and in the dark. I'd suggest that you put the gun away in a safe place. Put some pepper spray and a baseball bat next to your bed. (make sure the pepper spray is in a place where puppy jaws won't pierce the can).

Until you are so familiar and confident in and with the gun that it is like tying your shoe in the dark, it is more of a danger to you and yours than it is a security device. The same thing with firing it. Please go out and put a coulpe boxes of shells through it busting clays, shooting pumpkins, plinking cans, whatever.... YOu need to operate that gun quite a bit. Then and only then, it is time to have it near the bed for the "what if" safety thing.

Please, put that gun away until you and that gun are smooth dancing partners in the dark, with your eyes closed.

And don't leave ANY shells in the gun on purpose. Think of how easy it is to burn breakfast because a dog pukes on the floor and you get distracted. This is how easy it is to wind up with a round in the chamber of an "unloaded" gun. (I know some folks like to keep rounds in the magazine and keep the chamber open....that's Russian Roulette and is just begging for an accidental discharge)

The only way to insure that your gun is safe and unloaded is to keep it SAFE AND UNLOADED until you are ready to shoot it.

Sincerely,

Chris
Great advice, Chris.
 
#38 ·
Kristie

Next time Paul is over with Luke have him show you some stuff. He is career military as well, he is also real into safety for his wife and his helped her as well. Just a thought.

It is okay to be worried but by the time they get passed the dogs.....you will have plenty of time. Even the friendliest of dogs will protect its owner.

KC
 
G
#39 ·
Kristie

Next time Paul is over with Luke have him show you some stuff. He is career military as well, he is also real into safety for his wife and his helped her as well. Just a thought.

It is okay to be worried but by the time they get passed the dogs.....you will have plenty of time. Even the friendliest of dogs will protect its owner.

KC
Oh, yeah, good idea. He'll be over in the next week or two...

-K
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top