Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Doubles, tang safeties and safe handling question.

Mule Deer: Cautionary story! I agree that the most important safety is between your ears. Seems like the Model 70 bearer didn't get the basics right. That muzzle is the most important thing to me. If that's squared away, then at least an ND will likely only be an embarrassment.

While I don't trust any safety, I do like having ones that aren't easily wiped off. Trips and falls can happen too, and a good safety might come in handy then. Or an empty chamber.

I also like bolts and doubles because one can check for barrel obstructions pretty easily from the rear.


Sidepass: That sounds pretty safe.

I suppose the PH, later on, could draw some comfort from the fact he was hit with a .458 solid instead of a soft. What a good deal! 😉

Hunting pheasants in a group is probably the most dangerous hunting you will ever do. Keeping the line straight and everyone pointing muzzles in a safe direction. When someone drops to retrieve a bird they need to be disciplined & verbally let folks know as they rejoin. Better with good dogs but another moving obstacle to keep track of in the field.

I like action open with shells in or loaded safety on pointed slightly forward left at the ground where I could trip stick my finger in the trigger guard and slide the safety off alll 3 & still just shoot a hole in the ground. But I’m not who I worry about so I prefer to be at the end of a line.

Fast & furious dove hunting in the imperial valley from a fixed position in public fields I’ll have it loaded safety engaged pointed skyward - I have lately become verbally blunt with hunters headed into the middle of the field right before shooting time who put themselves at risk & cut down everyone’s shooting lanes. These days I’ll move to a safer field with fewer birds & hunters since I don’t trust idiots from LA who learned hunting from tv shows to be safe.

Had the safety of my 1896 W&S Screw Grip disengaged since it was slick and super tight, I had great difficulty engaging/disengaging the safety. For 2 decades, I walk around with shells in the chambers but the action open. Single handed, over my shoulder, cradled over my arm/s, the action stays open until a bird is in the air. It takes a split second to close it followed by bringing it to shoulder.

Alan