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Old June 22, 2000, 02:01 PM   #11
JNewell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 12, 2000
Posts: 1,092
A couple of supplemental items.

1. Are there magazine extensions available for the 20 gauge, or are they the same as the 12 gauge (would be surprised)?

2. For the record, since it doesn't specifically apply in this case -- before putting the hammers down on any firearm, at a minimum, the operator really need to make sure that the firing pin will not protrude from the breech face (ie, will not be in contact with the primer). I would suspect that most of those exposed-hammer shotguns cannot have the hammers lowered without putting the firing pin in contact with the primer, at which point even a small bump could fire the shotgun (for example, when you put it down in the corner, taking off your hand or even your head). The same thing applies to a variety of other firearms, such as most bolt-action rifles (cocked & locked is ok, lowering the bolt w/o cocking the striker is not), and many single action revolvers.

Even if the firing pin is of the inertia type, and does not protrude to contact the primer when the hammer is down, unless there is a firing pin safety there is some risk of a drop-fire, although examples of this seem to be much rarer than the warnings about the risk. Dave McC and a few others gave some great examples in a recent thread (for example, a shotgun dropped butt-first from a guard tower at a Maryland pen that did not discharge).
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