Safeties (for bolt actions), how do they work?

[Justin Utherdude]

Excuse the oblivious clickbait title.

I'm looking at rifle actions for potential builds as well as triggers. All are 700 footprint actions. How do the safeties work for these? If I was getting an aftermarket trigger pack would that dictate what safety is used? Are the safeties bundled to or tied to the action or trigger pack? If I was trying to find a 3 position safety would I need to find both an action and a trigger pack that support that?

Basically, for custom guns is the function of the safety tied to the rifle action, is it tied to the trigger, or is it tied to the trigger but requires compliance with the action?

 

[jelenko]

For rem 700, the safety is part of the trigger

 

[swd]

There are basically 2 styles. The trigger block that keeps the trigger from being pulled like most 700 type triggers use and Mauser type that engages the firing pin and pulls is back and holds it off the sear. These can be 2 or 3 position and is part of the bolt shroud. There used to be an aftermarket 3 position for 700's, don't know it's still available otherwise the trigger you buy will probably have safety.

 

[Justin Utherdude]

Thanks for the knowledge dump. Now I just need to dump my old gun and get the funds together for a fancy new build.

 

[ebb]

There is no comparison between a trigger block and a 3 position. Locking the firing pin makes me feel like I can actually trust my safety.

 

[Will Henry]

On most of the 700 triggers, the safety cams the sear up, clear of the trigger lever. This works well enough but there is a limit to how much clearance can be achieved and the load on the safety lever can be quite high. Most of the 700 triggers also do not block the trigger. Blocking the trigger in a system like this, can be thought of as a safety for the safety.
On triggers like that on a Model 70, the trigger has no safety. Instead, the safety is incorporated into the bolt sleeve. It cams the cocking piece away from the sear.
One weakness in most safeties comes from, not the safety, but the trigger design and the need for minimal sear engagement to have a good trigger pull. When the safety is disengaged, we are counting on that minimal sear engagement to hold the sear. A failure to do that causes the rifle to fire when the safety is released. On a rifle where the safety only blocks the trigger, we are counting on the sear engagement to act as the safety. On triggers like the original Mauser trigger, with it's ample sear engagement, this would be fine. On a modern, over-riding sear trigger, it is not.
For such a simple requirement, safety systems can be a bit complex. WH

 

[FNSafari]

A trigger block safety is, in my opinion, only a bandaid waiting to fail.

 

[ELR LVR]

In a Rem 700 trigger
the Bolt when closed, the firing pin mechanism is pushed forward
agaonst the top sear of the trigger
The 2 ramped surfaces are met at like a 45 deg angle
So with forward pressure of the bolt, it tries to push the top sear down
When the top sear is allowed to move down
The firing pin drops
When you pull the trigger, it moves a piece out of the way so the top sear can fall downward
Thus allowing the firing pin to move forward
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If the top sear is not allowed to move down out of the way, the firing pin cannot move forward
The safety lever has a cam inside the trigger body which pushes and holds the top sear UP
So it cannot fall
And the firing pin in the bolt cannot move forward
even when you pull the trigger, because the sear cannot fall if held up
I like this design much better than trigger blocking (like a 10/22 safety)
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Firing pin blocking is likely even safer though

 

[Walt Krafft]

The best safety is an empty chamber! I have not seen a safety on a Remington trigger fail, not saying it won't. Almost every rifle with a 3 position bolt safety lever I have handled, needed work done to make the safety and trigger work correctly.