The other great thing about break-action guns- as we all know- once the breech is open, 2 good things occur- (1) anyone can see if there are shells in the chambers, or not- and (2) the gun cannot be fired in that mode- must be closed.
Hunting with Mr. Blair, our neighbor-- He had an early Browning A-5, with the safety inset in the trigger guard, as on the M-1 and M-14 Military rifles I came to know later in life.. Dad has the M21, with auto safety, and I had his 20 gauge M12 with their design.
After he took his turn over Pepper (his English Pointer) and neatly dropped a rooster, I watched him handle that A-5- pushing back the safety bar inside the trigger guard, before reloading the magazine.
"Gosh, Mr. Blair" I exclaimed, that safety on your gun works different than on my, or even Dad's!" "That's quite right, lad- but always remember, the only safety on a gun you can trust is the one located up between your ears!""
He was also the first of my Dad's hunting friends to do the "finger" number- he would always insert his index finger into the chamber after unloading his gun, "If you don't feel air, then beware!"" I still do the same today when shooting my M12's--
