# Build your ULTIMATE "Drawer Gun"



## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

I was bored at work today... mind was wandering. Started thinking of new toys to add to my XD45... just because...

I figure I need two "defensive guns". One for the pocket/waistband, and one for the nightstand. In "Ultimate" form, they are very different guns.

In common, they need:
1) Utter reliabililty.
2) Reasonable accuracy, but not at the expense of reliability.
3) One-shot-knock-down power.

As opposed to a carry piece, the drawer gun:
- Does not need to be compact,
- Does not need to be light,
- 9 times out of 10 will be used in the dark.

That said... the ultimate drawer gun:
- Striker-fired reliable simplicity, with no fast draw concerns... I'll build from my XD
- High capacity... why not?
- Rail mounted light AND laser for target acquisition/determination
- Tritium or other low-light sights, in case the laser is dead...
- Grip tapes for secure grip with groggy fingers!

Since weight/bulk isn't an issue? How about:
- Additional weight in the barrel end for stability, 
- A threaded flash/sound suppressor to spare night vision and not wake the neighbors, 
- A massive mag-well flange for half-awake reloading, and aided grip positioning

What am I missing?

Not reasonable. Not prudent. ULTIMATE...

Suggestions?

Jeff


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## john doe. (Aug 26, 2006)

Looks good to me.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

JeffWard said:


> I figure I need two "defensive guns". One for the pocket/waistband, and one for the nightstand. In "Ultimate" form, they are very different guns.


I'm always a little wary of the "ultimate" anything in guns, since the only place such a thing exists is in the mind's eye of the copywriters over at _Combat Handguns_ magazine.

Obviously, any "ultimate" anything is going to vary from person to person, and if a tricked-out XD works for you, excellent. Just a few points on the other side, though:



> In common, they need:
> 1) Utter reliabililty.
> 2) Reasonable accuracy, but not at the expense of reliability.
> 3) One-shot-knock-down power.


I don't think the latter exists in pistols. Power is a good thing until it makes your repeat shots too slow. If you absolutely need one-shot stops, best to grab a long gun and leave the piddly pistol in a drawer.



> As opposed to a carry piece, the drawer gun:
> - Does not need to be compact,
> - Does not need to be light,
> - 9 times out of 10 will be used in the dark.


I am in general agreement with the first two. But on what are you basing the latter statement? My house has enough ambient light (from dim night lights) even at night that I wouldn't assume I'll be firing in complete darkness. Just about anyone who can afford home defense guns could set up their home similarly.



> - Striker-fired reliable simplicity, with no fast draw concerns... I'll build from my XD


Hmmm. Why the striker requirement? So there's no safety lever? I am a Glock guy, so my gun has no safety lever, but I used to keep a 1911 in the drawer. If I am sufficiently awake that I (a) realize I need a gun, (b) have the mental wherewithal to open a drawer and find the gun, and (c) have identified a target, I don't think I will have any trouble knocking off a safety lever that I have trained to disengage.

If you plan on being so surprised in your own bedroom that you aren't awake enough to depress a safety lever, you really need to look at hardening your perimeter before building an "ultimate" drawer gun. Good locks, an alarm, and a dog will help way more than a striker-fired pistol.

But maybe I am misunderstanding the desire for a striker-fired pistol here?



> - High capacity... why not?


Same reason a lot of people don't like them for carry: they don't fit some hands.



> - Rail mounted light AND laser for target acquisition/determination


Not sure it is necessary for target ID, at least in my house. Lasers are good things, but at in-house distances I am not sure they are remotely required. I don't know that I'd need to fire at more than a few meters inside my house, and I can easily do that without a laser, since I am intimately familiar with my pistol.



> - Tritium or other low-light sights, in case the laser is dead...


I have night sights on my Glocks, though I don't think they are absolutely necessary, especially at house distances. Anyway, if there is enough light to ID a target, there is very often enough light to see the sights.



> - Grip tapes for secure grip with groggy fingers!


Ehhhhh, if you are awake enough to be shooting, you're awake enough to grip your pistol correctly.



> Since weight/bulk isn't an issue? How about:
> - Additional weight in the barrel end for stability,


Added weight makes a pistol slower from target-to-target when facing multiple opponents, and also more likely to overswing. It does reduce recoil, obviously.



> - A threaded flash/sound suppressor to spare night vision and not wake the neighbors,


Low-flash ammo is pretty easy to find without spending a small fortune on a suppressor. I would not want to be the fellow who shoots a bad guy with a suppressed pistol, anyway, since such a thing is (rightly or wrongly) perceived as an assassin's tool in America.

I *want* to wake the neighbors. They'll call the cops when they hear shots. If I am fighting for my life and that of my family, I want the whole city police force rolling to my house ASAP.



> - A massive mag-well flange for half-awake reloading, and aided grip positioning


I'm willing to bet that if you shoot enough to need a reload, you're not going to be "half-awake" anymore. :mrgreen:

I think the gun you live with on your hip every day, the one you shoot the most and the best, the one you've trained with the most often, is the "ultimate" home defense pistol. All the gadgets in the world won't help as much as the confidence that comes from holding the pistol that is your ever-present companion. My "ultimate" drawer gun is the same pistol I carry every day, since I know it inside and out and have trained with it heavily. It's just a plain-Jane Glock with night sights (I used to be enthused about lasers, and am less so now). Next to it is the Surefire light that sits in my left pocket every day. That's it. Nothing fancy. Just simple, reliable equipment that works every time.

_"Man fights with his mind. His hands and his weapons are only extensions of his will."_ - Jeff Cooper


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