Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General "Safety" on an Older Win 94

How do I explain to my nitwit buddy, in easily understandable terms, that half-cock is not a safety?

Since when? Half cock was designed and used as a safety notch on guns for 300 years before the lawyers of the 1980's decided leverguns needed crossbolt or tang safeties.

I thought half-cock was considered unreliable functioning as a safety...been wrong before.

its a hell of a lot safer than carrying it loaded with the hammer down so i'd call it a safety.

It can fail. All safeties can, but half cock is what the 94 has. I think the half cock isn't considered safe on Colt SAA revolvers, but it works on the 94.

On all my vintage Winchester and Marlin lever guns, half cock is the only "safety" unless you're carrying it with an empty chamber. Other than semantics, what are you trying to get across to your buddy? I met a fella in the woods once that was carrying his 94 with the hammer at full cock. This was long before they came out with those obnoxious cross bolt buttons. When I pointed it out to him he said as long as you didn't hold the lever closed it was "on safe", referring to the trigger block safety plunger.

I felt he was adopting a false sense of security. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that the new safety modifications were providing something that wasn't already there.

Half cock is not a safety! Colt SAA revolvers don't have safeties either. Any exposed hammer gun of the 1800's era did not come with a safety, there are conditions that are more safe than another, but these are not safe unless carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber...

That's what I always thought. Are we both wrong?

No, a safety is a design built into a firearm to prevent the gun from an accidental discharge. It is mechanical and still can fail, but the design is to keep a gun from firing and any exposed hammer firearm without tang safety or cross bolt safety, has no safe condition with a round in the chamber...

Years ago, when I was researching these issues, it seemed this was the consensus. I've since forgotten most of all that, but have always been wary of the half-cock condition.

My buddy, who has now counseled his kid to do the same, reminded the latter, while trailing into the woods before dawn, with a round in the chamber, "put your safety on", referring to the half-cock position.

Half-Cock on a M94 or similar lever gun is only slightly safer than the 'safeties' on many bolt and other actions. Is any gun 'safe' with a round in the chamber? Obviously not.

Guess it all depends on what is meant by 'safe'.