Aside: cocked shotgun

G

Gunter

New member
I haven't seen the picture of the olympic gold medal winner in trap shooting, but I can assume that it was a hammerless "Kipplaufwaffe" (whats the proper word for the kind that breaks open at the breech?) he was using.

This type of weapon has a mechanism in the forward grip that cocks the action *while opening* the breech, so if it is open, it IS cocked.

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Yes if the gun is a typical O/U boxlock such as a Browning or Perazzi the hammers are cocked when the breech is opened.

If the shooter was holding the gun "broken" over his head then the action was cocked.

However, keeping the breech open is considered the only way to make the gun safe, as it cannot be fired in this position and you can easily see that shells are not present in the chambers. Clays shooters never use safties, most guns have the safety locked off or in some cases have no safety.

A few makes of O/U cock the gun when the action is closed (older Ruger Red Label guns are one example) but this is not common.

A standard rule on clays courses is "Open or Out". In other words keep the action open or get off the course!


Geoff Ross
 
Yes, another interesting twist on the use of language, eh?

To the layperson, "cocked" means the weapon is readied to fire at the pull of a trigger. And it's that use of the language that is being used here, even though you don't see the weapon, you hear it's cocked, and you think it's ready for use. You know it, and I know it.

The reporter could easily have said, "He has the action broken open, and the weapon balanced over his shoulder".

Now there, wouldn't that have given you a picture you could readily understand?

And yes, my suspicion is that the reporter either knows nothing of firearms, or he does and uses the knowledge improperly for reasons clear.
 
What K80Geoff said.
When I'm shooting Trap or Skeet my O/U is OPEN until it's my turn to "step up" and shoot.

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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
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