How to use mod 70 safety

I'm mystified by people who don't hunt with a round chambered. As far as I'm concerned that is the ONLY way to carry a rifle while you're hunting. When you need a rifle you need it right away. When you happen upon an animal that is not the time to try to open the bolt, chamber a round and then try to get a shot. Rifle comes up, safety goes off, critter hits the turf.

Be warned folks, this post should come with an asterisk. I've heard this fellow and others have even carried a chambered round in the course of their work daily for years. The lucky few like BUM see to survive despite it.
 
I have never carried a rifle during legal light, in a legal area with a tag, in my pocket or group, without a round chambered. I carry with the 3P fully rearward, flip fully forward to shoot and unload in center... at no time is my muzzle pointed in an unsafe direction... whether "safetied" or "ignition ready."
 
Always have a round chambered, safety on full (bolt locked). That being said, I used to own an older Sako and the 2nd time I found that it had moved to the fire position during carry forced me to change things up. I carried it with 2 hands, right thumb constantly on the safety until I decided to get rid of it. It's a big country, guys - methods and equipment vary greatly.
 
Hunting with an empty chamber in the mountains of BC seems to be fairly standard. Eventually I learned that it was so when you become exhausted/demoralized enough to shoot yourself your partner had that much warning time to wrestle the gun out of your hands and talk you out of it. I'm sure many lives are saved every year by this simple precaution.
 
Hunting with an empty chamber in the mountains of BC seems to be fairly standard. Eventually I learned that it was so when you become exhausted/demoralized enough to shoot yourself your partner had that much warning time to wrestle the gun out of your hands and talk you out of it. I'm sure many lives are saved every year by this simple precaution.

I solve that problem by hunting alone, rifle with load chambered and safety in the rear position..
 
I would not hunt with an empty chamber here in the east as many times you need to be very quick getting on game given the close shooting we generally do.

Saying that, I was exposed to hunting with an empty chamber both times I was in the Yukon and thought it worked very well (and safely) for the type of hunting we did there.

Yes sir SC,

As you know I grew up whitetail hunting in the east. Swamps and dogs, good times... There are definitely regional differences and traditions that come into play with the decision to carry hot or not.

Nowadays, horses and/or heavy backpacks are often part of our hunts, guns into scabbards or strapped to packs, etc. Even carrying or slung, hunting partners are often overhead or below. Snow covered or wet rocks... Seen many a good man go for a unplanned 'rapid loss of elevation'. Just changed my opinion over time. And it's not like there isn't any dense country here... ;)

Whatever works for folks and their hunting buds. It's their hunt, their decision...

Me and mine always make our expectations clear when we take a new guy out. Our hunt, our camp, our rules. :)
 
Hunting with an empty chamber in the mountains of BC seems to be fairly standard. Eventually I learned that it was so when you become exhausted/demoralized enough to shoot yourself your partner had that much warning time to wrestle the gun out of your hands and talk you out of it. I'm sure many lives are saved every year by this simple precaution.
Hehe. They say that most humor is rooted, at least partially, in the truth.
 
Some of the people aren't getting all of the jokes.

Dogleg.... Your inbox is full.... I demand satisfaction!.... I joke of course, appreciate the sense of humour as always...

Also really like littleboylefty's comment of establishing protocol in a camp.... Makes for better blood, which best left on a deer or moose and not a blaze vest....
 
I'm mystified by people who don't hunt with a round chambered. As far as I'm concerned that is the ONLY way to carry a rifle while you're hunting. When you need a rifle you need it right away. When you happen upon an animal that is not the time to try to open the bolt, chamber a round and then try to get a shot. Rifle comes up, safety goes off, critter hits the turf.

Seldom am I in a position where I need a round chambered and I can't chamber at that time, I am not in that much of a hurry to shoot ... but sometimes I will have a round chambered... it's a choice decided by the individual shooter.
 
Personally I like a 2 position safety over the three position for hunting.

If the middle position is so great and improves safety so much then why have I never seen a single shotgun with this feature ?

The middle position is also used for disassembly of the bolt. Without it the disassembly would require tools and more difficulty.
 
Be warned folks, this post should come with an asterisk. I've heard this fellow and others have even carried a chambered round in the course of their work daily for years. The lucky few like BUM see to survive despite it.

A few years ago while pursuing a suspect (Sooke, BC) an RCMP had a chambered round in his rifle on a sling over his back and while crawling on his hands and knees in heavy bush had the safety catch on something as well as the trigger and shot a person on their hands and knees ahead of him. Sometimes fully chambered isn't the best method.

3 posts in a row! ... sugar high is wearing off... :)
 
Be warned folks, this post should come with an asterisk. I've heard this fellow and others have even carried a chambered round in the course of their work daily for years. The lucky few like BUM see to survive despite it.

And with no safety to boot! I suppose that's where all my luck has gone rather than the Lotto Max.
 
A few years ago while pursuing a suspect (Sooke, BC) an RCMP had a chambered round in his rifle on a sling over his back and while crawling on his hands and knees in heavy bush had the safety catch on something as well as the trigger and shot a person on their hands and knees ahead of him. Sometimes fully chambered isn't the best method.

3 posts in a row! ... sugar high is wearing off... :)

Strange things happen in the bush sometimes. John Taylor wrote about scolding one of his gunbearers because he found the chap had been walking behind him with the hammers of Taylor's 577 cocked (if you are familiar with "African Carry" this is a frightening prospect). The gunbearer argued loudly that he had not cocked the rifle. Shortly thereafter Taylor found, again, that the fellow was carrying the rifle with both hammers cocked. Again the gunbearer protested that he had not cocked the rifle and that it was possessed by some evil spirit. Disgusted, Taylor took the rile and carried it himself to prove once and for all that the rifle was not possessed nor had it cocked itself. After a period of march the group stopped and Taylor examined his rifle to find, to his shock, that both barrels were sitting on full ####.

The rifle was sold shortly thereafter.
 
I always hunt with a round in the chamber, unless I'm walking.behind or beside someone or with dogs.

My hunting buddy had a hound jump up and hit his safety off and pull the trigger when he was trying to walk 3 hounds and dead coyote out of thick bush. He always told me when I first strated that to keep your gun unloaded walking the hounds.....they make so much noise you won't see anything anyways lol
 
I usialy have my magazine full and the bolt closed over the top round (empty chamber)

If I am sitting and waiting or in the stalk I would have one in the chamber and Safty on
 
All of you nervous nellies should check out the Ruger 3 position safety in detail if you are worried.....

And yes, I hunt with a hot chamber in third position..... And if in a stand I hunt on second position....
 
The middle position is also used for disassembly of the bolt. Without it the disassembly would require tools and more difficulty.

The way my 2 position safeties are set up there is a small hole in the rear of the cocking piece, to disassemble the bolt one simply puts a pin, small nail, or piece of wire through the hole while the safety is on, when the safety is disengaged the cocking piece can no longer move forwards and the bolt can be disassembled. The same system is used on the Husqvarna 1600 series rifles and the Brno ZG-47
 
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