Model12Win
Moderator
The Mosin safety should LOCK DOWN... are you sure you're rotating it ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT and setting it down into it's place? If you don't rotate it all the way, yes it can sit wrong and be bumped off, sending the cocking piece into the sear. It SHOULDN'T discharge, but if the trigger is depressed in any way while this happens with a round chambered, it will go off.
The best way to engage or disengage a Mosin safety is to place the butt of the rifle in the crook of one's elbow, then use the fingers to grasp the cocking piece and pull back and rotate to the left ALL THE WAY. You then ease the cocking piece forward and you'll feel it go into it's little slot. The bolt handle should lock up firm and the safety should NOT be able to be bumped off. This takes some strength and it is rather easy not to engage the safety fully.
With practice and this method, you can take the Mosin on and off safe. It can still be stiff, but is much easier to do than normal. This comes from someone with close to 10 years of Mosin experience as my first rifle and I now own a half dozen of them.
The best way to engage or disengage a Mosin safety is to place the butt of the rifle in the crook of one's elbow, then use the fingers to grasp the cocking piece and pull back and rotate to the left ALL THE WAY. You then ease the cocking piece forward and you'll feel it go into it's little slot. The bolt handle should lock up firm and the safety should NOT be able to be bumped off. This takes some strength and it is rather easy not to engage the safety fully.
With practice and this method, you can take the Mosin on and off safe. It can still be stiff, but is much easier to do than normal. This comes from someone with close to 10 years of Mosin experience as my first rifle and I now own a half dozen of them.