Shotguns Dangerous??

N

Nathan

New member
This post is about semi-auto and pump shotguns used for hunting, combat, police work, etc.

Most "duty" rated handguns have a safety system which has 3 components: a seat block, a striker block and a trigger block. These make the handguns extremely AD resistant, except when pulling the trigger.

A Rem 870, Mossberg 500 have only a manual trigger block. This, IMHO them AD prone when falling or dropping from a treestand. What keeps shotguns held to a different standard?
 
Shotguns are extremely dangerous if you are on the wrong end. IMHO, you are being somewhat paranoid, but it never hurts to be safe.
As a result of a similar topic some while ago, about 3 weeks ago I did an experiment. Friend had an 870 barrel he was going to cut, so he loaned it to me. I had been wanting to do this, but didn't want to ruin a barrel. Loaded the gun with shells with bad primers - 1 in the chamber and 2 in the mag - to simulate a real loaded piece as close as possible. Dropped my Wingmaster with a target sear spring 23' onto a piece of old conveyor belt on concrete. Was scared to death I wouldn't be able to catch it, but in the event. it was easy. It really did bounce. 3 drops, no hammer fall. Then 4 drops onto bare concrete. Same result, except less bounce, ghastly sound, and a barrel that really needs to be cut now.
I realize this proves nothing, other than that my Wingmaster is not exactly prone to an AD from dropping it. And it mirrors the results AI&P Tactical got in his testing. Any other conclusions one chooses to draw are their business.
At one time the Colt SAA was the preferred sidearm, issued by the government. The user who cared loaded 5 with the hammer on an empty chamber. The best safety is the one between your ears.
 
Because there are few if any true mil-spec shotguns, they are dressed up adaptations of rabbit guns and they retain their basic mechanical design which is for hunting guns to be handled with more care than a cop or soldier provides.

A London Best double barreled game gun typically has "intercepting sears" or equivalent to make it drop and malfunction safe. The top tang safety is still just a trigger block, though.
 
Don't buy a shotgun if you feel it is unsafe. Take a bow. They don't go off accidentally when dropped.

If you are climbing into a trees stand your chamber should be empty. When you are set in your tree stand you should be in control of the gun. Chamber empty prior to descending. If you have to set it down or give up control of the gun, empty the chamber. Also in treat ands I use tethers for items that could get dropped. Or to lift items into or out of the stand. I wouldn't raise or lower a loaded, chambered firearm to or from a tree stand.
 
Every police jurisdiction I've ever worked with, for, or done a ride along with, had the riot gun in what was called "cruiser ready", safety on, full mag tube, but empty chamber.

Also, in the sandbox, we were ROE mandated to carry a certain number of less lethal weapons in the platoon. the M-590 often filled one of those sluts, because as it in the civilian world, a shotgun is a really versatile gun to have around.

Being that my then plt sgt was a deputy sheriff in the real world, we always carried them, "cruise ready"
 
Lots of interesting commentary, but no real answers. I appreciate the Wingmaster test. I might have to do that!:D

I fell on my shotgun this year which is part of why I'm thinking about it. It was deer ready. . .on a 2pt sling across my front side. chamber loaded, safety on. I had no issue, but also wished it were setup like my Glock, XD, AR, etc!
 
As far as I know there are no shotguns or rifles with anything close to a similar trigger action. Some rifles have had a safety which physically locked the cocked firing pin/striker like the old Springfield 1903, but that's it, and it is not particularly fast to get into action.
 
I think the vast majority of "Accidental Discharges" are caused by pulling the trigger. I've never felt unsafe around a shotgun, even the old single hammer guns (including those with a transfer bar between the hammer and firing pin) which seem to have a fair percentage of accidental discharges by folks who cock the hammer and then try to ease it back down and it slips out from underneath their thumb and goes boom.

Much ado has been made about the floating firing pin on AR's, not being blocked by anything, only the trigger/sear is blocked. Every weapon has its strong points and weak points, part of the mastery is to know/learn them and compensate for or utilize them properly.
 
Virg, I'm gonna infer that 23' to be "almost two feet". What in the world would you have done if the hammer had fallen on a primer that was less bad than you thought?
 
I have never ued a safey on any shtgun,field,target or HD and wish the makers offered a choice. My guns are either unloaded until the situation requres,or they are loaded and ready to use. YMMV
 
No, that was twenty three (23) feet, vertical, from the end of the barrel to the concrete. The odd number came from rigging a set up to give a clean straight release. Primers had gotten oil on them, so I drilled out the priming compound and loaded a few shells for whatever I might need them for maybe 12 years or so ago. If it had gone bang or bounced sideways my safety glasses would have earned their keep.
 
Well, OK. I'm not going to ask how you caught it. Between you and Dreamin'100, it's getting iffy keeping this thread kid safe and family rated...
 
Dunno about hunting, but my SD shotgun sitting in a corner has a full tube racked back with one in the elevator. Not as safe as an empty chamber but more available and still have the +1.
 
I'm surprised one of the manufacturers hasn't jumped on some sort of firing pin safety- Mossberg tried a DA trigger for a while, after all.

Shotguns are- after all, a recreational tool that doubles nicely as a short range defensive long gun. The mag tube dents easily, it recoils too hard for many, the ammo is heavy and slow to reload, and so on and so on.

I'd like to hear more about your drop testing- could you describe your test rig?
 
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