Thread: How to verify an airgun is unloaded ?

I was doing some range officering and had the job of checking people's guns were empty as they left the mound. Some were .22RF and some were a variety of air rifles.

With a precharge airgun, you can almost see the chamber but if a pellet is pushed a little way in you might not see it. In fact, I'm told the "bolt" pushes it a few mm down and you couldn't see it.

Then, the air tank is full and not emptied between sessions so if the bolt were closed again, it would be fully loaded ready to shoot.

So, the only way to unload an unshot pellet is to shoot it out.

Someone suggested a piece of weedeater line used like a plastic chamber flag.

Airgun ranges and field target shoots must deal with this all the time. Is there a best practice procedure that will verify all sorts of air weapons are safe to handle, transport, store ?

You could poke a cleaning rod through the barrel or shine a light through it.

I do a bit or air rifle shooting and RO'ing. Both Howick and North Harbour air gun clubs follow these same processes, we do the same at Tokoroa too.

PCP - chamber check with a torch, then close bolt and get the PCP owner to dry fire downrange and keep bolt closed afterwards. So the pellet has gone, if not and it's stuck the bolt is still closed and the rifle can't fire anyway. Have yet to have a PCP jam a pellet in the barrel at any range.

Springers have chamber checked with torch and kept broken - so even if there's a pellet stuck in there, the rifle isn't cocked and therefore can't fire. Pump guns we get the shooter to load a pellet and aim at the target board and shoot, you hear the pellet hitting the wall so know the chamber is empty. This works for break barrels and under levers too - both must be 'broken', carried with barrel up.

All RO's visually check with a torch and verify the rifle is clear, for every shooter, every time, no matter who is shooting.

Transporting, when removing for travel case/gun bag, springers must be broken. PCP some people use a chmaber flag, some travel with the bolt open.

Hope this helps.

Thanks KSCOTT, those are some good suggestions.
I'm not sure I like the idea of supervising a last shot and leaving the bolt closed.
The RO has to be on the ball for these, I can see.

For sure. But as RO knowing that last shot has been fired and seeing the bolt stay closed does work. Magazine is out anyway. Some PCP's will do a half shot, i.e: only use half of the air cycled when compared to a full air shot, if the bolt is left open and cycled back completely, but then not cycled forward completely to lock - it's kind of like a decocker but uses only half the air. So we erred on the side of caution and went, if we know that shot has been been fired, we know the chamber is empty.

Biggest challenge I've see as an RO is keeping people to always point their rifles downrange, and think where am I pointing my rifle right now ? Safety on a shooting range is everyone's responsibility anyway

Thats are good point you make their Bagheera.

I physically check every firearm before it comes into house. But the airgun is usualy broken therefore cocked when it goes in the gun rack,as it has to be closed to fit in the rack. We had a dryfire with the airgun sitting in the rack a few months ago,fark every one shit them selves but it was inspected before being locked up so I was happy with the fright.

Now the airgun is just broken a little just to fit in the rack and is easily inspected and cant dry fire.

Don't store it cocked dundee it will sag the spring and make it gutless, not to mention scaring the shit out of yourself when it goes off!

Any doubt point at some soft dirt/lawn and fire before bringing inside. Then you know its empty and uncocked. Break just open without cocking for peace of mind.

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That one I donated to the boys can't won't fire when cocked but broken.
The bsa meteor I grew up using would fire from broken and either pinch a big chunk out of your thumb or smack you in the face with the barrel if you pulled the trigger when open.
Soon learned not to do that!

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Yep that is how it is now

For my gun, I made up a shortened MSC chamber flag so I could fit it in through the loading port. It's a .22 cal so you'd need to fine the prong down a bit for .177. Airgun barrels are said to be soft, so I polished it for smoothness so it doesn't pick up grit.


Here it is in place. Proves there's no pellet there and is visible even without a torch.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

For my gun, I made up a shortened MSC chamber flag so I could fit it in through the loading port. It's a .22 cal so you'd need to fine the prong down a bit for .177. Airgun barrels are said to be soft, so I polished it for smoothness so it doesn't pick up grit.


Here it is in place. Proves there's no pellet there and is visible even without a torch.

It is certainly visibly safe, but from personal experience it proves the bolt cannot be closed in that position. It is actually possible the pellet could be further down the barrel, possibly even pushed with the flag. In 99.9% of cases that would be noticed when the flag is inserted, but we have had incidences of malformed slugs of a slighlty smaller diameter that would almost fall through the calibre they were made for with no resistance so the potential for te flag and a pellet to be there is at the very least a possibility.

Still definitely one of the safest options I have seen so far.

The cleaning rod idea earlier was an interesting one. If it did discharge how far would the rod travel.........(spear gun perhaps?) Action would still need to be open and the rod visible a both ends for that to work.

Originally Posted by timattalon

The cleaning rod idea earlier was an interesting one. If it did discharge how far would the rod travel.........(spear gun perhaps?) Action would still need to be open and the rod visible a both ends for that to work.

Yes, just like any other firearm you poke a cleaning rod into.

Originally Posted by Kscott

... Have yet to have a PCP jam a pellet in the barrel at any range.
..

...

My .22 cal one will easily fire two, in fact my son did it the other day. Blew some fur out of the rabbit about 30yds away but obviously didn't hit it where aimed as it got away