Many parents and hunter safety instructors use the NEF single shot as a first gun or training tool. The only problem I see is the new shooter is seldom, if ever, taught how to return a cocked and loaded gun to a safe hammer down position. The reason this is avoided has to do with the hand size and strength of the young shooter. It is indeed hard for most youngsters to control the hammer while pulling and then releasing the trigger to lower the hammer.
The NEF system has an interlock that prevents the action from opening while the hammer is cocked. The older single shotguns (ie. Savage/Stevens Mdl. 94, 95, Winchester Mdl. 37, etc.) had no such interlock. The action could be opened with the hammer cocked. Thus, the youngster could simply open the gun and lower the hammer in complete safety. Of course the gun could also be fired with the action unlocked if you held the action lever open and pulled the trigger! This is why the current NEF guns have an interlock system.
Rossi gets around this by adding a safety lever that puts a block in front of the hammer. One still has to lower the hammer manually as this system is not a hammer drop safety and does not appear to be designed to take a continual pounding.
Moral of the story: Teach your youngster to lower the hammer on a live round (or primed case) to make the gun safe. If this gives you the jitters, teach with another gun.
Rick 618, is this what you were trying to convey?
Ralph
The NEF system has an interlock that prevents the action from opening while the hammer is cocked. The older single shotguns (ie. Savage/Stevens Mdl. 94, 95, Winchester Mdl. 37, etc.) had no such interlock. The action could be opened with the hammer cocked. Thus, the youngster could simply open the gun and lower the hammer in complete safety. Of course the gun could also be fired with the action unlocked if you held the action lever open and pulled the trigger! This is why the current NEF guns have an interlock system.
Rossi gets around this by adding a safety lever that puts a block in front of the hammer. One still has to lower the hammer manually as this system is not a hammer drop safety and does not appear to be designed to take a continual pounding.
Moral of the story: Teach your youngster to lower the hammer on a live round (or primed case) to make the gun safe. If this gives you the jitters, teach with another gun.
Rick 618, is this what you were trying to convey?
Ralph
