Should I have a gunsmith "fix" the safety on my new shotgun

[joshuap]

I recently purchased my first gun, a Beretta 686 white onyx 20 ga o/u w/ 28" barrels. I intend to use it primarily for sporting clays and maybe some local quail or pheasant hunting (maybe). As a field model, it automatically resets the safety each and every time you load the gun. I understand why this feature would be desireable in the field, but it gets rather tedious when shooting clays. My brother-in-law owns the exact same gun and had a reputable, local gunsmith fix it so that this does not happen.

I would greatly appreciate opinions on whether this is a good idea. I understand the obvious safety implications, though I'm still willing to hear if people feel strongly about it as a safety issue. Does it lessen the value of the gun? Increase potential mechanical problems? Or worse, put me on Santa's naughty list?

Thanks in advance.

joshuap

[mete]

I HATE auto safeties. When I got my Beretta ,before I fired it ,I had removed the auto safety.The auto part of the safety is a bar about 1 1/2" long which is fairly easily removed and can be replaced when desired. Of course the manual safety remains , though personally I don't use that very often either. The important safety is the one between your ears, if that doesn't work all is lost !!!

[PJR]

Get it done. It's not a difficult fix and you intend to shoot clays primarily with some hunting. I'd be of a different mind however if you were primarily a hunter who used clays to practice for the bird season.

The guns I have with auto safeties are field guns. I like them in the field but not on guns that are primarily used for targets. YMMV.

Paul

[BozemanMT]

Get it done. Your safety is in your head and your fingers.
. Shotguns didn't have auto-safety's until the government thought it was a good idea. if the government thinks it's a good idea...................................

[kudu]

Welcome to The High Road Shotguns section. :)


I recently purchased my first gun

I will come at it from another angle. As your first gun you should make it automaticly ingrained in your reactions to take off the safety every time you bring the gun up to shoot. It should be a habit. Once this habit is formed then the guns should go in for the auto safetys to be disabled.

With the hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo I have put downrange I still lay my thumb over the safty on my Beretta 682 to check the safety location, which is disconnected, but occasionally will get slid back in safe. I can switch to my Red Label that still has auto safety and never miss a beat on a fast round of skeet. Or pick up a M12 or 1100 or 870 and my finger sets on the safety as it comes up and feels if its in the right spot. It's been 8-10 yeas since I have picked up gun and tried to pull the trigger only to find I had forgot the safety.

Once this habit has become ingrained, then take the necessary steps to have it taken care of. If your only going to shoot a few dozen boxes of ammo a year leave it automatic. Not trying to sound negative, but safety is everones first concern, and yes it can be a hassle on a shooting range, but I would try to work on it and make it second nature before spending the $ on a smith.


Now as Our Oh Holy Moderator Dave says: BA/UU/R Buy ammo, use up, repeat.

[PJR]

Shotguns didn't have auto-safety's until the government thought it was a good idea.
Nope. Auto safeties predate government concern for safety. I've seen them on British guns dating back to the late 1800's.

[BeLikeTrey]

If you get used to that with that gun and get carelees with someone elses shotty :eek:

remove it and get used to PROPER handling, not LAZY handling ;)

[joshuap]

I feel like a guy with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Given the feedback, however, I think I will keep the auto-safety for a while and hope I don't have too many embarrasing moments at the range when I forget to take off the safety. I think I would rather miss a few shots and establish good habits.

The three gun shops I've been to and the two friends of mine who shoot all refer me to the same gunsmith in my area. The gunsmith is a good 50 minutes to an hour drive from my house. The range on the other hand is 15 minutes. So, I will no doubt make it to the range, likely several times, prior to getting to the gunsmith if and when I do decide to have the gun modified.

Thanks to mete for the info on the removable auto-safety bar. For some reason I thought there was unreversible filing or cutting involved.

I look forward to learning much more from THR.

joshuap

[mete]

The Ruger auto safety has to be removed and apparently replaced by another part .You have to send it back to Ruger for I think $40...On my Beretta parts list [Model 680-687 ] it's part 89. I removed it myself.

[Abe]

mete:

I just got a 686 this past weekend. Mine is a field version that will be primarily used for trap. The auto safety is already annoying with only snap caps. I'd like to see what the part is and where it's located before I start the job of removing it.

Could you please tell me where to get a copy of the parts diagram? I've checked the Beretta site and haven't found one.

Thanks,

Abe

[mete]

The sheet is - Model 680-687 Spare Parts Price List - Call Beretta for a copy. Part 89 is easy to find.When you remove the butt stock you will see a small rod with a hook on the end [about 1 1/2 "long] which connects to the safety.Remove that . Then make sure that the safety works properly. Easy. There might be an exploded view drawing of the gun somewhere on the internet.

[Abe]

Thanks.

- Abe