Need Help!! (Clearing a shotgun)

[Jamie C.]

DD... anything with a real hammer is safe to de-cock in the manner prescribed.... so long as you maintain control of the hammer and don't let it slip forward too fast. Doesn't matter if the gun has a transfer bar or not. ( I was under the impression that most semi-modern shotguns with a hammer had an inertia ( "rebounding") hammer anyway. ( the hammer "rests" a way from the firing pin ))

Anyway... if you have control of the hammer, you have control of the firing sequence. It can't go "boom" without sufficient energy to the firing pin.

This does not apply to "coach guns" with "fake" cocking hammers though. ( Don't you just love it when gun designers make life complicated? )


J.C.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Jamie C.
DD... anything with a real hammer is safe to de-cock in the manner prescribed

I figured as much. I just like the extra security of the transfer bar. When I've decocked my .357, I've always been afraid of losing control of the hammer and letting it drop too fast. Either it has a stronger spring than this shotgun, or the hammer on the shotgun is larger and exerts more leverage on the spring. Because of that, I've only ever decocked the .357 over snap caps. Now I want to practice with the .357 loaded with live rounds. Next range trip, maybe...

 

[Moonclip]

Glad this had a positive outcome. I once had a elderly Chinese woman with limited English skills get kind of excited about a plastic bag she brought for me to see at an indoor range I once operated.

What it ended up being was a cocked .22lr S&W mod 63 revolver that was fully loaded.

I took care of it for her but jeez!

 

[Jamie C.]

I figured as much. I just like the extra security of the transfer bar.

Just remember that unless you completely release the trigger after the sear breaks and the hammer is free to move forward, that transfer bar isn't any kind of a safety. If even the edge of it catches the firing pin...

Anyway... not trying to scare you. Unless you have something slippery on your hands, you should be able to control the hammer of most any gun without incident. Though as you say, there's no harm in being cautious about it.

Oh, and this: "or the hammer on the shotgun is larger and exerts more leverage on the spring."

A larger hammer exerts more force due to mass and inertia. It can get by with a lighter spring and function just fine. It's like the difference between dropping a one ounce rock on your foot, versus dropping one that weighs one pound. The one-pounder hits harder ( and hurts more ) due to it's extra mass, even if it falls from the same height and at the same speed as the lighter one.


J.C.

 

[Sato Ord]

I don't see the need for all of the fuss.

Yeah, the guy should never have left the shotgun in that condition. The solution, point the gun in a safe direction, let the hammer down gently, open the firearm and remove the shell if there is one.

The last step, kick your buddy in the backside for leaving the firearm on your door step like that.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Sato Ord
I don't see the need for all of the fuss.

That's okay.

It's all better now.

Thanks for touching base.

 

[Lupinus]

glad to hear it worked out for you doggy.

And please, just for future reference, don't shove things down the muzzle of a possibly loaded firearm, especially with the hammer cocked. It's bad juju, if someone on the net wants to risk blowing their hand off that's their choice. I'd strongly recommend against it.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Lupinus
glad to hear it worked out for you doggy.

Thanks. Things went pretty much as I expected they would. But, not being familiar with that type of shotgun, let alone that specific one, I wasn't sure what lever did what. Admittedly, there weren't a lot of options, but that wasn't an occasion to experiment. Plus, I had never decocked any weapon with a live round before at all.

And please, just for future reference, don't shove things down the muzzle of a possibly loaded firearm, especially with the hammer cocked.

No worries. Won't happen. That barrel is a one-way street.