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catanonia · New Member

When cocking a break barrel ?

Some serious questions if I may.

It was pointed out to me recently that with break springers you really should keep hold of the break barrel when loading the pellet in case the bear trap fails.
Now I remember years ago watching someone pull the trigger on a broken / cocked break barrel with the barrel still down. That sucker came up with a massive force that I very much doubt his light grip on the barrel would have stopped a nasty accident.
I remember this always and when I break / load a springer, I don't keep hold of the barrel, but I keep my finger well away from the trigger because of this very reason and memory etched in my mind. Obviously there is a few seconds when my fingers are in danger as I load the pellet.

So

1. How often do modern (ish) springers fail and release the bear trap (not stripped and not accidental trigger action)
2. Does holding the barrel actually do any good as I am sure it would catch most people by total surprise and I doubt they would prevent the accident. Or is this an old house wife's tale from yester year when safety mechanisms were not so good ?

I am not trying to start a fight here, far from it. I like to learn and it seems in all the years I have missed this.

toadmyster223 · Senior Member

Just be careful. I've had older model Chinese guns snap up on me. I was just strong enough not to get hurt. Mind your grip so your fingers aren't in pinch points, and do some curls, I guess

Slavia · Moderator

I don't think it's so much the probability of failure as the consequences of failure. There may be only a slight chance of something letting loose to smash my fingers, but there is a 100% certainty that I won't like it if it does. I always hold the barrel or cocking arm on springers when cocking. It's possible that I may not be able to stop the motion, but even retarding it a bit would let me get my fingers out of harm's way.

Look at it another way. Marksmanship is a process of applying the same steps in the same order every time. Safety measures aren't in addition to those steps; they're part of those steps. Holding the barrel or cocking arm is a pretty simple one to incorporate into the routine.

toadmyster223 · Senior Member

Slavia, you said that splendidly

AirGunEric · Site Admin

If you are holding the rifle under one arm and by the barrel appropriately, it is possible to keep the barrel from snapping back in the unlikely event of a beartrap failure.

I have done this for a few years now, after observing a barrel snapping back based on a poor design (super low end Chinese rifle that virtually no one sells anymore) and deciding I preferred my fingers and face the way they are.

Bob La Londe · Veteran Member

A trapped or held barrel is a must. A barrel that snaps back can stop with enough G force to bend itself even if your fingers aren't in the way.

Also, you do not necessarily have to have a finger anywhere near the trigger for the trigger to activate. A modified trigger or a trigger that just didn't engage all the way can slip from a very slight bump or just from creep as well. One of the simple mods for the Benjamin Trail NP trigger comes to mind. The one where you put in a longer screw to allow for some trigger adjustment. Adjust it to close and its an accident waiting to happen.

If you happen to have a body part near the end of travel when the barrel snaps back it can hit you hard enough to make you think you broke bones.

Even an under lever with a separate barrel loading mechanism like the Hatsan 155 can cause damage if the lever lets go.

Always hold the cocking lever of a springer.

catanonia · New Member

Thanks all.

So basically failures never happen unless you do it by accident or have played with the gun by modifying it somehow. (Not counting crappy Chinese knock offs)

As I thought, a hang over from olden days.

BUT

I will try to remember to do it.

Thanks all.

Bob La Londe · Veteran Member