First, make certain that anyone who is going to use a firearm is understanding of the way it works.
Second, IF someone hands you a firearm, make sure YOU know how it works..:) Jim
PS: make certain THAT IT DOES WORK and is in proper mechanical condition..:) Jim
The guys in my favorite gunshop are good guys, but like any gunshop employees they get cavalier.
I believe that a firearm should be handed to another person action open. If the receiver of the firearm does not understand how it works, or it's not open, they should refuse to take it.
This has come up a few times when I've asked to see oddball firearms that weren't immediatly obvious how they worked, and they handed them to me (or tried to) with the action locked up. I hand 'em right back and ask them to show me how to clear the firearm... they look at me funny but do it.
A LOT of accidents would be prevented if everyone did that, all the time.
-jeff
I too believe a firearm should be handed to a person with the action opened. Here's one for you. Last week i stopped off at a pawn shop that now and again has some pretty nice rifles and at a decent price. Anyway there was a Winchester rifle and i asked to see it. Young guy gets it and lays it down on the counter with the bolt closed. I picked it up and with the muzzle pointed at the ceiling i opened the bolt and at that time i inserted my little finger into the chamber to make good and sure it was empty. About that time someone behind me spoke out and said"Finally,someone who knows how to handle a firearm" It turned out to be the store owner and at that point started berating his young employee about ALWAYS opening the bolt AND to check the chamber. You know there are such things like extractors that can and do break.
So having said all that i freely admit that i have been hunting at least for 45 years and have always carried a hot round in the pipe IF the terrain conditions were satifactory in my judgement. Every one i know does the very same thing. However after reading these threads about this subject and the Accidental discharge thread and the fact that my all time favorite hunting rifles are Remington 600's which i own several and are prone to have AD's when flipping off said safety(which at this point has never occured on mine)and since i plan on doing a lot of walk hunting in a few weeks when i go deer hunting i am going to give the cold chamber style a try. I certainly hope i dont blow a good shot doing this but to there credit those rifles can be cycled pretty damn fast(you gotta love a short action rifle!). Anyway i will give it a try.
