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Tyro: Although unloading the shotgun completely, dropping the hammer, and then reloading the magazine is certainly one method to do this (and I would suspect safer also), I use an alternate method which bypasses unloading the shotgun completely, and is therefore faster. Because it is faster, it is also unfortunately more dangerous, and one must be very careful of the status of your shells.
That said, I bring the forend back slowly, until the chambered shell can be removed from the ejection port. At the point that the shell can be removed, you must not continue backwards movement of the forend lest another shell be dropped from the magazine (and would be chambered when you bring the forend forward.) With the chambered shell removed, and certain that no shell is dropped from the magazine, you can then bring the forend forward. I always depress the action/slide release again and check by feel and sight that no shell is either in the chamber or the loading lifter (my terminology may be suspect here, help me out please, fellow FLposters!) If empty, you can then drop the hammer, always pointed in a safe direction regardless of its condition! This will achieve the cruiser ready condition without unloading, then reloading the magazine. It does; however, require (NO, demands!) more attention to what your doing.
EricO
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