Wow. I just read this whole thing. I'm more than confused. I carry a 7600 pump, in NY. I mostly go in wicked thick areas, and walking over rolling hills I "jump"deer a LOT. So I do get that close. Everyone that I ever learned from goes hot.
I had my safety checked for absolute soundness (within it's physical limits) by a gunsmith that is familiar with 7600's. I did this AFTER have the trigger tuned.
There is no such fantasy as cycling this pump around here without giving up a shot.
BUT, I actually have always walked with the breech broken open and the safety on. I'm walking through rolling hills and heavy cover at this point. If I have to navigate tough terrain, or cross streams, I've always unloaded entirely.
At any rate, I always felt that I was doing pretty good. If I fell, it wouldn't be on all those boulder formations, and down 50' like some have alluded to. Likely, it would be flat on my face, and that just hasn't happened to me. Regardless, the forearm of the pump is not locked and therefore (as I understand) the trigger is useless.
When I get a shot, the hand holding the forearm only has to push forward, while my trigger hand moves the safety before touching trigger. Being left-handed, I actually have to reach around thte trigger guard to get to the safety.
If I'm doing something wrong, I'd like to know because I've been moving about with this rifle feeling that I had stuff pretty well worked out. Running completely cold with a pump rifle seems like a really difficult task around here.
I don't have a vote. I just want to find out if I'm less than safe.
