Hearing that is a first for me, but I have no doubt people do it. Right up there with pointing the muzzle at the bottom of the boat 3 miles off shore.
How young is too young...
- Thread starter SJ Fairbank
- Start date
Huntindave McCann
Well-known member
I got rid of a gun once, because the safety was so hard to use. I should have gotten rid of it before it caused me to make poor choices.
Story; Had this particular gun I purchased specifically for turkey hunting. Came to realize, when seated on the ground and the gun shouldered, I was unable to physically move the safety lever. Therefore, I would move the safety to the "fire" position once I was seated and watching for a bird. One day I decided to change location and forgot to move the safety to the "safe" position before getting up off the ground. Stood up, slung the gun over my shoulder, walked to my decoy. picked it up and proceeded to stuff it in my game pouch on my back.
While doing so, my finger touched the trigger,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BOOM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, with the end of the gun barrel immediately adjacent to my head.
THAT WILL WAKE YOU UP IN AN INSTANT!
Decided right then and there, if the gun would not allow me to use the safety as it should be used, I was no longer owning that gun.
Story; Had this particular gun I purchased specifically for turkey hunting. Came to realize, when seated on the ground and the gun shouldered, I was unable to physically move the safety lever. Therefore, I would move the safety to the "fire" position once I was seated and watching for a bird. One day I decided to change location and forgot to move the safety to the "safe" position before getting up off the ground. Stood up, slung the gun over my shoulder, walked to my decoy. picked it up and proceeded to stuff it in my game pouch on my back.
While doing so, my finger touched the trigger,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BOOM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, with the end of the gun barrel immediately adjacent to my head.
THAT WILL WAKE YOU UP IN AN INSTANT!
Decided right then and there, if the gun would not allow me to use the safety as it should be used, I was no longer owning that gun.
YIKES! That'll wake you up! Glad it was just a scare.
I have a thing with the safety when hunting. I habitually check the safety. It's not a conscious act for the most part, a kind of continual checklist item. Maybe it was a conscious thing when I was a kid, now it's just rote. If I'm duck or deer hunting I might put my finger on it every few minutes. Upland hunting my finger is on it all the time, putting pressure on it in the "safe" direction every minute or two to make sure. I know I do it, but I can't say it's by plan.
Michael McCord1
Member
This is why I despise most single shots as youth guns. In order to re-safety the gun, a kid with little coordination or hand strength has to decock the gun. A slip of the hammer and BOOM!
Last edited:
I was invited to pheasant hunt with a group of work mates once. When I noticed one of them trip and his gun went off. I asked him if he was okay and asked he slipped the safety off. He literally told me having a safety on while hunting is silly. If a pheasant flushed the chances are much greater of missing if you have to fiddle with a safety. So we took a break and after the break I thanked them for the hunt but I was heading home. The others didn't seem bothered about the safety issue. Never hunted with them again.
Vince Pagliaroli
Well-known member
My goodness how Stupid can those guys be to hunt with safety Off. I have hunted pheasants for over 60 years in lots of places. Worked on a Game Farm that taught me better than anything else about shooting pheasants. First - They fly LOW damn near all the time. Second - You have more than enough time to shoulder your shotgun, and take the safety OFF. If, and it's a big IF. You are smart enough to pay attention to what the hell is going on around you.
SD has lot of hunters shot cuz of the "Pheasants Round Ups" where being caught in crossfire is common. I was in a couple of those and that was enough for me. Lots of birds (many low fliers) make some folks come unhinged, especially if they are Shooters more so than Hunters. When a Shooter locks on a target you better not be between them and the Target. Working on that game farm taught me ALWAYS watch out and hit the ground fast when low birds and folks Shoot. No matter how many hunters always check where they are no matter if just 2 hunters or more. 2 hunters are ideal with good bird dogs. A very good hunting partner is a Blessing.
Safeties don't keep ya safe but they do help.
my 2 cents.
SD has lot of hunters shot cuz of the "Pheasants Round Ups" where being caught in crossfire is common. I was in a couple of those and that was enough for me. Lots of birds (many low fliers) make some folks come unhinged, especially if they are Shooters more so than Hunters. When a Shooter locks on a target you better not be between them and the Target. Working on that game farm taught me ALWAYS watch out and hit the ground fast when low birds and folks Shoot. No matter how many hunters always check where they are no matter if just 2 hunters or more. 2 hunters are ideal with good bird dogs. A very good hunting partner is a Blessing.
Safeties don't keep ya safe but they do help.
my 2 cents.
Henrick Lind
Member
One time I had my semi auto 20 go off while I was unloading from a duck jump shoot in a creek ( My safety WAS ON while unloading) . I had the trunk open but I had always aimed the barrel down and towards the cattails. I always do and if I hadn't there I would have had a hole in the car. Safety is #1 on any hunting trip no matter how many people or where, or what you are hunting, if people aren't safe I tell them and if they brush it off or continue to do that I don't hunt with them again.
RM Anderson
Well-known member
Happened to my wife's uncle. Perfect 12 gauge hole through his International Scout floorboards.
RM
Henrick Lind
Member
Yeah even with the safety you never know if it is 100% gonna work
That's why my dad was adamant about pointing towards the ground or in the air and never towards people. It didn't matter what the activity was or if it was loaded or unloaded! To this day that's never left me.
Talking about safety issues, I had a very nice Savage 20ga over/under. The problem with the gun was two fold. The tang safety was unreliable. It seemed to have a burr that sometimes if you tried to select a barrel (which I would do because I would load a 2 3/4" in the top barrel and a 3" in the bottom barrel), it would hang up and land between trigger lock (for lack of the proper word) and wouldn't fire. It also became loose after a few years and I found myself checking it all the time to make sure it was on safe. I had it to a local shop several times over the years where it would get fixed, for awhile, untill I finally traded it at Gander Mountain. That gun sat in the shelf for awhile and I always checked to see if they fixed it. I did tell them about the safety tang. One day I was in the store and it was gone. Their shop gunsmith had moved on a while before the gun was gone. I still often wonder if they fixed that gun or sold it as is.
Michael McCord1
Member
I teach upright/ready carry as the primary. As the gun comes down it shouldn’t paint hunters or dogs unless it’s a low bird that we shouldn’t be swinging on anyways. We don’t shoot grounded birds for the same reason.
Footwork is overlooked too- move the feet and body to the target before the gun starts. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when your cheek touches the stock and just keep swinging. I want new shooters in the habit of identifying their field of fire, checking their periphery, and anticipating what’s in swing path.
Low side carry with the gun parallel to the ground is a sure way to not hunt with me again. It’s a great way to make sure everyone sees the end of your barrel.
Footwork is overlooked too- move the feet and body to the target before the gun starts. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when your cheek touches the stock and just keep swinging. I want new shooters in the habit of identifying their field of fire, checking their periphery, and anticipating what’s in swing path.
Low side carry with the gun parallel to the ground is a sure way to not hunt with me again. It’s a great way to make sure everyone sees the end of your barrel.