Thread: T3 Half Cock Methods

Originally Posted by Bryan

Fair enough, that would scare the bajeesus out of anyone. But that just kinda reinforces my point, only load when ready to fire and when loaded use the safety. A lot harder to knock a small pad (safety) that hugs the stock vs a large handle that protrudes an inch or so.

Having the bolt locked when in half cock/bolt is a good alteration option if you do hunt this way.

If you were hunting with your finger on the trigger and your thumb resting on the safety (a while since I used a Tikka but I seem to remember you could reach both at once) I guess it would be as easy to do that way as it would with your thumb resting on a half-bolt? Good reason to keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to fire!

What you are trying to do, is effectively manufacture a new safety from the other bits of your rifle. Use the one that Tikka designed.
Instead of the little switch by your thumb, you want to find a way to turn the bolt handle of you rifle into a bigger switch.

The actual procedure is bolt half open (on a cock on closing .303.)

A half bolt position is no safer than any other kind of mechanical safety, because it is just another mechanical safety. Use the one that was designed by the gun engineers in Finland. They probably know more about it than you or your local gunsmith.
(Either that, or carry the rifle the way that the New Zealand Forest Service and the Mountain Safety Council actually taught - with the bolt half open so you can see half the brass cartridge.)