Making a pump shotgun safe - how?

[Oleg Volk]

1) Is it possible to unload a pump or an autoloader with tube magazine w/o chambering each and every round?

2) Am I correct in assuming that modern shotguns are not drop safe? If so, why?

3) Are *any* box magazine shotguns reliable enough for defensive uses?

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Oleg

http://dd-b.net/RKBA

[HarryB]

To answer 1--yes, for a pump--don't know semis.

Tilt the weapon so that the ejection port faces the ground as you open the action and the shell should drop right out.

[gfrey]

Well, a good question.

My 1100 can be unloaded by cycling the receiver, to eject the one in the chamber, I then drop out the one that just ejected from the magazine tube thru the port (so I have now removed the one in the chamber and the next one to go in the chamber), then I press the latch on the bottom port, it cycles the receiver, when I pull the receiver back the next round from the magazine is ready to be chambered, only I drop it out the port and repeat as necessary. (similar to pump as already posted.)
( but I can stop here when waterfowl plug is in gun :D, cause it only takes 3 then!)

I don't think I can recommend the 1100 as HD, but your question asked how to unload a self loader without chambering every round.
hope this helps,
Gfrey

[Tripemaster]

No need to cycle every round. The first one comes out by pulling the chamber back and then tilting the gun to dump it out of the receiver. After that, with the pump back, you can unload all the rest of the rounds from the magazine tube from underneath. Reach underneath and there is a catch on the underside of the receiver that keeps the rounds in the tube. Push the catch with your finger and a round will pop out underneath. Repeat until the magazine is empty.

[dZ]

the benelli nova has a nice feature. You can press a button on the slide and shuck out the shell in the chamber without loading another. It is supposed to be for crossing fences while hunting

neat gun

dZ

[HarryB]

To cross a fence I just open the action and pocket the shell. After crossing I close the action (chambering a new shell) and insert the pocketed shell in the mag tube. Not meant to be a flame but how does the Nova improve on that?

If a buddy handed me a shotgun with a closed action I'd still peek to see if one was chambered.