Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Rifle goes where in camp?

So...

Where does your rifle get parked in camp? What about when you go to sleep? Where does it go if you are in a hammock with netting?

I usually just rest it on a pack right beside me when on the ground or right below me if in a hammock (also parked on a pack). I was wondering if anybody had any better ideas. I suppose one could suspend a rifle from a ridge line...

Next to me on my pack. Not in bed with me, but close

I slip a waterproof cover over it, but do not close it, then prop it against a tree outside of the tent. I don't want condensation on it.

In the tent next to my sleeping bag.

Ditto.....

If there is a chance of bear problem, the rifle goes beside me, magazine loaded and chamber empty, muzzle toward my feet. I like to lay it on something white or light colored so the pistol grip is easy to see and find in the dark. I practice putting my hand right on the grip a time or two each bedtime with eyes closed.

Otherwise, as others, I put a garbage bag over the muzzle and lean it against a nearby tree with the bottom skirt of the bag open. If rain is unlikely I have merely put a small Ziploc or sandwich bag over the muzzle.

Mine hangs in a tree covered by a tarp. Kept them in the tent one trip and ice from the condensation prevented the bolt from closing.
Bear spray stays in the tent, will be a short trip if I have to use it in the tent though.

I could give a schit about condensation...but then again I hunt with stainless steel rifles.

Same here.

We hunt with stainless and any kind of wet, condensation included, is a problem if it freezes inside the action and degrades or stops function. A trace of ice in sear or around firing pin etc. is trouble. I've had that happen to me three times, my son has had it happen to him twice.

I use one of the ant-corrosion bags and put it by my bedding.

I put it in a silicone gun sock and keep it in the tent.

KC

Mine is in my tent with me, and on my 2 trips to Ak we cuddled up rather close.

Just under the tent flap on my SL3 where I can grab it between stakes with full magazine and empty chamber.

When you wake up in the morning, do you dry fire the rifle a couple times to make sure everything is ok? I understand that ice can be a problem, but there's ways around it, and there's no way I'm stashing my rifle in an inaccessible spot in bear country.

Come to think of it, I have made a tripod for the rifle so that I could save some square footage under the tarp.

ice can form inside the bolt or trigger.

we always take our rifles in at night and mine is right beside me. we clean it if there is snow or rain.

some years ago my pard had to hold a bic under his bolt for 10 minutes while he watched a bull feed. every 2 minutes he would insert it a try to shoot. finally it went off and we had meat.

3 years ago i spent an hour in the morning holding my trigger and bolt over a flame. i cleaned the rifle the night before but could not get all the water out. later that morning the rifle fired and we had meat again. it pays to check.

Always kept my rifle next to my sleeping bag but Idaho hunts are most always very dry, never had a freezing issue. One time my brother insisted on placing the rifles outside the tent and I wasn't in the mood to continue playing tug-of-war with my loaded rifle and agreed to setting them out. That night we had a bear come into our camp and actually rub against our little tent. My brother woke me and whispered there was something outside, I hollered and slapped the ground and the bear ran off. I was allowed my rifle in the tent for the rest of our hunts.

99.9% of the time i backpack alone. Rifle is always within arms reach.

Quite a number of years ago my grandfather had the 721 .270 laying next to his leg in Alaska. A bear came in to camp, scared the horses and they kicked schit everywhere! Having the gun next to my grandfathers leg saved him some serious pain as (I cant remeber) either a horse hoove, or a pan left a nice 6" long, 1/8" deep gouge in the rifle... pretty neat battle scar for the rifle.