Challenging unsafe behaviour

[Chapuis]

What's 'standard practice' for the condition you leave firearms in on a range before dressing forward to the targets on a civvi range? Do you leave the bolt/breech open after being cleared?

Normally yes, quite different to the military where actions are closed and springs eased.

[Rburro2]

On our Range the firearms are cleared and then racked behind the firing point once all guns are racked the rco will give the go forward and check your targets. The working parts to the rear while in the rack or bolt open. Our rack is under cover may i add.

[Gaz]

What's 'standard practice' for the condition you leave firearms in on a range before dressing forward to the targets on a civvi range? Do you leave the bolt/breech open after being cleared?

Bolts open, flags in (or bolts removed). Seems a bit more lax than others, but everyone's ready to pipe up if anything dangerous (i.e. fiddling with bolt/chamber or muzzle-sweeping people) looks like it's going to happen.

On another occasion I was pulled up myself - wrongly as it happened. Unzipped the sleeve, partially open the gun and removed it from the sleeve. At which point I was immediately accosted and asked "Why the hell have you got a loaded gun in the sleeve" - there were a pair of snap-caps in the chambers. I didn't have an issue with the accusation as it demonstrated that others are aware of what is happening.

Had a similar thing happen to me at Bisley. "Would you mind opening the bolt of your rifle," someone asked me politely as I slung my No.4 over my shoulder. "What bolt," I said, showing him the bolt-less breech. Absolutely no problem with being asked and the other person was quite satisfied once he'd seen the bolt was out of the rifle. (I dislike putting breech flags into my Enfield as the sharp breech has a habit of shaving bits of plastic off the flag and dropping them into the chamber and down into the mag)

[450 Martini]

In over a decade of target shooting i have fortunatly seen very little unsafe behaviour but range practice can differ between diciplines.
Black powder shooters sometimes cause some confusion at my club when clearing for a target change (the person nearest to the left of the range is the designated "range officer") i was asked by one newish chap to remove the bolt on a P53 Enfield! I briefly explained that the safe position for muzzleloading arms is half cock with no percussion cap.
In a similer vein a mate of mine was almost sent off a military range by a enthusiastic range officer for "pointing his muzzle up in the air" the club secratary interceeded and had to explain that the standard standing loading position for the P53 Enfield rifle was to have the muzzle in the vertical position.
Come to think of it the only muzzle loading gun i hae loaded and fired with the barrel in the horizontal position had wheels.

[Dougan]

It would be nice to have an absolutely definitive guide for civvies using all types of gun, covering approaching the point, and clearing and leaving the point; as there does seem to be some differences in practice.

One club I shoot with (as with many others) is fine with guns being uncased all day, as long as there is a flag in or bolt removed. Where as my other club insists on the gun being cased until on the point, and cleared and cased before leaving the point.

There also seems to be some differences between ROs too - At some Bisley meetings you are expected to use the 'cased' system, but I have to be honest, and say that I'm not sure what is expected when you put the gun back in the case after being cleared - I prefer to put the gun back in the case/slip and then close the bolt with the trigger pulled (so as not to cock it) while it's still pointing down the range, and then not open the case/slip again until I'm back on the point or home...

...at this year's Trafagar, one RO said "you can now remove the bolt and case your weapon"...obviously I did so without argument, but it did occur to me that none of the others had asked for this.

[bobbob]

When I used a black powder matchlock musket in the SK, the recognised method of clearing the barrel before reloading was to blow down it from the muzzle

[tackb]

After firing a black powder rifle/musket blowing down the bore is a recognised way of softening the fouling and to a lesser extent making sure that no embers are still glowing that could ignite your next charge as you tip it down the bore .

[SevenSixTwo]

What's 'standard practice' for the condition you leave firearms in on a range before dressing forward to the targets on a civvi range? Do you leave the bolt/breech open after being cleared?

Normally yes, quite different to the military where actions are closed and springs eased.

How bizarre... surely 'firing-off the action' categorically guarantees there's no chance of a projectile being discharged once peeps are downrange?

[Chapuis]

On the contrary leaving the action open better indicates that the firearm is safe and unloaded. It's also common practise on many ranges to remove the bolt or to install a breach flag.

[SevenSixTwo]

Indicates a 'possibility', rather than proves?

I'd better tell the MoD they're doing it wrong!