When I put my bolt action rifles back in the safe, I "lower" the firing pin -- you know, finger on the trigger while slowly closing the bolt.

How do you store your doubles...at least those that cock upon opening? Should I fire a couple snap caps and leave them chambered?

Yes, use snap caps.

Keith

I use snap caps. Pull both triggers. Remove the forearm this will allow you to remove the barrels without cocking the firing pins.

At least that's the way I do it.

It's easy! With the gun opened pull both triggers and slowly close the barrels. The cocking system will decock in reverse order. of course if you have a single trigger gun only one side will decock. Also some guns with an auto safety have enough play in the auto lever that if push the safety forward a bit they will also decock.

quote:

Originally posted by SWD:
It's easy! With the gun opened pull both triggers and slowly close the barrels. The cocking system will decock in reverse order. of course if you have a single trigger gun only one side will decock. Also some guns with an auto safety have enough play in the auto lever that if push the safety forward a bit they will also decock.

SWD, I had never tried this with an auto safety, so I just opened the vault, and tried it with all my doubles fitted with auto safeties, and none will allow the de-cocking by pulling the triggers as I close the action. All the safeties are tight as a drum, and will not budge till the rifle is completely closed, and the action cocked. Most of those are smaller chamberings, so I haven't gone to the trouble to disconnect the auto feature on the safeties, because they are not used to hunt dangerous game, except for one, a 9.3X74R 140E Merkel, which intended to disconnect, but haven't yet. I will, now disconnect them all, so they can be relived on closeing! My big bore doubles are all non-auto safeties!

MacD37, yea some do, some don't. The ones that do, have the safety just barely come on at the the end of opening stroke. I have a Churchill 12 and a Garbi 28 that both have enough play in safety to decock. All my double rifles have the
auto safetys disabled.

Macd37

What SWD said. I find that if play a little with the safty in about mid posistion or hold it all the way forward that I can lower the hammers as I close the gun. In most cases the safty is engaged by a spring that can be manully overridden with your tumb.

The tricky one is a drilling. You have to open the gun pull the triggers close the gun while holding the triggers back then open it again till just before the the sears engage switch the selector for the front trigger to the rifle barrel then release the hammer for the rifle barrel and close the gun,

All this will save you some greif down the road. I just replaced a hammer spring in my 8x57 Merkel double rifle.

Also, if possible, store your DRs horizontally...This keeps oil / solvents from seeping through the action back into the heard of the stock, that when eventually oil soaked can be more prone to cracking...Especially important for sidelock actioned rifles.

JW

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
Also, if possible, store your DRs horizontally...This keeps oil / solvents from seeping through the action back into the heard of the stock, that when eventually oil soaked can be more prone to cracking...Especially important for sidelock actioned rifles.

JW

Couldn't you stand them in the safe barrels down in a plastic cup?

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Macd37

What SWD said. I find that if play a little with the safty in about mid posistion or hold it all the way forward that I can lower the hammers as I close the gun. In most cases the safty is engaged by a spring that can be manully overridden with your tumb.

The tricky one is a drilling. You have to open the gun pull the triggers close the gun while holding the triggers back then open it again till just before the the sears engage switch the selector for the front trigger to the rifle barrel then release the hammer for the rifle barrel and close the gun,

All this will save you some greif down the road. I just replaced a hammer spring in my 8x57 Merkel double rifle.

AKshooter, I have four double rifles, and two shotguns with auto safeties, and none will allow you to hold the safety button even a tiny bit forward while closeing the rifle. All are actuated by a soild barr that works on a cam surface on the top lever, and physically pushes the safety back. There is no play at all in the systems.

The oil getting into the head of the stock is rimedied by simply storeing the rifles muzzle down in a tupper ware condiment cup to catch the oil. Another way is to store them borken down in the fitted cases, but then you either need a walk-in vault, or a very large safe to keep them from walking off!

This is easy. Just hold your thumb over the hammers and let them down gently while pulling the trigger :

Brent

i know not what course others may take.....

but for me, auto safeties on any hunting gun or rifle are a no, nein, nichts

Macd37

After reading your post I went back and checked all of my auto safty guns and found that I also have one that won't decock as I earlyer mentioned. The Ferlach gubs no problem but my SXS 16 bore H&H won't let me do it. I guess you can see how much use I get out of that one

quote:

Originally posted by tomo577:
i know not what course others may take.....

but for me, auto safeties on any hunting gun or rifle are a no, nein, nichts

Like you Tom, I don't like them either, but on a rifle I'm not useing for big game,I simply haven't bothered to dis-connect them.

The rifles that I let others use, have auto safeties, and have not been disconnected! I happen to have four grown kids, the youngest being 44 yrs old, and 14 grand children. All, at one time or the other, shoot my smaller doubles, so the auto safeties are comforting!

All my DGR doubles are manual safeties, or are exposed hammer rifles!

quote:

This is easy. Just hold your thumb over the hammers and let them down gently while pulling the trigger :

Brent

What he said!

Bob (self confessed hammergun nut)

Thanks very much guys.

OK guys, all good stuff. Now....

...what about ejectors?

I happily close my Jeffery .400NE double slowly with the triggers pulled (it has a non-automatic safety of course), but when I open it next time it needs to be 'cocked' as it's opened, then the Southgate ejectors 'cock' when it is subsequently closed. I assume this does no harm to the ejectors, but I have seen in print where an American author recommended against this. There are a lot of ignorant gun-writers around, and I had been de-cocking as described for years, so I simply continued the practice.

What is the collective opinion here about de-cocking Southgate ejectors as described, and re-cocking them by opening then closing the gun?

Fire the snaps and take off the forend. Then take apart for stowage.

Posted by Buliwyf

quote:

Posted 12 Feb, 11:30 AM Hide Post
Bill,

I don't have a double rifle.

That's right. I don't have a double rifle. I have several best quality S/S and O/U shotguns.

What is the difference in care & maintenance?

quote:

Fire the snaps and take off the forend. Then take apart for stowage.

Your response does not indicate that you are assuming there are no differences between shotguns and rifles. It would be very helpful to the person asking the question to have some idea of how reliable the advice was.

Crony Manion:

Tell us the difference and advise.

Bullwinkle,

Tell you the difference between double rifles and SxS shotguns? That would take up too much bandwidth here.

Frankly, I do not see how my suggestion that you indicate that your experience is limited to shotguns is a problem. Or is honesty not something high on your list?