Ithaca M37 Safety Question

[barnbwt]

Hey y'all,
On an M37 with the old style non-disconnecting trigger (slam fire-able), is it safe to release the striker (by trigger or pump) with the bolt release depressed (i.e. so you could eject a live round)?

There's no reason to operate a pump this way, but I am curious if it is actually unsafe to do so.

Thanks

TCB

[barnbwt]

Over a hundred-fifty views on THR, and going on a hundred here; is the answer supposed to be obvious, or have I somehow stumbled across the one question on pump actions left unanswered?

TCB

[Mike Irwin]

I think you have stumbled on a question people see afraid to try.

personally I think you run a very high risk of firing the gun if you do that.

[barnbwt]

How do you mean a high risk of firing the gun (assuming that depressing the bolt release won't result in a finger slipping onto the trigger )?

This question pertains to the top loading/ejecting M37 project I've been working on. There will be far different controls (thumb lever) so I'm asking more about mechanical functionality. Mainly if moving that little latch tab out of the way before releasing the striker will somehow result in the bolt releasing out of battery or too early when pressures are still high. I thought that perhaps the shock of recoil could "bounce" the slide back enough to unlock the bolt if it wasn't latched in some way (it seems like it would be akin to firing a semi-auto without a recoil spring).

If it matters or is an unknown, I will configure my safety to block the trigger when the bolt-release is engaged (safety and bolt-release are activated by the same lever in my new configuration). But since the original control setup allowed for this particular maneuver, I didn't want to disable it unless it was inherently unsafe.

Thanks for the advice!

TCB

[Mike Irwin]

you say release the striker. That means dropping the firing pin. You even said trigger.

it is certainly worth investigating. But I am NOT going to investigate it with a live round in the chamber.

top loading? Top of ejecting? how are you going to keep the bolt in the receiver?

[jaguarxk120]

Generally in the scope of things a striker refers to a spring driven firing pin.

That pin/striker is released by a sear.

The Ithaca Model 37 does not have a firing group of that type.

I think the OP needs to go back to square one and rethink what he's trying to do.

[barnbwt]

Hammer, then, whatever--they smack the firing pin after the sear is released the same. Does the bolt carrier latch perform a function critical to safety during firing? Seems like it should be an easy question...

Overview of the project (almost done with function testing once this safety is sorted out)

It's actually quite handy, the top load is faster (for me), and the low barrel should help with recoil. Combining the safety and bolt release controls into a single ambi lever is much more intuitive as well

TCB

[jaguarxk120]

What you do in a electronic game is just vapor ware.

In actual practice it is something else.

[barnbwt]

I'll ask on Weaponsguild and report back here with an actual answer in case anyone else is curious (thought everyone with a pump might want to know whether or not doing this on their own gun was dangerous).

TCB

[barnbwt]

Answered within half an hour;
So long as the carrier is forward, force on the bolt goes into the frame, and the jarring of any recoil force is not enough to shift the mass of the carrier far enough back to unlock the bolt lug. Not a safety issue. As I'd figured, the purpose of the latch is to allow you to pull on the foregrip for a better shoulder mount without racking the slide back.

Mystery solved
TCB