Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Loaded rifles while hunting.

I've been flagged hundreds of times. In the military, at work and hunting. This year a cop in our party flagged me bad right in front of his cop father. I ducked under his barrel the first time and less than a minute later when he did it again, I pipped off. The younger cop said "don't worry it's unloaded." I said "every gun is loaded." In a slightly pissed off maner. Everything was dead silent, till the dad cop, his departments main pistol instructor said, doing that will get you kicked off any LE range. Most the party was around watching, mostly cops, they as seemed to have a little better muzzel control.

The worst weapons handling I have ever been around has been LEO's. No question about it.

They make great video,when they shoot themself in a children's classroom too......................

Last month at a Gunsite course, our instructor told us about an Army study in Iraq. Neglegent discharges with units with required empty chambers in the FOB's (base camps) vs units that stayed hot all the time. The hot FOB's actually had fewer Ned Discharges.

I feel perfectly comfortable around individuals with good weapons handling skills whether loaded or empty. I absolutely have no use for poor weapons handling.

That loser suide his employer (a federal agency) saying after the vidio got out he could no longer work under cover. What a dumb azz.

I dont need a guide and I have one in the pipe. I really dont want to get into it with my guide friends. but as far as I am concerned, guides have pretty much screwed up , North American hunting. .................

I'm no Guide Lover,as all I've seen were clueless/bumbling idiots,motivated solely by jingle.

I take my safety seriously and brook zero [bleep],in that department...................

His comment immediately before the ND was PRICELESS!!!!

Didn't he say something like, "none of you could handle a glock like me because I'm a trained professional.........BANG!!!" The little kid at the end yelling, "put the gun down" left me rolling.

Ain't it amazing the number of folks that get holes put in them by "unloaded" guns?

If you don't carry the same way every time you carry, how do you KNOW your rifle's status?

Sometimes it's hot sometimes it's not; sometimes the safety is on sometimes it ain't; sometimes the pin falls altought it's an impossibility; sometimes the safety is enough..........get my drift? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

They should have fired him and sued him for cost of his wasted training!

Nobody KNOWS a rifle's safety status, unless the action is open. To pretend otherwise, is to invite disaster, IMO. I just treat all firearms as though they are loaded, at all times, regardless of what I THINK I know. Works for me, and I do carry with a round in the chamber in some situations, being very picky about the when and where.

I also put zero trust in the mechanical "safety". An unfortunate choice of terminology, there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I've been hunting and shooting for many years and had never heard of anyone hunting with an empty chamber until that thread a month or so ago. Even had to ask some friends about it...in this area I believe you will search long and hard to find a hunter with an empty chamber. I can see why guides would ask you to hunt empty. I hunted in Wyoming a couple times with a friend and we hunted that way upon his request....guess that was the only time. It makes it a little hard to hunt yotes with the AR...pretty clumsy chambering a round with gloves on and the scope in the way... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> That aside..it's pretty convincing of the safety of hunting with an empty chamber. Stick makes a good point...can't see a problem with chambering a round on the way to the shoulder...

Chambering after spotting game wouldn't always work where I hunt. I have yet to shoot at game over 200 yds. There is just too much noise working a bolt on a calm, quiet day. Add some fog and the noise amplifies. There has been a time or two when deer have turned to look after hearing me exhale.
My preferance is to chamber/safety as sson as it's out of the case. Stays that way until back at camp or getting in a vehicle.

I vary on loaded or unloaded to the situation.

On scope covers, last pair is see through and works great.Can shoot with em as is, or if time allows, flip open. Not complicated but protected.

We are generally in some type of agreement, but you lost me this time. I don't wear a uniform to hunt either, but the guns I have with me at work correlate (at least in my mind) to the guns I have with me when I hunt. I don't cross fences with loaded chambers, I don't climb ladders or scale cliffs with a loaded chamber, but other than that, I hunt with a loaded chamber. I see stick's point that a person should be able to manipulate the action while enroute to the shoulder, and I guess I could do that, but I don't see the point in it. I guess it is just a difference in how we train. Tomato / Tomahto. Keep the muzzle from covereing anything you aren't willing to destroy, and drive on.

I'd second that, and chalk it up to complacency.

Always hunt with round in chamber. Never heard otherwise until a friend went to Colorado, said that's how everyone does it there. Just how I was taught I guess, the muzzle of a gun will get you shot or wooped, loaded or not.

Maybe alot of it has to do with guiding people who don't spend alot of time handling guns properly. Don't know just guessing.

I think you pegged this one Mark. Out west where the ranges are long and the terrain difficult, a loaded chamber can lead to trouble. Once you are in the dark timber and on final approach, a loaded chamber has to be in order just like here in the south where ranges are shorter, no way game's going to stand still and let you slide one in the chamber no matter how quiet you try to be.

When I leave the truck/4 wheeler, etc., I always load one up and on safe, when still hunting. If I'm walking to a shooting house or tree stand for stand hunting, I unload prior to climbing. All of the above of course involves hunting by yourself.

In africa, it varies. If you cut spoor and beging tracking, the chamber's empty (client), but once you get close, it's loaded and safety on and unfortunately the PH has to ensure the client exercises good muzzle control. With buffalo & elephant for example, there's just no way one can wait to the last minute to load up. An empty chamber when hunting DG in thick stuff is foolhardy. I'm sure that goes for bears in the alders of Alaska as well. Loaded chambers over there works as the instances of accidental discharge or deaths in africa during safari are almost unheard of but I'm sure it's happened. jorge

I agree that it is mostly a regional thing.

Went on my first western hunt this year. My buddy and I stepped out of the guide's truck and automatically chambered rounds. That's the way most folks do it here. We had just begun a 1000 yard stalk on lopes. The guide looked very suprised and asked us not to chamber until he gave the signal. "sure buddy, you never gave us that safety talk"

Safety is doing what is necessary to assure nobody gets hurt that day. In the eastern setting you may find your quarry behind the first tree and it is a noise thing.

I feel it's just like our civil laws, if we just inforced/abided by the ones on the books there wouldn't be a problem. Gun on safety, always treated like it's loaded, always pointed in a safe direction with your finger outside the guard, unloaded when not hunting (under roof, along roads, crossing fences, etc.)

I was a safety professional in industry for ten years and feel excessive safety measures can be as misguided. as none at all. Hunting is not like being home hugging your pillow. If you get shot by someone you're hunting with you deserve a dose of the blame. The victum is part of the cause 99% of the time, a statistical fact.

I'm not trying to convert the empty chamber advocates. I'd say "to each his own" on this one. The best one to safeguard your safety is you. Our guide was correct in asking for measures he was comfortable with.

Now real safety is what we'd call an "engineering solution". Bring a rifle that can't be fired, that way you are 1000% sure nobody will get hurt. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Me too. Always. Gotta around here. Not much for open spaces and shots (deer) must be made fairly quickly. Most are under 100 yards and deer have GOOD eyes and hearing. Move the bolt and that deer will be in another county by the time you bring it to your shoulder.. Now, if you're in a camo-blind or similar you may be able to get away with it, but not out in the open.