The Gun Counter

I was just wondering where you guys stand on usage of mechanical safeties at the range. While I am religious about following the four rules, I see that there are people at the range and in some of the shooting programs I've seen on TV who are just as religious about keeping the safety on all the times except for when they are actually about to pull the trigger. Since anytime I'm not shooting, the gun is empty and action open, I've never paid too much attention to the mechanical safety at the range. I can understand using it when carrying a loaded firearm, but when the gun is unloaded, action open, is it necessary? Or is it worth it to take every single possible precaution?

What is the consensus?

I'm another action/loadgate/etc. open at the range fan. I just don't set loaded guns down, and if it doesn't really have a way to keep the action open like my WASR, I just make sure it's unloaded before putting it down.

Your range training should be as realistic as possible. Learning to hit the target is only part of that. Thoroughly learning to manipulate the controls on your gun is just as important. If you normally carry your gun with a safety engaged, you need to teach yourself the habit of disengaging the safety as part of shooting the gun.

Many ranges do not allow practice that includes draw from the holster. If you can't find a range that allows draw from a holster, you should include this in your dry fire practice, with a safe backstop of course. You should at least be able to pick the gun up from the table at the range with the safety engaged and release the safety as part of the firing sequence.

Use of the safety at the range is a training thing, not so much a "safety" thing. As Chris says above "Do the same thing, the same way, first time, every time."

If the action is locked open, you may not be able to engage the safety. When drawing my 1911, the first action is to flip off the safety as I'm coming up. I cary condition 1, so cocking the hammer is already done. My trigger finger doesn't go into the trigger guard until I'm really close to on-target. A little fine tuning of the aim and BANG!

+1 what Chris and 1911 man said.

Safeties are nice, but I was taught to not rely on a mechanical safety and instead practice good safety habits. It helps that neither my revolvers nor my SIG have safeties.

Getting in the habit of using the safety is easy with an M-16, especially when you have Drill Instructors & shooting coaches standing over you all the time.

Mechanical safeties can, and do, fail - it's a good habit but does not replace following the four rules.

308Mike wrote:Safeties are nice, but I was taught to not rely on a mechanical safety and instead practice good safety habits. It helps that neither my revolvers nor my SIG have safeties.

Getting in the habit of using the safety is easy with an M-16, especially when you have Drill Instructors & shooting coaches standing over you all the time.

Mechanical safeties can, and do, fail - it's a good habit but does not replace following the four rules.

Absolutely do not count on the mechanical safety , I carry my rifle with the chamber empty and do not count on any of the safety devices.

Eees gon, eees not safe!

Although I was also taught not to trust safeties, rule 1 is always treat a gun as though it's loaded. Therefore, if I'm using a gun that has a safety I'll use it, especially because usually if I'm handling a gun it's loaded unless I'm putting it into or taking it out of the range bag/cleaning. Many of my guns are older and don't have safeties (or are revolvers) so I'm very conscious about handling, I see the safety as a little extra security never hurts, and using it doesn't make me relax my vigilance. The only one I might trust would be the one on my K98 because I know it's a solid chunk of steel holding back the firing pin. The rest are just extra insurance that sure don't hurt. So I'd say use them, as others have said its a good habit to get into. Also, some safeties won't engage unless the gun's cocked.

since 2 of my guns dont have any way to hold them open, i dont worry about that, i just lean them against a bench so that they arent pointing downrange and i dont touch them...

as for the safety, if i am carrying my pistol, it is with safety on... I have gotten quite adept at swiping it off as i draw... though i will on occasion reach into my jacket and switch it off ahead of time if i am in a poor area of town.