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

Surprised he's carries hot.

Not sure they taught that at the YMCA.

ouch!!


That was mean...





Ingwe

so, someone finally admits cold is not always an option?

Good comments... Depending on where you are, I grew up in the same area, and, until I started reading this thread, didn't realize that this was a controversial issue.
I may have misunderstood something in your message...do you hunt birds w/o a shell in the chamber? Is there a difference...deer vs birds? Of course, the point you made about no round in the chamber when traversing difficult ground isn't germane, as almost all of us agree there. I don't unload my revolver though, as a holstered gun if pretty safe under any circumstance.
I've only been hunting for 48 years and all of it has been in the southeast.
Bill

I gave up "bird" hunting a long time ago, unless you are talking about turkeys...

Hunt 'em here with a rifle, and cold chamber until I'm set up stationary and in the midst of calling to a responsive bird.

Pretty picky about my shots, backstop, ect.....as it all has to click just right else I don't shoot.

Three this Spring......

Wildswalker,

thank you very much for taking the time to do that assessment of yours. I thouroghly agree with you.

Let me try to take this a step further:

This is an issue of 'being in control'. Of yourself, of your hunt, of your rifle, of the situation. The more you feel apt to handle anything that might suddenly appear, the less you feel the need to 'be prepared' for any sudden appearances.

In the process of gaining that aptitude, one will also have had occasion to apreatiate the safety factor and have learned to balance it against any perceived advantage of the hot chamber.

Very good piece of work that strikes home with me. I call that going tunnel vision and if truth be told it takes a cool hand to avoid it. The vast majority of us fail miserably.

On the one hand it's a requirement to shoot well and consistently place your shots to the best of you ability, while on the other that one minded concentrated focus, once you decide to shoot is filled with danger. I've told others that when the sights are going to the spot that is my world and all else ceases to exist.

I try to make my judgments before I get there, but when it's over I question just how well I did, and often I come up short. Yes maybe I looked, but couldn't see that guy behind the tree x number of yards away. Then as I make the mount with full concentration on the sights he steps out without me knowing. The more you shoot and hunt the easier it is to go tunnel, because things start running on autopilot.

There is much more going on here than just the question of hunting cold or hot.

As the athletic shoe says: Just do it. In this case that means do whatever it takes for us to be comfortable in knowing we are as safe as humanly possible.

A lot of things well covered that I hadn't thought of before... Why are safeties on guns and what about break open actions. I made another comment which hasn't been covered ...Muzzleloaders?
Bill

wahoo,

safeties are not about safety, just a metal form of proof that masses are stupid and not to be trusted.

The analogy for the muzzleloader would be the half cock hammer notch.

Pray tell - you were not going to build a defence of hot chamber hunting on stumbeling around the woods with a primed stuffed and rammed ML, all tippytoed...

As soon as I exit my vehicle, I chamber a round, and there is one in until I get back in the vehicle.

Not sure what story you want, but are you pissed that some folks kill bucks, that doesn't involve snap ass shots? Buy a plane ticket Jeff O, come to my area and show us how its done!! Laffin..

Give us, NAHunter, an honest assessment of your typical hunting conditions....

Weather, terrain, the type of hunting you do.

Just curious......

I have read a few posts about people having an accidental discharge while hunting. I'm curious what was the situation that caused your firearm to discharge unintentionally?

I can't explain mine....and that's the disturbing part.

Thought I had the safety "on" as I always did but after the initial shock wore off the safety was definately on "fire", can't remember where/when/how I screwed up.

Thinking it was a twig in that brush that actually pulled the trigger......

I recall staring at that hole in the hillside 5 feet in front of me, and thinking damn that coulda bounced back and I could be bleeding to death right now.

Actually checked myself for holes after that sunk in far enough.

Was one of those bullet proof guys in my 20's.

I didn't make any mistakes, and was never wrong.

Stuff like that couldn't ever happen to me, I knew what I was doing......

Actually your story points out a pretty good fact.
I'm a firearms instructor. Normally when someone has an AD at the range its normally one thing. They had their finger on the trigger. A few have managed to shoot themselves in the leg while holstering because they had their finger on the trigger.

In the field especially when pushing through thick brush unless you cover the trigger guard with your hand a stick getting in the trigger guards is very possible. Always a chance that the safety gets push off as well depending pon the type/style of firearm.

Definately something to think about.

Cold chamber solves the "problem", and is the point......

I never got to know my Dad's cousin who died from an unwanted discharge long before I was brought into this world.

His name was always Little Billy, and I know where he is buried in the old family plot......

Ironic that even after he died no one in my extended family considered hunting cold chamber, or at least I was never aware of it. I do know that those closest to the event never hunted again. Never really was told the accurate circumstances of his death as it was an event that just didn't get talked about. It was an "accident", he was gone, it was sad, and things happen was about all I ever got.

Dad on the other hand made darn sure I knew all the "safety rules" from the git-go, and I think it was Little Billy's death that made him go above and beyond that call of duty.

It didn't help though, as my unwanted discharge made it all mute.......

When I'm still hunting I leave my arrow in the quiver and i don't nock an arrow until the final stalk. If I'm hunting a stand I nock an arrow. Haven't had my bow unexpectedly go off yet.

Thats what I thought.

I hunt with a round in the chamber.

When you are guiding someone in search of whatever, and you find whatever it is; do you the break open the drilling and chamber? Stumbling around in the woods? Is that necessary? Do you feel that superior? Are you German? If so...Germans have no history that would oblidge to accept advice about the ignorent masses. When bird hunting...hot chamber or not?
Bill