The automatic type of safety consists of a block, or bar, fitted in the frame and extending from the safety bolt to the post of the top lever. When the top lever is pushed to one side to open the barrels, this block, or bar, pushes the safety bolt over the triggers, automatically blocking them and preventing accidental discharge. The triggers must be pressed to withdraw the automatic safety bar.
The Rotary Bolt, an American Invention, Is Strongest Device Known for Locking the Barrels to the Frame
To make the shotgun less likely to go off in the hands of the careless gunner, the tumbler safety has been incorporated into the mechanism of a few American weapons. The tumbler safety is a bar, automatically operated by the triggers, and interposed between the strikers and their firing pins. This device makes it impossible for the arm to be discharged by the hammer jarring off when dropped, for the tumbler bar occupies its position between the strikers and firing pins until the triggers are pulled.
The Three-Bolt Mechanism Is One Form of the Rotary-Bolting Principle Used by Many Gun Builders
The practical value of both the automatic safety and the tumbler type of bolt is questioned by practically all experienced gunners. Its presence is designed to make the arm less dangerous in the hands of careless and ignorant sportsmen. This it may serve to do, but since there should be no excuse for tolerating the latter, most handlers of the scatter gun fail to see the utility of the former. The novice should lose no time in acquiring the knack of handling his chosen weapon, and if he will but exercise a little care, he will find the hand-operated safety quite sufficient, for he will not be troubled through accidental discharge of his gun. By far the larger portion of accidents occur through careless handling of the gun and by the untimely pulling of the trigger, either by dragging the gun through the brush or by nervousness, and it is impossible to make use of a safety device to prevent the accidental discharge.
The Fore End Is an Extension of the Stock beyond the Triggers and the Frame