Racking a round into the Mossberg 590

[B_Scott]

Why must I hold in the little "button" under the trigger guard to rack a round into the chamber?
This seems like a fine motor skill that I do not want to have to perform under stress.

Is there a way to disengage this?
Would it be safe to do so?
I have no children in the house.

 

[Preacherman]

The only time you have to use the action release to rack the slide is if the action is already "cocked and locked". Once you pull the trigger, the action is "uncocked and unlocked", and will move freely. Every time you work the action, it "cocks and locks" the gun: so if you want to work it again, without pulling the trigger, you have to use the action release button.

 

[SDC]

What Preacherman said; the "action lock" is there to stop you from firing a round while the bolt isn't fully in battery, so it's a good thing. Every modern make has this; Winchester, Remington, Ithaca, etc.

 

[keederdag]

The way I keep my HD shotguns is to pull the trigger, disigauging the bolt lock, AND THEN LOAD IT, while keeping foreword pressur on the forestock. That way, you have it on an empty chamber, with the hammer down, and you simply need to pump and shoot. I leave them all like this. It's a whole lot easier to explain to the Gal's and you dont have to search for controls when you have multiple desighns. However, YOU MUST MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED, and POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION, before practicing this technique; Load it ONLY after you have pulled the trigger, NOT before. Currently, I have a HD shotgun in eatch of our 3 vehicles, as well as 5 other "spare" HD shotguns. The safety's and release levers are located in different spots on many, so this works well for me and mine.

 

[AJ Dual]

My HD scattergun is a Mossberg 590.

I keep it "cruiser ready" as well. i.e. Chamber empty, bolt closed, trigger pulled, safety off. Pump and shoot if you need it. I intend to keep it cruiser-ready once we have kids, but in one of these: http://www.gunvault.com/longgunvault.asp Most likely bolted horizontally to the inside wall of a closet, above the door, into the header beam.

Whenever I handle the loaded shotgun I stored in this mode, I allways follow this procedure when checking it, and opening the action.

Approaching the gun after it's been put down, stored, or out of my hands.

1. Finger off the trigger pointed in a safe direction, (both a given, but allways bears repeating) rack slide to open bolt, dump the shell that just popped onto the lift gate out the ejection port.

or-

2. Slide won't retract, hit the bolt release, retract slide, dump the shell that just popped onto the lift gate. Mentally castigate myself severly for screwing up storing the gun cruiser-ready. (hasn't happened yet.) If a round actually ejected from the chamber, go get my Tanto, rice-paper, and head to the nearest beach to wait for dawn. (It, hasn't happened and won't happen, ever.)

When I put it back into cruiser-ready mode, visually and physically (fingers) check that the chamber and the lift-gate are empty. rack slide closed, verify safety is off, point in safe direction, and pull the trigger. Stuff any rounds needed back into the magazine tube.

Sounds complicated, but is pretty easy in practice. If you follow every step, it's impossible to have an AD/ND when storing cruiser ready.

The key is to only pull the trigger to unlock the action ONLY IMMEDIATELY after verifying I just closed the bolt with an empty lifter and chamber. If I have to unlock it even 30 seconds later, I use the action lock. I never want to ever run the risk of getting in the habit of "checking" the trigger.