Jump to content

Closing a gun.


manthing
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've been told that the proper way is to bring the stock up to the barrels, presumably to keep the barrels pointed at the floor. 

So why does almost every vid on tubeyou of various semi-pro or championship shooter have them closing the gun like I and I think most others do, by lifting the barrel. 

It just doesn't feel natural if I try doing it the "proper" way and I end up all a kerfuffle lol. 

Come on, fess up, who does what? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 78
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Stick to barrels and safety off only once barrels pointing to sky, your Gamekeeper will thank you, Beaters are hard to come by..

The other way round is sloppy but a habit some clay shooters have got into because it’s less of a dr,a shooting clays, the problem is when they so shoot game and can’t get put of the habit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As above BUT  ALWAYS ensure the barrels are pointing somewhere safely anyway as feet are very useful parts of peoples anatomy. Ask me why I know this ????

Late 50s, Young Farmers Jamboree near Nuneaton and a clay shoot.  One lad turned and closed his gun the correct way but the gun went off and blew the side off his mates foot who was loading for him.  The chap had to live with a serious limp the rest of his life.   I have also had it happen to me but fortunately the gun was pointing at the ground and clear of anyone else. It does make you shudder for  while.  Stay safe!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, manthing said:

I've been told that the proper way is to bring the stock up to the barrels, presumably to keep the barrels pointed at the floor. 

So why does almost every vid on tubeyou of various semi-pro or championship shooter have them closing the gun like I and I think most others do, by lifting the barrel. 

It just doesn't feel natural if I try doing it the "proper" way and I end up all a kerfuffle lol. 

Come on, fess up, who does what? 

Wood to meta,l being right is never reserved for the majority.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, manthing said:

I've been told that the proper way is to bring the stock up to the barrels, presumably to keep the barrels pointed at the floor. 

So why does almost every vid on tubeyou of various semi-pro or championship shooter have them closing the gun like I and I think most others do, by lifting the barrel. 

It just doesn't feel natural if I try doing it the "proper" way and I end up all a kerfuffle lol. 

Come on, fess up, who does what? 

Shooting folklore is full of old wives tales, myths, mythology and mere opinions which have often been ingrained and passed onto people and become accepted "facts". 

Stock to wood is one of those, let me firstly make it clear that I have nothing against this at all but using logic and evidence will demonstrate why it's little more than pomp. It is arguably a rather elegant way of going about closing a gun and it has much to commend it in terms of sympathy towards more fragile old school guns which were not made for high volume shooting, the stock area of a graceful side by side for example can be quite frail if treated with the kind of abuse a typical clay specific OU has to endure. 

If you Youtube the greatest clay shooter of all time it will quickly become apparent that like every other volume shooter he invariably brings the barrels onto the stock, this is the same when you observe him shooting in a line or in a hide, bear in mind that he describes himself as a countryman and game shooter first, clay shooter second. 

The erroneous argument made in favour of "stock to gun" is usually that of safety but as is often the case when you apply thought and logic to the process it simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The absolute unbreakable rule of shooting is that we must first ensure the direction to which the gun is pointed is one that is safe, no ifs or buts, it has to be free from any potential danger, this means that when you walk onto a stand in a clay shooting environment that it's more than reasonable to assume that the organisers have deemed the stand and its direction of fire to be safe. Therefore in the unfortunate situation whereby the gun may discharge accidentally it is neither here or there whether the charge strikes the ground one foot away from your foot, away at waist height or near vertically upwards, in fact you are FAR more likely to receive a smattering of debris from a ground shot, it is also much more plausible that such a shot onto an immaculately prepared purpose built platform (such as we have for certain disciplines) would result in rather expensive damage, all of which would have been avoided had the gun been pointed downrange towards the sky. The example of a fool turning towards those behind him is just that, an idiot TURNING with a loaded gun.

So you see, there is no rational "safety" issue here. The reason as to why people invariably learn to shut their guns in ways that are either at opposite end of the "stock to gun" or at best a half way variation is that of balance and repeatability without fatigue. The human mind soon works out a comfortable and safe routine and it is rarely as the old boys liked to preach. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the replies peeps. ?

As stated safety first. When on a stand I always look where I'm pointed before closing the gun and safety stays on till its up in the right place. 

Veering off slightly, when loading for a gun do you pass them the gun closed and barrels skyward, tricksy situation as the gun is probably shooting 180 deg to where you're loading. Where's safe then? ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heaven forbid. Still, I suppose it's OK as we're only talking clay pigeon ranges.

Just one point from several that is worth mentioning and that is the fact that it is never reasonable to assume anything when safety is the topic. I mean to say, the 'keeper wasn't assuming anything when he remarked, "Good morning, Colonel, I see you're using 6s today". But that's just more folklore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Horses for courses

On a clay ground where you can be fairly certain there is no safety issue Block to stock is acceptable (I once got a B******* from an instructor when using a concrete floored stand for loading stock to block)

Elsewhere where you cannot be so sure there is no one in front it is stock to block every time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shoot enough and long enough and I guarantee the proverbial happens.  Just go out there and think SAFE!!!!

Had a Sergeant Instructor once who had his S&W Model 10 in a holster but in the front of his belt and pointing at you know where !!! We all told him about it. One day on the range an ambulance came racing in down to the pistol range. You have guessed, he went to draw and the revolver went off putting a round very close to family treasures, even closer to his femoral artery, with the bullet travelling down his thigh bone to lodge on top of his knee cap.   IT...shortened ...happens and can happen to us all. Regardless of how high and mighty safe you believe you are, think on it every time you handle a gun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems that both sides of this argument will stick to their cases. Let me make just this one point. How, in the field, can you close a gun barrels to stock without having the barrels at waste height level with beaters in front pickers up behind and fellow guns each side. Is that safe, no of course not so for me it is wood to metal every time (and I do).

When I ran a shoot anyone with barrels pointing thus would at least expect a polite word and all were warned in my briefing at the start of each day about this practice. I might add that included the reverse process when unloading!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...