Does Mossberg 500 have drop safety?

[ezmiraldo]

I assume that most modern guns should be drop safe (i.e., have mechanism preventing firing pin from moving inside the firing pin channel due to drop inertia, which might cause primer strike and subsequent discharge). But I've heard from several good sources that police officers are trained to transport their shotguns in "cruiser mode" -- no cartridge in the chamber -- due to the possibility of a discharge if shotgun ever falls down inside the cruiser. I have mossberg 500 for HD and trying to decide how to store it (round chambered or not). I planned to have it safety-on, fully loaded + round chambered, but now I'm not sure..

[jaguarxk120]

If the gun makers went to your "drop safety" the cost of guns would double or triple in cost.

The best safety in the world is the one between your ears!

[Virginian]

It does not have an absolute drop safety. I don't think it needs one.

[g.willikers]

Wouldn't the shotgun have to land squarely on the muzzle for the firing pin to have enough force to overcome the spring and discharge a chambered round?
If so, how likely is that to happen, especially with the length and weight distribution of a shotgun?

[T. O'Heir]

If a shotgun ever falls down inside the cruiser, the cop didn't secure it properly.
"...police officers are trained to..." Most aren't sufficiently trained with any firearm and a lot get no shotgun training at all. Know a guy who got assigned to "The Bank Car", the only car with a shotgun, long ago. Neither he nor his partner even knew how to load a pump gun.
There is no advantage whatsoever to storing a firearm of any kind with a round in the chamber. Any kids in the house? However, most safeties block the trigger and have nothing to do with the fp.

[44 AMP]

I assume that most modern guns should be drop safe

Should be and are, are two different things.

And guns can be "drop safe" without firing pin blocks, depending, of course, on your definition of "drop" and "safe".

"Most" modern guns (particularly shotguns) are modern examples of older designs, created before current attitudes of "must be safe at any cost" took precedence.

One famous "drop test" from the 70s declared a particular gun they tested "not drop safe" because, they found that, after creating a special fixture, so the gun would land muzzle down, on a hard surface, AND dropping it over 30 feet, it could go off. Falling less than that never set it off, falling without the special fixture, it never went off. But they said it wasn't "safe"

If it worries you, simply leave the chamber empty. FORGET the people who claim that you will die because of the extra 1/2 second it takes to load the chamber. IT's BS.

[hartcreek]

When I leave a pump shotgun out for HD I load the tube and load one round in the carrier and keep the action open. Sometimes I even hunt that way.

[Dreaming100Straight]

I used to do that. I don't like the open action part with a shell on the carrier for HD. Stuff happens and my concern would be that something finds it way into the open action or the shell gets askew and you have the gun jams in an emergency. I forego the extra round on the carrier, believing 6 in the tube is plenty. For that matter, I don't know if the pros of the mag extension outweigh (literally outweigh) the cons.

Hammer down on an empty chamber and a full mag, albeit 4 or 6.

[ezmiraldo]

Thanks for your responses, folks.

Question: If nobody is concerned about drop safety, why leave the chamber empty? What is the logic behind the currently predominant school of thought that suggests leaving chamber empty? Is the reason the same given by folks leaving their HD pistols with empty chamber -- extra safety precaution? Or, is there anything else behind this idea?

I see at least 3 downsides to this: (1) lower ammo capacity; (2) sound of pump being worked is a target indicator; (3) in high-stress situation one might mess something up while pumping the slide and the shotgun might jam. I'm not trying to criticize the pre-dominant practice -- just trying to understand its rationale better.

Let me know your thoughts, guys, as I'm trying to work out my own position on this issue.

[jaguarxk120]

Look at it this way, the more complicated the gun is the more the chance of something failing.

[skizzums]

Although unlikely a police officer is going to drop his gun with enough force to set off a round, I believe "cruiser" condition is because a good t-boning on whatever side the muzzle is pointing will definitely have enough enertia. Car accidents cause amazing forces

[Dreaming100Straight]

While grabbing a gun out of a rack, from beneath a bed, the corner of a closet or where ever, something can catch the trigger. If somebody picks up my shotgun they may foolishly assume "it isn't loaded" and boom. Lastly, if a bad guy gets hands on a pump they may not realize they have to chamber a round, which gives its owner an opportunity to disarm the bg.

[44 AMP]

Question: If nobody is concerned about drop safety, why leave the chamber empty?

Answer: Because no matter what else happens or doesn't happen, having an empty chamber means the gun will not fire.

No, a gun should not fire if dropped. And a safety should prevent the gun from firing. BUT, everything mechanical can, and will, at some point, fail.
Basic gun safety teaches that. And they can fail in the most unbelievable combinations. I personally know of one gun that failed in such an unusual manner that held upright (normal shooting) putting the safety "on" actually caused the gun to fire! and held at a slight angle (tilted sideways) it functioned completely normally!!!

An empty chamber is the ONE THING we can do that ensures the greatest safety, no matter what else.

As to the 3 downsides, (1) is ONE round less a really a vital concern? Remember there is a difference between combat and home defense.
(2) possibly, but again, is that a vital concern? Again, there is a difference between standing your ground, prepared to repel boarders, waiting for the police, and going out and hunting them. Some people are firmly convinced that the sound of the pump gun being racked is a good thing, causing intruders to flee (thus ending the issue), while others think its a target designator. In my personal situation, its irrelevant. Odds are high that if they can hear the action (of anything) being worked, well enough to know what it is, and where it came from specifically, they already have a pretty good idea where you are.

(3) this can happen with anything. Stress can cause you to improperly operate things. Short shucking a pump is one. The same person, same situation might jam anything, including a semi auto.

Something snagging the trigger when you grab the gun was mentioned. IF the safety fails, loaded, it fires. Empty chamber, it cannot.
Someone else grabbing the gun, also mentioned (child, or bad guy, or really upset spouse), also mentioned, NOTHING can happen until they realize they have to load the chamber, which may prevent a tragedy.

There is no single "best" for all possible situations, it must all be viewed as calculated risks. For most of us, in most of our situations, we calculate that chamber empty storage is the least overall risk.

Hope this helps you better understand some of the things we consider, when we advocate what we do. The best practice for ready storage when you are expecting hostiles in the wire at any time, and the best practice for mama and two toddlers home alone when you are working the late shift are different things in my opinion.