The manual for my Ruger AR-556 discusses putting the rifle on "safe" after clearing it and readying it for storage. Nowhere does it mention anything about dropping the hammer to relieve the tension on the hammer spring for long-term storage, so my assumption is Ruger doesn't think there is any harm in storing with the weapon cocked.

Hence my question... how many of you store your AR with the weapon cocked and the safety "on"? Or do you dry-fire the rifle before putting it in the safe like I have been doing in the past? Just curious...

There's no harm in storing the rifle with the hammer cocked, just like there's no harm in storing a loaded magazine. Springs wear from repeated cycles, not from extended periods of compression.

(Also, an AR can't be put on safe with the hammer down. You can only engage the safety if the hammer is cocked.)

I don't bother dry-firing/decocking any of my rifles before storage.

I dry fire mine....just because.

Dry fired here. I am genuinely puzzled by the alternative.

Although it’s not the same as actually checking the chamber to ensure it’s empty, if the hammer is uncocked, the safety cannot be moved to the safe position, and there are times when that’s enough confirmation. I can’t think of any reason to leave the hammer cocked, so I don’t.

I store my ARs cocked, on Safe, with an empty chamber - my ready AR15 has a full magazine inserted as well.

If needed, the charging handle is used to load the weapon and it is on safe already.

I store on an empty chamber, hammer down.

While I do shoot my AR, I'm not an Active Shooter

I dry fire mine and store with hammer relaxed. Side note, my ARs are only for stopping active shooters.

Just as a matter of habit I never store any of my rifles cocked, AR's or bolt actions.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I store my ARs cocked, on Safe, with an empty chamber - my ready AR15 has a full magazine inserted as well.

This is how it's setup in our policy at work so I do my personal rifles the same way so training is the same for all.

if we are talking real 'storage' and not 'ready', 'standby' etc. I use the exact same protocol for everything...remove mag, check chamber, point in safe direction and drop the hammer/striker, on safe if possible (not on an ar), store it. I can't see any other system being better or safer or more universal. It certainly won't hurt an AR to be stored with the hammer cocked.

My bolt action rifles are stored uncocked and empty, no mag. My AR's are stored cocked and on safe with an empty chamber and a full mag inserted. All other rifles are stored cocked, on safe and empty chamber and no mag.

quote:

Originally posted by LDD:
I store on an empty chamber, hammer down.

While I do shoot my AR, I'm not an Active Shooter

Same here.

I store my ARs, ( loaded or unloaded ) with an empty chamber, safety 'OFF' and the hammer released. For loaded ARs kept at the ready, it's a simple means of racking the charging handle back and the rifle is instantly ready for use.

I believe it's a slight bit safer to have the hammer uncocked and sticking up inside the BCG. With the hammer inside the BCG, it provides a fair amount of resistance on keeping the BCG from cycling and possibly inadvertently clambering a round if the rifle were dropped/rough handled, etc.

This happened enough in the Army, ( weapons on SAFE, hammer cocked, empty chamber with loaded magazine inserted, ) when Soldiers accidentally dropped their weapons in this condition and failed to inspect the rifle, a round sometimes ended up being chambered without the Soldier realizing it. NDs often occured when the Soldier took the magazine out, took the weapon off of SAFE, ( to do a function check or whatever, ) and ended up firing a round.

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
I dry fire mine....just because.

I do the same, often stored for a while. I agree no harm either way.

Either way is fine as long as the weapon is cleared before storing it. Personally, cocked and on safe makes the most sense. When you need it, rack it, and the safety is already engaged.

Okay, pretty good mixture of responses here, so now that I have those, I'll give what I do and why...

I don't do any "long term" storage of my AR as I consider it something I want to be ready-to-go at a moment's notice, any time I feel it may be needed! So, it is always kept in the safe with a full mag inserted, and at least two more mags on the shelf right above it (30-rounders as I'm in a free state).

Regarding the cocked and locked w/ empty chamber vs uncocked question... I keep mine uncocked out of habit, as all of my other firearms in the past have always been uncocked! Since I'm going to have to give the charging handle a pull to chamber a round anyway, which will then cock it, why bother leaving it cocked all the time?

The only possible reason I can come up with for that scenario, and one "Chowser" may be able to provide confirmation on, is that without having the rifle already cocked and on "safe", when you first chamber a round, you then have a condition 0 rifle which must be manipulated to get the safety on, whereas if the safety was already on there would be less chance for an AD. Not a bad reason for changing my way of doing things, now that I think about it...

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Either way is fine as long as the weapon is cleared before storing it. Personally, cocked and on safe makes the most sense. When you need it, rack it, and the safety is already engaged.

You typed your short response while I was thinking and typing my long one. LOL

Basically saying the same thing though!

quote:

I don't do any "long term" storage

from your original post

quote:

relieve the tension on the hammer spring for long-term storage

Color me confused... When I 'store' something long term its not ready to go on a moment's notice. in fact it may be anything but ready to go due to lube and preservative. But I would like the hammer at rest. FWIW>

My HD AR is ready to go; loaded, chambered, and on safe.

The extras in the safe, offhand I don't know (or care). They are unloaded and either cocked and on safe (if I was dry firing it perhaps?) or hammer down on empty chamber.

I clear or chamber check every weapon I touch each time, so it isn't a safety issue which is which.

Army arms rooms typically drop the hammer before putting them in the rack under the weak spring theory. I don't personally care about that particular myth.

"Active Shooters"