...Just be mindful of no mechanical safety, those big trigger guards have alot of empty room on the sides to catch anything hanging or poking into them when the hammers are cocked back. I am not the only shotgunner to have a close call with this design, and muzzle control saved the day. It's funny how we mere mortals have no problems with our father's Cooey single barrel shotguns, but I once had a close call with this SxS. IMHO, only #### the one hammer back shortly before use.
My two bits.......
A subject fraught with pitfalls no matter how you look at it. I'd never argue against any safety best practice, unless it was so onerous as to undermine the original purpose of the activity. Still, as a fervent SXS hammergun hunter, I have difficulty imagining hunting with an uncocked gun. I mean, if this were feasible, wouldn't it be better to forget about mechanical safeties and just not #### any gun until preparing to fire?
I have never had an unintended discharge of an open hammer gun. But, that doesn't mean it'll never happen. With all my guns, I rely on muzzle control for safety, not mechanical safeties nor by carrying an uncocked gun.
I believe that your approach makes good sense when carrying the gun to and from hunting. It could work well enough with some forms of game that generally allow a second or two to collect your wits before vanishing into the bush. Game birds, though, often require instantaneous reaction or the opportunity will be lost. In these situations, I doubt anyone could ####, mount, acquire the target, and fire fast enough.
The only practical method I've found for carrying open-hammer guns is with the action open and the hammers down at all times, except while hunting. While hunting, I carry with the action closed and both hammers cocked. If hunting with a partner, I carry the loaded, cocked gun in the cradle carry position (see ht tp://homestudy.ihea.com/hsafety/04fieldcarry.htm) with the muzzle to the left if my partner is on my right, or in the two-handed ready position with the barrels pointed straight up, if my partner is working to my left (you may have guessed, I'm right-handed).
Brutus is correct in that each of us has to evaluate our own attention span, our body type, and our tendencies. Then, we have to make safety the first priority. While there are indisputable "Laws" of firearms safety, our individual approach to safety with different action designs depends on a long list of factors.
This post was intended not to provide a prescription for SXS hammergun safety, but the contrary; to show that good safety practice is a context-specific discipline. And that reliance on factors over which we exercise full control (such as muzzle direction) is superior to reliance on mechanical systems or the actions of others (over which we have no control).
