Keeping a SG cruiser ready

[BANG BANG]

Is there any long term negative drawback to keeping my 12G in cruiser ready state? should I take it out of that mode from time to time?

its a 5 shot Mossberg 500 and just want to make sure what opinion people have or what facts on cruiser ready are out there. I did a search but it was really conclusive

[Silverbullett]

I've been keeping my Persuader "ready" for about a year and a half now. By ready I mean next to the bed, magazine tube loaded and nothing in the chamber. Hasn't given me any issues yet. I just make sure to clean it every time I take it out for a spin.

[BigDogatPlay]

Can someone define what "cruiser ready state" is? Never heard that before.

I keep an 870P at the ready to back up my HD handgun. Six in the tube, empty chamber, hammer down, safety off, six more on the sidesaddle... exactly how the SGs I used as a LEO were kept when in the car. I shoot it several times a year, keep it clean with a light application of oil periodically to the parkerizing to keep it fresh.

In between range runs I inspect it once a month by unloading it completely, locking the shells away, then with snap caps I do a couple of reloading drills and function test the gun with the snap caps, cycling a couple mag tubes worth through. Once done, reload with the real thing and put it back in it's spot for another month.

It never fails to function and always goes bang when I want it to.

[Reductio]

I've got a Mossberg 500 with 5 in the tube, 6 on the buttcuff, 4 on the sidesaddle, and nothing in the chamber. No problems with it yet, but I've heard that some shells will deform over time if left in the tube, but like I said, no sign of this in 5 months.

[BANG BANG]

Can someone define what "cruiser ready state" is? Never heard that before.

I keep an 870P at the ready to back up my HD handgun. Six in the tube, empty chamber, hammer down, safety off, six more on the sidesaddle... exactly how the SGs I used as a LEO were kept when in the car. .

that is considered cruiser ready. I believe the term was coined because of exactly that. The shotgun being kept ready in this state in a Police cruiser

[BANG BANG]

so back to the original question ???? anyone ????

[Corbin Dallas]

Is there any long term negative drawback to keeping my 12G in cruiser ready state? should I take it out of that mode from time to time?

its a 5 shot Mossberg 500 and just want to make sure what opinion people have or what facts on cruiser ready are out there. I did a search but it was really conclusive

None. I keep my Mossburg 590A1 in cruiser ready at all times. My Benelli on the other hand is locked and loaded.

The only downside I could think of would be the tube spring, but those are easy to replace if necessary.

I guess it all depends on how long you're going to keep it in the CR condition.

If you're talking years without firing it, then the spring will probably need a replacement. If you're talking months, I don't see an issue.

[BigDogatPlay]

that is considered cruiser ready. I believe the term was coined because of exactly that. The shotgun being kept ready in this state in a Police cruiser

Cool then, I learned something... 20 years as a LEO and I never heard that term before.

So back to your original question, and with my previous post in mind, so long as you are regularly inspecting the gun and ammo to insure that both are serviceable then storing it ready to roll is not an issue long term.

One thing to consider... I was trained way back when to pull the SG from the car at start of every shift to verify it's condition. That included unloading, dismounting barrel to check for instruction, verifying solid firing pin strike, re-mount the barrel and reload.

Not every agency signs the SG in and out of the armory every shift, most with secure parking facilities (and some without) leave the gun in the car shift after shift. But officers who are concerned about their safety will run through the routine I just described to be sure that the gun will work for them should they need it.

[GunsForSale.com]

Generally, the ammo is the weak link in the chain, so to speak.

I've been in law enforcement for more than 10 years, and carried a shotgun for the majority of the time. I have seen shot shells that have been left in the magazine for more than six months have the crimp start to come loose, spilling the contents.

I assume the reason for this is the shells are plastic, as opposed to metal in centerfire pistol and rifle ammo. I've not seen the ammo failure frequently, but enough times to realize it does happen on occasion.

Personally, I check my shotgun ammo frequently, and replace anything in the magazine every three months. Ammo is cheap as compared to a failure when you need it.

[Sheepdog1968]

I have found that if you keep it fully loaded that the spring, at least on 590, looses it's strength. I had this happen twice in a row on six months to one year of storage. For the first spring, I had initally assumed Mossberg put in the wrong spring from the factory. When I replaced it with a Mossberg factory spring and noticed the same situation, I made the connection. I now keep the magazine tube downloaded by two shells and that seems to make a difference. The only other approach I would take is to test my spring every three months and likely put a new magazine tube spring in every six months to one year.

[joedogboy]

Keeping a spring under tension for extended periods of time will tend to lock it into that position.

This is why you don't want to store loaded magazines for extended periods of time, and also why you don't want to store firearms with the hammer cocked.

I know that some people subscribe to a "downloaded" or "partially loaded" magazine to keep spring tension minimal when storing for a long time, but desiring immediate readiness.

[socalblue]

The plastic in shotgun shells will deteriorate over time. more so when subjected to heat. Extended magazines put more force on the feed lips, esp in the Remington 870 series (Can't begin to count how many I have had to re-stake over the years).

Unload & check monthly. Rotate the ammo up every 3-4 months.