Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska the safest bolt gun safety?

If you're in a situation where for some reason you have to have a round chambered then it's hard to beat the Blaser safety/cocker/decocker system.

So you have followed bear into an alder patch with an unloaded gun?

Had a rem 700, had the safety checked by a rem gunsmith as they recommended. Day later it misfired upon closing the bolt. Sold it and bought Sako 3 position safety, good or not the sako's have been trouble free and only fire when the trigger is pulled.

Ok, guess I'll add my 2cents worth, as I'm always carrying a round in the Chamber, but the Rifle is not Cocked, I guess you could say my Granddad showed me this Trick about 60 yrs +/- now, this was his De-Cock way back when, and this will work with any Bolt-Action Rifle....
Sequence of Operation, and pay attention to this Sequence....
1st Open the Bolt and Load your Magazine, Dis-Regard this is you have a Removable Magazine....
2nd Insert your last Round in the Chamber.....
Again Pay attention, 1st Pull the Trigger Back and Hold it, and then Close the Bolt and push it down......
Ok, your ready to go.....
Now, when the time comes that you might be ready to Shoot, just reach down and JUST LIFT the BOLT-UP, and Push it back-down, your Locked and Loaded, pull the Trigger when Ready, and if you decide that you are not pulling the Trigger at this time, Lift the Bolt back-up, DO-NOT Pull the Bolt Back, just Pull and Hold the Trigger Back as you Re-Close the Bolt, Easy-Peasy, I'm 74 this year, and been doing for EVER, don't need to stinking safety......
Lj

And as far as the Firing-Pin Resting on a Live-Primer, I just looked at several of my Rifles, and Yea, you can see the Firing-Pin, but it is somewhat recessed, and in no-way a determent.
Oh, and yea, this is the way we carried our Bolt Rifles in a Scabbard on Horse-Back..... and the Lever-Guns were carried the same way, but on Half-Cock.

I like my horses too much to do that.

Letting the firing pin rest on the primer makes me shudder.

Most of the popular bolt actions I am familiar with...in the scenario you describe, the firing pin tip is resting on a live primer, with whatever remaining mainspring pressure there may be...if the cocking piece is exposed, I can see where you could get an accidental discharge by dropping the rifle.

Never seen it in my life

Yes. Done it that way ever since

We make sure that someone else carries our ammo only doling 1 round at a time out when needed. We disassemble our rifles so that nobody sneaks a round in when we aren’t looking and we designate 1 guy to carry everyone’s bolts.

Safety first….😂

AK375DGR, the way you describe your method is also the way I store my gun at end of day.....takes pressure off the firing pin spring. Now if you do not want to have a round in the chamber, place like 3 rounds in the magazine and press down on the last round with your finger as you close the bolt. Just lift the bolt when ready to shoot ejecting a round into chamber.

The only reason I can see to have a rifle loaded with an empty chamber is if you are in a state like CO that allows hunters to, have a loaded rifle in a vehicle driving around scouting so long as the chamber is empty, however, since I am from PA I would not do that. When I hunted antelope in CO my rifle was had a detachable magazine so I kept in in my pocket untill I got out of the truck and then inserted it, and jacked one into the chamber when the guide said to do so. When in Rome, do as the Romans but when I hunt in my home state as well as others with simalar laws when I get to my stand which is always in the dark and get in I load up and jack one in the chamber. When small game hunting I load up and jack one in the chamber after we get out of the vehicle and start hunting. Do you empty chamber guys wait until the pheasant flushes or the rabbit bolts from cover to jack a round in the chamber? What is the difference between hunting? None small game or big game when it comes to gun safety? None, nota, zip, zero! The number one rule of gun safety is never allow your firearm to be pointed at anything you do not intend to shoot. There is being safe and then there is being ridiculous. How many here carry an handgun under a license to carry and then don't load it untill you see trouble? Think about it!

The safest safety I've ever come across, is the blr safety. On halfcock, it's typical.

But then you can hinge the hammer forward to protect the firing pin.

You could literally bash the hinged hammer, the rifle won't fire. It's a smart design.

Snork, When thrashing the lodgepole thickets for elks, we always used older takedown rifles...took down of course. No elks were ever harmed accidentally, let alone nimrods. Safety first.

As you say to each their own. Our handguns are holstered and contained and concealed often and fully loaded. TOTALLY different than waving a long arm around.

I"ve yet to need to load a rifle that cost me an animal while hunting. again YMMV on that.

With a full mag, empty chamber the muzzle is out of play. I am demanding of muzzle control from others and especially as a guide. I also value my life and know how many times I"ve been swept by a barrel. Even if its just a sling rifle on a pack and a guy leans to step over a log or such. Its almost innocent in a way. Especially after say a 10 mile day of hiking and or being up all hours and very little sleep. So its much easier to keep it totally safe.

I suppose the day may come I loose my life to an empty chamber with a bear. But its never even been close so far. And I can chamber and fire that rifle faster than I can draw the loaded handgun.

I do hunt birds a bit and yes those shotguns are also loaded when we are actively shooting. Although I hunt a LOT with double barrel guns and those are open until the time to shoot when they are closed and shot.

Yup I see your point, but the need for a loaded rifle chamber is just not there and any time I can be safer I am.

From my standpoint a gun is always loaded.. treat as such!

In doing so, wouldn't the firing pin be resting against the primer? There are many, many instances where I think this could be very dangerous.

Are you saying you walked around with a dbl barrel shotgun in the broken position until you are ready you shoot? I call bullsh*t. I cut my teeth hunting pheasants when they were plentiful and only an idiot would walk around with a broken shotgun. there is being safe and there is being stupid and then there is telling tales. I vote for the latter!

Old timers did that too.. Much quicker to close gun than cock hammers which were carried pre-cocked with open action.

Finally, a Colorado guy gets it.