How to use mod 70 safety

LittleBoyLefty said:
Yes sir SC,

As you know I grew up whitetail hunting in the east. Swamps and dogs, good times... There are definitely regional differences and traditions that come into play with the decision to carry hot or not.

Nowadays, horses and/or heavy backpacks are often part of our hunts, guns into scabbards or strapped to packs, etc. Even carrying or slung, hunting partners are often overhead or below. Snow covered or wet rocks... Seen many a good man go for a unplanned 'rapid loss of elevation'. Just changed my opinion over time. And it's not like there isn't any dense country here... ;)

Whatever works for folks and their hunting buds. It's their hunt, their decision...

Me and mine always make our expectations clear when we take a new guy out. Our hunt, our camp, our rules. :)
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I have hunted with the above poster, one of my best friends and trust him with my life.

I grew up hunting the mountains and foothills of southern AB., Very rough country. I was brought up hunting with an empty chamber until the time was right. Climbing the side of a mountain, big backpacks, or on horses, crawling through shintangle, crossing creeks or rivers, none of it to me requires to have one in the chamber. But guess what, in close to 30 years of hunting in those conditions I cant ever recall not filling a tag because I didn't have one in the chamber. Bears, antelope, elk, moose, white tail, Mule deer, bighorn sheep etc. etc...

I always start the season off with a pocket full of tags, feel free to ask Littleboylefty how often I go without filling the tags I really want to. I seem to manage to drop animals all the time and rarely ever have one in the pipe ready to go. I must be doing something wrong...

*Edit* Just to add so that I am somewhat on topic, all of my main 5 current (most used) hunting rifles all have a thee position safety. Have owned and hunted with many others though.
 
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pete dobinson said:
Well, one things for sure WL, the model 70 safety is the best one out there.
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Perhaps guntech could validate a concern - if the cocking piece were to wear excessively, could this type of safety end being the most dangerous? i.e: removing the safety causes the gun to fire?
 
guntech said:
It is located in a secure place not disturbed by any accident and very easily accessed by the shooter... and the safety is either on (and locks the bolt) or off... no middle position and. If you want to lift the bolt with the safety on, there is a separate release on the bolt handle for that... It's a marvelous design to use.
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+1. Another benefit to the tang safety on the X-Bolt, Ruger #1, etc. is that if you hunt with a sxs or o/u shotgun you don't need to learn another system.
 
In my shop, I occasionally saw Model 70 safeties that were defective. They could not be applied. To repair them, it was necessary to refit the surfaces that cause the cocking piece to be cammed back when the safety is applied. I do not recall one that would cause the rifle to fire when the safety was released - assuming that the trigger mechanism was properly set up, and the finger off the trigger.
The Model 70 safety design has small parts with critical engagements. Compare one with a Mauser.
 
chuck nelson said:
Which is so hard to do.
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When it comes to instinctive shooting and involuntary muscle memory, it is. People that work with guns tend to stick to one system to ensure that muscle memory is not degraded. Which is why I (sadly) rarely shoot my 1911. The 1911 system is so different from the DAO system I rely on daily I have no interest in running the risk of messing with my muscle memory. When the chips are down (whether in a hunting situation or personal defense) you want to make sure that the caveman part of your brain does what you need it to do. Hence why African PHs are generally either bolt guys or double guys. You don't want your thumb going to the wrong place with a homicidal animal bearing down on you.
 
BigUglyMan said:
When it comes to instinctive shooting and involuntary muscle memory, it is. People that work with guns tend to stick to one system to ensure that muscle memory is not degraded. Which is why I (sadly) rarely shoot my 1911. The 1911 system is so different from the DAO system I rely on daily I have no interest in running the risk of messing with my muscle memory. When the chips are down (whether in a hunting situation or personal defense) you want to make sure that the caveman part of your brain does what you need it to do. Hence why African PHs are generally either bolt guys or double guys. You don't want your thumb going to the wrong place with a homicidal animal bearing down on you.
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Horse feathers. I'm a lefty and can operate a bolt from the right side between using Lh rifles. You ought to be able to figure out a couple of safety's.
 
Almost all bolt action rifle safeties operate by pushing something forward, so it's really not that difficult to figure out how to use one, even with a bit of stress thrown in. The Brno 602 I had (in the obsolete 375 H&H) was the opposite, and I never liked it.

Throw in some lever actions, semis and shotguns and a man with more than a few guns will have multiple safeties to contend with, so if you like variety better get used to it.
 
chuck nelson said:
Horse feathers. I'm a lefty and can operate a bolt from the right side between using Lh rifles. You ought to be able to figure out a couple of safety's.
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When I switched over from a couple decades of shooting Crossbolt Wingmasters to Tang safety Citori's, I missed countless flushing birds in tight cover due to trying to find the button with my index finger... and when I did remember to slide the tang safety forward, I invariably "pumped" the Citori forend to "chamber" my follow up shot... and that was on the "very intense" flushing of a woodcock... if following up a wounded grizzly in the alders, I would want my rig to be as familiar as possible... probably wouldn't get to pump the forend on a flushing grizzly.
 
hoytcanon said:
When I switched over from a couple decades of shooting Crossbolt Wingmasters to Tang safety Citori's, I missed countless flushing birds in tight cover due to trying to find the button with my index finger... and when I did remember to slide the tang safety forward, I invariably "pumped" the Citori forend to "chamber" my follow up shot... and that was on the "very intense" flushing of a woodcock... if following up a wounded grizzly in the alders, I would want my rig to be as familiar as possible... probably wouldn't get to pump the forend on a flushing grizzly.
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Why would you have the safety on while following up a wounded grizzly?
 
chuck nelson said:
Why would you have the safety on while following up a wounded grizzly?
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OK, change the scenario... you are hunting thicket blacktails in a grizzly rich environment... the illustration was to support the point... namely muscle memory "is" a factor.
 
chuck nelson said:
Well guess what. I can tie them more than one way.
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Very marketable skill.....

At any rate, I have crawled in my hands and knees or struggled through thick alders and prickly ash to follow up on shot bears.... I have no desire to win a Darwin Award any time soon, so safety is on......

Never had that crap pull your tuque or knock your ballcap off or have that unseen stump cause you to lose your footing?....
 
Superbrad said:
Very marketable skill.....

At any rate, I have crawled in my hands and knees or struggled through thick alders and prickly ash to follow up on shot bears.... I have no desire to win a Darwin Award any time soon, so safety is on......

Never had that crap pull your tuque or knock your ballcap off or have that unseen stump cause you to lose your footing?....
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Wow. I've been in on a couple of dozen plus dead bear and haven't had to do that. Maybe Ontario blackies are tougher.
 
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