Shotgun manual of arms: safe while searching?

[ASH556]

I did some searching and couldn't find this addressed. I realize some of it may be controversial ala "safe an AR during reload or not", but would love input from some of our resident shotgun experts. @TCinVA, @jlw, @Tom Givens, I'm sure I'm probably missing a few.

In the scenario in which you are searching with a shotgun, clearing a house let's say, do you have the shotgun on safe, finger/thumb on the safety, or are you off-safe with finger in register position? I figure trigger finger is in register position regardless. I can see with a Mossberg's thumb-activated safety where it might make sense to leave it safed as you can de-activate the safety while simultaneously moving your finger to the trigger, but with pretty much everything else (Benelli, Beretta, Remington) you're going to slow your response to the need to shoot by first de-activating the safety.

Bottom line question: do you believe it to be unsafe or irresponsible to search with an off-safe shotgun provided we have proper trigger finger discipline?

[GyroF-16]

Good question!
I’ll me monitoring for the responses from the resident SMEs.

I haven’t been able to figure out a rationale for using the safety on my 1301T in it’s home-defense use case.
For me, it’s either “cruiser ready,” or ready to fire. As I understand it, it (and most shotguns) aren’t drop-safe with the safety on.
That being the case, my plan has been “safety off, finger in register” in the situation you describe.

But I’m standing by for better ideas.

[shootist26]

I have a vang big dome safety on my 870. My finger is on the receiver with the safety engaged. If I need to shoot I just sweep down and bring my finger into the trigger guard. The big dome safety gets swept off in one motion.

[gato naranja]

I have a vang big dome safety on my 870. My finger is on the receiver with the safety engaged. If I need to shoot I just sweep down and bring my finger into the trigger guard. The big dome safety gets swept off in one motion.

I found the Vang to work as you describe, but it was a bit too easily swiped by my paw. I have used the S&J Hardware safety and the Wilson/Scattergun successfully, the S&J sort of splitting the difference between the Wilson and the Vang.

[TCinVA]

It's no more unsafe than searching with a Glock.

If the shotgun is in my hands, I don't have the safety engaged. If I put the gun down or go to sling the gun, I'll engage the safety first. But if I was clearing a building...not that I do a lot of that sort of thing...I'd have the safety off, finger in a nice high register position.

If one wants the safety engaged on an 870, the Vang Comp safety is a good idea. It's common practice to have one's finger bent and sitting right on top of the safety on the 870 when searching or in a ready position if the safety is on. For the 870 that's fine. On guns where the safety is in front of the trigger guard having one's finger on top of the safety puts it directly in line with the trigger which can produce the same sub-optimal results we're trying to avoid by having one's finger touching the trigger guard in the first place.

[TCinVA]

Good question!
I’ll me monitoring for the responses from the resident SMEs.

I haven’t been able to figure out a rationale for using the safety on my 1301T in it’s home-defense use case.
For me, it’s either “cruiser ready,” or ready to fire. As I understand it, it (and most shotguns) aren’t drop-safe with the safety on.
That being the case, my plan has been “safety off, finger in register” in the situation you describe.

But I’m standing by for better ideas.

That's exactly how I keep my 1301 at home.

[ASH556]

It's no more unsafe than searching with a Glock.

Funny you mention that as a parallel. I thought the same thing initially. Then again, I've heard the same argument used as to why you should NOT safe a carbine during a reload ("I don't safe my pistol during a reload, why should I safe my rifle?") and yet there are some guys who's opinions I respect who are pretty adamant about safing a carbine during a reload. Personally I'm still on the fence about it, especially given the circumstances under which I'm reloading. Obviously there are differences between that and what we're discussing here with the shotgun, but I just wanted a sanity check beyond the conclusion I arrived at on my own in working some stuff yesterday (which is, I will work with the safety off and trigger finger in register).

Thanks!

[jlw]

I keep a shotgun in storage/cruiser/gunbox ready with the safety off.

However, I have the dome safeties on my 870s and the enlarged safeties on my Mossies. I typically go through the motion of "thumb up the back" so as to deactivate the safety in case I grabbed a 590, and with the dome safeties, the knuckle of my trigger finger makes contact as I go to the trigger.

There are times when I use shotguns in a "patrol" versus a "defense in the home" paradigm, and it is two different mindsets.

[GJM]

I don’t like the large Vang safety on an 870 and removed them. With the regular safety, I can feel when the safety is flush with the trigger guard and thus in the fire position. With the large Vang safety, I can’t tell by feel whether the safety is “on” or “off.”

When a shotgun has a safety, I train to always disengage the safety, because I worry that the safety could have found its way on. With the 1301, the safety is large enough that I can keep my finger in register against the action and still depress the safety with the area near my middle knuckle when mounting the shotgun.

On my bear defensive shotguns, I have considered removing the thumb safety, but haven’t yet done so.

[Doc_Glock]

On my bear defensive shotguns, I have considered removing the thumb safety, but haven’t yet done so.

I have forgotten the slide across safety enough on the 1301 to cause me to think the same. I get that it is a training issue, but I seem un trainable.