Safety on a P-dog bolt gun?

[Nomo4me]

I've got to decide what to do with my Stiller Diamondback 6 dasher. The tang isn't notched for a top safety and I've never used a bottom safety.

I do keep the action open if I'm not going to be shooting for a while but if I'm glassing and spot a dog I like to be able to flick a top safety off and get the shot off quickly.

Anyone here go without a safety alltogether on their P-dog gun? Anyone using a bottom safety?

 

[hoss6br]

none of my rifles have safetys, i dont trust any of them! ive seen guns going off with guys fumbling with there safetys either tryen to unload a gun or tryen to get the fast shot off. the only safe gun is an emtey gun. when i hunt woodchucks i might have a round in chamber but bolt isnt shut, if i dont have time to get lined up on a chuck then shut bolt i guess i wont get him. im not sayen that everyone shuld take off there safetys, just sayen i think its a false sence of security ;D

 

[Preacher]

My deer rifles have safety's, my varmint rifles and pistols do not, and the bolts are not closed until it's time..
As I taught in the NYS hunter safety classes, a safety is a mechanical device and they are prone to fail, so don't point a gun at anything you don't want dead just in case...

 

[deadlyswift]

My deer rifles have safety's, my varmint rifles and pistols do not, and the bolts are not closed until it's time..
As I taught in the NYS hunter safety classes, a safety is a mechanical device and they are prone to fail, so don't point a gun at anything you don't want dead just in case...

+1 preacher! I was always taught that my tigger finger was the only saftey I needed to worry about, and any gun should always be handled as if it was loaded regardless!

 

[Phil]

Only 1 safety here amongst the collection(my carry rifle).

I agree with the above posters.....bolt open/finger off trigger until ready.

 

[Nomo4me]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll give the Shilen Competition model a try for this gun.

 

[RandyD]

My safety is to keep the chamber empty until I want to fire a round. However, when I am elk hunting, I have usually have rounds in the magazine but no round in the chamber. I have contemplated on placing a round in the chamber and lowering the firing pin on the chambered round as I close the bolt, so I can walk around with a round chambered. I am not certain if this is a safe technique and I am interested in your comments.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

My safety is to keep the chamber empty until I want to fire a round. However, when I am elk hunting, I have usually have rounds in the magazine but no round in the chamber. I have contemplated on placing a round in the chamber and lowering the firing pin on the chambered round as I close the bolt, so I can walk around with a round chambered. I am not certain if this is a safe technique and I am interested in your comments.

X2. I learned as kid NEVER to trust a safety.. So I go the empty chamber route and still treat every weapon as if it is loaded and ready to fire..

 

[hoss6br]

My safety is to keep the chamber empty until I want to fire a round. However, when I am elk hunting, I have usually have rounds in the magazine but no round in the chamber. I have contemplated on placing a round in the chamber and lowering the firing pin on the chambered round as I close the bolt, so I can walk around with a round chambered. I am not certain if this is a safe technique and I am interested in your comments.

i would think most of the time it would be safe, but what if you drop the gun or fall down and the gun hits hard enuff that the firing pin hits the primer? im not sure its posable but the way i look at better safe then sorry. i think its good u have a full mag on a empty chamber. thats how i use to carry my shotgun durring deer season. i wish all the hunters around me were like you guys, id feel safer, most around here have gun fully chamberd and walk around holding there gun like a bad guy is gona jump out from behind the next tree!

 

[jonbearman]

Hoss ,aint dat da truth.LOL I have seen so many unimformed hunters in NY it isnt funny.They look like they are on a tactical hunt rather than a deer hunt. I use a benelli m1 with the pistol grip stock because I have had 5 operations on my hands ,but that is tactical as I get. I dont even load the gun till I am situated in my blind or stand.

 

[jerrschmitt]

When we go on a prairie dog shoot, all actions are open unless you are lined up on a shot. Too often I have seen guns left on the bench with a chambered round while the shooters took a coffee break. Next thing you know, someone walks down range to check a dog hole. We don't depend on safety's.

 

[Kenny474]

An older fellow I hunted with before he passed explained firearm safety to me in a way that I have never been able to forget. He was a pretty basic and simple man, but a definite man's man.

"Keep your booger hook off the bang switch until your ready to ventilate something, and don't point it at nothing you aren't sure you want to put a hole in. And that little button shouldn't even be called a safety, cause there ain't nothing safe about it. You rely on that, you'll end up putting a hole in something you didn't want to. Just do what I told you, and keep that little booger hook of yours out of that little metal hoop and we'll be just fine."

Man do I miss the old guy.

Kenny

 

[Rookie]

Another here for trigger finger safety. My big game hunting rifles are Win pre 64's that I will put a round in the chamber with "Rifle's Safety" on when I'm setting in a tree stand but the muzzle is always kept pointed in a safe direction until I'm ready to fire.

 

[Fred Bohl]

The best commentary I've ever read on bolt action safeties:

"MECHANICAL SAFETIES 101
 When a shooter’s safety is operating “normally” on any gun, factory or custom, please be aware: “Normally” would indicate that the safety is operating like most safeties do. This brings up a basic discussion of using mechanical safeties.
 In a bolt action rifle when a live round is left in the chamber, with the bolt closed, the action is “cocked” and the firing pin is pointed directly at a live primer! The firearm is configured to FIRE, even despite of any other outside influences, like a mechanical safety.
 A safe firearm is achieved through safe handling techniques. To insure a bolt action firearm is safe with a live round in the chamber it is only necessary to raise the bolt handle. A bolt action firearm cannot fire with the bolt handle raised.
 FIREARMS can and DO discharge when safety levers are moved from “SAFE” to “FIRE”!
 Personally, I will never place a safety lever in the “SAFE” position with a live round in the chamber.
 It is especially important to instruct youngsters in safe firearm handling techniques with a live round in the chamber.
Bob Brasfield
Rifle Basix Founder"

From http://www.riflebasix.com/Mechanical_Safeties_101.pdf

 

[bheadboy]

nomo4m3, i was in a pd field in the north west of Tx a few years ago, an older shooter, with a 243, had a 1# trigger,
an additional shooter walked out to put a flag at 200 yd - every one knew what he was doing, -and the older shooter decieded to get up from the bench for a drink of water, he left the gun loaded,--bumped the bench -it went off,

good part he missed the other hunder by 20 yds, scard the h out of all, left the field, never hunted again

saftey, yes, bolt open yes, empth chamber yesl no room for mistakes!!!!!

Bob