[Guest]

:?: I was wondering if anyone has an idea of how to disabling the automatic safety on my Beretta Whitewing O/U gun?
I hate to admit how many times the safety has cost me to lose a bird :?
I close the gun, since I carry it open most of the time for the safety aspect, and when a bird rises, or passes, I forget to disengage the safe, and miss the bird.
I know some of you will just say, "remember to take the safe off", but I wanted to know how to do it, before I have to take it to a smith.
Thanks in advance,
Jesse

 

[Hadaway]

There is usually a rod connecting the top lever to the safety. When the top lever is thumbed to the side, the rod pushes the safety to the rear.

Good luck finding a 'smith to remove it. It's a factory installed safety and most real gunsmiths won't remove it for liability reasons.

Lee

 

[dervari]

I hate to admit how many times the safety has cost me to lose a bird

Don't feel bad. You've heard of Bruce Scott of "Shotgun Journal" fame, right?

Well, he started his Sunday flight at the NWTF shoot at my wife's station (she was a field judge - I shot it). She called me on my cell phone so I could go over and meet him, since he arrived about 20 minutes early to the station. When it was his time to shoot, he picked up his K-gun, walks over, and calls PULL. The rabbit gets launched and then....nothing. He looks over to her and says "I forgot my safety".

"First bird established lost, pair over"

 

[Ulysses]

Cole Gunsmithing is the Beretta expert. I imagine they will disconnect it for a fee. It probably wouldn't be too hard to do yourself, though, as Hadaway mentioned above. I think I would just pull the buttstock and take a look at it. It can't be TOO complicated.

I hate automatic safeties :x , but I think we've discussed this before. :?

 

[Tal/IL]

From your post it sounds like you are speaking of field shooting, not range shooting. If that is the case, it would be foolish to disable the safety to allow carrying a loaded gun with the safety off in the field. Just put in a little time getting in the habit of pushing the safety off as you mount the gun. In no time you will find it is just a normal part of mounting the gun.

 

[jlptexashunter]

I'm in agreement with Tal/IL.

When in field my safety is always on until the birds are up and away from my dogs. This is what my father taught me as a boy and I think it's the only way to walk around the woods. I realize that you're walking around with an open breech, but the extra step of shoving the tang safety forward (by the way the easiest to master for this) while mounting the gun is worth the added bit of safety.

Just my 2 hundreths of a dollar.

 

[Ulysses]

TAL,

I don't think you understand what he was asking. He wasn't talking about disabling the SAFETY. He was asking about disabling the feature that causes the safety to come on AUTOMATICALLY whenever the gun is opened. The safety would still work just fine. It's just that HE would decide when to put it on and when to take it off. Since he carries his gun open (break action O/U), there is no need for an automatic safety too. He doesn't close the gun until he is in the ready position to shoot. If, for some reason, after closing the gun he decides that he doesn't want to shoot, he could just put the safety on OR he could just open the action again. Again, he isn't talking about walking around with the action closed and the safety off. Or at least that is the way I read it. Besides, I don't trust mechanical safeties anyway. The best safety is a careful hunter.

 

[Tal/IL]

Ulysses,

I see what you are saying. And, I agree about relying totally on safeties. (Let's all repeat together - "A safety is a mechanical device which can fail.") Even so, it sure seems like an accident looking for a place to happen to me.

 

[Dave_T]

Tal,

WRONG. The safety should be up to you. I hate auto safties. Pump shotguns, auto shotguns, bolt rifles, auto rifles, revolvers, auto pistols, single shot pistols, single shot rifles don't have auto safties "in the field". The safety control should be up to YOU, not a lawyer inspired safety that just removes the shooter one step further from full safety consciousness. If a shooter NEEDS an automatic safety to keep him safe, I don't want to be anywhere near him when he's shooting.

Dave

 

[john wall]

hmmm, touchy subject. as an old gunsmith, i would not disable a safety for liability reasons. i figured if someone had a brainfade and had an accident, their lawyer would kick my butt in court. however, i shoot krieghoff o/u's, and they have a provision where you can lock out the safety where it cannot be engaged. also, many single barrel trap guns and some o/u's do not come equipped with safeties. if i were still in the business, fear of a lawsuit would keep me from doing it on a customer's gun, even though the safeties are inoperative on my own tournament guns. my krieghoff field gun has an operable safety. the above posters are correct about safeties, a device that can fail. the foolproof safety is betwixt the ears. the main reason i will not have a gun with an automatic safety, such as a ruger, or several other field guns is because force of habit will not allow me to alter or remove a safety, even on my own gun. in their defense, the gunmakers that have automatic safeties on their guns have a good team of lawyers.