Chapter 10: Safe Hunting
Skills
Safety Mechanisms
A safety is a device that blocks the action to prevent the
firearm from shooting until the safety is released or pushed
to the "off" position. The safety is intended
to prevent the firearm from being fired accidentally. However,
safeties should never be relied on totally to protect against
accidental shooting. Safeties are mechanical devices and
subject to mechanical failure from damage, lack of cleaning,
or normal wear.
All safeties are located around the receiver
of the firearm and are usually easy to spot. Common types
of safeties are:
- Cross-Bolt Safety
- Common on pump and semi-automatic firearms
- A simple
push-button action that blocks the trigger or hammer
- Usually
located at the trigger guard or ahead of the hammer
- Pivot Safety
- Common on handguns and bolt-action rifles
- A pivoting
lever or tab that blocks the trigger or firing pin
- Located
on the frame (blocks trigger) or on the bolt or slide
(blocks firing pin)
- Slide or Tang Safety
- Common on some rifles and hinge-action shotguns
- A sliding bar or button that blocks
the firing action
- Located on the tang (a metal strip
behind the receiver) of hinge-action firearms or on
the side of
the receiver on some rifles
- Half-Cock or Hammer Safety
- Common on firearms with exposed
hammers
- Positions the trigger at half-cock, away from
the firing pin
- Engaged by placing the trigger at half-cock;
some firearms automatically rebound
to the half-cock position
after the
trigger is released
- While not a true
safety, it sometimes is described as a mechanical
safety device
by firearm manufacturer
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