A Question About Safties

Glenfilthie

Glenfilthie

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I will apologize in advance to my moral and intellectual superiors out there. I know I'm doing it wrong and that I should probably be hung from a lampost and bayonetted foreven thinking about it.

But.

When I am hunting and my bush radar is red lining...I like to carry my gun with one up the spout and the safety on. I like to sling the rifle that way too when I am out tramping in the bush or sneaking down a game trail.

I know that I could trip over my shadow; I know that my foot could accidentally come out of my boot and my big toe could get inside the trigger guard, that the safety could accidentally come off and I could accidentally discharge the rifle and effectively dispatch myself from the gene pool in classic Darwinian Moment.

I could also win Lotto 6/49 too; but that doesn't mean I am going to abandon my RRSP's and convert them into lottery tickets. When I am alone in deer country and it is safe to do so, I carry my rifle loaded and safed. I have coins for the nannies and safety nazis out there - go to a pay phone and call somebody that cares.

Having said all that...My last bolt gun had a two position safety and the damn thing nearly drove me nuts. When walking with the rifle slung over my shoulder, the bechitted contraption would work itself open and the round up the spout would fall out. If I didn't notice it in time, the ones in the mag would flip out too because the spring tension on the floor plate was so lame. And yeah, it came from the factory like that! I once unslung the rifle to line up on a little doe for the freezer - and the bolt was open and there were no shells in the gun! Needless to say that friggin POS went up on the used gun rack on a trade, and I developed a searing contempt for two-position safeties. If I had to depend on that rifle for my supper I suspect I would starve to death and Darwin and the Devil would have me again!:mad:

I like the Mauser safties or ones that effectively lock up the action AND safe the rifle. My question is this: do the Sako rifles have a safety like that? I think Winchester and Ruger do, don't they?

Your scholarly opinion is appreciated...:stirthepot2:
 
Ruger does. I think the Rem 700 does now, too, but I'm not positive. My Browning A-Bolt locks the bolt as well.
I too carry my rifle charged and safety on. No biggie, most of the people I hunt with do too, and I feel safe. I'd hate to try carrying my muzzleloader without one up the spout!
 
I heard of this problem a lot and my immediate respose (which I have, up 'til now, been able to keep to myself) has been- wah, wah, wah! Quit sniveling, ya baby! If your bolt comes open, figure out a way to prevent it. This might be as simple as no longer stumbling along oblivious to what is happening to the rifle on your shoulder, or using an elastic band to holt the bolt down, or having a gunsmith create a bolt lock for your rifle. Of course the optional whine and sell technique can work as well! Regards, Bill.
 
My classic Sako L61 locks up the bolt.
Worst safety I ever had was on a fairly early Ruger 77, the one of top of the tang. I got quite a shock the first time I noticed that the safety came off, just from normal handling of the rifle. At first I thought it was because I had gloves on and my hand on the wrist of the stock, pushed the safe off without me noticing it. Then I discovered it would still come off from normal handling of the rifle, while hunting with bare hands.
 
My Husqvarna has a two-position safety, but it locks the bolt when engaged. I think that Remington 700s are one of the few bolt actions with a non-locking two-position safety.

I see nothing wrong with carrying a rifle "cocked and locked". No carry mode is a substitute for the four rules. An empty chamber seems like a needless compromise of readiness for a false sense of security.
 
of the guns i own/am familiar with, the only safety i will trust like that is the Ruger M77 mkII/Hawkeye safety. it rotates a thick cylinder of metal to physically block the trigger, and visibly locks the cocking piece and bolt.

but honestly i just prefer to not rely on a safety at all and just chamber a round before making a shot. the exception to this would be if you are already well situated in your blind/tree stand.

unfortunately a lot of hunters get complacent and assume that a safety is foolproof and also eliminates the need to exercise caution and safe muzzle control. not to mention i am familiar with the condition of my own rifles but i have no clue WTF everyone else does to theirs - bubbaing, home trigger jobs and an improperly adjusted trigger can easily create a rifle that is unsafe.

personally i would not hunt with someone who walked around all day with a round chambered and relied on their safety. then again, i prefer to hunt alone anyway - far from crowded hunting areas. too many people do stupid sh*t out there.

to answer your question however, all the new Ruger M77s have such a safety, and a very reliable one. the Savage tang safety is also three-position and locks the bolt but i am not familiar enough with its design to vouch for how safe/reliable it is.
rugerm77hawkeyesafetyjp.jpg
rugtrgrassbly.jpg
 
Well I just had the greatest chat with the fellas up here in Grande Prairie and it looks like my current favourite - the Sako - locks up the bolt rock solid! The only bummer on the Sako I could find was the price of spare magazines. Gah!
 
An empty chamber seems like a needless compromise of readiness for a false sense of security.
Click to expand...

considering ALL guns should be considered loaded and ready to fire I agree. Walking around thinking your chamber is empty is probabley more hazardous then the alternative of assuming the rifle will kill/maim if pointed in the wrong direction.
 
Once upon a time I carried my rem 700 with the safety on. Walking 1/2 mile down a fence line, 200 yds on my belly, I slowly crept up to two nice 4 point mulie's. After a 1.5hr stalk I was within 100yds of my prey. I slowly stood up and braced myself on a nice fence post, examined the two bucks and set my sights on the bigger one. When I was confident in my shot I squeezed the trigger gently and ................ NOTHING! I forgot the stupid safety was on, I worked the bolt and chambered another round, squeeze, and NOTHING again! Just as I figured it out the two bucks bounded away to live for another day. The end.

I dislike using safeties, if it had a bolt lock I might have figured it out sooner but buck fever had consumed me. I realize it's my own stupid fault but I hope to never loose a nice buck because I forgot the safety was on!
 
We tend to have beliefs based on our experiences.

First rifles friends and I hunted with were #4 sporters. Three of us shared one box of ammo. We carried rifles loaded and saftied. Not only did safties wiggle off due to handling, but over the course of our first week of deer hunting, 3 rounds were fired accidently. Triggers got snagged on bush.


Next year I carried the rifle with a round in the chamber and the bolt forward to the point it started to #### the bolt. So long as I carried muzzle down, the bolt would not slide open and lose the round. When still hunting I closed the bolt, no safety and waited - carefully.

I was walking down an old farmer's lane, carrying the rifle with the bolt handle lifted on that #4. It was cold and a light snow was falling. I stepped onto a small frozen puddle and ZIP, I was falling backwards on my ass. The rifle was flipped in the air and spinning down. It hit the ground in front of me, and I was looking right down the muzzle. Your brain is fast in an emergency. I knew the bolt was open and the rifle would not fire. The front sight got knocked off. Later that day, while still hunting over a gully, a large buck walked by about 50 yards away. I took careful aim at the boiler room and clipped his spine.

many years later my son took the Remington 14 (35 cal pump) and used the safety because with a rifle like that you just about have to use the safety. Saw a nice buck and pulled the trigger. Damn near bent it.

I was still hunting with a Ruger Mini-30 on my lap. Safety was on. Deer came up the trail from behind me. I never heard it coming. Suddenly he was walking by me, about 20 feet away. I rememebered to take the safey off, as I raised the rifle. The CLICK!!! was like an electric prod up his ass. He turned away and jumped down a hill and I never got a shot.


Conclusion. I hunt with bolt rifles with the handle up. For semis and pumps I use the safety when walking and turn it off when still hunting. I regard safeties as very dangerous devices.

I really like hammer guns. So easy to carry hammer down and to #### when needed.
 
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I have carried Remington 700s for 30 years,and not once has the bolt opened while in the field.I guess that I must pay too much attention to my rifle to have the bolt snag and have the action come open.
 
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