ChrisPackham
Well-known member
Why does no one close a gun properly anymore? Seems particularly prevalent at clay grounds and amongst ‘celebrities’..
Closing the gun
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Because they’ve never seen a negligent discharge in the field that missed someone’s leg by a field mouses whisker ? Or the fact that if you’ve come into shooting via a clay ground and cages you may not realise that shotguns were primarily designed to kill . My favourite is seeing unbroken guns get extracted from slips .
Paul120
Well-known member
Is it 'Wood to Metal' or 'Metal to Wood' or in my case 'Metal to Metal'..................I use a semi auto !
Bebo
Well-known member
It means he's a game shooter who wants those of us that only ever shoot clays to faff around pretending to be game shooters. If you're in a cage at a clay ground and the gun is pointed down range it doesn't matter a damn if you've got your barrels pointed at the ground, in the air or straight in front of you.
Doctor Lecter
Well-known member
agreed but i do like to practice safe gun handling , as they say "good shooting is no accident "
Richard59
Well-known member
I know of no celebrities, let alone ones that shoot, nor can I claim to have seen any, as for safe gun handling you are probably correct, the increase in wafting closed guns around from early August until end of game season, “getting ones eye in chaps” though is not a new thing. I have though seen & heard fellows get short shrift for poor safety at competition shoots. One suggests if you see poor behaviour, and none of us likes confrontation you refrain from going to the place in question.
The worst gun handling I ever see is game shooters coming to a clay ground to " get their eye in" I have often left the ground because of their antics... mind you deaths are common place in French hunting circles.
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I've reffed many reg sporting events and hardly ever see anyone slam shut their gun or behave unsafely. Certainly none of the regulars, just the occasional local out for a Sunday jolly at a reg shoot.
I've also reffed at a few "village" shoots where most are game or rough shooters and their gun discipline can be truly frightening. I've had to intervene on 3 or 4 occasions in situations where the shooter clearly had no experience of handling a gun in a small area with people around.
Doctor Lecter
Well-known member
It can be, some of the worst gun handling I have ever seen on clay shooting grounds, is more often than not, game shooters.
When I am on a game shoot where I do not know, or have never shot in their company before, I watch how my 'neighbours' on either side of me, take their guns from the slips. IF they come out closed, then I am on my guard. I am one of those that er .....'FAFF ABOUT' opening my gun half way out of it's slip. It then comes out broken, whilst I find somewhere convenient to place the slip. Strangely enough. I do the same at clay grounds too.
Me too Westley, gun is broken in slip and when returning it, open going in and then shut. As for shutting it, so long as you aren’t pointing it anywhere other than where you are going to shoot and you don’t slam it I’m fine with it.
El Spavo
Well-known member
Interestingly for me, apart from being told to never load until the barrels are over the edge of the cage, pointing down range, and slightly upwards if you're in a dug out gulley (in case you ricochet off the usually built stoneworks in front of your knees!), I've never been shown or told the 'correct' way to close a gun, so genuinely what is it the OP is proposing, pray tell??
Was never told to break it in the slip either, but that's something that seemed common sense too and have always done. Chocolate frog and a w@nk off of matron for me I guess?! :fool:
Was never told to break it in the slip either, but that's something that seemed common sense too and have always done. Chocolate frog and a w@nk off of matron for me I guess?! :fool:
Jan Powell
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What’s a slip?
The gun’s carried from car to layout over the right shoulder. I’ve been doing it so many years I’m sure there’s a groove in my shoulder bone the gun fits into. I don’t even have to hold the barrel.
Seriously though, the gun is closed as it’s lifted and is part of the mount. It therefore cannot be anything other than barrels to wood. Trying to do it the other way would be very odd.
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bostonmick
Well-known member
I only shoot clays sporting and skeet mainly.i always close my gun very gently and bring the barrels up to the action and always pointing down range. My guns are always removed from slips open. I have seen on two occasions what maybe described as accidental discharge one I believe to have been from slamming the gun shut the other was a novice who closed the gun with finger on the trigger. Both times guns were closed barrels down and both people were lucky to get away with uninjured feet. Also both were ejected from the ground and told to get some lessons in gun handling before returning.
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I really am surprised at some of the answers on here .
To say that there is no right or wrong way is a ridiculous statement .
Always where practical carry your gun in a gunslip , it saves damage to your gun or its woodwork from shards of clay or accidental knocks .
An easy way to be seen to be safe in removing the gun from the gunslip , Open the top of the slip and draw the gun up out of the slip until easy access to the toplever can be gained , open top lever and open the barrels to action , carefully remove gun from gunslip paying attention to where you are pointing or passing the barrels muzzle through , keep gun open until in the safety cage at a clay shoot or on the peg at a Game shoot . In a cage point barrels over the front safety bar check barrels are clear before loading . Load and using leverage of barrels to reduce effort required , raise barrels carefully under control to close to action face . Always pay particular attention to where your muzzles are pointing at all times . Never pass the muzzles of a closed gun through someones bodyline .
To replace into a slip , Gun open , insert empty barrels into the slip until barrels are well into slip , holding barrels and slip scurely raise action to close action to barrels and secure in the slip . Always carry a slip on the shoulder with stock (Large end of slip ) uppermost , it saves the gun falling out of the slip in the event of a zip or closure failure .
It has always been an accepted practice by elder statesmen with SxS to be taught to close the gun by being aware where barrels are pointing and raising the butt this is often called 'wood to metal' . It looks very elegant , but is perhaps now a little outdated .Using the natural mechanical advantage of the barrel length up to the action is far more efficient . BUT BE MUZZLE AWARE and always careful.
To say that there is no right or wrong way is a ridiculous statement .
Always where practical carry your gun in a gunslip , it saves damage to your gun or its woodwork from shards of clay or accidental knocks .
An easy way to be seen to be safe in removing the gun from the gunslip , Open the top of the slip and draw the gun up out of the slip until easy access to the toplever can be gained , open top lever and open the barrels to action , carefully remove gun from gunslip paying attention to where you are pointing or passing the barrels muzzle through , keep gun open until in the safety cage at a clay shoot or on the peg at a Game shoot . In a cage point barrels over the front safety bar check barrels are clear before loading . Load and using leverage of barrels to reduce effort required , raise barrels carefully under control to close to action face . Always pay particular attention to where your muzzles are pointing at all times . Never pass the muzzles of a closed gun through someones bodyline .
To replace into a slip , Gun open , insert empty barrels into the slip until barrels are well into slip , holding barrels and slip scurely raise action to close action to barrels and secure in the slip . Always carry a slip on the shoulder with stock (Large end of slip ) uppermost , it saves the gun falling out of the slip in the event of a zip or closure failure .
It has always been an accepted practice by elder statesmen with SxS to be taught to close the gun by being aware where barrels are pointing and raising the butt this is often called 'wood to metal' . It looks very elegant , but is perhaps now a little outdated .Using the natural mechanical advantage of the barrel length up to the action is far more efficient . BUT BE MUZZLE AWARE and always careful.
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Wonko the Sane
Well-known member
I need some help here. If the gun is unloaded, open for the world to see, how is putting it into the slip partially open any safer than just closing the gun and putting it into the slip? And if it is loaded (!) then closing the gun in the slip still has a closed and cocked gun in the slip. What am I missing?
I like to think that I'm a particularly safe person when handling guns but the messing about with the slip seems a cure for nothing. Bozos with guns will be Bozos with guns no matter what dance you ask them to do.
JMO of course but I've never shot anyone or myself accidentally. to my knowledge
I like to think that I'm a particularly safe person when handling guns but the messing about with the slip seems a cure for nothing. Bozos with guns will be Bozos with guns no matter what dance you ask them to do.
JMO of course but I've never shot anyone or myself accidentally. to my knowledge
Just a small point , no one ever shot anyone accidentally. They were all shot negligently.
