How to use mod 70 safety

I don't use my safety with rifles. A lever action can be loaded effortlessly as it is brought to the shoulder. I find the same with a smooth operating bolt action.

Guess it depends on your individual reaction time. To be fair you all are more experienced than I am.

When I hunt upland I do though. But I have come to prefer a single shot with an exposed hammer, gun comes up hammer goes down. Has yet to cost me a bird but I'm sure it will at some point. When I had a sxs I would thumb up the safety while raising the gun.

When I used a pump shotgun to hunt deer/bear on VI I would chamber a round as I raised the gun. Make a noise but it was almost all snapshooting at very close ranges.
 
All the way back on safe, all the way forward to fire. I only use the middle position to unload. I will not chamber a round if I'm walking with another hunter or hunting in rough terrain.
 
conor_90 said:
I don't use my safety with rifles. A lever action can be loaded effortlessly as it is brought to the shoulder. I find the same with a smooth operating bolt action.

Guess it depends on your individual reaction time. To be fair you all are more experienced than I am.

When I hunt upland I do though. But I have come to prefer a single shot with an exposed hammer, gun comes up hammer goes down. Has yet to cost me a bird but I'm sure it will at some point. When I had a sxs I would thumb up the safety while raising the gun.

When I used a pump shotgun to hunt deer/bear on VI I would chamber a round as I raised the gun. Make a noise but it was almost all snapshooting at very close ranges.
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Different animal..... If you hunt with a lever, your hammer is your safety and ther is no need for any other.......
 
I have the same mod 70 my Dad bought for me when I was a teenager 35 years ago and its one of the safest rifles to walk with a loaded round. It makes no noise at all to move from full safe to ready to fire. I walk and stop for all my trophy whitetails and keep it loaded on full safe. If people think they can load a round into an empty chamber without getting busted I have to wonder how many have ever shot a trophy buck? but then again this is the internet and all kinds of stories will follow...
 
Personally I like a 2 position safety over the three position for hunting. I use a 2 position side safety on my Mauser 98 actioned rifles, just like a model 70 safety but without the middle position for unloading while on safe. I can understand the usefulness of a middle position for safely unloading in some circumstances, such as for military applications with lots of people around in all directions (I assume this was the reason for the middle position on the original mauser safety design). However when hunting I don't like three position safeties, the two position versions are much more instinctive and faster to use for me, when hunting in thick bush it makes a difference. When unloading I just keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction while ejecting the chambered round, the rest can be dumped out the bottom.

If the middle position is so great and improves safety so much then why have I never seen a single shotgun with this feature ?
 
The M70 safety, a three position, wing type, is one of the best ever put on a sporting big game rifle. If you can't dance to that one then you just can't dance. All the way rearward when round is chambered to carry. Half position to unload the rifle safely whether it's stripping round after round from a blind(just tap them partially no need to slam bolt home repeatedly) or dropping a floor plate after the first round is unsheathed.

I've never mountain hunted where game will be spotted from distance. The unloaded chamber sounds like a very safe option in this type hunting with tricky terrain. A little sucky on Eastern Whitetail stalking I can assure you but again a different application.

Anyone with a M70 rifle or M70 safety type rifle,.. may want to consider the "half position engagement" even if you are carrying on an empty chamber/loaded magazine.

This will ensure no unwanted discharge during abrupt chambering with gloved or very cold hands with numb fingers that may slap the trigger on quick closing, or in the event of that unspeakable brain fart after chambering with a no shoot, then momentarily forget it's not on safe cause you don't carry loaded normally, that middle position may just prevent an unwanted discharge in the heat or frustration of the moment, maybe from a slip or trip? If your game is at distance and there's time, as you say in mountain hunting,.. that annoying feeling of taking up the slack unknowingly on a safety you forgot you had on is a good trade off for a loaded chamber you momentarily forgot you had.
 
Every time a stalk fails and the animal moves, but you may get another shot in five mins and you can't make a peep of noise, seems like a pretty important use for one. Or when working with your PH in eight foot grass or thorn scrub looking for a Cape Buffalo, seems like a reasonable use too. Lion hunting, too, safety conscious members of this forum were happy to point out I was "muzzle swept" with a loaded .470 Nitro in a Lion video. Or a lot less exotic but equally useful when sitting in a tree stand, and needing to be as close to silent as possible when the buck of your dreams comes through fifteen yards away and below. Or when guiding in BC I'd sure appreciate a client who understands what a safety is, and what it is for. :)

Don't mind the cheekiness, I'm having fun with this one and it's early. So in summary a safety is a tool to aid in the prevention of accidental discharge, and shot PHs and guides who may become temporaily very angry if shot. Family members appreciate them too. They happen to be a very helpful tool and to many folk's surprise have been incorporated since the beginning of Mausers, Lee Enfields, you name it. Remington still hasn't quite figured out how they work and may prove an excellent option for you. :p
 
I use the middle position for unloading, when I remember or in those situations when I'm surrounded by people. Normally I can get the shell out of the chamber without shooting someone anyway. Where I do use it is test chambering a ton of hunting ammo before taking it on a trip. It's about as easy to take a M70 bolt apart so may do that instead.

The big thing for me is the M70 safety locks the striker itself and not just blocks the trigger. It's not the only one around that does that (Mark V comes to mind) but there really aren't that many. I also like a safety that locks the bolt handle down.
 
CanadaBoy said:
Personally I like a 2 position safety over the three position for hunting. I use a 2 position side safety on my Mauser 98 actioned rifles, just like a model 70 safety but without the middle position for unloading while on safe. I can understand the usefulness of a middle position for safely unloading in some circumstances, such as for military applications with lots of people around in all directions (I assume this was the reason for the middle position on the original mauser safety design). However when hunting I don't like three position safeties, the two position versions are much more instinctive and faster to use for me, when hunting in thick bush it makes a difference. When unloading I just keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction while ejecting the chambered round, the rest can be dumped out the bottom.

If the middle position is so great and improves safety so much then why have I never seen a single shotgun with this feature ?
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I'm trying to think of a single shotgun that can't be unloaded with the safety on, or has a safety that begins to compare with a striker locking M70.
 
conor_90 said:
Are trophy bucks better at hearing than the normal kind?
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They might not have better hearing, but if they've survived 3 or 4 hunting seasons they're not likely to stand around gawking and wondering what the noise was like a young buck.

You guys who carry chamber empty all the time need to learn to trust yourselves. I never completely trust a mechanical safety, but I do trust my gun handling. I've managed to get through a lifetime of hunting without an accidental discharge, even with some pretty good falls thrown in.

My experience with Model 70's is limited, but I would keep it all the way back until ready to fire, and just use the middle position for unloading and field stripping. Unaltered Mausers are a little different in that it's such a pita to twist the safety over 180 degrees if you're in a hurry. For those I use the middle position if I'm anticipating a shot. The intent of the original 3-position Mauser safety was as much about field stripping as it was about unloading safely.
 
Chucker243 said:
Personally, I walk in SAFE position. This locks the bolt and prevents, upon a rare occasion, a snag opening from a branch, vine, or clothing. If sitting or suspecting a shot opportunity, I place it in the middle position, to minimize movement and sound.
CC
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This for the win. Often, on CGN, the first response is the best one. Just remember to put it back on full safe before getting up and doing something (like navigating a tree stand ladder!?!, crossing a fence, etc.)
 
LittleBoyLefty said:
No great mystery.

We mainly hunt the mountains and foothills, I personally will not hunt with people who mountain hunt with a hot chamber.

If the animal is spotted far off, no problem, chamber a round and stalk. If its close and quick, I can get the rifle up and chambered plenty fast. Hasn't cost me an animal yet...

Do whatever works for you. You want to hunt with a hot chamber, no problem... we aren't hunting together. Knock yourself out.
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I would not hunt with an empty chamber here in the east as many times you need to be very quick getting on game given the close shooting we generally do.

Saying that, I was exposed to hunting with an empty chamber both times I was in the Yukon and thought it worked very well (and safely) for the type of hunting we did there.
 
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