Leverguns being prone to accidental discharge

[foxtrapper]

I've hunted with a wildboar hunting outfit up in Vermont 20 years ago. Great place, lotsa game ,good folks. My daughter has been asking to go boar hunting, so I looked up the place on the web. Same people running the place but the prices seem to have went up since my last visit I open the FAQ page and under calibres and weapons recommended it states"we discourage using leverguns as they are prone to accidental discharge ":shock: I'm going to send a email to see why they came to that conclusion

[J Miller]

That's basically a load of prejudicial bull scat, but I'll bet they had some nitwit hunting there that had an ND, and now they are blaming the gun, not the nitwit.

If I was going hunting there I'd use a lever gun in spite of their prejudice.

Joe

[Old Ironsights]

It's called the "Moron Effect".

Seems some folks can't lower the hammer to 1/2 cock without shooting themselves in the foot.

That's why we got lawyered-up leverguns with "safeties" that can break or that you "forget" to use... then accidentially drop the hammer on your foot.

If it ain't got an "OFF" button, it ain't safe.

[Old Savage]

Then they better not let anyone use them because they have then exposed people to a risk they knew about whether it is real or not, which makes them knowingly negligent.

That was likely not a good idea on their part. I would like to know what they base that on.

Who are they?

On the other hand, the legal climate is that exists is the reality for those in the enterprise, railing against it is of no effect.

[foxtrapper]

Old Savage this is the place.http://www.huntwildhill.com/index.htm It's a real first class place but the levergun comment is nuts!

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

From a litigation stand point I understand why they have the rule. I don't work on anything semi-auto for the same reason. What I don't understand is why they would allow a handgun, instead.

[El Chivo]

well, that CAN happen on a cold day, if the thumb is a little stiff. I did it with a NEF shotgun trying to lower the hammer. I was being careful and had anticipated the possibility, but still the spring tension took my cold thumb by surprise. At least I was alone and not pointing at my foot!

[H_Talon]

Hmmmmm so I guess a 99 or a 88 shooter would be out of luck too ....
good thing I'm not looking to hunt there ....

Talon

[Slick13]

well, that CAN happen on a cold day,

Yep, and that's one of the reason's some guys I shoot trap with don't let their young teens hunt with leverguns. Small, cold hands can = great potential for an accidental discharge.

The facility doesn't say you can't hunt with one, just that they discourage them. They're just covering their butts.

~Michael

[Nath]

I took a young boy out with the 9422 and he could not get it in his head or was not caperble of listening. He seemed to think that once you got the hammer held and then pulled the trigger you just let go of the hammer he did realise the importance of where the muzzle is pointing pretty quick!

Nath

[goon]

Of course it can be unsafe!
It's a gun. A gun is as unsafe as the guy using it.

FWIW, I've found that the safest way for me to lower a hammer is to stick the end of my thumb over the front of the hammer when lowering and use my thumb as sort of a built in hammer block.

[Griff]

Any firearm has the potential for an unplanned discharge. On some ocassions I'd just as soon wait to chamber until I have a shot. It is seldom needed to be fast, and done slowly, it can be done quietly.

[Cosmoline]

I ran into this debate over on THR recently. On a cold or wet day, just cycle the action instead of trying to lower on a live round. There's no need for the lawyer safety. And I say that AS A LAWYER! Those things were invented for the courtroom as a form of affirmative defense. They have no relevance in the real world.

[J Miller]

Any firearm has the potential for an unplanned discharge. On some ocassions I'd just as soon wait to chamber until I have a shot. It is seldom needed to be fast, and done slowly, it can be done quietly though.

For the most part I agree with what Griff just said. I, as a rule do not carry my lever guns with a round chambered unless I'm actually stalking something I really want to kill. And even then only if the terrain will allow me to do so safely.
I have found though that certain lever guns do require a bit more speed to cycle ammo reliably, so doing it dead slow might not get a round in the chamber. It can still be done quietly.

I have been shooting lever action rifles since oh about 1965 maybe a year earlier. Lets do the math,
2008 - 1965 = 43 years. OK, lets factor in the fact that I did this for 33 of those years in the variable weather of Arizona. Blistering hot, you sweat like a pig all the time, or raining, or freezing cold. All of those factors can cause your fingers to slip off the hammer and make a kaboom. Nope, not if you take your stupid finger off the trigger the second the hammer passes the full cock notch. The half cock notch will catch the hammer.

Alright now lets factor in the number of unintentional discharges I've had with my leverguns ....... ummmm wait, there are none. That's correct, in 43 years I've had exactly ZERO ( 0 ) unintentional discharges from my lever guns.

Sorry about that game farm in VT, you're full of stuff.

I really feel bad about this, kinda sounds like I'm bragging don't it. No brag, just fact.

Joewhoreallyhatesknowitallswhodon'tknowdidlyscat

[Rusty]

Sounds like the talk I had with a Captain once. We couldn't carry a 1911 in uniform. They said they just weren't fool proof enough. I told him fools weren't meant to carry guns. His experience came from having to deal with the lowest common denominator so I understood.

[Old Ironsights]

Sounds like the talk I had with a Captain once. We couldn't carry a 1911 in uniform. They said they just weren't fool proof enough. I told him fools weren't meant to carry guns. His experience came from having to deal with the lowest common denominator so I understood.

I had to take a 1911 away from a Capitan (my S3) once and issue him an M16.

Fool treated it like a lemon-squeezer - endangered everyone on the Qual firing line.

After I proved to him the weapon was NOT malfunctioning I gave him an M16... with the Colonel's blessing.

AFAIK he never carried a .45 again before getting RIFed for lack of promotion...