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Deactivate a automatic safety

lostbird
Hi Experts,

I am interested in buying a field grade Browning Cynergy which I intend to use for sporting clays, and some casual trap shooting. I am wondering if it is an easy task to disable the automatic safety. I had thought of allowing a gunsmith to do that for me, but I wonder if a gunsmith might feel that there would be some liability problem with making a change like that. I do some "owner type" gunsmithing myself, and wonder if this would be a difficult task.

I am not a very serious trap shooter, and often shoot trap with one of my field guns. I much dislike using a gun with automatic safety for trap shooting.

Sincerely,

Lostbird
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • Winston Bode
    I doubt you could get a gunsmith to deactivate the automatic safety, a liability issue you know.

    If it is as easy as modifying the automatic safety on, say a Savage 311, it only takes few minutes and a dremel tool. The safety will still work but will not automatically move to safe when opened.

    Bode
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  • jaegermister
    Most likely it operates with a linkage (short rod) between the underside of the safety and the opening lever. Dry fire and watch if the safety moves back in time with the opening lever movement. When you remove the stock see if it is possible to disconnect the linkage (usually a pin) at the safety. If you leave the linkage in there disconnected make sure it has sufficient room to move with the opening lever, if not it will jam and render the shotgun unopenable. Your goal is to be able to return the shotgun to original configuration. I would not cut anything on a shotgun of that quality, a 311 is a different matter.
    I have many shotguns with non-auto safeties and I find myself putting the safety on regardless because I have developed a system of fire to push or check the safety to off before mounting the gun. My thumb always resides on the safety, trigger finger out of the guard. As I begin to fire the safety goes off while mounting the gun, trigger finger slides into the guard.
    The same mental drill regardless of initial fire (flushing game) or continuous fire on targets.
    With this technique a auto safety/non auto safety has no influence on my shooting.
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  • GuvamintCheese
    I have done it before on a Red Label. Remove the stock and watch how the safety is put on when the top lever is swung into the open position. Remove the link that puts the safety on, cut the back part of the link off with a hacksaw and replace. You can probably order the link from Browning already cut (or uncut). I would order an original uncut one incase you go to sell it.

    A good smith can do this for you and liability shouldn't be an issue since many dobuble skeet guns come without an auto safety. Besides, what other type of gun beside a double gun puts the safety on for you?

    Like Jaegermister said, when hunting,you should get used to putting on the safety as soon as you close the barrels. When you are trap/skeet shooting you dont close the barrels until right before you shoot.
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  • beantownshootah
    If you don't shoot anybody, liability won't be an issue!

    I don't see why a gunsmith would NOT do this. . .again, there are plenty of double-shotguns that lack an external safety.

    Personally, I hate automatic safeties on double-shotguns for clays.
    I really just don't see the point of them.

    In my mind, the "safety" on those is unloading the gun. If you open the gun, its safe. If the gun is closed, its unsafe. Since you are only loading the gun literally a few seconds before shooting with the muzzle downrange, there is no safety risk.

    For hunting, where you might want to walk around with a loaded gun, it's a different story, and in THAT setting, an external safety isn't a bad idea.
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  • lostbird
    Hi Experts,
    I am glad I asked. You guys have some great input. I have been shooing for many years, and I have been a hunter safety instructor too. I have told students in the past to be careful with a double gun and a semi-auto, and keep your head together if excited in a hunting situation. Because, with these two actions when you take a shot that gun is ready to go off again. You must remember to put the safety back on.

    Now really the automatic saftey is not any help at all in that situation. Because of this fact, I agree that safety is not an issue with an automatic safety, and some double guns do not have them. thanks so much for your input.

    A person could always carefully remove the stock from a gun, and if you didn't see a possible way to disconnect the auto link you could just put the stock back on.
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