Stalking with .410 without safety catch

[spandit]

Just curious as to how other owners of shotguns (or rifles for that matter) without safety catches carry them in the field? I have a single barrel bolt action Anschutz .410 and it cocks when you chamber the round (Lee Enfield style?). By holding the firing pin plunger spring tension and pulling the trigger, I can decock it again (and cock by pulling the plunger back again) but it's a lot noisier and slower than a conventional safety catch. Do others stalk around with the gun cocked or wait until the last second before cocking it (and potentially missing a shot from running game)?

My other .410 is hammer action which is a lot quicker to cock but it still has no safety, per se

[ratass]

carry with the bolt not cammed in then you can just slide in an lock

 

[spandit]

1 minute ago, ratass said:

carry with the bolt not cammed in then you can just slide in an lock

 

Difficulty with that is that to lock the bolt is quite difficult - it's very tight. Without the bolt cammed in, the ejector falls out and so would the cartridge

[ratass]

oh ok ,its just method I use on my Webley keeping the barrel pointed down it works for me

[39TDS]

23 minutes ago, spandit said:

By holding the firing pin plunger spring tension and pulling the trigger, I can decock it again (and cock by pulling the plunger back again)

Haven't you got the firing pin resting on the primer when you've done that?

[spandit]

Just now, 39TDS said:

Haven't you got the firing pin resting on the primer when you've done that?

I presume like most firearms it's a free floating firing pin - pretty sure my rifle pins would all protrude out of the hole if you tipped the bolt down, just not with enough force to dent the primer

[Scully]

If you’re on your own then I’d simply carry it ready to go. 

If in company I always carry mine loaded but broken ( which I realise of course you can’t with a bolt action ) but having to close the gun when something ‘gets up’ doesn’t tend to slow me down. None of the safeties on my guns are used anyhow. 

[39TDS]

If you dropped the gun and the plunger hit summat wouldn't it go off?

On shotguns with no safety I have always carried them cocked. May not be the safest way but works for me and I feel safe doing it.

Safest way would be unloaded, bolt removed but not very practical.

[spandit]

Just now, 39TDS said:

If you dropped the gun and the plunger hit summat wouldn't it go off?

I doubt it. The plunger can't move forward any more so it's only the weight of the firing pin itself that would be pressing on the primer - same as any other rifle. In actuality, my rifles are generally carried cocked with the safety on so there is tension on the firing spring - if one of them were dropped and a sear moved, it's possible it could fire, although I'm pretty sure they're tested for this. With the plunger forward on my .410, there's no tension on the spring and nothing to actually move forward

5 minutes ago, Scully said:

having to close the gun when something ‘gets up’ doesn’t tend to slow me down

Break action is a lot quicker, I'd say. Barely any squirrels around here anyway and every time I see one it's run away from the dogs before I get in range (my mother-in-law seems baffled by the fact that her untrained puppy keeps bolting off to follow my dog, despite the fact that he's supposed to be on limited exercise as he was limping badly yesterday - 3 times I had to bring him back because she won't put him on a bloody lead)

[thepasty]

with my .410 hammer I have the hammers back but gun broken.

[Scully]

13 minutes ago, spandit said:

I doubt it. The plunger can't move forward any more so it's only the weight of the firing pin itself that would be pressing on the primer - same as any other rifle. In actuality, my rifles are generally carried cocked with the safety on so there is tension on the firing spring - if one of them were dropped and a sear moved, it's possible it could fire, although I'm pretty sure they're tested for this. With the plunger forward on my .410, there's no tension on the spring and nothing to actually move forward

Break action is a lot quicker, I'd say. Barely any squirrels around here anyway and every time I see one it's run away from the dogs before I get in range (my mother-in-law seems baffled by the fact that her untrained puppy keeps bolting off to follow my dog, despite the fact that he's supposed to be on limited exercise as he was limping badly yesterday - 3 times I had to bring him back because she won't put him on a bloody lead)

I have no practical experience of bolt action shotguns, so you’ll know better than me, but like I said, if I was on my own I’d just carry it ready to go. 

I’ve never hunted squirrels. Dog sounds like a character, but a pain. 🙂

[spandit]

6 minutes ago, Scully said:

Dog sounds like a character, but a pain. 🙂

He is a pain but mainly because he doesn't get the structured exercise he needs. Mother-in-law is disabled and generally just lets him run around loose outside. As a 1-year old cockerpoo he doesn't like staying still but seldom gets told "No" - if she leaves the room for 5 seconds he starts howling - when she goes out and I'm dogsitting I have to just turn the telly up (having him in our side of the house means he runs upstairs and leaves poo everywhere).

[figgy]

On your .410 hammer gun does it have half cock as that is the safety. When ready to shoot you just pull hamers to full cock as you mount and shoot.

[Ricko]

It's a difficult one, my Norica has a tab that slides over as a safety, it's by the end of the bolt but awkward to use. My Webleys all have that arrangement at the end of the bolt where it can be twisted to lock it, again awkward to use.

For me I ended up with an old Brazilian CBC, with a hammer action, I think that seems the safest method for me. Although I only ever really use the .410s etc on squirrels so it's usually in a gun raised position.

[dougall]

my 1st gun was an Anschultz bolt action 410,I recall that the back of the bolt could be slightly pulled back and turned into a little groove?..which acted as a safety catch,you simply twisted this back a little and away you went......?failing that if had to use would walk with gun up to sky'just watch your footing..whilst a safety catch is better than not any gun with one in the spout is not 'safe' though.

Walking around with an Anschultz does half bring back a lot of memories and one still burnt into my head was a snap shot at 1 of 2 pigeon bursting from an ivy thicket I shot at the first and clean killed the second about 2 foot behind the 1st one!!..best ever lesson about lead!! I was 11/12yrs old and would go out alone for about 7/8 hours......not sure that would happen now though.....enjoy be safe.

[zipdog]

the old Webley Xocet airifles i learnt to shoot with were never made with a safety catch. Not saying a safely catch isn’t added insurance but muzzle awareness is King

[old'un]

I am pretty sure that the safety catch on most shotguns only prevents the trigger/s being pulled, it will not stop the gun accidentally being discharged if dropped, as for walking with a gun with no safety catch, its as Zipdog said “muzzle awareness is King” rightly or wrongly I have always walked with the safety catch off, but I am very muzzle aware, and I always unload when crossing obstacles.  

[spandit]

More discussion than I expected, thank you!

[spandit]

On 28/12/2018 at 12:59, dougall said:

my 1st gun was an Anschultz bolt action 410,I recall that the back of the bolt could be slightly pulled back and turned into a little groove?..which acted as a safety catch

Well well well, who knew? Mine has that little groove - never noticed it before this evening. So I do have a safety catch!