safe to carry round in chamber?

[shoot2eat]

I'm looking for a shotgun to carry on the quad while im out and about working on the property. Does anyone know of any particular makes and models that I can de-cock the gun with rounds carried in the chamber (without firing pins resting on primer).
I want the swiftness of having a round already chambered, but relying on a safety switch alone is too risky when busting through the scrub, with kids, dogs and everyone all over the place. I know it'llprobably have to be something with external hammers, but does anyone know one that the hammers can be kept at 1/4 cock or something like that?

[womble]

Half cock is not a particularly reliable safety. Which is why it’s not very common nowadays, unless you have an exact replica of something old.

Have you considered a flint lock. Because that’s about all a half cock is good for. Sorry I’m joking. Flint locks are s**t as attested by losing the battle of the Alamo. Davy Crockett’s famous last words “This gun is a piece of s**t”

The hammer isn’t resting on the firing pin with a loaded external hammer shotgun. It’s partially cocked. But yes, still a bit dicey considering you’re quite the action man.

I’ve had accidental discharges in my youth. With a hammer gun. Not my.. , well yes I had those also.

So anyway

Only think I can think of that might suit your specific requirements would be the Rossi circuit judge. Being a revolver. double action. 410 but can take 3 inch magnum shells. Some winnny super x slugs and bobs your uncle.

Should you opt for that don’t get the wood stock because they crack.

[Wapiti]

Before the tactical craze that shotguns have had now applied to them, there were a few of this type available.
This one here is the IAC lever gun, modelled after the 1887/1902 Winchester.
I also have a Chiappa the same, with a full choke set. If you like a shotgun with a beautiful piece of walnut, the Chiappa's certainly show up the Beretta boys at out community shotgun clay events.
The standard models carry 7 shells, with one in the chamber.
You definitely can carry one in the chamber safety at half cock with one of these. In fact, I prefer these things to the Rem 870 I have because of this.

You can sneak up on something, then completely silently thumb the hammer to full cock.
Unfortunately, these models suffered from some terrible myths about their reliability to eject some shells, mainly long cases, which I found to be complete bullsh*t. Some people couldn't drive an automatic car.

[Wapiti]

Gun at half cock.
Completely safe to run around with on the ute dash, or in a rack on a quad or SxS.
This one has an open choke, so best for scrub and creek beds with your favourite buckshot size, or slugs.

[straightshooter]

It's a little unclear as to what the OP's usage intentions quite are but the safest kind of shotgun would have to be a bolt action with an empty chamber and rounds in the magazine or a round in the chamber and a partially open bolt.
Not quite as safe would be a lever release shotgun but much quicker to use. I have heard that all lever release firearms are at risk of being grandfathered if not outright banned in some states.

[bladeracer]

I'm looking for a shotgun to carry on the quad while im out and about working on the property. Does anyone know of any particular makes and models that I can de-cock the gun with rounds carried in the chamber (without firing pins resting on primer).
I want the swiftness of having a round already chambered, but relying on a safety switch alone is too risky when busting through the scrub, with kids, dogs and everyone all over the place. I know it'll probably have to be something with external hammers, but does anyone know one that the hammers can be kept at 1/4 cock or something like that?

I personally wouldn't want a firearm on a quad with a round up the spout, except for a securely-holstered handgun
Have you considered a side-by-side or under/over gun? Keep it slightly broken, close it as you bring it to the shoulder, and fire.

I was told my Rossi Coachgun is safe to carry loaded with the hammers down, but I don't think I've actually checked it. I can have a look later today if you might be interested in something similar. It's a hammer gun but the hammers rebound. I haven't checked whether you can strike the hammers into the firing pins though, if you drop it for example.

EDIT: I checked the Rossi Coachgun and the hammers are indeed blocked, you have to have the trigger pulled to be able to force the hammer forward against the firing pin.

[bladeracer]

Gun at half cock.
Completely safe to run around with on the ute dash, or in a rack on a quad or SxS.
This one has an open choke, so best for scrub and creek beds with your favourite buckshot size, or slugs.

I saw an accidental discharge with a '97 this year. He loaded it and it fired as he closed the lever. It appeared that the firing pin was stuck through the breechface, probably just dirty.

We also had an AD at the pistol club last week. He loaded a .22, dropped the slide, and it fired, the bullet just catching the far edge of the benchtop. I didn't look at the pistol so can't guess what the cause was. He's only just bought it so it may be a pre-existing issue. Great reminder to everybody to ensure a firearm is pointed in a safe direction when loading it.

I've demonstrated to two people this year why the Henry .22 lever-action is not safe to simply lower the hammer, you _must_ pull it back to the safety notch. If you just lower it against the firing pin, striking the hammer even fairly lightly with a piece of wood will fire it.

[womble]

On Hammerless coach guns it's very easy to delete the safety. Then you can just close and fire.

I wouldn't sell the gun on like that though.

But it's just a small piece you can remove and refit again.

Unless you lose it

And if that's illegal then I've never done it

[Fester]

The only way I could get away with my forest deer hunting on foot with the Dirty-30 lever brush gun is safely half cocked.
You wouldn't get away with racking a round near the wary deer.

Adler levers should be the same and lots of blokes would take a slab of ammo to get rid of them.

I have a 20" Dicko shotty, but would only feel safe if I racked the round before firing the shot, it's pretty quick without using the safety.
Straight pull is just pull it back and let it go and shoot.

The Templeton version may be able to do a setup where you just press the button and fire.
Not safe enough on a quad as it's locked and loaded if the button was somehow bumped.

Once in my deer gulley, a bolt-action rifle would also have them looking at me.
I use a rubber band around the scope, that can just hold the bolt up. I use the safety as well as it could be easily bumped closed on the round.
I just shoulder the rifle, push the bolt closed, flick the safety of and fire.
The second or so doing it is enough time to assess what is behind the deer for a safe shot.
A few seconds is all they will give me if they see or hear something, unless very lucky.

On foot, it's muzzle direction that stops an accident, not sure what I would feel 100% safe with a quad and a round up the spout.
I prob wouldn't do it. The Meateater crew once talked about how they have all had accidental discharges, so muzzle control is what saved them. It's always the unloaded gun that shoots someone.

[Wapiti]

Gun at half cock.
Completely safe to run around with on the ute dash, or in a rack on a quad or SxS.
This one has an open choke, so best for scrub and creek beds with your favourite buckshot size, or slugs.

I saw an accidental discharge with a '97 this year. He loaded it and it fired as he closed the lever. It appeared that the firing pin was stuck through the breechface, probably just dirty.

I had one myself before I sorted myself out and switched the brain on with the 1887. My finger slipped off the hammer, as it is quite short due to the design requiring it to rotate back into the action when opened right up. Because the trigger had been pulled to release the hammer to get to half cock, when I slipped it could contact the firing pin. And it did.
This was a John Browning design, and mechanically for the time, this action is quite brilliant. The fact you can get an action so short in design in 10G as it originally was, is incredible.
It is easy to do, in my case was completely my fault. Others would blame something else.

I have a "nail" in my leg all the way from my knee to my ankle, from the result of a hunter mate closing the bolt on an A7 Sako 308 when attempting to show it to me when coming out camping. Look up what Tibial Nail means. His finger touched the trigger, although he swears that didn't happen. Firearm design was not to blame, the brain driving the hand always has something else to put it down to.

[bladeracer]

I had one myself before I sorted myself out and switched the brain on with the 1887. My finger slipped off the hammer, as it is quite short due to the design requiring it to rotate back into the action when opened right up. Because the trigger had been pulled to release the hammer to get to half cock, when I slipped it could contact the firing pin. And it did.
This was a John Browning design, and mechanically for the time, this action is quite brilliant. The fact you can get an action so short in design in 10G as it originally was, is incredible.
It is easy to do, in my case was completely my fault. Others would blame something else.

I have a "nail" in my leg all the way from my knee to my ankle, from the result of a hunter mate closing the bolt on an A7 Sako 308 when attempting to show it to me when coming out camping. Look up what Tibial Nail means. His finger touched the trigger, although he swears that didn't happen. Firearm design was not to blame, the brain driving the hand always has something else to put it down to.

Bloody lucky not to lose the leg!
I had a humeral nail in my right shoulder for nine months.

[Wapiti]

Mine can't come out. It replaces the bone that isn't there in the injury site. And to support the Fibula which is also not there. Very amazing the stuff that can be done. And that people can bounce back, and the persistence to do it. The big thing is refusing to accept defeat, or someone else's standards or attitudes. That carries through in all aspects of someone's life, which people who are easily beaten can't comprehend.

[Tinker]

Is it safe to have a round in a closed chamber when on a quad bike or bouncing round the dashboard of a vehicle?
No, it's not. It's a loaded firearm, regardless of decocked hammers or safety catches, or whether you've been doing it for 50 years and never had an accident etc etc.
If you're in that much of a hurry, take Blade's advice and get a SxS so you can have rounds chambered but keep the action broken.

[Wapiti]

If there is a mechanically designed safety function in a firearms design, it is indeed safe to carry a firearm with a loaded chamber.
It is only naivety, or lack of knowledge both in opinion and needed/best use, that makes this a problem for some people.

So, a modern revolver with all cylinders loaded and uncocked, with a transfer bar design that makes it impossible to fire unless deliberate cocked/trigger pulled, isn't safe?
A semi-auto pistol with external hammer and manual decock function, with the hammer down over the transfer bar, and a round in the chamber, isn't safe?
A firearm with a half-cock function where even if you dropped it on the hammer itself or belted it with something, has no mechanical direct link to the firing pin, not safe?
Where the firing mechanism has no stored energy to fire the round, because the firearm mechanism isn't cocked?
And it's design blocks any kind of energy transfer at that condition?

I'm not talking about a bolt gun, pump gun, under/over etc where the firing pin is under full spring pressure, held back by the sear which is blocked by a safety catch detent position. Where the firing pin is hovering with all that stored energy, over the primer. Held back only by an interlock or block design safety. In that case, no it's not the same thing.

All firearms should be in a condition of "chamber empty" when not in use, or about to be used. Absolutely agree.
But some circumstances, like the OP described, IS "in use", and some mechanical designs make this condition completely safe if used by individuals with understanding and comprehension of the designs suitable for this condition of use.