Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Poll: Do you hunt with a round in the chamber?

Wow....300 posts...By the way, I carry hot, always have, always will...Hunted the west since I was ten for everything from chukars to Elk to deer from the Cabinets to the Gifford Pinchot to the Snake River and on down the Mogollon Rim Country in Az...I don't use guides so I don't have to worry about someone telling me to carry hot or cold...I don't usually hunt with anyone else...I wouldn't have a problem with chambering a round sometimes and would other times, but I am not gonna start wondering whether one is chambered or not...I'll just carry hot cuz that's what I am used to....Fact, everyone I have ever hunted with has carried hot....If you wanna carry cold, more power to ya, but it's just not for me...Good luck hunting...

This thread is still going on?

We are the Eveready Bunny over here...

-jeff

One more post, Yes I hunt with a round in the chamber. Where I hunt if you do not, you will never get a shot. From seeing the animal to pulling the trigger I have never had more than 3 seconds if I had taken more time the animal would be gone. As well, racking the bolt would spook the animal.

Also, do we carry our pistols with no round in the chamber. Likely not, when you need it you need it. Carried one for 22 years and it never fired except when I wanted or needed it to.

DaddyRat,

You have a bunch of +1's to that, including myself!

-jeff

I do...

When hunting with guides I've always started with an empty chamber. My experience (3-4 trips domestically and one to Africa) is that after a few hours, they've sized up the client's gun handling skills and are OK with going hot, at least in situations where a shot is likely.

Of course I unload when riding in a vehicle, crawling up a steep hill, rock-hopping across streams, etc.

When hunting with others I mainly worry about their muzzle control (or lack thereof). There's a reason the NRA's #1 safety rule is "Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction."

Anyone else see muzzle discipline go to poop with a Safari sling? Couple guys I hunt elk with use 'em and I've had to get pretty pointy with them about it.

-jeff

I hunt whitetails from a treestand. My rifle is hot with the safty on. Of course I don't chamber a round untill I have pulled the rifle up into the tree!

31 Chapters later and yes, I still will hunt "Hot" as deemed appropriate by the conditions.

Jeff, did you ever run the numbers? I'm too lazy too look for the post..... BT

If I'm alone and hunting yes.

If I'm behind a guide, or other person while hunting NO.

Of course I unchamber when climbing, crawling, ... other junk.

Spot

It was roughly 70/30, hot. It's a couple pages back. I think we've had mostly "hot" guys chime in since then so probably a little more like 72/28 or something.

The good guys are winning! (THAT'S A JOKE!! SHEESH!!)

:-)

-jeff

post count really important?

Edit: "The Internet consists of a group of people, beating a dusty depression into the ground, which contains the pounded remains of the proverbial dead horse."

Damn straight.

I'm not about to start wondering if I have a shell chambered.

I've experienced both sides of the spooked game aspect. I have had elk bolt from well over 100 yds from the sound of a hammer cocking, but on the other hand the biggest bull I've taken was only 65 yards and (due to a caucophany of unforseen events) I had to actually load my gun (not just cycle a round).

Hot....unless in a scabbard.

Most AD's occur when loading and unloading firearms.

Choose your poison.....

I carry cold, and my friends do as well. Can't get too worked up over what everyone else does.

Funny how some in the 'carry hot' crowd think they have a corner on thick woods and wary critters...

... and think that if you don't do it their way it must be because you are uncomfortable around guns, have poor gun handling skills and a level of insecurity that is off the charts...

It ain't necessarily so...

Browning B92, a gift from Dad back in the mid-'80's. It was my backup elk gun for many years and hunted at least one day each of those years. It's my only unscoped rifle and is likely to stay that way.

It was also our protection against bears, lions and 2-legged varmints when camping with the family.

Love that rifle!

And how some folks seem to have a corner on all the luck. Of course it isn't perceived as luck, it's "good technique." I guess if you've been out and about long enough and never had to stare at the cold black eye at the end of the barrel, and especially if you've never had a hot one pointed at you as it slid or fell, you've been lucky. I do not wish my epitaph to read, "He was lucky 'til he died." I've know too many folks who've had close calls with that kind of luck. I prefer my luck in the positive rather than the negative.

To equate the use of a hot chambered bolt gun used for hunting, with an often/usually uncocked handgun, often used for self defense is absurd. I simply don't have much faith in a hot chambered, cocked gun which relies on a mechanical safety, luck, and 100% human perfection in handling to not go off. I know this human and several others too well.

I grew up on exposed hammer rifles and shotguns. They were never carried cocked, that action happening only when the gun was to be fired. My choice to not carry a hot chambered bolt gun relies not on some insecurity or paranoia, but on what I know. Does that mean folks who do otherwise are simply ignorant?

the funniest thing I heard when chatting with my friends about this was....

I asked "do you hunt with a round in the chamber?"

smart Aleck says "well I dang sure ain't fast enough to bayonette em!"

I was rollin....