Do you hunt with loaded or empty chamber?


iron cat said:
It really doesn't matter how a person hunts- loaded or unloaded , what is paramount is how they control the muzzle with a firearm- safety on or not!
The big boondoggle about Remington safeties all the people suing forgot, was if the danged muzzle was pointed in a safe direction nobody would have been injured let alone killed!
Cat
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Not sure why this concept is lost on SO many. My kids (and now grand kids) learned muzzle awareness very young. From the age that they could play with toy guns (4 or 5) they are taught to NEVER point a gun at anyone EVEN WHEN IT IS A TOY or they will have it taken away. Being kids, or course they got caught not paying attention to muzzle direction and had them taken away for a bit but this is why we started “gun safety) with toys were mistakes only cost them their pride and loss of a toy for a bit. By the time they were old enough to start on the real thing, muzzle awareness was ingrained in them. I have had “unintentional discharges (3 that I can recall) and other than perhaps having to change shirts, no big deal because the muzzle was pointing in a safe direction. IMO, if you do not have enough muzzle awareness that you feel uncomfortable with a round in the chamber when hunting, you might want to re-evaluate your muzzle awareness and practice more at the range are there are RO’s to set you straight when you flag someone.
 
Licensed to kill said:
IMO, if you do not have enough muzzle awareness that you feel uncomfortable with a round in the chamber when hunting, you might want to re-evaluate your muzzle awareness and practice more at the range are there are RO’s to set you straight when you flag someone.
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You can have immaculate muzzle control right up until the moment you trip or slip or stumble or get hung up on brush.
It's not about the 99.999% of times you're under ideal conditions, but that 0.001% of the time you aren't.
 
manbearpig said:
I think the point was that there are always unforeseen circumstances - hence the "unforeseen" part.

Some safeties are "safer" than others. I have 100% confidence in a Mauser style safety, but I'm not sure I would trust my life - or someone else's - on any random safety.

I would never presume to tell anyone how they should hunt or what risks they should or should not take.
Based on observations of how the everyday random Joe disregards firearm safety - and how stupidity and recklessness is compounded by each additional person in a group - I choose to hunt alone.
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Well, life is like that, full of unforseen circumstances, and all you can do is try to stay in control of the parts you can control. If you start living life or shaping how you live your life based on what ifs and extremely remote low percentage freak accidents, you might as well get in that pine box right now.

I do agree that some guys are fn yahoos when it comes to safety and muzzle control, and wouldn't entertain the idea of going anywhere with them.
 
After taking some advice from here to try. I tried my luck.

There I was. Big buck crossed my path. I threw it up. Lined up a perfect shot. And “click” no bang. I could see the deer mouth the words. “You stupid baştard” Then it trotted off never to be seen again.


This story is BS as I don’t hunt. But this would be my luck for sure.
And the thought of this made me laugh.

Dave
 
For me, it depends on what type of hunting I am doing and what the terrain is like, if the terrain is easy going I'll have one up with safety on, if im boulder hopping/ scrambling up rocks / pushing through brush etc, unloaded, if im sitting in a blind or in an ambush position, one up with the bolt "half down" or safety on.

Like everyone else says, muzzle awareness is key.

There was a case many years ago in South Africa, where a guy went off hunting on his own, never returned, and they found him dead, he had been shot, at first they speculated that it was suicide, but after careful investigation and talking to his buddies, they figured out what had happened. He had always carried his rifle de-cocked on a live round in the chamber (while puling the trigger, chamber a live round and close the bolt), but what he didn't realize was that the firing pin was resting on the primer under spring tension. While climbing a rocky outcrop his rifle had slipped of his shoulder and went sliding down the rocks, and coming to a sudden stop the rifle went off, striking and killing the man.







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In this situation is your safety on / off ?
I'm assuming everyone would have a round of ammunition chambered.

Looking for Bullwinkle and shooting lane is about 5 yards wide.

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The safety can stay 'on' until the butt is on it's way to your shoulder. You can't mount the gun faster than you can pop the safety off, unless it's something really awkward, like a 180° Mauser safety, so there's no need to walk or sit with the safety off.

The whole loaded/empty chamber thing seems to be also an east/west thing. In the west, it seems you have a little more time and distance to get ready, plus generally rougher terrain, so carrying chamber empty makes more sense. In the east, encounters are often at rock throwing distance, so speed and silence getting into action are more important.
 
HChammer said:
Unless I’ve already caught a glimpse of the moose and it’s my target the safety is ON.
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Yup, next question.....

How many practice at the range shouldering, sighting and flipping the safety off ?

Guy at the range thought I was crazy , couldn't understand why I kept lowering my rifle off the target.
 
9.3mauser, it's not really an east west thing, there are many areas where both wide open country and very close quarters are encountered right across Canada.
I have shot many animals in Alberta at less than 12 yards.
Cat
 
Mr.Rigpig said:
How do you guys carry your rifles during hunting season?

The last few years I've been deer hunting (Prairies), mostly with lever guns, chamber empty. If a bolt gun I usually carry with an empty chamber with bolt closed as there is pretty much always enough time to chamber a round (Thats the way I was taught 40 yrs ago). I never liked the idea of carrying with bolt open, yet one hunting partner always does, seems like a recipe for trouble to me, debris in the action and what not. This fall elk hunting in the bush I carried (Bolt gun) loaded chamber with safety on, as I expected things to happen fast, up close, which they did! These situations are all walking. I'm not much for just sitting waiting in a stand or blind, but those situations would be loaded chamber with safety on, or better yet, hammer on half c0ck!

Secondly, do you guys fill the mag to capacity? I usually only put in 2, never more than 3, hopefully not needing the second, & I do not expect a third shot, lol.

Ya, I'm bored....
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I have spent a fair few hours, in my youth, backtracking myself, searching for a dropped bolt... Winchester Model 70. Bump against the release, like, it hits your belt, slung on the right shoulder, and it squirts out like it wants to be free! Quietly, too! Ask me how I know, eh? No walking with the bolt open.
:)

FWIW, now, I hunt with a round in the chamber, safety on, which locks the bolt closed (same Winchester). If I think i may be getting close, I will stick the safety to the mid point, making it a real easy hit for my thumb if things move fast, and the mid position on the M70 also allows you to cycle the action, while the pin is still locked down, which, IMO, makes a safe unload. Or, at least as safe as the mechanical side gets. No accounting for stupid people doing stupid things!
 
It depends on the terrain.

A round in the chamber when hunting, and terrain allow for safe carry of the firearms.

In the mountain, when I would need to cross canyon or workout, I sometimes remove it for safety precautions.
 
FatCatsDad said:
In this situation is your safety on / off ?
I'm assuming everyone would have a round of ammunition chambered.

Looking for Bullwinkle and shooting lane is about 5 yards wide.

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That specific moment, likely off
but a day in a stand gets long and the rifle is often left leaning against something while glassing/reading/pizing
so better to always be on safe if it is loaded
 
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