Safeties in Shotgun Sports

[JeffJ]

The people using them with semi's and pumps are doing it wrong...

[LHS]

At my last round of clays, some fudd ahead of me kept slinging his shotgun over his shoulder, muzzles sweeping everyone behind him. He got rather irritated when I asked him to watch his muzzles. He said "the action's open." It was all I could do not to say "Mine's not, kitten hole."

[ford.304]

Thanks for the info.

I agree that the prevalence of break-open guns seems to encourage some bad habits from the semi-auto and pump guys.

I need to get used to the safety on this thing anyway, so I guess I might as well start being consistent with it. I felt like I shot ok, but I need weeks more practice on manipulations. I felt far more embarrassed with my trouble getting rounds into the gun with gloves on without dropping anything than I did missing birds.

[Alpha Sierra]

I shoot a lot of sporting clays with a semi auto shotgun and I never engage the safety. The gun is always unloaded with the action open unless I am in the box. The rules do not require that safeties be used, and in fact can be removed or locked in the off position. I might have the safety on mine (Rem 1100) disabled, as the gun is dedicated to clay sports.

[TR675]

So in another thread this morning (about the gentlemen who AD'd into his lower leg) I mentioned that I found that my lax practice engaging a shotgun safety in one arena led to me being unintentionally lax in another. I have to wonder if it isn't just the best practice to keep the safety engaged at all times that you aren't ready to shoot, action open or not, sporting clays or not. I understand that with some models of shotgun this may not be possible, but it is on mine and I intend to keep using it - I'd rather it be an ingrained reflex instead of something I have to think about.

[idahojess]

I've only shot trap a couple of times, but I have shot sporting clays and clay pigeons from throwers. I always try to practice with the safety on, so I have to take the safety off while mounting the gun. I think it's a good habit for hunting. I prefer top tang safeties -- either on a pump or on an over under.

[DocGKR]

Safety should be on.

[Alpha Sierra]

Safety should be on.

Why?

You would quickly get laughed out of any serious SC squad.

[DocGKR]

I get laughed at a lot.

My oldest kid goes to medical school in Boston--he used to think it was funny that I carried a tourniquet with me.......then he experienced the bombing last April and now he thinks that a tourniquet is smart and prudent. Back in the day SWAT guys who used their MP5 safeties used to get laughed at too. It is all about experience and perspective.

There is NO downside to using the safety on a long gun, only an upside, particularly when using a shotgun for real (see Alberto Sepulveda) or when doing shooting sports with movement, like 3-gun.

[TR675]

Better to be laughed at than to ingrain bad habits.