Do you use the safety on your shotgun?

[Zoub]

Friday I dropped an unloaded 1100 so hard on the recoil pad, I swear it bounced back up. The safety was on and bolt open too, no rounds in mag tube either. Why not use it?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

What I'm saying is there are people out there who believe the safety makes their shotgun drop safe.

Do you tell them about my 870 at Shootrite?

Hey, have I told you guys about . . . ?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Here's another highly-trained Captain Tacticalpants that eschewed the safety: How I Shot My Leg Off with a Shotgun... Graphic - AR15.Com Archive

Gun safety is for noobs, amirite or what?

 

[JettaKnight]

And there it is.





I do use the safety on my Rem 1100, but I hate it - it's made for right handed people.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Remember, kids, if you unload the gun then it is not "low-dead": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLh61mfyYVM

Use your gd safety. Follow the Four Rules. Go to school and learn how to handle weapons properly.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The safety on a Remington 870 does NOT lock the firing pin and does NOT protect against it firing when dropped, in a vehicle crash, etc. It does NOT lock the firing pin in place and does NOT lock the hammer in place. It locks the trigger in place.

Owners of some Remington shotguns, rifles claim pattern of inadvertent discharges - Rock Center with Brian Williams

I don't know enough about Mossberg to say, but I would suspect it's the same.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Remember, kids, if you unload the gun then it is not "low-dead": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLh61mfyYVM

Use your gd safety. Follow the Four Rules. Go to school and learn how to handle weapons properly.

Not sure what that has to do with the topic. The guy worked his charging handle, failed to visually or physically verify the chamber, and pulled the trigger with the gun pointing downrange.

How do the 4 rules protect against a dropped firearm that can discharge when it hits? Drop it in a safe direction?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The OP launched a bromide against Rule #1 as unloaded guns are not "low-dead".

The OP eschewing of the safety is similarly less than optimal.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

I keep my HD shotgun on an empty chamber simply because the odds are higher I'll drop it taking it out of it's storage area than I'll need it for HD. Most shotguns are NOT drop safe. I still use the safety as well, because that's how it sits in my patrol car and I want exactly one manual of arms.

I'm of the same opinion as Phylo. Racking a shotgun gets people's attention. If I need to do it on the sly, I can.

How do you rack an 870 on the sly? I have tried a hundred different ways hunting and I have not figured it out.

 

[Ruffnek]

How do you rack an 870 on the sly? I have tried a hundred different ways hunting and I have not figured it out.

I'd also like to know.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

I can drop a round through the side and keep it quiet, but you have to have a loose round in hand. Getting one from the magazine into the chamber always goes "KA CHUNK" for me.

 

[MohawkSlim]

The OP launched a bromide against Rule #1 as unloaded guns are not "low-dead".

The OP eschewing of the safety is similarly less than optimal.

Can you explain how using the safety on a shotgun is more safe than leaving it off? Because the vast majority of people who carry shotguns for a living tend to side with a manual of arms that keeps the gun unloaded as opposed to loaded with safety on.

What I'm getting at with this thread is we've applied universal safety rules to ALL firearms and, in some cases, it's actually dangerous to do so.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Thank you for that. I am staying with my current defensive plan.

My expectation of any home intruder where I live is petty theft / crime of opportunity perp. I don't (I pray) anticipate a full on assault with intent to harm intrusion.

I'm not afraid of more than petty theft either. What concerns me is a petty thief that freaks out and loses his fashizzle like a cornered cat and decides he cant go to jail so he needs to eliminate any witnesses for a clean getaway.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

if it's already business time, just walked around with the safety off.

Can you explain how using the safety on a shotgun is more safe than leaving it off?

You want me to explain to you how/why using a mechanical safety is a good idea?

 

[MohawkSlim]

You want me to explain to you how/why using a mechanical safety is a good idea?

Yes.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yes.

Ok, but I don't have a beard and am hardly a gunsmith. However, firearms safeties prevent the depression of the trigger unless the safety is disengaged.

Safety Mechanisms

This can be quite helpful in preventing the weapon from discharging when you do not desire it to be discharge.

 

[Sniper 79]

I grew up shooting Ithaca 37's so prefer a gun with the trigger guard safety.

Still prefer a good pump gun and never use the safety. No different to me than carrying a revolver or a Glock. Keep your bugger hook of the bang switch.

 

[HKUSP]

In a hunting role, I always use a safety until ready to take the shot. HD shotguns are kept cruiser ready. If things have degraded to the point where I need to deploy a long gun, being quiet about it is the least of my concerns.

 

[phylodog]

Shotguns are single action. Carrying with a round in the chamber and the safety off is no different than doing so with a 1911 except at least with the 1911 the trigger is covered by a holster (hopefully). Same goes for the AR15.

 

[oldpink]

Shotguns are single action. Carrying with a round in the chamber and the safety off is no different than doing so with a 1911 except at least with the 1911 the trigger is covered by a holster (hopefully). Same goes for the AR15.

True, but at least with the 1911, there's a grip safety, so it's actually a bit worse with the shotgun.