Thread: Half cock or safety

I've always hunted on half cock however the other day in my efforts to negotiate my way through some shit, my bolt got knocked out of half cock, slid back, ejected the round, never to be seen again.
I really hate losing ammo, doesn't happen often in fact very rarely but when it does it really grates.

I was always taught to never trust the safety on firearms and I never have.

I am wondering though if the modern rifle has changed the thinking on this.

I am unlikely to change from using half cock for 2 reasons, my M70 makes a very loud click when the safety is released and I'm likely to stuff it up in the heat of the moment if I change now.

I am however curious to the general consensus of the use of the safety.

Rabbit hole coming up

I have and use both....different guns of course...I have Tilka with half cock and safety...so flick safety off, drop bolt and boom, have some with just half cock and some.with just safety

Hamish

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Half cock. Never trusted a safety because some are badly designed and some are old/worn.

safety %100 for me alot of guns can fire from "half cock" incl tikka if they are pushed past a certain point, luring people into a false sense of security at the end of the day your biggest safety is pointing your rifle in a safe direction and keeping your finger of the trigger, and if people dont trust the saefty why do they trust half cock?

I use both (Howa 1500). I haven't lost a round (yet) but have had the bolt knocked upwards out of half cock position.

I would rather have a bolt lock integrated in the safety for half cock, instead of when the bolt is fully closed.

Just to be clear, the use of safety or half cock is about ensuring you don't have an accidental discharge. All the other rules apply all of the time even when no ammunition is present in the rifle.
I'm interested in how people operate when they are in hunting mode expecting to have an imminent opportunity to shoot.

the only time I use a safety catch is when havent got the option of semi open bolt/half cock... the external hammer on levers and some break opens is by far my favourite option...actually I too own a Howa 1500 and on last outing actually tried safety on its own for first time for just the reason you mention..tight scrub flicking bolt.... this open bolt thing comes from many of us learning with a SMLE which had unreliable safety catch....and its hard to break old habits.

Originally Posted by 7mm tragic

I've always hunted on half cock however the other day in my efforts to negotiate my way through some shit, my bolt got knocked out of half cock, slid back, ejected the round, never to be seen again.
I really hate losing ammo, doesn't happen often in fact very rarely but when it does it really grates.

I was always taught to never trust the safety on firearms and I never have.
I am wondering though if the modern rifle has changed the thinking on this.

I am unlikely to change from using half cock for 2 reasons, my M70 makes a very loud click when the safety is released and I'm likely to stuff it up in the heat of the moment if I change now.

I am however curious to the general consensus of the use of the safety.

Safety on Win. M70 is quiet enough to disengage with practice and is about as safe as you can get. It positively locks the firing pin in place. Not like the majority of safeties on other brands that only lock the trigger and maybe the sear. Also, there’s a fair few members on hear who spent many an hour walking around with cocked and loaded service weapons safety on without incident. Negligent discharges were never looked upon favourably.

There are thousands of gamebird hunters using semi-autos who rely on a safety on their 12g. Doesn't seem to be a big issue, so why is it different for a rifle? I have a Ruger M77 with the swing safety that can lock the bolt, and feel confident using that.
I have recently bought an older Tikka M55, and I need to get the safety sorted on that. I tried the half closed bolt with safety on, and if the trigger is pressed ( a couple of times), the bolt drops and the safety slips off. Bloody scary using a half closed bolt on that!!

Originally Posted by Lentil

There are thousands of gamebird hunters using semi-autos who rely on a safety on their 12g. Doesn't seem to be a big issue, so why is it different for a rifle? I have a Ruger M77 with the swing safety that can lock the bolt, and feel confident using that.
I have recently bought an older Tikka M55, and I need to get the safety sorted on that. I tried the half closed bolt with safety on, and if the trigger is pressed ( a couple of times), the bolt drops and the safety slips off. Bloody scary using a half closed bolt on that!!

I KNOW this....and carry semi or pump shottie with safety on..and the U/O too for that matter..... but given option its open bolt or uncocked hammer....old dog and new tricks sort of thing.(my wife would say Im just a stubborn old prick who refuses to get with the times)

Bush hunting by myself always just safety as its just a muscle memory thing.-see deer safety comes off automatically rifle up and bang.
If you wanna get more deer in the bush less is more.

If your firearm has a half cock feel free to use it. But don't try and convince me this bolt half closed bullshit is a half cock. It is not.
Your M70 is a cock on open action. It's fully cocked as soon as you open the action. What your using is the machining tolerance in the transition point where the firing pin sear starts to rest on the trigger sear rather than the bolt body. It was never designed to be used this way and is a quirk of the design not a feature. A lot of rifles allow the firing pin sear to be released and the bolt to close by pulling the trigger in this position, the firing pin may or may not have enough force to fire the cartridge depending on how soft the primer is and how much friction there is to the bolt handle falling.

To the poster above that doesn't trust safeties because they are badly designed. The "half-cock" isn't designed at all... Don't trust either of them, trigger and muzzle discipline #1.

Originally Posted by Yesmate

Bush hunting by myself always just safety as its just a muscle memory thing.-see deer safety comes off automatically rifle up and bang.
If you wanna get more deer in the bush less is more.

Yes - bush hunting for me when in stalk mode, it is bolt closed on a round and safety on. Different for watching a slip etc. or if I was ever lucky enough to hunt above the bush line.

Safety on the Finnwolf, half-cock on ‘cocking on closing’ bolt actions and again safety on semi auto and pump actions

Always follow the standard rules especially the safe direction one.

Originally Posted by 7mm tragic

I've always hunted on half cock however the other day in my efforts to negotiate my way through some shit, my bolt got knocked out of half cock, slid back, ejected the round, never to be seen again.
I really hate losing ammo, doesn't happen often in fact very rarely but when it does it really grates.

I was always taught to never trust the safety on firearms and I never have.

I am wondering though if the modern rifle has changed the thinking on this.

I am unlikely to change from using half cock for 2 reasons, my M70 makes a very loud click when the safety is released and I'm likely to stuff it up in the heat of the moment if I change now.

I am however curious to the general consensus of the use of the safety.

Empty chamber.

Having a deer 10m in front of me and failing to shoot it, does not put me off hunting. Accidently injuring or killing myself or a loved one definitely will...