Lever safties

edsguns · Post by **edsguns** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:57 am

Forgive me if this topic has already been discussed at length here, but here's my question: Of the newer Type safties marketed with/on more modern lever actions, which seem the most inobtrusive to you all? I've never handled a '94 with tang safety and do own a 336 with the crossbolt along with an older 94 with no additional saftey, a .444 with no additional safety and a BLR pre safety. Personally, I prefer the BLR's fold-down hammer safety as it still only requires one to "thumb" the hammer to bring to ready. I am constantly checking the crossbolt safety on my 336 in .356 to insure it's not "ON"! Any comments, or additionl types I have ommited along with their plusses and minuses would be welcome.

Lastmohecken · Post by **Lastmohecken** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:33 pm

I don't like any kind of safety, other then a halfcock notch, and the folddown hammer safety of the BLR was not needed and stupid. The older BLRs have an enerta firing pin, as do the newer ones also, as far as I know. In the manuals of the older BLRs it said to not carry the gun on halfcock, as that was only a catch in case one let the hammer slip while cocking it. You were supposed to carry the gun with a round in the chamber and the hammer down all of the way. The gun can't fire because the enerta firing pin is short and can't touch the primer.

I have actually tested my BLRs with a hammer blow to the lowered hammer spur with a round in the chamber and it won't fire. This is the safest was to carry a BLR and one of the safest systems in the gun world. You are not carrying around a cocked gun, there is no safety to get accidently wiped off, etc. The gun can not fire unless you pull the hammer back. On the BLRs, some dammed lawyer or insurance company made them change to the folding hammer, the original was plenty safe enough.

I guess the crossbolt safetys have a little bit of merrit on a tube fed leveraction, because you can put in on safe while levering the action, to empty the rifle, but I hate them, and see no need for them as long as one is careful and never lets the muzzle of the gun point at anything one doesn't want to shoot, while jacking the shells though the action, when unloading.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:20 pm

I have only one lever action with a lawyer inspired safety. A Marlin 1894 and that safety has been replaced with the Ludwig replacement kit. They are stupid add ons that serve no purpose other than to appease some idiot tort lawyer.

To answer you question the cross bolt safety as found on the Marlin is about as unobtrusive as you're likely to find. And because of it's small size it's not as likely to be accidentally engaged as the one on the Winchesters.
You can if you want put a small O-ring around the grove on the left side of the safety button and that will prevent it from engaging. There was such an o-ring on the safety of my Marlin when I got it. I could not engage the safety even when I tried to while the o-ring was on it.

Joe

L.F.Combs · Post by **L.F.Combs** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:06 pm

Well if I have to have a safety on a lever gun I prefer the squeezer that the 94 has built into the lever. I hate the wort cross bolt that they had in the 90's. I like the tang model -it is not to hard to remember. I still prefer no safety.

Post by **Old Savage** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:41 pm

Probably the tang safety but the Marlin isn't obtrusive to me.

Hillbilly · Post by **Hillbilly** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:18 pm

If I had to be stuck with a lever safety I'd take a tang mounted one. I used to hunt a Mossberg and that thumb button was easy for me to learn.

Seems to me I can unload all mymarlin levers without actually jackin' a round into the chamber... and the half-cock notch isnt foolproof-but what is?