I use the half position for unloading, as is standard, but I also use it on stand as an animal approaches or on the final few feet of a stalk, when the shot is imminent... makes for a quick and easy "snick" to the firing position. I prefer a three position safety to a tang switch.
FN-98 3 pos safety question
- Thread starter SuperCub
- Start date
I use the half position for unloading, as is standard, but I also use it on stand as an animal approaches or on the final few feet of a stalk, when the shot is imminent... makes for a quick and easy "snick" to the firing position. I prefer a three position safety to a tang switch.
As far as blocking the "hammer" instead of blocking the trigger as a 700 does... it has the same effect... a part would have to break in order for the safety to malfunction. The method the 700 uses is to hold the firing pin back off the sear... it is effectively blocking the "hammer" while the trigger sear is actually disengaged. It doesn't really matter how the firing pin is blocked... as long as parts do not break. Which is something I have never seen...
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Super Cub - there should be three positions on that - all the way forward is fire - all the way back is on safe and bolt locked shut - then a middle position that is on safe, but the bolt can open. They each have discrete detents - discrete tactile "clicks" when in three positions. What you show above in Post #46 as "safe" position - is that the middle position that allows the bolt to open, or all the way back that locks the bolt shut? Both that middle position and the rearmost position could be called "on safe" by some - that safety lever has hold of the firing pin in either of those two positions.
What I notice in your picture, and the centre one in the picture that I posted in Post #21 above - as if the safety lever has not come fully back against the bolt shroud - as if the axis for the vertical rotation is in wrong place?
What I notice in your picture, and the centre one in the picture that I posted in Post #21 above - as if the safety lever has not come fully back against the bolt shroud - as if the axis for the vertical rotation is in wrong place?
Hey Nelson .... Post #46 edited to include pic of the mid position with the bolt unlocked.
You're right, the does not come back fully against the shroud but does indeed protrude in such a way to allow it to be bumped off safe. It has happened to me 3 times now.
The Ruger 77 safety is good, but has its faults. Tucked in tight might be good for waving a gun around loaded but it becomes a bit of an issue if rapid deployment is needed. It is also separate from the bolt assembly and does not block the firing pin.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
It looks to me like that Dakota wasn't properly fit to the shroud. Maybe it's just a shadow, but it looks like it should swing further back so that the flat portion on the safety is parallel to the firing pin and bolt body. That would tuck the lever further back than it is now, more in line with the Gentry.
No problem deploying rapidly with the winged design, it is easy to catch, even with a glove on, however, as mentioned above, when squeezing the trigger is imminent, I move it to the mid position. In 30+ years with the Mark II and having used dozens of these rifles, I have never had an issue with the Ruger 3-Position safety.
Definitely one of the best safety systems I’ve used. Ruger nailed that for sure.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I have a couple of the Parker Hale 1200 - they have a slot cut into the receiver - when the safety knob is slid rearward - to put it on "safe", an arm rises up through that slot and engages the bolt to hold it from opening. Not all Mauser 98 have that slot. So, is an "extra" step involved to swap over - to get that slot cut and then cut the slot into the bolt for that arm to engage.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I have tried that on a couple rifles here - either the ring mounts have to be VERY high, or the eye piece on the scope needs to be very small diameter - was a thing some time ago to get a "sniper" safety that was pretty much a drop in replacement for that "over the top" military 3 position lever. There are enough pictures floating on Internet of German WWII snipers firing their rifles - I think it was typical that the scopes were mounted so high, that the shooter was using a "point of chin" weld, not a cheek weld. I think various British sniper guns almost always had a wooden cheek piece added to the standard butt stock - to get the shooter's cheek high enough to maintain a "cheek" weld, when using a scope.
There were various "up-down" two position safety levers made to replace the military three position safety on Mausers - they usually gave up the middle position - might have been an issue for some to turn a safety to "fire" in order to open the bolt and unload the rifle. I think Timney and Dayton Triaster made ones that go on right side of scope eye bell - they usually require a slot to be cut in the military shroud so that the thing does not fall out of the rifle in the "fire" position. FN and Parker Hale made similar that went along left side of scope's eye bell - they are pretty much "drop in" replacement for the three position military lever.
When replacing the safety on a Mauser, is fairly important to verify that engaging the safety also pulls the cocking piece at least a few thousandths off of the trigger's sear. When releasing the Mauser safety, it should be setting that cocking piece back onto that trigger sear face. You can most definitely fire a Mauser by first pulling and holding the trigger, and then releasing the safety - will be nothing to hold that cocking piece back - so grunge, rust, warped stock, poor inletting, etc. can all cause the sear to stay down, below the cocking piece - it will be as if the trigger is pulled - and the rifle will therefore fire, when the safety is released.
Last edited:
