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Originally Posted by Thomme
Also, I was wondering: are their any merits to leaving it with the action open?
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Only from a safety standpoint: If you see an open bolt, you know the gun is safe.
As a loaded ready condition, an open bolt would be a disaster. Remember, the open bolt occurs at mid cycle: Generally, a fresh round has been released from the mag and is resting on the carrier ready to be elevated to the bore. Anyone familiar with a pump action know that it functions best when operated smartly. If you lazily shuck your gun, all sorts of naughty things may happen. First, a slow pump may not properly eject the spent hull which will result in a jamb. Or, the fresh round may mis-align if elevated too slowly, also resulting in a jamb.
If you store your loaded pump with the action open, there's a good chance that the round will come off the carrier (lifter) and you'll jamb. The round may even fall out of the gun. The best way to keep the fresh round on the carrier is to not give it enough time to go astray.
If you've never tried this, after safely shooting a round, roll your pump on its side with the ejection port facing down. Now, smartly cycle the action… everything went okay, right? Next, repeat the test with a deliberately slow pump, there's a good chance the fresh shell will either fall out, or jamb.
The open bolt may offer a safer way to unload your pump. When clearing a loaded gun, many folks hold back the action lock and pump until the gun is empty. The downside being that each round has been chambered, with the possibility of an accidental discharge, and then indiscriminately ejected. Instead, open the bolt with the gun on its side and let each round fall out into your hand.