The Ultimate Nightstand Gun?

I am sometimes hard on a certain gun that is very popular amongst our readers, but I do also give it the respect it deserves in certain situations. And I will readily admit that for some applications, it is absolutely the best choice. While I might generally prefer a striker-fired plastic fantastic for things like Rat Patrol across the open desert with Task Force Numbers/Sounds Cool/Shark Name whatever, I will also readily concede they aren’t the best choice for everything. When it comes to a nightstand gun, I prefer old slab sides. Mr. 1911 himself, and maybe not for the reasons you would think.

A nightstand gun is premised on the idea you don’t have children. I do now, so I have to err a bit more on the side of caution. But as a single dude living in some perhaps sketchy areas, I was a huge advocate of the nightstand blaster. And for that particular role, the 1911 packs some clear advantages.

First and foremost, when I say nightstand gun, the implication is that it is loaded. While I might keep my guns empty now, when I lived alone that was not the case. It takes a lot of practice to remember to rack the slide when you snap awake, which can be done. The calculus, as with all things gun, comes down to potential threat vs safety. You have to make your own decision on that one. But for me, when I was living a high threat lifestyle, that meant round in the chamber all the time.

So let’s set the stage. Bump in the night, glass breaking downstairs, what have you. Something that pulls you out of your slumber and sets your heart racing. When you reach for that gun in the dark, with eyeballs that just came open, can you be sure you won’t accidentally mash the trigger? For me, this is point #1 for the 1911. It has a manual safety. I actually wish all guns had a 1911 style safety, which is heresy for a Glock fanboy. But it’s true. A safety slows you down zero percent from the draw, provided you have trained with it. No one, not one person, advocates for a safety-less AR-15. And that is our primary kick the door in gun. How we ever accepted a pistol without a manual safety, I still do not understand. But we did, and now that is the norm for any striker fired pistol. You have to go looking for it to find one that has the feature. 1911? I’ve never seen one built without it.

Which to me a is a huge benefit on the fumbling in the dark for a hand cannon issue. Even if you grab the pistol wrong, your odds of a negligent discharge with the 1911 are very slim. It takes a full grip to disengage both the safeties on a 1911, which in this case is fantastic.

Point #2 for the 1911 is both excellent trigger and heft. Carrying an all steel gun in the street can be less than fun. It is fatiguing on the hip, which is why I carry a micro 9mm. But I will also readily admit that for pure range style blasting, the weight of a 1911 is an advantage. If my only task is to get from my bedroom to the kitchen, fatigue becomes a non-issue. And when I get there? 10+1 courtesy of my Tripp Research Cobra mags, throwing 45 ACP ash tray hollow points, is likely going to be P for Plenty in terms of combat power.

Point #3 for the 1911, a new one at least, is the Picatinny rail front. This means I can mount something like the Crimson Trace Rail Master Pro. For house guns, I am a huge fan of both lights and lasers. And the Rail Master is both. I know that new, smaller lights are available for CCW guns. I, however, still prefer to carry my Hellcat naked. Because I am lazy, and the holster is comfier that way. I am certainly too lazy to put a flashlight on it every night before I go to bed. With a dedicated house platform, installing the laser and light combo is a once and forget activity. With sleepy eyes, I also see a way more than normal advantage to the idea of a laser sight. I have written before, many times, about the propensity to look at the target instead of your sights when you are scared. Being flash banged awake to repel invaders in your own home most certainly meets that requirement. In my opinion, this is a situation where a laser is absolutely perfect. And you want to talk about a tactical advantage? Throw 400 lumens of white light and a bright green dot on the goblin with his hand in your cookie jar. Even if you don’t shoot him, you might have to clean up a mess after he soils his pants.

And point #4 is a big one. You might not wake up in time to have the tactical advantage. Also, every break-in might not have started as an intended murder, but it can go that way. If you don’t’ wake up in time, it isn’t out of the question that a goblin gets to your gun before you do. A 1911 offers a very odd advantage here. The old guys are going to laugh at this, but it’s true. Most people today, thanks to decades of striker fired guns, would not know how to disengage a safety. As a younger man, I have even handed over a 1911 to an Officer during a traffic stop. He looked at it like it was a Unicorn riding the Easter Bunny, and was incapable of clearing it. That from a dude that carries a gun for a living. 1911’s are that uncommon among the younger generation. So while any Goblin could pull a striker gun trigger, you might just buy yourself enough time with a manual safety to turn the tables.

Its days on the battlefield might be over, but old reliable still has a place in your stable. It is definitely worth considering. And an excuse to buy another gun!

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