[gunluvinatty]

I have a lot of young kids (ages 7, 6, 4, 1 and -2 mo - due in Dec.) so secure storage of my HD pistol is a priority. However, with security comes lack of access. The kids are well versed in gun safety and I trust the 7 and 6 year old not to touch the pistol even if they find it. The 4 year old probably would if he thought no one was looking. It is a risk I simply cannot take. All guns except my carry and HD pistol are stored behind a locked door unloaded. The carry pistol is stored in a locked container when taken off the body.

The other day at Range USA in Memphis I ran across the Safety Bullet. http://www.safetybullet.com/ I invite your thoughts. My preliminary musings are:

1. A child of sufficient discretion could figure it out how it works (via watching me or the internet)and easily disable it. But a child of this discretion SHOULD know better. I am not as concerned about that child as a younger one whom I doubt could figure it out.
2. To some degree I would rely on their lack of strength to manipulate the slide but this would pass as they got older. Hopefully they would become more responsible though. See #1.
3. While a snap cap (or even an empty chamber) would prevent an AD just the same, the Safety Bullet would give me undeniable evidence that they had violated my rules since the gun would be locked up. Also the Safety Bullet would prevent them from continuing to manipulate the fire controls any more during that session.
4. No device is a substitute for instruction.
5. A Simplex lock is a better solution but it costs more and storing an ugly box within arm's reach isn't something that makes the wife swoon.
6. The Safety Bullet is inexpensive, something we can all appreciate.
7. If, God forbid, the perp found my HD gun before I could access it, he isn't going to be able to use it except as a bludgeon.

What did I miss?

 

[grnsouth]

A few things come to mind.

First and foremost is in a stressful situation you may forget to rack the slide unless you do it all the time in training. You pull the trigger, pop, safety bullet is jammed in the chamber where a Tap, Rack, Bang drill isn't going to do any good. You have to use a rod to ram it out.
Remember the Home Invasion isn't going to come when we are fully alert and dialed in. Mr. Murphy is going to let them in in the wee hours of the morning when we are going to slam our shins and toes into everything in the world while trying to figure WTF is going on.
Second Do not trust to the discretion of children when if you are wrong the consequences can be so dire and final, no matter how responsible they are. It would only take one little time to ruin their and your families life.

I would look into something like this http://www.gunvault.com/handgun-safes/microvault.html
Somewhat sleek and could be mounted on the back of a nightstand if necessary.

JMHO YMMV etc etc

 

[Joe S.]

Neat concept but I'm thinkin a lock box is a better option. Or a hidden picture frame above the bed

 

[Leopardcurdog]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, I think for a revolver, it would be useless, in the fact that the is no way to clear the safety round in a timely manner. With a semi auto, well, it's an option I guess. It's probably the best option I can think of if you want to have a loaded firearm handy, but safe to a certain degree. The best option in my opinion, is to keep the gun on you at all times. I'd have to give more thought then the time it took to watch the vids, but that's my off the cuff response.

On another note, you mentioned the younguns ability to operate your gun. When mine were young, by age 3, they were able to pull the slide back on my 1911. I know because I gave them the gun, empty and no magazine in it, and asked them if they could "make it work". I had never "shown" them how the gun worked, but they had watched me me work the slide. They had the knowledge and the ability to operate the slide, safety, and hammer. They also were educated continually throughout the young lives about gun safety, and we made it through with no problems. I'm not inferring you're lacking in any of these points, just sharing what worked for me, 20 something years ago.

 

[360glitch]

A few things come to mind.

First and foremost is in a stressful situation you may forget to rack the slide unless you do it all the time in training. You pull the trigger, pop, safety bullet is jammed in the chamber where a Tap, Rack, Bang drill isn't going to do any good. You have to use a rod to ram it out.
Remember the Home Invasion isn't going to come when we are fully alert and dialed in. Mr. Murphy is going to let them in in the wee hours of the morning when we are going to slam our shins and toes into everything in the world while trying to figure WTF is going on.
Second Do not trust to the discretion of children when if you are wrong the consequences can be so dire and final, no matter how responsible they are. It would only take one little time to ruin their and your families life.

I would look into something like this http://www.gunvault.com/handgun-safes/microvault.html
Somewhat sleek and could be mounted on the back of a nightstand if necessary.

JMHO YMMV etc etc

This is my main problem with the safety bullet. If you let it slip your mind one reason or another and you are in a time of truly needing it, you are done. I've done some research on the gunvault brand "safes" as well and the electronic ones have some major battery issues that have kept me from buying one.

 

[gunluvinatty]

My thought is that if I am in such a stupor that I cannot remember to clear the chamber, I'm probably going to have equal difficulty remembering and/or punching in a code. Alternatively, if I can't remember to clear the chamber will I have sufficient awareness that I need to be using a firearm in a house full of my kids? If the perp is already upon me (spitting distance) neither a safe nor a Safety Bullet is likely to be of much use.

Leopardcurdog I appreciate your comments. I tried that with my 7 year old recently. He was not able to pull the DOA gun with a single finger, but he was able to do it with both index fingers. He could not activate the slide. Maybe my recoil spring is heavier than yours. Or maybe my kids are puny and should be glad they don't play rough with yours...

I really don't know the answer to these questions. All are legitimate concerns. I too worry about batteries.

 

[360glitch]

I've been looking at a biometric safe that uses fingerprints on Amazon, but everyone is complaining it makes a loud BEEP whenever you unlock it. (may or may not be an issue)

Nobody complains about the batteries on this model, but that would still worry me.

http://www.amazon.com/Barska-AX11224-BARSKA-Biometric-Safe/dp/B002AQ0PFW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1286293463&sr=1-1

 

[grnsouth]

The problem as Pat Rogers put it is you will not rise to the occassion you will default to your level of training. If you train to rack the slide everytime you go to use the weapon ala the Israeli Instinctive method then you will not have any problem. In a stressful situation you will do what you have trained to do and if it isn't racking the slide before presenting then you will not because you won't be thinking about manipulating your weapon, your muscle memory will be doing its thing instead.

Unfortunately all solutions are going to be a trade off. Another thought since your son can't operate the slide then just keep the chamber empty. At least that way if you try to shoot you can tap rack bang and get back in the fight without having to ram a rod down the barrel.

A training technique I have found useful is to set an alarm for the wee hours of the morning and run a drill on it. My better half hates it when I do that. :lol:

 

[RIVERBILLY]

berry good discussion

 

[grnsouth]

The problem as Pat Rogers put it is you will not rise to the occassion you will default to your level of training. If you train to rack the slide everytime you go to use the weapon ala the Israeli Instinctive method then you will not have any problem. In a stressful situation you will do what you have trained to do and if it isn't racking the slide before presenting then you will not because you won't be thinking about manipulating your weapon, your muscle memory will be doing its thing instead.

Unfortunately all solutions are going to be a trade off. Another thought since your son can't operate the slide then just keep the chamber empty. At least that way if you try to shoot you can tap rack bang and get back in the fight without having to ram a rod down the barrel.

A training technique I have found useful is to set an alarm for the wee hours of the morning and run a drill on it. My better half hates it when I do that. :lol:

 

[Joe S.]

one problem i could see is if you have it in a hammerless revolver, you will have to open the cylinder and rotate it around or remove the safety bullet???

 

[Leopardcurdog]

Leopardcurdog I appreciate your comments. I tried that with my 7 year old recently. He was not able to pull the DOA gun with a single finger, but he was able to do it with both index fingers. He could not activate the slide. Maybe my recoil spring is heavier than yours. Or maybe my kids are puny and should be glad they don't play rough with yours...

LOL! More likely it was the weak spring in my 70 series 1911 that was shot many thousands of rounds!